ex10

Danny, will you be the cajun chef at our next BBQ?

T-bone, this is really easy, after reading what you wrote. :) Our worship of God is evidenced in our love for our neighbor, by our treatment of those whom God also loves. The bottom line of my life as a living sacrifice to Him, is carried out in my treatment of others. I John 2:10 comes to mind: "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." We are "called" to be in relationship with God as our Father, Creator, and Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. And then we live out our "calling" in our dealings with others. All these things imply relationships built on light, truth, and love. Our treatment of others, especially those close to us, is a reflection of our worship of God. This is the essence of the teachings of Jesus. And then the church epistles specifically instruct us on how to do that in day to day life. The bottom line is, I have to allow Jesus Christ to transform me, from the inside out, so that my life will bring honor and glory to him. That's what God views as an acceptable sacrifice. All of our lives should be the evidence in the real world, that God exists and came to life, entered our world, in Jesus Christ, who is the word made flesh. One we are "saved," we pass from death unto eternal life, and now belong to Jesus Christ. Our life is not our own. (Seems I've heard that once or twice, even in the cult.) But part 2 of the plan God has for our lives, is not just that we are "born again," so we can do whatever we want. He wants us to be changed into his living image, alive and real for others to be able to see, hear, and touch. The whole Bible indicates to me that God and Jesus both are very concerned about our "character." Sinning against our brothers is not part of the plan. God tells us specifically what to do when that happens in I John, as well as other places in the Bible. Seems VP and company liked to twist the meaning of "sin." Remember the whole "in fellowship, out of fellowship" baloney? VP twisted that for his own wicked ends, ie to justify his horrible sin against others. The old "hey, if I don't think it's sin, it's not" teaching. And it's wicked step sister, "if I don't 'break fellowship' it ain't sin." That's got to be the biggest bunch of garbage, and some of the most damaging of VP's spin on the Bible. My oh my, I'm feeling preachy today. But I only quoted one Bible verse, so maybe we won't get banished to the dungeon.

Might I suggest, What the Hey, that VPW got this idea kinda scewed? Man's basic spiritual problem is sin, not the "accuracy and intergrity of God's Word." The statement VPW made in PFAL that you quoted, was a "hook," one of many that baited people into believing that VPW had all the answers. The whole Bible is about the problem of sin, and God's answer to it, Jesus Christ. In John 8:31 and 32, Jesus is teaching his disciples and makes the statement that "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my diciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Well, hello, what will be free from? Keep reading and Jesus explains we will be free the bondage of sin. I Cor. 15: 33 and 34 come to mind: "Do not be mislead. Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning: for their are some who are ignorant of God-I say this to your shame." Unfortunately, VPW never got to the point where he quit sinning. His corrupt character stayed corrupted, which is obvious by the "fruit" he left behind. And his corrupt character, influenced everything about his "ministry," including his teaching, example, etc. These things are really just a no-brainer for anybody who still has one left after escaping the cult. VPW and company's sin and corrupt character led many, many people astray. Thank the Lord, that as his sin is being exposed, we can "know the truth," and be set free from the bondage of sin. Amen. End of sermon for today.

oh gosh, sis ex, the only hair color worth dyeing for, is "sunlight gold." :)

Gosh, I'm on my way to my brother's house to help sis-in-law choose between "golden blond" and "mirrored gold" paint for her family room. What a worthless life I live. :B)

pond, No offense intended, but I have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

I had "true friends" while in the cult. Don't know how it happened, I guess we just sortof stumbled along the same path. My best "true friend" has now been my sister-in-law for 20 years. :wub: Most of my bestest friends involved in my life now, were those I've known for decades, my Way sidetracked years included. Despite it all, some of us managed to get that "relationships" are much more important that cult/church affiliation. I can only speak for myself, and I do have some really close "never been way" friends (from before I got involved, and God Bless em they tolerated me during) And I've met some afterwards, who are precious and irreplacable. But the ones I've known since before, and during, and still speak to me and are involved in my life now, still have a special place in my heart. And I must say, I have close friends now, that are ex-way, that I wish I'd known when.

Just another thought, but I don't think Jesus dismissed anyone, and what they said, just because of gender, ethinicity, or theology, or brand of jeans they wore. If anybody needs a bible example, John 4 comes to mind, and his conversation with the Samaritan woman. It just never ceases to amaze me how some of us exes can hang onto the words and musings of a someone we deemed a MOG, who treated people shamelessly, and then blow off a person of experience and practice in really caring for people. I guess some people really do think that "knowledge" is more important than "character," Truly astonishing.

I'm not having any problems at all. :B)

After reading this thread, it occurs to me that filling one's head with "knowledge" from someone with a proven lack of "character," (and holding onto it as precious treasure, instead of the garbage it is) can really affect "who I am."

Wow, Oak, I hope you weren't really expecting meaningful dialogue on your topic.....

We took our teenage kids to see it over the Christmas break. It is pretty bloody and violent, and was a bit hard to take, (for me) because of the reality factor. But the movie did spawn some great conversion with our kids about Africa, and the things that are happening there. Definitely a fine movie, and like Lori said, the story was brilliant.

The amazing thing is how adept we humans are at calling our own garbage, treasure. And hanging onto it for dear life.

Roy, That was very well said, my friend. :wub:

Best wishes for your anniversary, you two. Love you both! :wub:

So does this mean we are partying tonight to celebrate?

LOL DMiller! "You tell me whether or not you put pineapple on your pizza, and I'll tell you how far you will go spiritually." Sorry, way off topic.

Ham, There are tons of branches of "Christianity" that have embraced the "Prophetic Movement." CES/STF are by no means unique in this area. :o

Ok, I just did a quick google search, and yeah there are sites where you can book from Europe to here. You just have to look around a bit. The first one that came up for me was: www.statravel.com. It's a site for students. Just click on the button at the top right hand part of the page, that says "worldwide."

Ohmigosh, you guys, I've booked tickets originating in Europe before, from here. It ain't that hard. I just have to remember how I did it. :B) I know this past summer, I wanted to use frequent flyer miles to get back to Houston from Munich, so I just called Continental (the airline my miles are with) and booked it. I think I googled a list of European Air Carriers. I know KLM and British Airways have places on their websites where you can book from any country. Those are the 2 airlines I flew on within Europe, and I booked online from here. Also, I checked out Ryan-Air for inside Europe travel, and could have booked that from here as well. Aer Lingus can be booked from here. It's just that not all the US websites for cheap tickets let you book from here. But some do. And they all have currency converters so you know how much you are really paying. Unfortunately, I didn't save my list. Flying within Europe, you pay ALOT of taxes, so you really have to pay attention, because in England for example, the ticket price that is listed will double almost after the taxes are added. It's still fairly inexpensive to fly within England though, compared to here. Another thing I have learned to do, is ALWAYS check with the airline itself when I find a cheap fare online, because sometimes booking through the airline directly is EVEN LESS than an advertized cheap fare on a web site. Again, it depends on the airline.....Had to learn that one the hard way....

Yeah, what Jim said about Hoover Dam. I LOVE to ride the roller coaster in front of New York New York, but my advice would be to do it BEFORE dinner. And the Irish Pub (I think it's called 9 Fine Irishmen) in New York New York always has a live Irish Band and Guiness aplenty. Fantastic fun and the music is brilliant.

Wishing you the best today, my dear friend. :wub:

Evan Have you booked your tickets for February yet? Hopefully, you can save some bucks....