bowtwi

Bride - are you a full-time paid minister in a church? THIS was the rudest awakening you've ever had? I attend the church I do because it feeds my spiritual hunger. The preacher inspires me to go home and continue reading what he taught on in the service. My favorite services are when I feel excited to learn more of what he'd started in church. I can't bring myself to attend every month yet, much less every week, but I always feel very welcomed and appreciated when I do get there. I was in the way for 15 years. At one time I knew the order of the books of the bible very well. Today sometimes I fumble around when looking even for a church epistle. It never dawned on me I might be judged unworthy by someone sitting where they can see my clumsiness. You blew my mind there, Sister. Did it ever occur to you that maybe the lady who asked you about baptism just felt comfortable asking YOU a question, thinking someone else might judge her lazy for not knowing all about it by now?

I hope you get to do what you like today! Happy Birthday!

Amen.

Mmmm, I could feel this one before I even focused in on the picture! Thanks, Waysider! What a treat!!!

Two women were playing golf. One teed off and watched in horror as her ball headed directly toward a foursome of men playing the next hole. The ball hit one of the men. He immediately clasped his hands together at his groin, fell to the ground and proceeded to roll around in agony. The woman rushed down to the man, and immediately began to apologize. 'Please allow me to help. I'm a Physical Therapist and I know I could relieve your pain if you'd allow me,' she told him. 'Oh, no, I'll be all right. I'll be fine in a few minutes,' the man replied. He was in obvious agony, lying in the fetal position, still clasping his hands together at his groin. At her persistence, however, he finally allowed her to help. She gently took his hands away and laid them to the side, loosened his pants and put her hands inside. She administered tender and artful massage for several long moments and asked 'How does that feel?' He replied, 'It feels great, but I still think my thumb's broken.'

I hope you have a lovely birthday, Darlin!

50 year old woman. A woman decides to have a facelift for her 50th birthday. She spends $15,000 and feels pretty good about the results. On her way home, she stops at a news stand to buy a newspaper. Before leaving, she says to the clerk, 'I hope you don't mind my asking, but how old do you think I am?' 'About 32,' is the reply.' 'Nope! I'm exactly 50,' the woman says happily. A little while later she goes into McDonald's and asks the counter girl the very same question. The girl replies, 'I'd guess about 29.' The woman replies with a big smile, 'Nope, I'm 50.' Now she's feeling really good about herself. She stops in a drug store on her way down the street. She goes up to the counter to get some mints and asks the clerk this burning question. The clerk responds, 'Oh, I'd say 30.' Again she proudly responds, 'I'm 50, but thank you!' While waiting for the bus to go home, she asks an old man waiting next to her the same question. He replies, 'Lady, I'm 78 and my eyesight is going. Although, when I was young there was a sure-fire way to tell how old a woman was. It sounds very forward, but it requires you to let me put my hands under your bra. Then, and only then can I tell you EXACTLY how old you are.' They wait in silence on the empty street until her curiosity gets the best of her. She finally blurts out, 'What the hell, go ahead.' He slips both of his hands under her blouse and begins to feel around very slowly and carefully. He bounces and weighs each breast and he gently pinches each nipple. He pushes her breasts together and rubs them against each other. After a couple of minutes of this, she says, 'Okay, okay....How old am I?' He completes one last squeeze of her breasts, removes his hands, and says, 'Madam, you are 50.' Stunned and amazed, the woman says, 'That was incredible, how could you tell?' The old man says, 'Promise you won't get mad?' 'I promise I won't ,' she says. 'I was behind you at McDonalds.'

Dooj - Once again you've absolutely nailed a major point. This is the part I had trouble putting into words - this is what was so confusing to deal with, how I knew I was as opposed to how I felt I was, and how I felt I was - was based on baloney that "leaders" that didn't even have the first clue about me were declaring to be facts! (Of course, they never came up with the accusers or any sort of proof whatsoever...) Thanks for communicating so clearly!

My latest lesson in forgiveness: http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...mp;#entry402455

I recently have been "found" by my dear friend that had spoken with the then-family corps coordinator that marked and avoided my son and me, throwing us out of the cult over false accusations almost 15 years ago. My friend and I had lost touch over the years and she just found me a couple months ago. This reunion inspired me to write that man and see if he had anything to say to me and my son, now that he's been out of the cult for years too. I figured I was finally ready to hear what he might say, really thinking he'd say something like it was all a mess and no, we didn't really believe you and your son were doing what we said we believed you were doing. I don't know really what I expected, but here's what I got. I wrote him on Jan. 23. He wrote me back a week later. 3 days after that, I wrote him again, "filling him in" as he'd asked. Today is Mar 15 and I've still not heard back from him. I was hoping to post a report of some closure. Actually, I am reporting closure, but not thanks to his input. The very second I hit the Send button on the "filling him in e-mail", I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. I hadn't contacted him sooner than this because I wasn't ready to "let him or twi off the hook". If he apologized to me and asked my forgiveness, I would have given it - but somehow I felt like I didn't have to forgive him until he asked me to. Surely he knew what he said and did to me (and my son), surely it wasn't THAT common a thing he had to do in his job - or was it? Nah, couldn't be. Now I'm thinking maybe it was! I've concluded that for myself, I have come to believe that I didn't want to give that man an opportunity to apologize to me and my son until I was good and ready to forgive him and twi. In my own little corner of the world, I wasn't letting him off the hook that easily. They absolutely DESTROYED my world with their false accusations. I was going to hold my grudge until he sought me out and asked my forgiveness! When that dawned on me, I realized that I was still giving them power over me and my peace of mind, my future, my kids' lives… I felt like a fool for being sucked into this cult. I felt like a bad mom for dragging my precious son into it. I felt like a bad wife for divorcing my husband because twi told me to. I felt like I got caught being needy, weak, spiritually immature, all sorts of negatives that I COULDN'T forgive myself for. What I didn't notice until reading in the current forgiveness thread, was that I hadn't forgiven MYSELF and I wasn't going to even be able to forgive myself until I forgave them! As long as I was focussed on what they'd done to me, I wasn't seeing what I'd done to me by giving them that power over me. As long as I continued holding my grudge against him and them, I didn't have to face my part in it. As long as he (they) never repented and asked my forgiveness, this resentment and hard heartedness would continue in me. I never had to look at how I contributed to my situation. It was just "all their fault". I deliberately decided that whether or not I ever heard back an apology from him, I was taking my power back. It no longer matters to me if I ever hear back from him. I've forgiven him, twi, and best of all, ME. I'm thrilled with the way I feel inside now. I had been carrying around tons of guilt that I really didn't need to carry - for years and years. Sure, I'd like to hear why they did what they did to me and my son, but it no longer matters to me. It used to be very important to me. I feel truly liberated in a way I hadn't realized I wasn't free. I feel like my healing has really stepped up a notch here. Now I feel free-er than ever! I changed only the names of the people named to their twi position in this exchange. On Jan 23, 2008, M&A'd One wrote: > Family Corp Coord, > > My name is M&A'd One. I'm writing to ask you if you'd be so > kind as to tell me a few things so that I can put away some of my > history and my son's. > > I was told years ago that you made it a point to speak to those > that wanted to speak with you in cases like ours. I have no idea > if you still do or not, nor do I know if you even remember us. At > the time I was told that, I felt unable to speak graciously with you. > > I would prefer e-mail contact if it's all the same to you, if > you're even up for any discussion with me. > > Thank you, > M&A'd one On 1/30/08, Family Corps Coord wrote: Don't remember. Fill me in. I'm kind of at a loss why you figure what I think even matters. On 2/2/08, M&A'd One wrote: Specifically, I mean to ask why me and my son, as well as who did the false accusations come from. We had been wows in Santa Fe, NM that last year of the wow program. That was also my apprentice year. I spoke with Cabinet Member at the rock, told him I felt it would have been best for me to take a second apprentice year as I still had some debt to handle for my son's hospitalization while we were wow. He convinced me that God wanted me in THAT corps, that year, that God had big plans for me. I found someone to take over my payments on that debt while I would be in residence. I went into residence and was thrilled that you were the coordinator, although when I heard Former Family Corps Coords weren't staying on as corps coordinators I was disappointed. I had met you when you came to my home state to visit your son in the hospital. I had been impressed with you and you were, in my opinion, a great man of God. I couldn't wait to learn at your feet. I ate breakfast at the head table with you and the Asst Family Corps Coords, feeling like I was right where God wanted me and when my first assignment in residence was to clean toilets I was thankful for the opportunity. Within 30 minutes of starting that assignment I was summoned to the president's parlor where you first demanded that I not speak a single word, as anything I would say would be a lie. You went on, in front of my beloved Asst Corps Coords, to chew me up and spit me out like I'd never been talked to in all my life. You accused my son of being a homosexual child molester, said you had a drawing of my son with some boy's "dick in his mouth" and refused to tell me who said such things about my son. You accused me of trying to "sneak this contamination" onto your campus and made it very clear that I was no longer welcome at the way and that God was onto me and you guys there weren't fooled either. You "allowed" me one hour to pack up and get off "your campus". You demanded that I go to the high school and get my "piece of dang" son. You said that if I ran true to form I would be badmouthing the ministry within 24 hours. You broke me. I drove about a half mile from the campus after Asst Family Corps Coord packed me up, as I was physically and emotionally destroyed, unable to pack myself. I barely made it to the school, where I asked my son about the sex he'd been having. I tried to call headquarters and talk to TWI President or someone who could help us get to the bottom of this misunderstanding. Trunk Coord finally took the call and attacked us some more, insisting that we had best not go over there, as there were armed guards patrolling the grounds on the lookout for us, with pictures of me and my 13-year-old son. We were clearly no longer welcome at the way. That same week, a friend of mine from home that had never been involved in the way, called me at the Indiana campus and was given to you. You used the most vile language she had ever heard in her life, shocked her to think you were a minister speaking that way, and said that you told her if she thought I was so great she should go to FL and bed down with me - that I was a lesbian. My questions for you are simply: 1. Where did you get this information about my son and me? 2. Why were we singled out and falsely accused? Family Corps Coord, my son was not nor is he a homosexual. IF he were, I'd love him just the same. He is not, though, and those were false accusations. I believed in the way ministry and the way corps program and taught my son as I believed. We were completely destroyed by your words. We were never given the opportunity to face our accusers or answer to the accusations. It took me years to understand that the way was not what I had believed it to be. I sunk my whole heart and soul into that ministry, as I believe you did. Please help me put these last pieces to rest so I can put that away once and for all. It's what you thought then, not what you think now, that I'm asking. I don't imagine you believe now what you did then. At least I hope not, for your sake. I believe at this point that you were "just doing your job" and following what you were instructed to do in your position at the time. I see you as no more guilty than I was when I avoided others who had been falsely accused before me. I bear no ill will toward you. I'm simply trying to put closure to that horrific experience my son and I survived. M&A'd One

Wow, Ron - there's another detail for the green card - look at the wonders wrought on that lady's hair! It was so odd and almost fake-looking in the first picture, but in the second, maybe it's all that great fresh air and honest labor, but I see a much more balanced head of hair on her too! You can WALK in them? Hey, wait a minute, is that YOU, Dooj? I've never seen the both of you in the same room, so for all I know, Ron just took an old photo from his old twig days... Hmmmm....

Happy Birthday, Abi! I hope you get to do what you like today!

Betty Crocker’s Chicken ala King (with added peas, carrots, onion salt, garlic powder and minus the green pepper, mushrooms and half the butter) Serves 4-6 1/4 cup butter or margarine (original recipe called for ½ cup of butter!) 1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup) 3 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 cup peas 1 cup carrot slices 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon onion salt 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1-1/2 cups milk 1-1/4 cups chicken broth 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey 1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained 3 cups hot cooked rice 1. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper and mushrooms in butter, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper is crisp-tender. 2. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and pimentos; cook until hot. Serve over rice.

QUOTE Wordwolf 03/06/2008 I think she's entitled "to play the victim card" if you've already played the "I'm going to be a d1ck card" and deliberately distorted the meaning of what she said, and kept on doing it.

eh! Thanks for sharing this fun piece!

I voted. Cool idea.

Happy Birthday, Psalmie!

Gotta love the humor breaks around here! Hysterical!

Doesn't ring any bells for me - yet. I'm pretty young.

Oldies - That's a mighty nice description of your belief of what it means to say Jesus is Lord! Thank you.

Oldies - The rest of that section from page 1 of this site says the following: "These forums are meant to be a place of discussion, where ideas and debates are encouraged. We welcome your opinion. In that light, please be courteous to fellow posters. Disagree all you want, but respect the fact that someone else may feel as strongly about their ideas as you do about your own. Please don't make it personal. A lively discussions of ideas is both more polite and more relevant. " I bolded the last sentence in hopes you would see that the sentence containing "lively discussion" also contains the words "polite" and "relevant". In the quote of yours I brought up, you used 5 different choices to describe your opinion of what SirG said and what he said was presented in a polite manner. 1 mislabelling 2 disparaging the word 3 watering it down 4 doing it harm 5 You are trashing it. Personally, I disagree with your assessment of SirG's statements. I think he communicated very clearly and stayed on topic. If this is what you consider direct, again, I respectfully disagree with you. This appears completely IMpolite - rude actually - and even personal in my opinion. This is the type of thing I'm asking you to please stop doing on this thread. It distracts me personally from the subject at hand. Thank you.

Oldies - Attacking people's thoughts is not lively discussion and debate. Accusing them of "mislabelling and disparaging the word saying they are "formulas" you're watering it down and doing it harm. You are trashing it." is not lively discussion or debate - it is insulting, condescending and rude. What makes YOU the authority? What makes you think you know so much better than anyone, everyone else? You might try reading what you plan to post in a preview fashion and considering if you'd like that said to you. I think you'd run to the moderators to report that as a personal attack if what I just quoted you saying to SirGuessALot was said to you. If you're so sure of your position why must you speak this way to your brethren? I still believe this thread can be lively discussion and debate if you would simply address others as you would like them to address you. If not, please start your own thread to be rude and insulting - I'll gladly stay away from that one! Rascal - These are great points and a perfect example for Oldies to see how we can speak our differences of opinion without insulting the other people. This is much more conducive to helping others learning and growing. Thanks!

Thanks for the great responses. I'm going to spend some time on the subject of Judas - you make fabulous points, some that I hadn't considered previously. OM - Please stop passing judgment on others' contributions to this discussion. You're not the final authority and if you want a thread where you can dub someone's thoughts as mislabelling and trash go start one. Don't act like you're involved in an intelligent, friendly exchange of ideas and then whammo - out of nowhere insult the other participants and their ideas. THIS thread was started for honest and safe discussion of the subject at hand. Your comments are not only rude, but distracting from the point. THIS THREAD IS HEREBY DECLARED AN INSULT-FREE ZONE. SirG, I find these ideas fascinating and will spend some time with them. Comparing the born again experience with the phyiscal birth after 9 months' gestation is something else I'd not considered before. Sunesis - As always, I'm delighted to consider your thoughts. You have a wonderful understanding and very clear manner of communicating. I'll spend some time with this post today. Thanks so much! Wordwolf - Another thought-provoking post from you that quenches my thirst for understanding of these matters, as well as the following post you offered. I wish I could stay here and study this subject, but work beckons. I'm looking forward to reading these more thoroughly this evening. Thanks so much!