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Hehehe...the shark thing is a joke. I was labeled a shark by someone who is no longer welcome at GS. He described me as a "shark in the water looking for blood" hence the tag line and the many references to the shark. We have also done a thread dedicated to the "three sharks" on this board. We were called such in that thread because of our direct and honest natures. Were I to liken myself to some other animal it would most definately be some sort of cat. I have a personal preference for the white tiger and have in fact been labeled that previously. In fact the "leader" of the west coast crips so dubbed me once when he was incarcerated. He called me that because I am white and my character is similar to a tiger. They are quiet, layed back creatures that prefer warmth and comfort. They are fiercely loyal to their young and their families. They are perfectly willing to let you hang out in their area unless you appear to be a danger to anything that they consider theirs, like their family or family unit or their food. Then they become all sharp objects, claws and teeth. But I like your analogy as well, leopards are warm and fuzzy too.

Congradulations and praise God! Merry Christmas!

No nasty pasta for the Italian shark until she makes more chicken tortilla soup for the German, French and Irish shark that just happens to love Mexican food! (I'm not prejudice...I've never met a food I didn't like!) Especially cheese dip! I have six rows of teeth, three on the top and three on the bottom. And I get new sharp pointy ones every two weeks or so...

WD that was beautiful. I often tell people that animals are sometimes more humane than humans and they are certainly easier to understand.

What a very colorful description! It really paints a vivid picture.

Sex in the Way Corps was kind of like Sex was in College...some people were doing it and some were not. Considering the Corps that I was in I would find it very strange if the majority of my Corps were not more interested in keeping their noses and activities out of the realm of "trouble" than they were in sex. Maybe at Corps week where you could hide amongst the rest of the Corps but while in res....not. As I said we were very closely monitored. Not saying that it never happened, especially before Christmas but after POP...not.

Now, now lets not talk out of school... And do remember who was fixing the drinks. I really did get me a bottle of 12 year old Rum that was aged in an untainted oak cask, no rye in this bottle! Problem is you're supposed to sip it not mix it. But maybe I'll try it in a Mojito anyway. I better make sure that I'm staying at home when I do cause its pretty certain that it will set me on my tail. I remember my parents telling something about a "living example"...let me think now...oh that's right Jesus Christ was our living example. Somehow some of the MOGsters didn't really emulate JC. Hence it would not be wise to imitate them. Good call on your part Waysider! So Dave, we await your return and your imput. Are you kidding? The closest we came to any of this was if we caught a pregnant Salmon in the Gunnison. Then we had to put her back. Imagination was all we had and it was closely monitored.

This is wonderful news Bump...do they have bisquits and gravy in France? Hmmm....how about: It's not a perfect day...it stopped snowing. My family is full of nut jobs and I fit in perfectly. I love my job but can't wait to retire. I spent my last two vacations visiting fellow sharks in other ponds and eating way more than I should have and I got the pics to prove it!

Bumpy darlin', It's a good thing that I kind of know your personality. You know that I do not whine nor do I complain...well unless my morning bisquits and gravy are late...but concerning twi, I dont think that I ever have. I really dont think that I contribute negatives but if you think so then please show me where I have done so and we can discuss it or I will apologize. I have absolutely no qualms about accepting my errors as my own. As far as wasted...not me sweetie! My family is afraid to bring a beer into my house without getting permission two weeks in advance of a major holiday. Puhleez my blood is so pure that an antihystamine makes me dizzy. I talk a big game but I'm a wuss.

I kind of think that she was presenting a hypothetical situation or a view from the proverbial "other side" of the coin. Much like one man's freedom fighter is another man's traitor. Both WD and Rascal make valid points. But sometimes we get so emotional about the words that we read on the computer screen we may temporarily forget that a person is on the other side of that screen and that person can be offended just as easily as the one reading his/her words. It is clear, at least to me that for now WD and Rascal have opposing or vastly different points of view concerning many issues. But on some issues, although they see them differently they do agree with the bottom line. Both views, or rather all views are important and should be seen and evaluated by each individual to determine if they should be kept, shelved for later review or simply discarded. That is how we heal and grow. That is just one shark's opinion.

Please do not presume to tell anyone else what their life was like while in twi, for that matter please do not presume to place some sort of meter on any event or series of events in anyones life except your own. That is just dishonest. As I said people will "get over it" whatever "it" was, in their own good time. If you cannot or do not wish to contribute in a positive way to their recovery than I respectfully request that you at least stop telling them that because this person got over being a drug addict then they should get over "it" as well. "Many of the ex-TWI sulkers and whiners have done nothing to replace their previous TWI lives with anything they find meaningful and joyful." How do you know this about anyone...let alone "many"? Finally please do not call people names...even indirectly. Thank you.

There appears to be some misunderstanding concerning the motives or reasons a person remains angry throughout many years at one event or person of many events and people. The word "anger" has been inaccurately defined as an emotion that is short lived and not enduring. It was also defined as an emotion that was seperate from "revenge". I do not know where these definitions came from but they are quite incorrect. Note the below quoted definitions for "anger" and related verbs from Encarta: anger, annoyance, irritation, resentment, indignation, fury, rage, ire, wrath CORE MEANING: a feeling of strong displeasure in response to an assumed injury anger a strong feeling of grievance and displeasure; His face turned white with anger. She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her. annoyance mild anger and impatience; Her untidiness was a source of annoyance to him. I couldn't find my credit card, much to the annoyance of the people in line behind me. irritation a feeling of impatience or exasperation; replied with ill-concealed irritation a sign of his intense irritation with his distant superiors resentment aggrieved feelings caused by a sense of having been badly treated; The policy provoked bitter resentment throughout the police force. Try to overcome your feelings of resentment at being denied this experience. indignation anger because something seems unfair or unreasonable; The woman protested in righteous indignation at the idea. fury violent anger; Their eyes were fixed on each other in cold fury. Fury at the rejection welled up in him. rage sudden and extreme anger; jealous rage Toby flew into a rage. ire (literary) strong anger; a change that raised the ire of union members This decision drew the ire of rights activists. wrath strong anger, often with a desire for revenge; the wrath of God I don't want to incur the wrath of my manager by changing the plan. Please observe that the strongest anger mentioned is "wrath" which carries with it a strong desire for revenge. This in no way should relate to a civilized conversation from opposing viewpoints in which the participants strongly disagree. Anger is not an emotion that should be expressed towards an individual for their opinion or belief or for expressing their opinion or belief. Anger may be expressed towards a person for the manner in which they express their opinion or belief or towards the belief itself. But if opposing parties are both civilized and mature in their conversation and demeanor then anger should never be expressed towards an individual. So are we done playing word games now? Dave, with all due respect the verse reads: Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. That being said, I do not completely disagree with what you say. My parents taught me that if I had nothing nice to say then say nothing at all. The Corps taught me how to find good things to say about anyone. (On a side note; they also taught me how to find fault with anyone. I chose to employ the former instruction.) I believe there was a thead recently concerning the entire, "Get over it" idea. In short all people with "get over it" in their own good time and not one second before, and telling them that they should simply because it is 20 years later or because it was their brother or sister in Christ, IMHO only adds fuel to an already burning fire.

I just got one question...how did you manage to get that little pink mask over your big green ears? Me I just wear a wig and add prostetics to my fins...but how do you cover those ears?

For some reason I was always simply opposed to saying "lift" or "lifted". I would always use the word "pray". But I suppose that indicates that I equated one with the other. As Dooj pointed out the verses mentioned are refering to the lifting of hands not prayers. Waysider also makes a great point that "lifted" could indicate the "relinquishing" of the concerns. TWI did have a certain degree of its own vocabulary just as any other "specialty" group. Many of the unique terms that it used were not biblical in the sense that they could be documented with a specific verse. Many others were "provable" by verse, like SOGWAP for example. It was and is corny as he!! but it is to a point accurate. The term "lifted" is probably not provable by a verse but a metaphorical argument can be made in its favor. Personally I never liked either and used them as little as was politically possible.

I agree with everyone here Nero, get ahold of your bosses. You need to go see your father for your own peace of mind. My prayers are with you and him.

I guess that's better than eating prophetic word turds!! Fiddlesticks- the sticks back woods folks use to play the fiddle! Like that was obvious... I predict that Swatratra will try to make a comeback in yet another twi spinoff.

I dont know if that's Dooj or not but I laughed until I fell into a coughing fit! Darn head/chest cold will be the death of me this winter. I dont have the computer savy to put any faces onto the elves or scrooge. It looks simple but it just gave me a headache.

I dunno Mr. Squirrel, I'm not so sure that God is into quantity so much as quality. So many times in the Bible when it's talking about rewards both good and bad it mentions the fact that God cannot be fooled and he looks upon the heart of the person. That, to me has always meant that a person can do all the good works in the world and seem to make a big difference in thousands of lives but if their heart is not right with God then it does them no good. Now the folks that they helped will get a benefit but God will look upon their hearts as well. So I think you are covered at least from my limited view you seem to have your heart in the right place. WW, thanks for all the references. I guess I am just having problems computing the idea of someone actually claiming to be a Prophet and giving out a slew of personal prophecies. I am certain that they (personal prophecies) still happen today but for crying out loud these people claim to have the rightly divided word and they can't see something this blatant right under their noses? Who ever heard of a "prophetess" within the ranks of believers? Correct me if I am wrong but didn't Nathan and guys/galls like him Not live with everyone else? They didnt hang out everyday with the MOGs and give a prophecy from God at the drop of a hat. I dont even think that the gift Ministry works like that...does it? TWI taught us that the manifestation can be done anytime and anywhere (with three of course) But I dont recall anything about the Ministry of the Prophet being like that. So where do they get this junk? And no I'm not gonna buy the book. Oh fiddlesticks!! Those idiots just confuse the word of God for folks. Their full of turds and they're giving me a headache!

That was way too cute! There is a site to Scrooge yourself. Here's the Url: http://www.scroogeyourself.com/ I'm thinking of puting some of my pics of the BBQ on the heads of some elves. Do you think I would get into trouble? :unsure:

Ahh, quite right! Some little memory was nagging at the back of my brain when I was writing my last post but I didn't want to claim something that I could not remember clearly. Thank you for supplying it. Oh...way off topic...I found some Rum that Rich can enjoy with us next year at the Q! I am very excited about it! Ok, I'm done with the commercial now...back to regular programming.

So this Personal Prophecy thing has been around for quite a time. I wonder did Paul and crew have to deal with this kind of stuff in the first century? Or was the manifestation to new at that time? I know that when I was in residence many folks, including myself would write down different prophecies or interpretations when they were done (which was very often). I still have one that I put on my wall. It wasnt a "personal prophecy" but it has helped me to keep my course straight through the years...so I guess you could say that I made it personal. DWBH-I just love that story about Swatratra. Thanks for sharing it again. :) I think had I been in the Corps when you were I would have been in the "You've got to be kidding" crowd.

I suppose that it is a good thing for me to be able to say that I simply do not understand the logic of an abusive individual. I just don't get it. As Oak said, a person must be a seriously mentally deprived individual to think in this manner. The term "mental midget" comes to mind.

John, You couldn't possibly really mean this. A two year old knows that there is a difference between talking and hitting. Granted that both can be unpleasant but talking never leaves a physical mark on the body. And before anyone comes back and says that words can hurt...yes I know that...but that is not the context of John's post. The differences between words and physically striking another person have absolutely nothing to do with discrimination against men. Just about everyone can see the obvious differences. Perhaps you were just angry and misspoke? Rascal, I did not mean to offend. Perhaps I misunderstood. It seems that you may take too much of the responsibility for that particular decision. Life is never just black and white. It is full of a miriad of colors.

While I appreciate the desire to move the Word as many of us were want to do while in twi, and I totally understand the desire to continue to or reintroduce sweet fellowship with believers I fail to understanding why anyone would continually try to resusitate a broken system. TWI was a corporation. It ultimately was not geared towards Godly fellowship or spiritual growth. It was geared towards stock market growth. CES and STF are corporations. They may have once but no longer seem to promote Godly fellowship or spiritual growth. Exactly so...when will the BOD's of STF or CES realize that they are being blown about by erroneous winds of doctrine? Once upon a time their intentions may have been good and righteous. What are they now? What are these winds of doctrine? What is the fruit of this ministry? Kudos to the 4 original BODs that walked away from CES, Momentus and Swatratra and crew! It is a shame that some still fell to the stale doctrines and beliefs.

I find it strange that I didn't want to "lose" the image that I had of them. I had always admired their "walk" as I saw it. They were loving and kind to me and my family. But they did uphold the "standard" of the Ministry. Remember how I once did not want to think that I had "wasted my time" in the Ministry? Well this time I didn't want to think that everyone that I had once admired was as crooked as a three dollar bill, spiritually speaking of course. It really shouldn't matter at all. It is very pleasing for me to see you make another step in your personal healing by accepting your part in the painful ordeal. It was beyond twisted for twi to require these types of things from people. Of course you had a choice. But if you want this or have done that then you cannot do this other thing or you will be breaking a committment to God. None of us wanted to break a committment to Him. We were all taught the consequences for that little item. And ultimately we wanted God's love and His grace. Going back to tarnishing ones "reputation"...I must admit that although I cannot offer any written evidence that I was taught some of the things that have been attested to in the last several pages of this thread...I can tell you that I was taught some very warped concepts concerning what it means to be a "Virtuous woman". I in turn taught those very same warped concepts. I also taught that an unborn baby was not a real human for many years even after my departure from twi. In fact I taught that most people that we run into in our daily lives are merely animals with only body and soul, flesh and breath and are unworthy of our notice, our care, our love or our respect. These were all doctrines that I learned in twi, that I in turn taught to others. I may or may not have believed them when I taught them. I certainly do not believe them today. But I was taught them...where else may I have learned them? I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't have pulled them out of the hat by myself. But I cannot prove with video evidence, pictures or hard copy that they were taught to me (some of them anyway). In a court of law there is such a thing as a preponderance of the evidence. It has nothing to do with the letter of the law or the spirit of the law. It has to do with a series or collection of documentable pieces of evidence that all point to the same or a common denominator. This is often the "proof" that I use to decide if something is true or not concerning the events or abuses attributed to twi.