waysider

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.

Could you tell a wise man By the way he speaks or spells? Is it more important Than the stories that he tells? And call a man a fool If for wealth he doesn't strive?

I got assigned to go live, not commute, in an area that was 50-60 miles from home. (By myself, not as a WOW.) I was supposed to run classes and coordinate a couple twigs that already existed. I quit my job and rolled into a very small town with nothing more than my car and a suitcase. Not only were jobs very scarce, but I had to take one that fit the "ministry" hours. The job I found was minimum wage. Money was pretty tight so I took a room in a boarding house. There was one phone in the house and it was not really for the boarders use. Almost any call outside of town was long distance. One day, somebody at HQ called that phone and left a message for me to call HQ, ASAP. I went to the pay phone on the corner and started loading in my coins. I don't remember who I talked to but they told me that Dr. W. and some other VIPs were coming into town in a week. They said I needed to find a meeting place and rooms for, I think, 5 or 6 people to stay overnight. -----ALL FREE!----- Plus, I had to try to promote it on a local level by maybe getting some posters up(That part never happened.) I made arrangements with the lady who owned the house to allow me to use her phone to make calls. The agreement was that I would pay for all of them when the bill came. After countless hours of calling here and there, I finally had what they had requested. The day before it was all scheduled to take place, I got another call informing me it was called off. It cost me almost a whole weeks pay to cover that phone bill. Do you think I ever saw one thin dime of reimbursement? Like Exie says--hahahahahahhahahaha!

The words in bold are mine.

Willingness and ability. Remember that stuff? She was "willing" to apologize because she was "able" to see that she screwed up. I doubt they(TWI) will ever apologize because they are not able to recognize that they were wrong.

Not even the wife? HaHaHa----Just funnin' with ya. Happy anniversary and many, many more!

There was, indeed, a class by that very name. When I took it, Johnny T. taught it live but I'm sure it was on video also. I still have the Silly-bus.(somewhere) Shifra Yes, TWI stands for The Way International. I think it's an acronym that originated here on GreaseSpot 'cause some of us have fingers that like(out of necessity) to abbreviate things. Now you have me on a quest to check that old syllabus and look at that reference you cited.Thanks a lot! :-) Ya know, at one time, I was a "twig area coordinator" because there were not enough twigs in my area to split into another branch. Another time, I was a "zone coordinator" because ------------Hmmmm!------don't remember why. (Except that particular branch was geographically isolated from the next nearest branch and I was the only Advanced Class grad around.) HeeHeeHee---- As if that made me somehow more qualified. So how the heck did those experiences fit with the structure of a tree? Oh, wait! I know. It made me a "sucker".

Hey, dmiller! Just wanted to let you know that my son took your advise to heart and checked out that Yamaha acoustic we talked about awhile back. He just got it about a week ago. It's really nicely made. It's got beautiful tone. It's consistent all the way up the fret board and I, myself, really like the low action. It's a pleasure to play. I think it's really important for a "newbie" to start with an instrument that doesn't "put up a struggle". They have enough to concentrate on without having to figure out an instrument's shortcomings. Thanks again for your recommendation. Waysider ps---- the price was pretty nice, too!