Linda Z

In the "Personal Prophecy" thread, Evan said: "I think when we start wilfully opening our mouth and presuming to speak for God, that's when trouble begins." Amen to that.

This, from Evan, is another gold-star Greasespot Gem. While I still believe that every believer has the gift of holy spirit, I firmly believe that WHEN and HOW God wants us to prophesy or pray/believe for a miracle or minister healing is for GOD to say, not us. For it is GOD at work within us to will and to do of HIS good pleasure.

So there I was at a conference in Washington, D.C., on providing services for the aging. I sat down at a table and introduced myself to the people there and we all did the typical, "Where are you from?" exchanges. The woman to my right was from New Bremen and said to me, "But I'm sure you don't know where that is!" I said, "Oh, sure I do." She was surprised. I asked her, "Do you know Walter and Joyce Cumxins?" She said, "Oh, sure. They're nice people." I told her that I used to work at the Way. We chit-chatted a bit about how much it had shrunk and she wondered why in the world they kept maintaining that huge place. She sounded sorta wistful that our kids weren't in the schools anymore. And she commented about how many talented people used to be at the Way. Whoda thunk?

Shell, I've been out of town and just saw this. Congrats!! Hahahah there's a lot to be said for the old-fashioned practice of finding out the baby's gender when it arrives. ROFL. I'm glad mommy and daddy and baby are doing well, and so glad you and the new aunt got to help with the delivery! Congrats all around!!

When my son was about two, my teenage brother-in-law thought it was really funny to teach him cuss words. So one day my husband and son and I were riding with a real estate guy to check out a house in another town. Out of the blue, my son starts saying the f word, over and over and over, and laughing. I wanted to die. I quickly said, "Oh honey, I'm sorry, we didn't bring your fire truck today. Your fire truck is in your toybox at home." Thank God, my son was young enough that it was believable that he was really saying "fire truck." I wanted to choke my husband's brother.

mj, I understand requesting prayer for a peaceful death. That's exactly what's needed sometimes. When my aunt, who had cancer, reached the point where she was in great physical pain and mental distress, that's exactly what my family and I began praying for her. She was suffering and she was ready. Within a couple hours, she slipped peacefully away.

Wow, I thought I heard several years ago that he died, but I guess not:

Enemy Mine Dennis Quaid Switchback (which has the funniest song playing when the closing credits roll that I've ever heard!)

Six Days and Seven Nights Harrison Ford Star Wars

Go, Chuck! I'm glad you got to see him. He's truly one of a kind. Hahahaha. I saw him in 1968 in Los Angeles and thought that "he still did okay for an old guy." Ah, the arroagance of (my) youth. He must have been all of 37 or 38, my son's age!

No, as someone pointed out earlier, you can euthanize a dog and put it out of its misery. I'm not saying we should be able to do that to people, but you can't compare the treatment of humans with the treatment of dogs. With dogs we have the option of letting them go peacefully. No one is murdering Terri Shiavo. She was not born with a feeding tube growing out of her stomach. I hate to be so blunt, but the real crime took place, IMO, when she was put on an artificial means of nutrition. And for those pointing their fingers at her husband...he spent years trying to get the best rehab care for her, but the time came when it became evident that nothing was working. I don't know how you dare to presume what's going on in his head and heart. Do you know that he became a certified respiratory therapist and went to nursing school so he could take better care of Terri and oversee her care? I know Michael Shiavo wasn't popular with the nursing home. His own brother said he was very demanding regarding Terri's care there and that it didn't win him many friends. No surprise there. That doesn't go over very big with nursing home staff. All I can say is I thank God I'm not related to any "helpful" people who would keep me alive, whether in a vegetative or decreased consciousness state, against my wishes. Perhaps when Bowtwi was in contact with Ms. Shiavo, she still retained enough brain function at that time to feel pain. That was a while ago, if I read and I'm remembering correctly. Her brain has now turned to fluid, 80% of it! And as a result of that, doctors say she can't feel pain now. It's not guesswork. Doctors know what parts of the brain control pain and all the other functions of the body. I pray Terri feels no pain and discomfort. If she does, it should be obvious, and the doctors can give her medications to ease her discomfort. To me the greatest discomfort would be to be confined to a bed for 15 years, unable to think or get up and walk or communicate with anyone.

You've all said it so well. There comes a time when kids go off in search of themselves, no longer wishing to follow every rule. It's time to walk on their own two feet, and they're going to make some blunders in the process. On one level I was glad when my son rebelled, because my desire for him the whole time he was growing up was that he become an independent person with a mind of his own. What's that they say about "Be careful what you wish for"? LOL I was fortunate. He didn't take his rebellion to extremes: sneaking off to an AC/DC concert in the next state in a blizzard was about the worst it got (at least that I found out about). Oh, that and getting a fake ID and buying beer at NK's "Party Shop" before he was old enough (18 back then). I found out about THAT little fiasco when I was picking up pizza for his 18th b'day party from there and Jim, the owner, said, "That little dang is just turning 18 NOW?" The thing I got a kick out of was the way he dressed and wore his hair after he graduated from NK High School. Pure grunge for clothes, and "skater's hair" bleached blonde that hung down so far it darn near covered his face. Honestly, he looked like crap, but he loved the way he looked, and I was glad he had the nerve as an HQ kid to withstand some of the clucking tongues and wagging fingers. Some people thought the kids should all look like perfect little Stepford kids. Today he's a responsible adult, well groomed and nice to old people and animals. Yup, they rebel, and they get through it. And so do we.

I believe that's "Sir John Mills." Derail alert (sorta): If you ever want a good chuckle, track down the movie The Wrong Box from the late 60s, starring Michael Caine and featuring John Mills and (Sir) Ralph Richardson as feuding brothers. Peter Sellers plays a small part as a quack doctor with a bunch of cats. Hilarious. You almost have to watch it more than once to catch all the humor. Some of it is in-your-face rowdy, but some is quite subtle. One of my all-time favorite comedies.

Skyrider: Earl's class came out in '82 or '83. I know it wasn't before '82, because I worked on the syllabus in Way Pub my first year on staff, which started 8/82. I never heard why he was chosen to teach it. I do know he didn't much like having his syllabus edited for grammar and clarity.

I have nothing but admiration for this woman and the way she handled herself. I watched an interview with her on CNN a little while ago. Sounds to me like she stayed calm and was kind to this man, who had obviously snapped for whatever reason. Her coolheadedness and faith in God probably saved her life--not to mention the lives of who knows how many others.

I don't think anything that takes place on the Internet was private to begin with.

I got into twi in '72, and at that time what later became the Intermediate class was "TIP" (Tongues, Interpretation & Prophecy). It was very short and, if I remember correctly, pretty low key. I know for a fact that it didn't include all Earl BXrton's claptrap about the lengths of the tongue and interpretation matching and all those other rules and regulations. Earl's revision of that class ruined it, as far as I was concerned. Maybe it wasn't his fault. Maybe he was just doing VP's bidding, but it sucked. People I knew who were comfortable with the manifestations for many years were suddenly put into fear over whether they were doing it "right." I don't know how long before '72 the Intermediate part of the class was still in PFAL. I never heard that it was, but it very well could have been in the really early years. The things I do remember that were removed from PFAL were "The Day Jesus Christ Died" (which I think was still in when I first took the class) and "The Unforgiveable Sin," which I don't think was still in but was shown separately shortly after the class ended.

Gee, I never really thought about it. :D--> I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.

I apologize for derailing, but hi LKR Sisneros!! It's your old neighbor from Rome City. Love to you and the rest of your wonderful family! If you want to say hi privately, you can just click on my name and my e-mail address is in my profile. I'm sure T would love to hear how W is doing. Welcome, and I hope you find Jim Doop! Love, Linda

Are they playing for the nursing home residents, or is the benefit being presented to a wider audience to raise money for the nursing home? If it's the former, they might want to keep in mind that the majority of residents will be in their 70s and 80s. I doubt his band knows many 1940s and 50s hits, but perhaps they could choose songs from their repertoire that are upbeat and sorta cheery. If they happen to know any later renditions of some really old songs, those would be good. Country and easy-listening R&B might be another safe bet. Now, if this were 20 years from now, a lot of my friends and I would be up for the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Mathman's band is just a little ahead of its time. :)--> Oh, and tell them not to be offended if some of their audience is napping. Some residents will be into it and enjoy the contact with younger people. Others will be taken there in an attempt to get them involved in an activity, but they'll snooze through most of it. It just comes with the territory.

I'm worried. The 11th Corps thread is only 207 pages behind you guys, but they're gaining fast. It alarms me to see the 11th Corps thread at the top 2 or 3 days in a row. You're turning my world upside down...or is that right side up?

I have an old e-mail address that I don't use anymore and haven't checked in more than 2 months. I'm getting ready to cancel it, because it's just a waste of money, so I checked to see if I had any real e-mail there. Alas, I had about 15 messages from GSers, either notifying me of private topics or just e-mailing me. I think I caught the private topics because people posted for me to check them, but I definitely missed the e-mails. Please know that I wasn't ignoring you. I just didn't think anyone from here would be using that address, since my newer address is posted in my profile and I've sent my new one to the people I stay in touch with. Sooooo, if you have zinda@nacs.net in your address book, please change it to the address in my profile. You'll get a much better response. :)--> And if anyone has my other e-mail address at adelphia, that one's still good, too.

Sudo, upon what (aside from what appears to be an attitude that nicotine is just a bad habit that can easily be shaken by all but the weak willed) do you base your view that nicotine isn't highly addictive? I strongly disagree, and so do the MD/PhD researchers I've interviewed on the topic. Are you sure you aren't Dr. Laura in disguise?

Thank you, outofdafog. You're right, there were many good people who went into the Corps because they wanted to help others. I know there were some jerks in the Corps, but it's heartwarming to me that you recognize the heart that so many had. Your words are very sweet, and very appreciated. There's a lot of Corps bashing that goes on around here, and sometimes it's hard to try to explain that we weren't all domineering buttheads. Thanks again.

I stay in D.C. a lot, and my absolute favorite hotel is L'Enfante Plaza. There's a Metro stop right under the hotel, along with some shops and food places. The rooms are nice, the service is superb, and although the dining room is sorta small, the food is fabulous--best cobb salad on the planet, by the way. :)--> I love not having to leave the building to hop on the Metro...just down the elevator and escalator and you're there. It's a bit pricey, but as Steve said, most downtown D.C. hotels are. That Radisson at DuPont Circle is nice too...has roomy suites, and it's close to the Metro. Also has a good Chinese restaurant down the street and a couple fast food places and a little market and an Internet cafe (well, it did about 3 years ago...last time I stayed there). The only drawback, IMO, is the restaurant. When I was there it had a pretty limited menu, heavily S. American or something like that. I ordered out most of the time I was there. I don't recommend the hotels in Arlington, around Crystal City. It's a business district and, outside the Crystal City complex, there are very few restaurants or cool places...sidewalks roll up by 6 p.m. Let us know where you ended up and how you liked it.