Twinky

Are you on the right church's website, Charity? This is StACC/Holy Trinity Combe Down (HTCD) (two of the four churches in the benefice). St Andrew's Community Church, Foxhill | HTCD

I'm so glad that if I ever heard this cr@p [resurrection/rising], I've forgotten it. But likely, I never heard of it. TWI had found some other atom to try splitting, with nonsensical purpose. If there's a resurrection/rising, or rapture, or whatever, then it's beyond my puny capabilities to affect it. Therefore, I will expend my energies on something more useful in the here and now... ... helping the disadvantaged, the homeless, those with little in this life. Those with too much trouble in this life. Those with no hope and nothing to look forward to.

Nobody I know would agree with you, Allan. Starmer isn't very popular, Badenoch (other main party leader) even less so, Farage (fancies himself as orangeman's best buddy) is an extremist far right fool and not at all well thought of - but the orangeman is nationally hated.

You could try reading some of the articles on their website. That's if you can stomach the jargon.

UK maps have Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America). If there's no good reason to change a name of centuries, why bother? Ah, says an orangeman, there is good reason. My ego! TBH if it were called Gulf of THE Americas, that would be understandable and maybe acceptable. The area is bounded by the continent of North America and the isthmus of Central America; and South America forms a southern boundary though arguably not exactly on the gult. The lengths of the Mexican border and the north American border appear to be about the same. But no. The orangeman thinks America means the whole of the continent of North America (sorry, Canadians). And sharing with other parts of "America" (ie, Central and South) just isn't in the playbook. It's likely the rest of the world with stick with Gulf of Mexico and the name will revert back in a few years' time.

Probably most of the old head honchos have died or permanently dropped out of sight. RFR is shortly going to be 85. Bill Greene is still around, and on the board of directors. Donna and Craig a bit younger. Others have departed completely and either set up their own show or gone to CFFM or R&R. Vern I remember as being a really sweet man - but that was 35-40 years ago and who knows what has happened since? The younger folk, such as Oldies references above, may know absolutely nothing about the history as we know it. How would they? TWI isn't going to say anything! It's not so much what they teach - it's what they do. And how they do it.

Greasespot Cafe always used to come up first!! Looks like the cafe isn't so popular now. Just the old-timers left. If TWI is still going, there are still going to be people who need what the Cafe has to offer. Need to boost our profile a bit. How?

Was in church on Sunday. Our sermon series is about our identity as Christians. The curate, Ben, gave a talk was about being salt and light. Little bit different idea of "salt" but completely acceptable. Then he turned to a discussion of "light" and hiding candlesticks under bowls, cities on hills, etc - y'all know the passage. And then he said: "You are all lightbearers. Bearers of the light!" Lightbearers!!! Not a word commonly used by people. Never encountered it in ordinary conversation. Maybe the Olympics talks about that, but the expression is usually "torch bearer." I quite enjoyed Lightbearers apart from the hitchhiking. A nice, enjoyable, two week release from the stifling prison and rigid discipline of being at HQ. Stayed with, met, hung out with, some really nice people. Witnessed to some nice people - and some less nice ones. Overall, no regrets. I could even say, I have happy memories. Got back after one such expedition to have the whole group of us bollocksed for not being good enough. We deserved being kicked out, etc, etc due to our lack of believing. (Nothing about HQ's own lack of preparation or knowledge of the area!!) Our punishment: to be sent out again a month or so later, with the admonition that those who didn't get a class together needn't bother coming back as they would be thrown out anyway. No pressure, then. (All teams succeeded this time, in a different city.) Lightbearers! Ben, if you knew what you'd evoked, brought back, you'd've found a different word! But I'm willing to reclaim it and use it so that the ugly connotations get expunged.

LA fires - terrible. If it were God's punishment on the Hollywood industry - wouldn't the fires have overtaken the film industry buildings? Or only the homes of those involved in the film industry? Very many homes of ordinary people were razed in these fires. This is just greed, man's inhumanity to man, and general lack of foresight. At the same time, though, there is much to be praised. Selfless fire workers, not just from California but from other States and countries. Decent human beings setting up donation points for food, clothing, other household necessities. Others offering temporary accommodation or shelter in their own homes. And yes, financial assistance, from many individuals, and from those same Hollywood stars whose homes weren't burned down as "God's punishment." Not a thank-offering to God, but a genuine desire to put help where needed.

Aha! Not just me that couldn't get into the Cafe, then. Been being repainted, or some such.

Happy new year, people. As Dave Allen (an Irish comedian and satirist) would say - "May your God go with you."

Sorry, I can't go this year. I have to - mmm - clip my toenails. Count the leaves on my roses. Count the hairs on my friend's head. Frankly, I can't believe anyone is really interested. And that there still seems to be an in-rez WC. Poor deluded souls.

Crumbs. Tent. Grass. Yikes. Can understand if it were a tent with a floor but it wasn't. Can understand if it would be likely to be a cause of litter (wrappings carelessly discarded, etc). One might wonder how some of these people cope in the wider world.

That's revolting, Penworks. Just so wrong.

Joy to the World https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=joy+to+the+world+traditional&mid=CB06A7362C4350ED6C49CB06A7362C4350ED6C49&FORM=VIRE

I'm intrigued by this. How did your LC get involved with JAG and some incident that you suffered PTSD?

Pleased to say that the YMCA in my city is not a bad place. But not a luxury place either. And nary a hint of PFAL about it.

Here's a funny song. My choir is singing this at our gala concert next week. A different look at the "Christmas story." Watch to the very end! (I hasten to add that we are doing some more "serious" stuff as well.)

I'm sorry to hear this. I think I only knew Kit via this place, but she was kind to me.

Ah, no thanks. Actually I did quite enjoy the RoAs that I attended but I was working all the time so it was different from "field" people coming in. And setting up for RoA was often fun, too, a respite from the usual very boring and repetitive things that we endured in rez. However... There's a big Christian festival for two weeks every summer in my country. Churches from all over get invite people to attend (no pressure) and often camp in "church groups" though again no obligation. I find I can't bring myself to attend, no enthusiasm - in fact, a profound wariness of group celebration. of this type. So I suppose RoA and the forced fun that the general populace seemed to have has left its mark on me. Maybe I should make the effort and dispose of that bugbear.

No song, but my Thursday evening (yesterday) was spent sitting outside enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal of pork loin chop, six different fresh veges, followed by sticky toffee pudding topped with ice cream; and accompanied by a tasty bottle of red wine, Merlot. All beside my firepit, which was burning perfectly, brightly to start and a lovely deep warming glow later.

Interpretation, whatever. You need to look at the whole Bible to understand what Jesus knew. And then you have to figure out his understanding of it, which will include some cultural taboos at various times throughout the OT and during his lifetime. Did Jesus "interpret" in relation only to Jewish culture? After all, he didn't visit Gentiles in their homes and we have no indication that he ate other than kosher meats. He was in many ways a strict Jew. And yet he saw much bigger things. He understood and foresaw "all nations" coming into God's love. And he certainly cut through cultural barriers of his time, by speaking with and (gasp) even touching women, to heal and to help. I would recommend the book The Bible Jesus Read, by Philip Yancey - you can pick it up at various bookshops including online secondhand places. The Bible Jesus Read | Philip Yancey | 9780310231868 | Awesome Books. It's very readable and will give you a new perspective.

Way to go! ... not. A very painful way to die, and to achieve absolutely nothing for it. He could have achieved so much more had he chosen to protest by a less violent method. I don't know that that would have been part of his cultic background, though.

We here have pretty much all had to deal with these issues, one way or another, even in not "born into" TWI. This place is but a shadow of what it used to be, but there is a lot of help and healing in the earlier posts. I stumbled across GSC - oh my, it must be 20 years ago - and what I read then firstly enraged me ("who would say such things about such a wonderful ministry?!") and then healed me, as I realised that it wasn't me that was so screwed up and useless, it was and is TWI. The wisdom and help available is immense, if you can seek it out. We've been there. We understand, without you having to explain. ("Why didn't you just walk away?" "What's the matter with you?" "You're so weak/stupid/...") Help, and be helped. It's why this place is here. Even after all these long years.

Wonder what happened to any of these CORPORATE ASSETS. Cars, motorcycles, plane(s), bus(es). Should have been sold if surplus to requirements, and the money go into general residue for the benefit of those entitled under the CHARITABLE PURPOSES of TWI. I'm guessing that the charitable purposes could well have been the private, individual, livings of head honchos. The more abundant lies life, and all that, y'know.