waysider

I remember when I was growing up in Cleveland, people liked to tell "Polack"(ethnic) jokes. Somebody(probably not a "Polack") decided it was not "politically correct" (or whatever the term was at that time) to describe it. One of the late night TV guys who liked to tell "Polack" jokes jumped right on it. He started telling "Certain Eastern Ethnic European" jokes. Then, he got the best of both worlds, he poked fun at the "Polacks" and got a bonus of poking fun at people who criticized him. The answer is quite clear----I think. Simply replace all references to VPW with references to a "certain Eastern Ethnic European" cult leader. OR Leave it in wherever the context requires it. You can't, and shouldn't, change history just to please those who don't care to face it.

I always groom my dog in the buff. Yep I tried to get him to at least wear a jogging suit but apparently the color clashed with his dingle berries.

Prince Rupert Awakes--- King Crimson Farewell the temple master's bell His kiosk and his black worm seed Courtship solely of his word With Eden guaranteed. For now Prince Rupert's tears of glass Make saphron Sabath eyelids bleed Scar the sacred tablet wax On which the lizards feed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, Mike Kinda makes ya wonder why that "revelation" VP got about the PFAL class failed to mention it ain't cool to pretend someone elses work is your own. Suppose for a moment that God really did give Dr. Wierwille revelation about which works of other people were accurate. Do you suppose God also gave him revelation to lie about where the info came from or did he just do that part on his own? If God gave VP revelation to set The Way up like a tree, hows come he set it up like a multilevel marketing organization instead? I don't hate the guy. I just don't understand why God "told" him one thing and he did something completely different. Any thoughts?

I found info on the "first" Corps(complete with photo and names) just by doing a google search a while back. If I can find it, anybody can. LOL

"Step right this way, sir, and pick out a fine prize for the lovely young lady." Mister You're A Better Man Than I Actually, I was looking for Yardbirds, but Jeff Beck was their featured Guitar player at that point in time and I did mention guitarists in my clue. The group that had a big regional hit when they covered it was Terry Knight and The Pack(forerunner of Grand Funk Railroad)

You got a whole suit for your birthday? Geeze, all I got was a turtleneck sweater.

Tell ya what I really think. I think VP heard this needs and wants parallel stuff somewhere and decided to use it as if it was his own. Problem is, I don't think he really understood whatever it was that he heard and that is why he was not able to convey it in a clear and concise manner. It was not unclear because there was some great spiritual truth behind it. It was unclear because he did not understand the logic of what he was trying to "teach". Kinda like when a young child tells you a joke they have heard but don't really understand. They leave out key points and key words and then wonder why it doesn't get the laughs it did when Daddy told it to Uncle Louie. If it's so darned mathematically accurate, how come it's so hard to figure out what it's supposed to mean, even 40 years after it was first taught? Oh, wait. Maybe I just need to "believe" to understand it. Of course, that would also require that I want to "believe" to understand it. (in an parallel fashion.) I'm "willing" to do that. Sigh----------If only I were "able" to.

Here's the words to a song I wrote a long time ago that seem to fit this thread. ------------------------------------------ Morning finds us once again, Asleep as though we're one. Sheltered in each other's arms, Our blanket is the sun. Soon I wake and kiss your forehead, Lingering for a while. Looking out upon the day, I turn and see you smile. Time goes by so slowly.

Could you judge a man By the way he wears his hair?

Wow! There seems to be an awful lot of "negative confession" in those terms and conditions. I mean, really, where is there "believing"? HeeHeeHee.

I'm a tighty-whities kind of guy. It's written in the by-laws of " The Old Guys Club". Now that's a law that really makes sense! Not to be "loosely" interpreted. There is a clause in there, however, that mentions something about an exception being granted "when licking snowflakes off of eyelids". I wonder what that's all about.

More Fishin' Blues.

Jesus wept Ok, Ok I know it's out of context but I couldn't resist! :) WG Remember how we used to get lambasted on Wednesday nights(Fellowlaborer night) and have to cringe in our seats as the almighty MOG spewed forth his disapproval of us all? He would tell us that the Word was never going to move over the world, all because we failed to honor our commitment to the program. We, 50 bewildered people on a darkened country road in Podunk, Ohio, were the reason the Devil was getting the upper hand in "Gawd's Ministry" and was positioning himself to conquer the entire world. Then, you would come to find out he was just pizzed off because he didn't like the way his car had been washed or that somebody had forgotten to rinse the sprouts or soak the wheat berries. (Or maybe he couldn't get his favorite "house cleaner" to "put his house in order" when his wife was out of town.) WooHoo------ "My windshield has a streak! ---THE END IS NEAR!---It's all your fault!" "God is love." "God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all." You don't need a bunch of Greek words to understand that what he is saying is contrary to that. I know Mr. Garden had already graduated before a lot of that stuff happened and maybe that's why he is puzzled by some of it. Mr, G. is a really terrific guy and even 35 years ago, his understanding of the Word had a profoundness I envied. I'm sure he'll be able to see this for what it really is. Peace, kiddo Waysider

Shhhhh! Keep it a secret. If Jonny Lingo finds out he'll be knockin' at your door with a pair of hip waders, chompin' at the bit in search of material for another fish stowwwwry.

Actually, Dot, you are being crystal clear. I would have to say my answer is "probably not". But I'm OK with that---Really.

That would appear to be the case, but don't forget, a splinter is a fragment that has separated from the whole at its weakest point.

OK Now I see where you are going with this. I misunderstood. You are not talking about "love" , you are talking about "being in love". (Or more specifically, about someone "being in love" with you) Well, I've never been the kind of guy that women swoon over. So I guess I kinda understand your question. Still, I guess my wife must have seen something in me because we've been together 25 years now. I'll take "love" over "being in love" any day of the week. But to answer your question: Nope. I don't think I've ever had that "snowflake" kind of experience but I'm glad for you that you did.

Marsupials frighten me!

When I was about 21, a buddy of mine took his own life. He had told me he felt all alone in the world and that no one loved him. Holy Schlamoly! There weren't enough seats in the church for everyone that turned out for the funeral. If I had opened up a kleenex concession, I could have made a fortune trying to dry all the tears there that day. It was too late for him to see it. Point is, it was all about perception, not reality. His perception was way off the mark in terms of reality. If you really love someone, let them know. And maybe, just maybe, someone will do the same for you. But even if they don't, it's all about perception.

There's lots of good stuff here on GSC regarding the subject of tithing and how it relates to this day and time. This is one particular area that TWI twisted and distorted to the max. in order to serve their own purposes. I highly recommend looking at some of the articles on it here.

Maybe the problem is not so much a question of whether love is real, but a misconception(foisted upon us by Hollywood) of what love encompasses. We all want to feel loved. Is it possible that's why it felt so good at those early twig meetings when people said, "We sure love ya!!!"? Yeah, they said it, but the evidence was not always there to prove it. Love is not an illusion. Our perception of it can be and often is.(an illusion.)

I have a WT silly-bus here in front of me. This particular one is dated 1974. It is not my original one, it is one that got left behind when my first wife and I went splitsville. It's really nothing more than a corporate structure outline. (With some scripture references sprinkled in for decoration.) There is some comical stuff in it. For example, it says that "the structure of the early church was like a tree- divided up geographically-logical, convenient". I'm no history expert, but that is definitely NOT how the first century church was "organized". There was nothing "convenient" about the way they had to meet. People in the first century met secretly in small groups out of fear of being persecuted. (Of course, that does not negate the value of meeting in small groups.) Then, there is a chart showing the "tree" of the first century church. I gotta tell ya, it's hard for me to imagine how the twig that met in Chloe's house in Corinth had very much, if any, connection( beyond Paul's acknowledgment of their existence) to the so-called "root" in Jerusalem. I don't think you could organize a tree like structure so closely tied together even today with the internet, etc. But, page 10 stresses that the development of a tree like structure is "not new". Now, here's some interesting stuff on the intro page. A twig has 3 or more members and meets nightly or not less than once a week. A branch meets monthly or not less than every three months. A limb meets every six months/ not less than once a year. Trunk---every three years. Root--- Three segments 1. BOT--3 trustees 2. Inter. HQ---head presbyter of each trunk 3.BOD---all head presbyters of limbs and branches plus selected directors of the BOT and Inter.HQ. Meet once every five years How in Heaven's name could this possibly be an accurate replica of "the church" as it existed in the first century? And, where in the world did these specific numbers come from?--Not the Bible, that's for certain. Yeah, I know. Now some joker pops in and says."Ooh, it all came by revelation." Sounds more to me like it came from a "how to" manual on starting an MLM.

Pond That incident took place in 1974 or 75. We had some pretty lavish parties from time to time, also. They were always funded by private benefactors that were recruited by the believers. So you see, it still didn't cost TWI anything if one of these events took place. It was my experience that people who provided funds for such things were often people who had positions of responsibility, such as doctors and bank presidents and that sort of thing. They were usually(at least in the instances I observed) people who knew they could not just up and "go WOW". I think this may have been a way of giving to a cause they believed in because they knew they were tied to their responsibilities. Coffee houses had a very definate purpose behind them. They were designed to bring new people into a non threatening environment. (Like the spider and the fly) There is no question that a great time was had by many attendees. But, if you were involved at a level that went beyond the casual twig attendee(Involved in the actual running of it or performing at it) you were well aware that it was not supposed to be a time for you to let your hair down and just have fun. Its purpose was clearly to bring "newbies" into the fold through the process of assimilation.

According to my Way Tree syllabus, each "twig" is to be self-supporting, self-propagating and self-governing. That doesn't sound like a very accurate description of the tree in my backyard. HMMMMM!-----Come to think of it, it doesn't sound like a very accurate description of the Way Tree either.

Yes, Donnie did teach W&U. My memory of a class by Earl B. are foggy at best. I do remember him doing some sort of "research" and subsequent lectures on the Firmament and the Great Flood. Something about the flood being caused by a tear in the firmament that allowed the flood waters to rush through and flood the Earth.