Eyesopen

Actually it is kind of like a cake...it was made this year with "Lady Fingers" but can be made with Pound Cake. :) See even a shark can learn if she hangs around other sharks that can cook! Gotta tell you I saw some of this in a bakery just yesterday and it didn't look a think like Dooj's so I left it be...I'm spoiled now! :) Are we adding Moon Pies to the grocery list now as well? Belle are you coming next year?

I understand this problem...it is caused from lack of food. Come, sit down and have some bisquits and gravy with me and the adversarial wench behind the counter.

Not a darn thing..which is why it was so heavily questioned.

No that is the problem that Preacher would have with your post. I think that Bumpy is saying that you are misquoting and misusing the verse. :unsure: Which is exactly what you should be doing! :)

Yes...exactly...in anticipation for my brunch of bisquits and gravy with my friends Rascal and Dooj. :) I'm sure there is...but I think they are called hors d'oeuvres.

Is that "All" with distinction or "All" without exception? No...dont answer that...my fin posted without my consent... :wacko:

Says the adversarial wench behind the counter! :blink:

Hmmmm....where's the scripture in your post? <_< :P

Oooo...I like biscuits! I'll share the gravy, Woo hoo! Brunch!

Can I get bisquits with the gravy?

Almost an agnostic way of thinking...kinda...well it works for me. :unsure: You are right some testimony of some witnesses isnt always reliable or trustworthy. All must be weighed and counted against a very complicated scale. I am willing to accept the testimony of people that saw it or did it (whatever) first hand if I find that person to be a reasonable person of good moral character or repute. (Can you tell what I do for a living?) What does that all mean? It is very subjective. But it boils down to "Do I think that they are telling me the truth? Does their testimony remain constant and consistant? Does their life (the whole ball of wax) instill a sense of trustworthyness?" Basically there are a lot of factors that come into play when a person accepts another person's word as true testimony. Based on what I know, how I know it, my experience, the testimonies themselves and the person(s) that testified I have come to the conclusion that I believe the testimony. I could be wrong...but of course I dont think so. :) I will never learn to spell....but not bad for a shark!

I don't know how to make separate quotes so I'll just wing it and "hope" you can follow along. (which I'm pretty sure you can) ;) As to the first comment about VP: Yes if taken at face value one could make a case that could appear to hold water that he did live a godly life because many here appear to persecute him. But if one is to believe even half of the allegations that have been voiced about the man, then his case would crumble. I believe the allegations and have had my own experiences that convince me of the true nature of his life. I did not fully know his manner of life. I have only seen one small aspect that I personally found to be detestable and I have been told of other aspects of his life by persons that I personally know (then and now) of whom I believe to be telling the truth as it occured to/with them. So for me a case to prove his godly walk would probably not get very far. But that's just me. I looked up "leading about a sister" in Crosswalk and didn't find a reference in the KJV. Perhaps a different version. It sounds interesting. Now what you disagree with...Thank you for holding me to my words. I apologize for I used a word that when looked at critically in the sentence it does not work positively to relay what I was thinking. "But it takes a real Christian to walk a life that is godly IN Christ Jesus." Not the correct word to use to convey my meaning. Sorry. A better word to use would be "faithful" or "steadfast". My point was that a Christian that tries to "continue" in the things that Paul taught them through word and deed would be most likely to "walk a life that is godly IN Christ Jesus." I do not judge others or their walks with God either. I am guilty of my own sins oh wretched woman that I am. I have no qualifications to judge others. But I can call a spade a spade. I do not presume to judge VP's walk. I do not know why he did what he did. I only know that what he did was wrong and that much of what he did is condemned by the Bible. I merely point out to others what he did so that they can determine for themselves if they wish to continue to follow his lead. Judge –noun 1. a public officer authorized to hear and decide cases in a court of law; a magistrate charged with the administration of justice. 2. a person appointed to decide in any competition, contest, or matter at issue; authorized arbiter: the judges of a beauty contest. 3. a person qualified to pass a critical judgment: i.e. a good judge of horses. 4. an administrative head of Israel in the period between the death of Joshua and the accession to the throne by Saul. 5. (esp. in rural areas) a county official with supervisory duties, often employed part-time or on an honorary basis. –verb (used with object) 6. to pass legal judgment on; pass sentence on (a person): The court judged him guilty. 7. to hear evidence or legal arguments in (a case) in order to pass judgment; adjudicate; try: The Supreme Court is judging that case. 8. to form a judgment or opinion of; decide upon critically: You can't judge a book by its cover. 9. to decide or settle authoritatively; adjudge: The censor judged the book obscene and forbade its sale. 10. to infer, think, or hold as an opinion; conclude about or assess: He judged her to be correct. 11. to make a careful guess about; estimate: We judged the distance to be about four miles. 12. (of the ancient Hebrew judges) to govern. –verb (used without object) 13. to act as a judge; pass judgment: No one would judge between us. 14. to form an opinion or estimate: I have heard the evidence and will judge accordingly. 15. to make a mental judgment. I dont have all the information, God has all the information. That's why He is the Judge. We are witnesses to what we know, as such we are expected to tell and sometimes warn by sharing what we know. Sometimes that sounds like persecution, but only if the witnesses testamony is not believed. If it is believed then is sounds like evidence.

I was not offended, I just didn't want this thread to go there... :blink: I do not disagree with you when you say that we should acknowledge where we learned or received our "enlightnement". But let's look at that verse in its context... 2 Timothy 3:10-17 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Notice that Paul was a full example of the gospel of Christ. He did not just speak it or expound it he lived it. He states that those that "live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution". He knows this because he lived godly. His life was a living example of the gospel of Christ that he knew. (Certainly not a perfect example, but a good one) I think that this is an important distinction. Anyone can quote scripture and call their interpretation of that scripture the truth. But it takes a real Christian to walk a life that is godly IN Christ Jesus. And this person...I would acknowledge because their walk would have "assured" to me that the gospel of Christ really works and is alive and real. Our "enlightenment" is not limited to only the scripture that we have heard or any teaching of the Bible at all. Our "enlightenment" occures when we see what we have learned in the scripture demonstrated in real life. Paul did not encourage them to "continue" in teaching scripture only...he encouraged them to continue in all that they had learned and been assured of.

In addition to what T-Bone said to requote what Dooj said: Romans 6:1-2 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Romans 6:11-14 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:15 & 23 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. What the Bible has to say seems pretty clear to me. If you are born again you need to act like it. You need to stop doing what you once did and start doing things for God and "present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God". Obviously even the born again are capable of being jerks. And obviously they are capable of sining. If they were not then most of the verses that we have all read and some that are quoted here on this thread would not be applicable to those that are born again. The point of these verses in Romans is not only that we simply do not sin and then ask forgiveness over and over again, but that we recognize the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made so that we could be without sin. God makes a point of telling us that we can and should start a new life to go with our new spirit and our new righteousness. It seems fairly clear that if we continue to live in our "old man" ways then we would fall into the problems outlined in Galatians. As Rascal pointed out if you keep the commandments then you happily avoid all of these pitfalls. Larry: Let's not do the "What I learned in PFAL" thing again....Ok? Please?

Better than Meyer's...I've been getting my rum education...I want to make sure that Rich can join us in our Mojito's next year so the Rum we get cannot be aged in a Bourbon Oak cask. It has to be aged in a copper pot like it is supposed to be. I'm considering one that has been aged 8 years...did you know that white rum is not aged at all? Now Suda's eggnog needs to be purchased by the case I dont care how long it's aged if at all! That stuff was incredible!!!

Ok...I'm adding cherries and twinkies to next years shopping list! I'm also getting some REAL Rum, no more of that cheap white stuff for me. We're gonna have some really yummy Mojitos next time.

No drinks that I mixed were virgins...dont think I served 'em to any either...but I could be wrong on the latter part. :unsure:

Is the specifics really That important? :unsure: Just asking.

First off...Welcome to the Spot Friendofinnie. You are hear because you are seeking answers to questions that you do not yet have words for. In time they will come. In regards to the questions that you have already asked. "What kind of person, who grew up in a traditional Christian home and is relatively intelligent, would join The Way?" There are as many answers to that question as there are people. It is an individual walk. We all walk our own path with God and sometimes our path takes us places that others find distasteful or even unwise. Sometimes we wander off of the path and end up in strange places as well. "Why did the members who post regularly to this site join TWI, if they joined after reaching the maturation of their faculties?" Once again the answer to this is varied. Most of us were searching for something and at least for a time twi provided or appeared to provide that "something". But in truth do not be mislead in believing that there was/is absolutely nothing redeamable about twi. If you were to focus only on the organization to find God then you would be heartily disappointed. It was and probably is the individual people that make or break a person's exerience with twi. Although you did not ask but alluded to the brain washing I will add that many of us that stayed even after the "outing" of the top leadership's sins were at least partially influenced by individuals to stay. In other words, many stayed to help...to try and fix things...or to try to protect those in our care. Again, Welcome. I sincerely hope that you find the answers you seek.

:) Adorable!

I know one of the "cop Believers" here got his tail handed to him by his fellows. When he got out of the hospital (a few weeks, nearly a month later he and his family moved to another city in the state.

Hee hee...my desk once looked like that. Clutter everywhere, cigarette ashes on EVERYTHING, cat hairs vying for space among the ashes, piles of mixed open and unopened mail all covered in a thick layer of Nevada dust. But now my desk has four levels and all have artfully arranged mementos/gifts, my actual work space has a small pad of paper on it (strangely with the Way College of Emporia red logo at the top...where was that hiding the last 20 years? :blink: ) my mouse on its pad and a letter opener. That's it...I dust every week and the cats have been ordered to keep their fur to themselves. Now I'm not distracted when I play my games!

Twinky, where's the cheese dip? The Irish breakfast looks good...but what are those little round things on the far side of the bacon?

So who all is already planning on attending next years BBQ? I know that I am and I'm kinda hoping that Suda will consent to be my roomie again at the Marriott, cause I guess they raise 'em good in West By God Virginia. She is a real kick in the pants to be around! If I promise not to hog the tv and spoil the kids or cats, Dooj may allow me to spend a few nights at her house again. She is one of the nicest ladies I've ever met and those pics of her paintings in the Gallery do not do them any sort of justice. Oh and BTW I am now the proud owner of the Angelina Jolie pic that is posted in there. WOW! How wonderfully amazing that pic is in person! Anyway if the BBQ has been lurking in the back of your mind as something that "maybe" someday you might like to attend...let me help you tip the scales...WOW! It is really well worth the trip! Ex10 and her hubby are perfect hosts, their home is wonderful and meeting other Spotters is a real treat. Not to mention the food and the conversation which I already posted about. You would not be disappointed if you were to attend.

I'm not home yet..I got another day in Fort Worth, but I already am missing the folks and the fun. Our host and hostess were the epitome of gracious and their home is absolutely fabulous! My roomate was wonderful! The food was out of this world and I was in a continual state of near stuffed all weekend. Which is why in pics of me we go straight to the cropping of my rather full tummy! I really didnt know what to expect (beyond the obvious BBQ part) Over the years since '95 I have carfully avoided any exwayfers in any context. But here I was immersed in a pot full of them! And I dont think that I have so thoroughly (throughly?) enjoyed myself in a long time. Thank you all for allowing me to join in your fun! And if y'all dont mind I'll come back for some more next year. Whats on the menu...venison stew?