jeast

Sorry about the mix up, I went home and dug out the CD It was IIIrd Thyme Out who did Grandpa's mandolin. Weathered, worn but never frayed with calloused hands he gently played Gave and easy feeling to a hard working day. And times were hard as they could be He never once complained to me. He just let the music soothe the pain.

That is cool, And I am sure that the material may represent different things to different people. I am looking forward to learning what lessons you have learned since then. And is any of it a result of comparing to where you have been to where you want to go? All the best

Donkey shame, That's Wayne Newton speak for Thanks! I really have missed this. I must have been hanging around the wrong crowd for the last few years. I live pretty much in the sticks and from my back porch there is a long hillside. Sometimes I can see the sunlight as it washes across the trees on the ridge and I just soak it in because I know it will only last for a short time. At the same time I think of things that are precious to me and I hope never to take them for granted. Years ago I wrote a song which was a tribute of sorts to the things I hold dear. One of the lines was, The crystal mist and sunlight that gives the rainbow life can disappear within a mere twinkling of an eye. I don't want to miss out on a thing!

First off I must address the eating thunder and crapping lighting issue. Does that fall into the realm of signs and wonders? I agree that it was the best choice for me and the last thing I want to do is come across as being pious. The motive behind the post was to bring to light something that I thought was being overlooked. Back in the day, I was inspired by those of you who made that commitment. I am even more inspired now that I have found out what some of you went through. I was also (in a kind way) responding to those who were being critical. I have heard it is easier to be critical than it is to be right. Thanks for letting me come along for the ride. Some how I missed seeing thunder on the GSC menu.

I not absolutely positive it was Blue Higway. I have the CD I need to double check. Have you heard the song? If not you would love it.

Cindy, Just wanted to let you know that I have not gave up on finding your bumper sticker. I am hoping that some of the people that I know that work there can help me attain what you want. Like dmiller said there are all kinds of generic ones but I am holding out for one with a the logo.

I appreciate that but I was only being honest. I hope this makes sense, At the time it was at least partly because I did not do what I thought I needed to do. In that respect I buckled. Later on I came to understand what God really wanted me to do included doing my best to raise my family in His love. I am humbled because as much as I kept ignoring God's guidance somehow I stumbled into a pot of gold. Look at me now I am dining with a bunch of high rollers. Just teasing.

It is always dinner time somewhere.

The word tough is somewhat like the word religious. I used to think I was tough, then I witnessed my wife giving birth. I used to be religious then I was given the free gift of eternal life. Shoot it ain't no fun being religious if you can't brag. I have the utmost respect for all of you who did your best to walk the walk. I was planning on going WOW but I was not man enough to disregard my wifes and kids needs. Some people call it PW. Thank God! It ain't cause I was smart. After what I have heard I am one of the lucky ones. Guys like me would go to twig and cherry pick, benefiting from all the experiences of those of you who were on the front lines. I don't agree with those who sit back and then criticize when someone gets weary of the fight. To all of you who have made the big mistake, In my humble opinion it was because you had a bigger heart and you laid it on the line. Some may not recognize it but there are some of us who are forever grateful. Tough? It sounds to me that even though some of you have be wounded you still have quite a bit of fight in you. Now that's tough. Bring me a decaf please.

Grandpa's Mandolin I think Blue Highway or New Tradition (Bluegrass) Looking through old memories in my cedar closet stashed away I found the old mandolin My Grandpa use to play I picked it up and held it close thinkin bout those years ago and all the great music Grandpa made.

I don't mean to brag but my wife makes the best cream cheese pecan pie. It is not real rich but I'd say it would probably max out your weight watchers point scale. Anybody needing the recipe just say the word. legal disclaimer: not responsible for accidents.

Now that's what I'm talking about! Can you hear me grinning? Oh yes, I will need big spoon and a napkin please cause this is gonna get ugly.

Thanks Dave, Mike was in Bedford just a short while and I remember him as kind of quiet, He made a big impression on me and I hope all is well with him. Tom Settle also set up fellowship in Bedford and stayed at our house for a few days. I still have that old open back banjo that he gave me and one of my grandsons is now learning to play it. Julias Brogden was from I believe South Carolina. When he went back he borrowed my truck to move his stuff. All of the guys are good people and a piece of me will always be with them. Joe

Heart felt thanks bowtwi, Just a little qualifier, My story is not to be a story of pity, It is about healing, A lot of the first 15 or so years of my life are somewhat of a blur. Some of it I don't even want to acknowledge. But this is not all for my sake, but for me and my family and any one else who has endured injustices. I never could bring myself to hate, but I could not understand how I could love those who have hurt me and those I hold dear. But just like I had learned so many times before yet sometimes still ignore, that still small voice...You don't have to respect those who have hurt you but for Christ's sake and your sake you must love them. This in part has allowed me to look ahead and I am continuing to grow in the love of God. By the way are there any deserts on the menu?

As I look back I believe that there was a still small voice ever present waiting for me to open my heart and allow Him to help me. Shortly after our first child was born chose to believe. My wife and I began attending the church that she grew up in. Fire and brimestone Pentecostal. Her Dad was and elder at the time and I learned to love and respect him although as it came to be our understanding of the Word was miles apart. I was a zealous as they come, I truly wanted to know the truth so I studied and prayed like many of us have. As I listened to the teachings I was dumbfounded that they were reading the same scripture. My wife later shared with me that when she was a little girl she stayed awake all night after a particular sermon, so afraid that the world was coming to an end and she was going to hell. She sat through years of church just numb with guilt and condemnation. During this time I met Mike and Jane Moody, I worked with Mike at GE in Bloomington. We both liked music, and he was a very gentle guy, sort of a Jesus freak, I will be forever grateful for his friendship. He and Jane convinced me to take the PFAL class being ran on the IU campus. That was one of the defining moments in my life. Around this time Mike and Jane introduced me to Dave and Mary. Dave introduced me to New Grass and I have him to thank for my chronic carpal tunnel syndrome. After PFAL, I attended twigs, went door to door and attended several functions of TWI. My wife totally fed up with any kind of church would not go with me. After a couple of years I felt compelled to drop out of TWI. At the time I did not know why, but I do now. I argued with God because after all I had learned why was I being told to leave. I had met and became friends with some of the most remarkable believers. I tried to attend several different churches only to be frustrated so I just shut down. But my family and I still lived according to what little word I knew. Love God with all your heart soul mind and strength, Saved by Grace through faith, None righteous no not one. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. It's Christ in you the hope of Glory. Perfect love casts out fear. Praying in the spirit. Fruit of the spirit, Justified freely. It is the gift of God. I was always eager to get to talk to anyone concerning the Word. I have always welcomed the folks who did the door to door routine. (For some reason they never came back) I constantly listened, and observed and compared all the different beliefs and teachings of the people around me. I am more persuaded now than ever before about the power and magnificents of God's love. As feeble and inconsistent as I / we have lived those principles I cannot begin to express how incredibly blessed my family has been. Not that we are the Cleaver family by no means. We have had our share of catastrophies, heartaches and the like but we have always came away stronger and more confident in our God. This has very little to do with church, religion, PFAL, TWI, or even the East family. It has everthing to do with the Love, Mercy and Grace of God through Jesus Christ and whatever knowledge of His Word we can glean from the documents we have available. Walk, stumble, fall, cry, get up, rejoice, learn, love, live a life of peace until the return. One of the most inspirational songs that still makes my heart almost burst was by Brian Bliss. I heard him sing it at a concert in Indianapolis... We are sons of God with power raise your head up say it loud, the righteousness of God is ours, of our sonship we are proud. My wife no longer lives her life in fear of going to hell but believes that God is able to deliver what He has promised. My youngest sister whom took all the beatings, humiliation from both the stepmother and abusive husband has never let go of her faith. She now is helping to mangage a shelter for abused women. I would say she is qualified. My kids have a solid foundation but they are also finding their way through the religious maze. I trust that as long as they hunger and seek after righteousness they will be filled. Without a doubt they know that they are loved. Not that it can't be found somewhere else but in my case the Word and the principles that I learned in PFAL and the people I had met have profoundly changed my life. I continue to speak in tongues (pray in the spirit) when I am by myself. I have looked back countless times when something special (the best I can come up with) has happened to me and it is becoming more obvious that it is the result of God answering my prayer. One of them being GSC. I have truly been blessed!

Thanks for asking coolchef, They are all doing very well. I am very proud of them all and they appear to be fairly rooted and grounded. We also have 11 grandchildren. I am the richest man on earth.

I am the youngest of 11 kids, Mom died when I was two so those of you who remember what your Mothers voice sounds like your one up on me. Most all of the brothers and sisters were gone by the time I got my eyes open so I barely knew anything about them. All that was left at home was myself and two of my sisters. Enter the 1st step mom, she has 5 kids of her own. Most of that time is blur except I remember she had a very unique way of punishing me for crying, very humiliating, use your imagination from there. I began falling down when I tried to walk and the step mom said I was trying to get attention. One of my older sisters (Virginia Mae, my guardian angel) took me for x-rays and found I had leg perthes. My hip was like a honeycomb and if she had not stepped in I would not be walking today. Enter 2nd step mother, Very big woman, had a bigger chip on her shoulder. By now it is just one sister and me at home. For some reason which I have never understood she did every conceivable thing to my sister, including kicking her around, pulling curlers out of her hair, taking her to the doctor for periodic check-up to be sure she had not had sex. This was my first example of the love of God that I can remember because even though she was the one getting most of the crap she was praying for me. It worked. My sister finally left and then one of my other sisters (Virginia Mae) came and took me home with her. I lived with her for the next 6 years but wouldn't you know it, her husband had some serious anger issues. During one of my prolonged capital punishment encounters with my guardian brother-in-law my sister asked him to quit, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head down onto the bed and slapped the crap out of her. There is more but I have only told this much (until now I have never told this to anyone except my wife and kids) to make my point. I married my high school sweetheart, we started going together as freshman in high school and we were married two weeks before we graduated from high school. It has been 37 years. This is when I began to learn about unconditonal love. You can imagine the baggage that I was carrying around, I was mad at the world and did not know why. She was raised Pentecostal, so you can imagine how this went over, her getting pregnant and all. Young, dumb, without a clue, that was me. When our daughter was born it rocked my world. All of a sudden is wasn't about me and what I wanted any more. We have had 3 others since. Twin sons and another daughter. I thought I was tough, you know school of hard knocks etc. But my wife has by her example showed me what real strength is. She endured child birth when she was just a kid herself, she took to motherhood as natural as could possibly be. All this time she never took her frustration out on me and believe me I deserved it. I now know without a doubt what it is like to be loved. PFAL is about to enter the picture. gotta go.

These guys ran the twig in Bedford, IN at different times way back when. Love to hear from them.

Lots of people now a days are living their lives in fear Some don't know what God has to say some don't even care. some believe that they were born just so they could die They have no hope cause they've been drinkin from Cisterns that run dry Religious cisterns are made by man they can't do what they say they can Anything that's not from God's a lie chorus, It's what God wrought through Jesus Christ That's Christianity Not what other men may teach through their theology And we will give our God All of the Glory. We don't have to be afraid anymore Cause we've got God and Christ within God can put His love where fear was before Hope where hope has never been God's Son Christ Jesus endured the cross despising the shame. even though He'd done no wrong He took all the blame. He came and gave us his life even though we despised Him IF THAT'S NOT LOVE THERE'S NO SUCH THING. It's what God wrought through Jesus Christ That;s Christianity Not what other men may teach through their theology And we will give our God All of the Glory. We will give God the Glory.

Well put RH, May I add.. There is the power of life and death in the tongue. Perfect love casts out fear. It's God in Christ in you the hope of glory. Praying in the Spirit. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. And that there's a lot of extraordinary people who inspired me beyond words by their willingness to sell out to God in search of the truth. It p*sses me off to see that some have had that stolen from them. I guess that just means the thief is still in business. Been out of TWI for over 25 years and I have yet to see the kind of commitment and believing that I witnessed during my PFAL days. This in not an endorsment of TWI, PFAL or VPW. There was nothing phony about the love I witnessed from the many believers whom I have had the privilege meet. That much of it I know was good, it was right, and it was from God.

Yes I do. But it has taken me a while to get my heart back to the point where I had any inspiration at all. It is like a timeline or diary if you will. I will post a few if you don't mind later on.

I wrote this little ditty in the early 80's I heard a lot of songs and the ones that seem to sell are those where someone dies or else they feel like.. Well.. they say misery loves company but that I can do without I'd rather live a life of peace than I would a life of doubt. Chorus Let's live our lives the way God meant it to be full of love joy and peace not death and misery Let's live our lives the way God meant it to be Full of love joy and peace not death and misery. Now don't get me wrong I'm not puttin people down But I believe that it's about time we took a look around Take a check up from the neck up, see what goes into our minds To keep that turkey Satan from makin us so blind. Chorus God gave His son so that we might have life And God's word says that we've been healed by the stripes on Jesus Christ But if you don't believe it then God's hands are tied How can He help you if you think He's lied Chorus

Sorry if I make some of you puke but I guess I got out before the crap hit the fan. Soooo. * I learned how much Jesus suffered and why he chose to endure the cross. * Dealing with injustice. That is a biggy. Giving his life for the same jerks who are killing him. * Husbands love your wives...give your life to them as Christ did the church. * Not to wrestle against flesh and blood. * My relationship with my children compared to my relationship with God * Broken cisterns hold no water. * For by grace we are saved through faith, not of works. * I don't care much for Saducees and Pharisees * Religion turns me off * None righteous no not one * Friendships with people like Mike & Jane Moody, dmiller, etc. * I still have all the old syllabus etc, it is part of who I am and where I've been. I don't hate it, ain't scared of it, I now know some of it was inaccurate so I have learned something. I remember some old friends that scratched up a bunch of their old records for similar reasons. I thought that was kinda odd.

I simply just love your explantion. I am also a little jealous because you have a wonderful gift. When I try this I just leave people scratching their heads. Very edifying, thanks.

I just heard this one today by George Strait Typical Strait, short simple and to the point I saw God