waysider

Sunesis---------Thanks for those references. The C.S. Lewis materials sparked an interest for me.

I'm just funnin' with ya Kathy! I can't do much except text stuff with this box I have here. Wish I could ,though, so I could do Pictionary and check out some of the stuff you guys post links to. OJ-----It's not just for breakfast anymore.(I think I hear a moving van warming up in the distance :) )

Rascal------I think people, like the ones you are referring to having seen on TV, get defensive because it is downright embarassing to admit you've been played for a chump. I think once you do,though, it starts to relieve some of the pressure that comes with trying to hold onto something that has no substance.

T-Bone Let me know when you get that E.G.O. Booster up and running. I would like to be your first customer, though I suspect there is already a long line forming. I think it's good to buy a new gadget(or 2 or 3) every now and then to keep the creative juices flowing. Nothing will ever replace good old fashioned time in the woodshed but why not have some fun and throw a new spice in the mix from time to time? Music or no music, it means doing something for YOURSELF and that's important! "All 7 all the time."------HAHAHAHAHAHA! Kathy------What's Youtube? (-- :( --)

Hi Listener My wife was spared a lot of the nonsense also. When we first met, I still bought into the "can't marry an unbeliever" crap so I had her take the PFAL class. (Really more as a formality loophole than anything else.) Then she took Intermediate and proved that tongues with interpretation and prophesy really can be faked if you put your mind to it. She took a few of the other peripheral classes as well but never really had any desire to become a part of the "ministry". She never had to endure the sleep depravation or isolationism that was often imposed on us in the Fellowlaborers "commune". She was spared the "bootcamp"- like weekends designed to break your spirit, the endless meetings and reproof, and days that seemed to drag on forever. She doesn't understand a lot of how these things had such a lasting effect but she is sympathetic and supportive.(almost 25 years together now) So here's the question that comes to my mind: Was it the "classes" that had such a profound effect on people or was it the lifestyle we immersed ourselves in? I suppose it was really both but the lifestyle was the key ingredient ,at least for myself. Also, I just realized that she never was required to "burn her bridges",so to speak, like so many were compelled to do. I'm pretty sure that enters into the recipe too. Anyhow, nice to see you here at GSC.

Rascal----The duck analogy really Speaks volumes . What's that old saying? "A picture says 1,000 words." But putting all the spiritual stuff aside for a moment, who would have kept the grounds? Who would have scrubbed the toilets in the BRC? Who would have worked long and thankless hours putting together the ROA and the making sure it ran smoothly? Who would have put their careers on hold so TWI would have musical product to sell to an anxiously awaiting market? The list, of course, goes on and on. And what about the WOWs? Who else would have moved across the country and sometimes across the "big pond" to sell a product that didn't even have a commision plan? How about Fellowlaborers? Who else would have devoted so much sweat and elbow grease to keep the Limb HQ in a readiness mode for visitors from throughout the state? Without all the good old fashioned physical labor and creative input as well as supplying business savvy, it would have all been just a bunch of Bible classes. I'm sure I left out lots of people in my examples but I hope my point is obvious.

It might be interesting to see this same experiment done wih someone singing the words to a song and then doing the same song in "scat".(Scat is a style of singing that employs the use of random syllables rather than words. Ella Fitzgerald was probably the most well known, though two others that come to mind are Scatman Crothers and Mel Torme.)

HI, Son Of The Master. Welcome to the coffee shop. Would you like a table or do you prefer to sit at the counter?

Happy anniversary Socks(and Mrs. Socks!) Enjoyed the lyrics very much (though you may want to toss in a " Yo--Yo--Yo" here and there just to "keep it real". Just funnin'----Have a great anniversary!

Jonny Thanks for the response on the harps. Here's my logic behind using the term"positions": I like to use the "circle of fifths" as a reference point for a lot of musical concepts.(5th's are clockwise and 4th's are counterclocwise) If the band is in C and I want kind of a campfire sound or maybe a Jimmy Reed kind of sound, then I will use a harp in the same key----C.I visualize the circle and locate that "position" on the circle(C is always at 12o'clock) Since the band is in C , I go(in my mind) to 12'oclock where I find--- C. It's the 1st "position" I come to in my search so playing a harp that matches that key is 1st "position".(Most of the notes are blow notes and not all that great for blues.) Now what I do is go counterclockwise one space and find myself at 11 o'clock on the circle.11 o'clock is the permanent home of F. This is a good harp for blues in C because most of the notes I'm going to use are draw notes and many are bendable which lends itself to a more expressive sound. So F is the 2nd "position" I arrive at in my search for the desired harp. If I want kind of a dark, moody, minor sort of sound, I move one more position counterclockwise from where I started(This is now the 3rd "position" I arrived at since starting my search). This brings me to 10 o'clock on the circle which happens to be the permanent home of Bb. So: 1st "position" in C uses a C harp 2nd "position"(cross) uses an F harp 3rd "position uses a Bb harp ------and so on. I recently made a stage organizer based on this concept for a well known guy in Cleveland who is going blind and has trouble finding his harps in dark juke joints. With the organizer, he can reach for the harp at the 3 o'clock spot and know he will always find an A harp(2nd position/cross harp) when the band is in E.

Sometimes you just have to say what you have to say, and I'm glad you did. I'm not sure if you are referring to a specific post but if it was something in one of mine, I don't mind being "set straight". There is a lot of diversity of opinion and a wide range of experiences here at GSC. Even some who experienced the exact same event or situation came away with profound differences in how they were affected. I enjoy your posts and hope you continue to bring your viewpoint to share in the mix. I,too, had many great times during my involvement with TWI but,to be honest, I think many of them were in spite of TWI and not because of it. After I became involved in The Way, I got my parents involved also. I apologized to my mother once for getting her involved and do you know what she said? She said, "Why would you want to apologize for introducing us to some of the best friends we've ever had?! And isn't that the whole thing in a nut shell? TWI as I remember it was successful at that point in time because so many great people were drawn to it not because it held any special franchise on "The Truth". I don't know if any of that made sense but ,like you said, "I had to say this." Peace, Waysider.

Patrick and Sara Thank you for the update. I am happy your search is proving to be fruitful for you. I honestly did not read your link in its entirety but one thing I read does concern me a bit. There seems to be a lot of emphasis on being able to think things into manifestation both for yourself as well as for others. To my critical mind, this sounds supiciously like Wierwilles' "Law" of believing. I could be wrong. As I said, I have not yet read the whole attachment. At any rate, it is good to hear from you and I wish you both the best. Waysider

Hi, Jonny I have never owned an Ibanez but I have heard people say the same thing PB and others have said here("Lots of bang for the buck"). It makes good business sense,too, that if a store is going to bias their stock with a particular brand, they must be confident in its' quality. Lastly, a good quality instrument at $475 seems like a hard deal to pass up. Of course, with the kind of money you have lying around, maybe one of those Martins is more appropriate. Just funnin' wit ya! On the harmonica stuff: I have never played bluegrass. Do you mainly use 1st position(same harp as key of song) or 2nd position(harp is a 4th away from key of song)? I'm also interested in what brands you favor(Oscar, Hohner, Suzuki,etc.) and your take on equipment, especially microphones. Sure am a nosy son of a gun, aren't I? Like Sonny Boy II said,"Don't start me to talkin', I'll tell everything I know."(Which ain't all that much, to be honest )

If a woman were to become president, it would certainly not be the first time in history that a woman has filled a position of globally significant importance. What were some of the personal qualities of other female leaders and how did they deal with the adversity they surely must have encountered? Any anecdotes come to mind?

Don't forget the Swiss Chard

Breaking News!!---------Breaking News!! I just read in the Natural Requirerer that scientists in Upper Uplehoggistan(not sure what continent that is on) have discovered a pig that was born with wings and can soar through the clouds effortlessly. Why does this stuff always have to happen so far away on a weekend when gas is at an all time high? My granddaughter, Clara-Belle,(that's short for Helen) says "Cheesy cow, Grandpaw, you just need to get your believing "up" so you can get there to see it." I guess she may be right. That way I will know once and for all that the" law of believing" works when I finally see a pig fly. (film at eleven)

Well, ya see, that would depend on where you put the comma. For example, "What the hell's a soul, mate?", which seems to indicate you might be having a theological discussion with someone from Down Under. We now return you to your scheduled programming.

Pling--Pling----Pling Twang----Twang------Twang Whew!---What a relief. Just wanted to make sure this thing wasn't busted.

Greetings, Wrdsandwrks Welcome to GSC Making a marriage work for 25 years(TWI or not) is not always an easy task. Congratulations to you both. May the future hold 25 more. Waysider

Happy Birthday, Watered Garden. >"Knock, Knock" >"Who's here?" >RETIREMENT!-----------Let's get this party started!"

Yup, you got it. Here's the verse I always liked: Saw a man walkin' upside down My TV's on the blink Made Galileo look like a Boy Scout Sorry 'bout that, let it all hang out Let It Out(Let It All Hang Out)--------The Hombres---1967

Ya see, here's da thing, Roy My age is listed as unknown because I'm older than dirt and nobody knows for sure how old dirt really is. Now, on da gender thing. If you look at my avatar, you will see that a certain aspect of my person is depicted in da picture. No, I am not da howling hound dog on da right.(stage left for da theatre geeks). My harmonica playing,on da other hand, has been compared to da sound of a hound dog in pain. That's a good thing, right? So there ya go! Now it should be at least as clear as muddy water. Just funnin' wit ya, Roy! Holy Hugs, Bro. Ps.--------I have no idea why I felt compelled to post widda Chicago accent!

Jade East. Hey!-----It worked in the '60's! Oh, Sorry, you said "real good quality". Guess I'll have to revise that to-------------English Leather.

I have thought for a while, how, for many of us, our lives were impacted by communal living. For many of us who were involved in programs such as Way Corps, Fellowlaborers, Way Home, WOW,Minuteman, etc., a big part of what may have made a lasting impression on us was the fact that we lived, to varied degrees, a lifestyle that was essentially a "commune". Not the Hollywood version of flower power, drugs and freewheeling "do your own thing", but the very real, textbook version of a "service" commune, dedicated to a unified mission. For those who did not experience this aspect of TWI, please jump in and comment or ask questions or it's liable to get boring pretty fast. My personal brush with the "commune" aspect of TWI came as a Fellowlaborer, an experience I may share in due time. Any questions, comments or snide remarks will be welcomed at this time. OK----Try to go a little easy on the snide remarks.

I came here via a similar route as Bumpy, through a google search. I throttled back to local involvement in the early '80's and then finally drifted away in the early '90's when family commitments took precedence. I had no desire to go back to the "organization" but still felt a love for God and his Word. I continued to talk to people about what I thought I knew about The Word and frequently lent out materials. When my last copy of PFAL came up "mia", I started looking for a replacement and, of course, I thought The Way would be a logical place to get one. That's where my journey here started. I lurked for a while, astonished to find out how much I had been oblivious to the real essence of TWI. When you talk to outsiders, you have to start on page #1. Here, you can skip right to chapter #10 and and still understand each other. Ironically, I currently have a co-worker who went through many of these same experiences in a cult that I had never even heard of. When we talk about some of these things, we can skip to chapter# 10 as well. We have some great conversations. Another thing I think many of us have in common is that we experienced communal living. How many people are you likely to meet in this lifetime whose opinions are tempered with the experience of living in a commune? I think I may start a thread on this subject. And to be honest, some things here are just plain fun, like talking about music and TV shows and silly jokes. I also like to visit the prayer thread and offer up my prayers, though I don't usually make my presence known. Sure, I have some regrets about what life might have been like had I never stumbled on TWI,but, what's done is done. I think, in some respects, that I was fortunate that my experiences were not as extreme and damaging as some I have witnessed here on GSC. I hope that doesn't have a disrespectful or gloating tone to it. All in all, it's a comfy place to "let your hair down" and enjoy life in this cyber world we live in.