Twinky

You've got to agree - beating the feet on the street is significantly better than parking the bum on a seat, listening to yet another boring TWI-style "teaching."

Our main concern was three girls, who all separately were very drunk outside a club. We gave them water, which will either make them sick, or will help reduce the hangover next day. One girl had a friend with her, but two were alone. Eventually two got friends to pick them up, but we were left with one who had no phone and her only friends were still in the club. Her coat was in the club, too, and the ticket could not be found. She was near comatose, became shivery, and couldn't be left. Amazingly, one of the security staff was taking an interest and offered to get (and did) a coat from their Lost Property section; he found a nice cosy hooded jacket for her. A belligerent drunk male was among the many people hanging about and several times approached the girl, not with evil intent, I think, more "what's this?" Some of us stood between the girl and the male; others tried to get him to move away. After an hour or so, the male wandered off and by then the oblivious girl had had a bit of a sleep, and was warm, conscious and speaking reasonably clearly. (Perhaps this was your prayers taking effect!) At that point, we felt it safe to leave her. The BID security/ambulance team checked on her a time or two after we left. Of course, whether she found her friends and went with them in the booked taxi to their nearby home town is another matter. While we were tending her, another female, a rough sleeper, clearly with problems, rocked up. She had been refused admission to Julian House hostel because she was too late. She had a partner, who was off collecting cardboard boxes on which to sleep. We gave them a good wool blanket and Christmas presents: hats, socks and gloves, and toothbrushes. We'd made up parcels of hats, gloves, socks etc and toothbrushes and paste to distribute to rough sleepers. We were disappointed that we didn't give out too many of our gifts to homeless people, because there weren't many of them around. Perhaps tonight's team will distribute more. We gave out one blanket, hot drinks, gathered about 80 bottles and glasses, swept up about 8 broken glasses, chatted with many doorstaff and other passers-by (one was a SP in another city, who came to thank us for what we do). A street pastor from another city came up to us and thanked us for what we do, explained she was a SP elsewhere, loved the mission. Many other people came up to us and thanked us for looking out for the city; we explain to those who still don't know that it's an expression of our Christianity, church on the street, getting out there and helping; people always express amazement and pleasure that it's a volunteer organisation, and high-five us or hug us. In such ways, the name and the work of the Lord is magnified. All in all, a normal sort of night - quiet, even, for late December.

Is that more like the way it should read?

Doing the word... well, I'll be out DOING THE WORD leading my team of four Street Pastors this evening, 10pm-3am. We will be handing out warm clothing if needed, and hot drinks to rough sleepers; picking up glassware (whole and broken) to keep damaging stuff away from causing injury or becoming weapons; helping drunk people to sober up sufficiently to get a taxi home; giving out flipflops to girls whose shoes are painful by the end of the night; helping people locate friends and their hotels/bed for the night; and offering kind words to any who are in need - the lost, the lonely, the bereaved, those with big home problems; and suchlike. As a special thing this year, I've made up Christmas parcels with hats and gloves etc, and some things to eat; and some "crackers" with a toothbrush and some toothpaste samples; and some cards, to give to the street sleepers. Hope these are well received; we hope for opportunities to share the gospel more with recipients. Sometimes, we even speak the gospel instead of demonstrating it.

Don't remember him ever saying this when I was in rez and he was Prez. "Mass" simply means "meal." Same root word as the services' "mess hall." Not celebrate Christmas? No, just have a large decorated tree, a day or two off, and give gifts. Naomi W always used to give us a slimline "pocket planner," very simple. I still have mine. And a big dress-up best-clothes party, with escorts, corsages for women, buttonholes for the men. People were allowed a few days off to visit friends and family, but had to be back for NY Eve, ostensibly to pray in the New Year, but actually a party/Way Prods splash to celebrate the birthday of VPW (who was long dead before I went in rez).

Uru was doing that? Womanising? (do you think M knew)? (Do I want to know the answer to that??) And trying to get your wife and kids to leave you? Huh. Well I suppose the kids have left you anyway now. Old enough to be off and with their own families now. Good for them.. And you and N.

Yaaaawwwwwnnnnn...…...

We all belong somewhere. We all get imbued from childhood with various social norms. If we shift to a different community, we discover and may incorporate within ourselves different norms. Like when we change the place we study, or the type of work we undertake - or, as she points out, change the country in which we live. I found it hard to understand some American perspectives when I was in rez. And I know Americans found a non-US perspective very strange, at times. Even now, when I talk with American friends, they have a world view that sees my world view as incomprehensible (and vice versa). Neither is right, neither is wrong; open conversation opens doors of understanding. It's often said that learning another language helps deepen understanding. It's how people really get into the other language and perceive its different structure and the way it expresses ideas. It's not merely a word-learning exercise, but a mind-broadening one. I wonder if there are people here who are fluent in English, and Spanish or Italian or Hindi, etc, born of immigrant families, who could say something about who they are when they interact in the "other" language? On a related note, I lived overseas in yet another different country (English speaking) for many years. When I got laid off from my job in the UK, I couldn't find any work, despite oh-so-diligent efforts. After a few years of this, I thought, "What would I do if I were in that other country?" A change of mindset got me started into self-employment, and now after 7 or 8 years I truly have no desire to go back to my old employed way of life.

Think you might need another category. Life as a whole; time in TWI; time recovering from TWI. That's a harder time to quantify. From when one leaves, to the time one stops thinking like a Wayfer, or stops startling at key jargon words that have acquired other meanings; or until one has abandoned unhealthy TWI concepts. I call the ten years post-TWI the lost years - I was there in body (even doing things that I ought to have enjoyed), but in such a state that my mind was only partly there and I was actually in a state of profound depression. I think my recovery didn't start till about ten years after being kicked out, and that was when I discovered Greasespot Café when I was preparing to crawl back to TWI. After that, it was - what? five years? ten years? - before I think I became a more clear-minded person and got back my enthusiasm for living. If you take that as 20 years (on top of TWI involvement) that's a very big chunk of pie chart. I thank God for his great protection and for the kind, loving, genuine, patient and helpful, Christians and other people he put in my way in that 20 years or so

I had a quick look through their site. Boring as heck. Songs uninspiring, and the performers as wooden as fence posts. I did notice something else about the site, though, that brings them into modern age: a Give button - for those who want "to give toward the movement of God’s Word to the entire world." And there's even an associated email address = "giving@..." None being given by me, I hasten to add: they've had much more than appropriate over the years I was with them. They do have a section where people can "follow" them (108 followers), which might be a way of catching up with some folks' whereabouts.

Wow, an app! Does that count - or not? - as being "on the internet" and therefore in that devil spirit infested place?

There were woods behind Founders Hall (eventually purchased by TWI from the farmer) and across E Shelby Rd there were the Way Woods, and other woods round the auditorium. Plenty of space for birds to nest, roost, feed, etc. The extensive lawns where the RoA tents were wouldn't hold a lot of attraction for most birds - too exposed to predators, and hard work seeking grubs and insects compared to being in the more wooded areas.

Yeah, me too. It's weird catching up on things that were top news years or decades ago.

Welcome, Victor. That's a lot of years in TWI. You endured Martindale and JY and now Rosalie. Find some answers to questions you never dared to ask, right here in the Café.

And now I learn that not only is it true that WS was at Gartmore, but that his wife and new baby and other family were in Berlin at the time and terrified at what might eventuate - nothing, as it happened, but who knew at the time? It could so easily have gone otherwise. It seemed joyous at the time - but who expected the wall to be built in the first place? No doubt others there were also anxious for what the future might bring. Chris G33r refused to let WS go home to Berlin and be with his family. CG said, "If she needs to get herself and the kids out, she'll find a way." And no thought for any other believers that might be caught up in it. Your caring compassionate ministry at work. Hardly surprising, then, that an Ohio cornfield wasn't on the "hot line."

Can't speak for Gartmore, as I was in the US at the time. Where'd you hear that, WW? Yes, surprising if true; I'd think all Europeans would have been interested and ought to have known this news.

Perhaps it wasn't a big deal in the USA, but in view of US anti-communist rhetoric at the time, I'dve thought it worth a biiiig mention. If it wasn't a big deal, it must reflect a much more serious insularity than I'd realised, about the US. Which I don't think was the case. I think it was just TWI "not entangling us" with world affairs.

It's the anniversary of the breaching of the Berlin Wall. The end of an era, really. All the talk in TWI of freedom, democracy, etc. I was in rez at the time. You'd think it was a cause for celebration. I didn't learn it had happened until the December break - I thought I'd misheard, or whoever told me was mistaken. Quite astonishing that this major world event never raised a whisper in an Ohio cornfield.

Uncle Harry Day: Now who'd've thought that VPW could have planned so far ahead? That is funny, Thomas.

Remembrance Day, Vets' Day, or those other things you mention, Rocky: I don't recall TWI respecting any of those days. Could be wrong as to whether they did or not, but I don't remember anything. But then - nobody knows or understands "service" or "serving one's country" quite as well as TWI (bleah, vomit). .

Next stop (at least in the UK): Remembrance Sunday - the nearest Sunday to the 11th day of the 11th month. Commonly called "Poppy Day." Remembrance Day itself is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of First World War on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month." Mostly observed as such in Commonwealth countries. On the Sunday, there will be parades at all UK churches, with Scouts, Guides, etc and the British Legion (ex-service personnel) with flags and wreaths. Prayers and thanks for the dead in action. There's a startling 2-min silence at 11am, broken by a bugler playing the last post. In our village, most of the traffic (at least past the church) also stops (a voluntary action). I think the emphasis is a little different from the US Veterans' Day. It's good to remember and honour the sacrifices of those who have died in honorable combat.

Not only not Halloween. Also, not All Saints' Day (1 November) or All Souls' Day (2 November). Both of these are significant in church calendars. But we can commemorate "Uncle Harry Day" (the anniv of Harry's birthday) and make a big deal of that.

Hey folks. Perhaps some of you can help me. For sure, nothing I can find on the net can help me! I have recently taken over as Administrator for a small team (for want of another description I'll call it BSP) on Facebook. The page is a Private one also called BSP. The person who originally started the page about 2013 no longer has a FB account and is no longer part of the team: having set it up, he departed to pastures new and the page administration has been lacking ever since. As a group, we want to use this FB page more. We are not, never have been and never will be, a business, which so much information seems to relate to. So far, I have managed to make myself Admin, and as such have approved or declined several wannabe members, set up a simple question to deter non-eligible people, and given the page a suitable photo. I would like to be able to deal with the page as BSP rather than in my own name. How can I do that? I would like to invite other members of BSP to join the page/group. But it seems I can only invite my Friends, and none of them are eligible to join the group. How can I, as Administrator or as BSP, invite other people? Or do I have to wait for them to apply to join? I would like to be able to share our page with the parent group. How can I do that? In case it should come to that, can I stop someone else making themselves Admin? (Though to be sure, there's no clamour to be involved.) The FB "how to" says about handling things as Administrator that I should go to Settings, then choose Editor (or some such) - which is kinda difficult if that's not offered! When on the BSP page, whether as myself or when "moderating" the group, I don't see any Editor or Administrator panels or anything on the group page that is different from my personal page. Any suggestions? Any helpful hints gratefully received :)

What TaxiDev said, which is exactly right. I wasn't going to go there; opens too big a discussion for this Any Questions forum. Mods can move, of course, if the thread gets too busy.

Look around you. Do you see people who have been healed? Yes, you do. How many of those "tithe" to TWI? Vanishingly few, if not to say, none. Tithing is another issue and healing is not dependent upon it (even if TWI claimed it was). I'm reminded that Jesus told us to love the lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, not with just 10% of our being. We are to acknowledge him in all our ways, not just some of them. Even so, we have fallible bodies: people (including great Christians) still get sick; all die, eventually. What we do have, as Christians, is the peace of God in our hearts, that will strengthen us through all perils, dangers, evils, sicknesses.