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Yup Belle you are a pretty brave lady...doing the whole espionage thing. Me, I'm not so sure that I would have been able to do what you did. But we didn't have the internet back then...it was almost the dark ages after all. So I guess we will never know. I think I kinda know where you were trying to go here...is there a syndrome associated with living a double life like Stockholming? It seems to me that it would get very confusing for the individual. Some spys forget who they really are and "become" their alter ego. Perhaps that could have been a result for you or others. Then you heap on top of that identity crises a good dose of cult brain and stir vigerously...it aint a martini folks its one confused individual. But on the good side I found out that you can juggle your own balls.... "while you were struggling to keep all your balls in the air" BTW as for your little comment (highlighted above) I have this response, "don't be ridiculous!" You did quite a bit and from what I hear you helped a great many people. So you did good, you did what you could and more than was asked, now you just smile and accept the truth.

Thanks for the book recommendation Sunesis. I am always looking for new and interesting things to read. And this particular topic is most intriguing. I do remember being taught not to bother with Revelations as it wasnt written to us anyway. I was further taught that all we needed to know as believers was written in Thessalonians. Once upon a time I half believed that drivel, (the part about Thessalonians) and worse yet I taught it as gospel. But I am no longer a child and can clearly see that Revelations is meant to be read and understood just like the rest of the Bible. Heya Belle! Whatsup?

Happy Birthday Joe! I don't want to know your age so I'm not going to look...I think we have known each other for longer than I would have ever imagined back in the day! God Bless you my friend always but especially on this day of your birth and with wishes that many many more follow. :wub: I would say party till the cows come home...but in your case I think that they are safely tucked into the barn already. So enjoy your day doing something special with your beautiful wife and lovely family. Teresa

Welcome to the Spot Nero. I am so happy that you found your way out. It is a hard road for many but you have made the first step by getting on the road and motivating away from the bad thing. Kudos! If I can be of any assistance to you in any way please do not hesitate to PM me.

Eagle, ultimately the "masses" here are correct. Since your intent for the book is to educate the Christian audience then stick with the facts. Give credit where it is due, as that...credit. Right or wrong, correct or incorrect a person is responsible for what they say and teach. In my book Loy is the only person that I did not directly name in the text. The credit for the quote is in the bibliography but in the text I call him Rev. Blowhard, because the quote I use of his is very inflammatory and I did not want to seem like I was in any way giving him a new spotlight or attacking him specifically. He just happen to present a viewpoint in such an extreme way that it was useful to make a point. All other persons that I quote are actually named in the text including VP, and the work that I retrieved their words from are also given proper credit in the bibliography. (no footnotes in my book, they are annoying) BTW the manuscript is done, still waiting on the cover art and enough funds to publish. Soon, very soon now.

Happy Birthday Catcup! What you have shared on these boards has helped me immensely, both in my own personal life and growth but in my ability to help others. I could not thank you enough for what you have shared. Here is hoping that you have an absolutely wonderful birthday doing whatever the heck you want to do.

Eagle, I've read your book and I don't see any real reason to remove the name. Give credit where credit is due. I am still debating a similiar issue with Loy. Your references to VP are honest. If some folks dont like it well that is their problem isn't it? It is understandable that you would consider the removal for marketability, not to make money but to reach a bigger audience. But do not allow your work to be "watered down" by the "politically correct" folks. If they have a point to make or a story to tell then let them write a book. I kind of agree with Don't Worry be Happy, it is your book and you are editing it, you decide where you want to go with it and what you want to accomplish with it. That will give you the answer.

Most excellent reading! Thank you. I think that I will purchase the book in November. He is a talented writer and his story is very interesting.

Hi Mike good to meet you. Obviously the ins and outs of your beliefs have been discussed previously and I have no desire to get into them here as I think that this thread has been derailed quite a bit already. So thank you for the links that you provided for others. Now back to the thread at hand...I distinctly remember being taught both points concerning the 5 senses. And in some ways both can be correct. I think on the topic of healing or other "manifestations of the spirit" one should not rely too heavily on the 5 senses or at least not rely on them for all of your information concerning a situation. As someone already said the 5 senses can be deceived. In healing I have recently been taught that to heal someone you need to focus on the promise of God and not on the injury. You must claim the promise through prayer and trust. But that's just what I have learned and is therefore only my opinion.

Hi ya'll, I just have to say something here because I'm a little confused. Mike, I'm gonna have to call BS on these statements. The point was made that man, i.e. human beings are needed to actually "preach". To this you did not disagree. But you did add that certain books (those of VP) "needed" someone to preach them. Another person disagreed that books "need" nothing and that God and/or Jesus Christ are the ones to be preached and not the words of a dead man. That is when you brought in Moses. Hence strongly implying a parallel between the two. Please explain your jumbled logic...if you can.

My parents adored each other. When they married each other they brought a combined number of nine children along with them, and tons of other "baggage". But they were true partners in life. All things were possible to them as long as they did it together. They were married in 1961 and loved each other dearly for the rest of their lives. Daddy fell asleep in 1990 and momma missed his presence for the next 11 years until she also fell asleep. My grandparents on my mother's side had the same thing. They were married when Grandma was 16 and Grandpa was 19. They stayed together their entire lives. Grandma fell asleep one year and a day after Grandpa...she just didn't want to live without him. She was 87 (I'm pretty sure, could have been 88). Love is out there...this I know. I just haven't found the one for me yet. I think Notta has a point...one should be comfortable with themself, they should know themself and maybe then one could know what kind of partner they want. I guess I haven't quite got there yet.

In marriage I can honestly say that I have given it, but never truly received it. It seems in my life anyway, that this kind of love is a fleeting thing and must be worked on constantly for it to be maintained. But that may be because for the most part it was one sided. I think that I have come close to "treasure" in friendships. At least the admiration and respect is two sided.

Dooj, The beef stew was awsome!!!! We all ate it until we were stuffed and then went back for more. I'll let you know in a day or so how the Stroganoff is received! Thanks!

I think that this is just one of the many lessons that we can learn from Job. But as your tag line says not everyone is ready to move on yet and in some things some never will. Far be it for me to tell anyone that they have to "move on" or "just count your blessings today". And as Rascal has said many times "It wasn't just us" and that thing alone gives many comfort. We are not alone in our struggle to make sense out of it all and to try and figure out exactly what that means to us now. Job just happens to be someone that I can count as "one of the crew". He didn't have twi but he certainly lost as much as many of us. I know that the statute of limitations has expired for such a thing as a class action suit for wages, but it does make for an amusing thought. Can you just imagine the look on some faces if we were to win such a suit? Ahhh...the imagination is such a wonderful thing. Mr. Linderman may be consigned to chief manure shoveller.

I think he waited...after all he didn't say who's life would be more abundant in that first sentence. BTW- It was kinda creepy hearing his voice someplace besides in my head.

I totally hear you here Rascal. I would love to have back all the years that I spent in twi, but unfortunately it is all gone and I am trying despirately to let it be gone. The best that I can do is try to pick out the good things (a difficult task to be sure), pull out the things that I can learn from (good and bad) and then apply those items that are worthy to my future to make it the best that I can. This is tough for me and harder for others. When I think of my misspent youth I am reminded of Job. He lost everything and in great quantities. He never got any of it back. He got new stuff in greater abundance. I also remember that Job didn't get replacement stuff (You simply cannot replace one child with another. Once a child is lost they are gone and no matter what we do we cannot replace them.) But Job got new children and new stuff. I am certain that he lamented the loss of his children and perhaps other things that he lost but he moved on. It is also a great possibility (probability actually) that he was very angry at those that took that which he loved from him and that he wanted revenge. But ultimately that is God's job. It helps me to remember Job's patience especially when I am struck with a near uncontrolable urge to break someone's nose. I have often swore that if I ever were to meet up with the dirty rotten so and so that did this or that back then, that I would just deck the rat bastard. But alas I would probably get thrown in jail (because some people are just weenies!). Too bad we can't have a "real" weenie roast! I don't suppose that we can do a class action suit against twi for lost wages or something like that can we?

Have a wonderful Birthday! I love you bro! :)

Potato Soup Sautee sm chunks of Italian Sausage with Leek(chopped) boil 3lbs of chunked potato in 3 large cans of chicken broth when tender remove and slightly mash add back to broth/if you need to thicken-use a little instant potato flakes drain meat/add to broth. add Italian spices let simmer s&p turn off flame and let cool add 1/2 cp of sour cream when reheating, do not boil-it will curdle the sour cream _________________________________________________________________ Alright, LikeanEagle posted this wonderful soup in the soup thead and I went to go and make it. But when I got to the store they were plumb out of Leeks so I bought a Parsnip instead (yes I know they are nothing alike). But then I found myself thinking that this is way too much for just three so I started changing a thing here and there to accomodate. I used only one large can of chicken broth and to it I added: one half link of crumbled Italian Sausage 2 tsp of rubbed dry parsley 4 potatoes peeled and cut fairly small 1/2 of the parsnip quartered and sliced thin 2 tsp garlic salt 1 tsp dill I let the veggies cook but as it was cookiing with a slotted spoon I gently crusshed some of the potato into the broth. When the spuds were done I turned the heat off and stirred in one full cup (actually two healthy dollops) of sour cream. When it was disolved I added 1/2 pint of heavy cream and two teaspoons of butter. I then turned the heat back on very low and stirred frequently. When the butter had melted I turned off the heat and served it with grill cheese made with rye bread. YUM!

Abi said she was going to finish her 10 days away from the Spot. So you will just have to wait. :)

If I were to answer this based strictly on face to face encounters from my years as a street officer, then yes the soft answer works more often than people would think. In my personal experience which is most certainly different than everyone else (because we are individuals) gentleness and empathy or empathetic responses do turn away wrath about 80-90% of the time. Now here in cyberspace...I've run into about 50-50. Perhaps because people in person are responding to the body language and voice inflections etc.

Here recently I have been confronted with the reality that my trust, confidence, faith, believing...whatever you want to call it...in God has either been shaken or is not up to the par that I need it to be. Consequently my personal confidence has slipped as well. I have noticed that the less time that I make for Him, the less personal time that He and I spend together the more my confidence slips. I really NEED to take/make time to think, to contemplate, to just talk to God or I really begin to feel the strain. Last night I lay myself down on the bathroom floor, with my head in the kitty bed where one of my little 5 week old babies lay dying and I cryed, I questioned and I got angry. I got angry at God and I got angry at myself. Why could I not heal this little one? Was it not God's will? Why did I feel so ineffectual? I could hear God's voice, and I know that it is His voice. He told me that I did not truly believe that the kitten could be healed. So I asked Him to help my unbelief. This is my focus...to work with God to increase my belief so that down the road another may not need to suffer or die.

Hmmmmm.....You been peeking through the bedroom blinds? :ph34r:

Ok the Mojito's were showing in my cheeks! But boy were they worth it!

I've been told that this could, and I do mean Could be something that I might call a good time. But, I have also been told that sharks don't care much about what they "Eat". And yet again...I have also been told that I'm a finicky little shark. Hmmmmmm.....Makes you wonder, don't it? :unsure:

Who's uncle? A monkey's uncle? Are you offering me dinner? Is he precooked?