Kit Sober

Luna, Thanks. I became Catholic after twi. Agreed with the kindness of the Catholic place. Priests don't yell at you. (I never heard it). Also they don't insult other faiths. Also the humility that is developed by bowing before the image of the Lord going in and out. Also the "peace be to you" both to the priest and to the other members. Also the unity of eveyone getting communion in a flow of the one Body. Also people caring more about their own personal standing before the Lord than about others. Certianly there is Mass so often at so many different churches that people can't worry about you just because they don't see you at church. You can tell a tree by its fruit and some of the nicest people I have ever known have been Catholic. A lot of stuff I find so comforting in the Catholic way. Thanks for the reminder before I head out to church :)

the africam.com link works and africam.com has links to additional reserve webcams. Africa is opposite time zone from USA, so daytime here is night there. Here in Pacific time I get activity by logging on either early in the morning or late at night (when I can't sleep, this is a natural relaxation). This is one of my favorite things that Greasespot Cafe has linked me to.

(mostly just giving people a chance to review this nice thread.) It's a wonderful life. Joshua Ramona and Beezus is a new movie of Beverly Cleary stories I read as a child. Nice movie I liked.

Thanks for keeping me updated. My dad will be rooting from Heaven for this game. Also my neighbor for many years who passed away about a year ago. Baseball is a sport for these gentlemen. Tanks, again. Without you I wouldn't know how to talk intelligently about these important things.

I searched Internet and found mixing borax with jelly or syrup, but it's dangerous to all animals. We have cats and I was concerned they might take some. Thanks for any help you have.

Friend who had the surgery on both eyes now has vision he had given up on ever having. Great blessing to him. Hope yours are so good.

reading that book was an essential part of lifting the veil of lies for me, too.

Six Boys And Thirteen Hands... Each year I am hired to go to Washington, D. C. with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI. where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable. On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan during WW II. More than one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue and as I got closer he asked 'Where are you guys from?' I told him that we were from Wisconsin ...'Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.' James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, D C, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had died. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up.. I videotaped him as he spoke to us and received his permission to share what he said. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night. When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. Here are his words that night: 'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin ... My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers' which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. 'Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called 'War.' But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it. (He pointed to the statue) 'You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire . If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph...a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima ... Boys. Not old men. 'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the 'old man' because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.' 'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona...Ira Hayes was one who walked off Iwo Jima...He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero'. He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 ten years after this picture was taken. 'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky . A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away. 'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin , where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada . Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell 's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. 'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the pain. 'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.' 'So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.' Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless. One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is..that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.

I did a search on "Bayunga" (Looking for Rev Bayunga Nioka-Simbi who was such a treasure to my life) I remembered that he had been put in jail by Martinxxxe and later released. That information came up here in 2006. I had been friends with Jacqux Dinavx but that did not last after I was kicked out of twi. The folk I met from Zaire (which is new name now) are a treasure of my life. They have a faith that is uncluttered. Their families are strong which allows their faith to grow fully. I will always be thankful for having met these people while in twi. Search results here http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/topic/6612-zaire/page__p__212128__hl__bayunga__fromsearch__1entry212128 You can search yourself for many things. There is a treasure of information in these forums from people who have truly been there and done that. Kit

A nice 4th of July story: 50-Star Flag Turns 50 Thanks to One Tenacious Teen Chris Epting ContributorAOL News (July 3) -- This Fourth of July marks the 50th anniversary of something special: the birth of the 50-star flag. While it might not seem like much of an accomplishment, there's a patriotic story behind the design of the flag. In 1958, a 17-year-old Ohio teenager, Robert Heft, had a high school assignment to create something of his own imagination and concept. AP Photo/Byron RollinsPresident Dwight Eisenhower holds a corner of a new 50-star flag displayed for the first time at the White House on Aug. 21, 1959. Minutes earlier, the president signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii to statehood. Heft, a history and political buff, knew that the United States flag had not been changed since 1912. He also had a hunch about Alaska and Hawaii soon becoming states. Based on that, he took his grandparents' 48-star flag and cut it up, figuring out how to make room for two extra stars in an unobtrusive way. His "new" design featured five rows of six stars (adding up to 30 stars) alternating with four rows of five stars (adding up to 20 stars). Heft's teacher, Stan Pratt, was unimpressed and gave Heft a B-, but added that if Heft could convince Congress to adopt the design someday, he'd bump the grade up to an A. On that challenge, a year later Heft asked his congressman, Rep. Walter Moeller, to take the flag to Washington after Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the union. Early in 1960, Heft received a call from President Dwight Eisenhower. Ike told him his flag design had been chosen from more than 1,500 entries. Despite the fact that several identical designs were supposedly submitted along with Heft's, on July 4 he was in D.C. with Eisenhower to watch the adoption ceremony of his flag design. (It has been suggested that Heft's design was chosen because he submitted an actual flag as opposed to just a design sketch.) That day, the very flag Heft sewed at his grandparents' house was hoisted over the U.S. Capitol dome. After that, the same flag flew over every U.S. state capital building and has flown over the White House under five administrations. Bob Schutz, APPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower takes a close look in his White House office at the 49-star flag, which was later raised over Philadelphia's Independence Hall on July 4, 1959, and then taken to the state capitol in Alaska. Returning home from D.C. in 1960, Heft also learned that Pratt had given him that promised A. In the years after his flag became famous, Heft became a public speaker and went wherever he could to talk about his flag. He visited all 50 states to give speeches, went to 57 countries and was a White House visitor 14 times (under nine presidents). Heft also spent 28 years as mayor of Napoleon, Ohio. So where is the original famous flag today? In 1998, Heft put the flag up for auction on eBay, with a "Buy It Now" price of $250,000. There were no takers, so he retained the flag for his personal collection. He died from a heart attack last December. Several weeks ago, from within his former mobile home in Saginaw, Mich., Heft's family members held a public auction to sell off his many flag-related pieces of memorabilia. It included Heft's former Michigan vanity license plate (reading "US FLAG"), a framed letter to Heft from former President Bill Clinton, replica flags, flag stationery, flag toys, flag toothpicks -- but no original 50-state flag. That precious American artifact is stored in a safe, dutifully cared for by Saginaw Township attorney Darrell R. Zolton. (Zolton and Tammy Allen, a niece of Heft's, represent a trust on behalf of Heft.) Zolton told AOL News that Heft, who never married and had no children, "had created his own will that specified that money generated from the sale of the flag is to go to two great-nephews and one great-niece." Zolton also possesses a 51-star flag Heft created for future use, perhaps in case Puerto Rico ever becomes a state. "We're going through the process of documenting everything we can in regards to the flags for the appropriate buyers, and Mr. Heft's life is an interesting one to trace," Zolton said. "He lived a fairly simple, spartan lifestyle most of his life, but he was a wonderful public speaker and did whatever he could to bring his story to the people." Potential buyers of the flag(s) are encouraged to contact Zolton's office. And while the public may not see the flag fly for some time, there is a place where Heft is still publicly acknowledged. In 2003, the Ohio Historical Society placed a historical marker in front of a high school in Lancaster, Ohio -- the spot where Heft first presented his creation to Pratt. The marker reads, "The design for the 50-star flag was born here at Lancaster High School in 1958 when student Robert Heft designed it for a history class project. ... Heft constructed a 50-star flag from an old 48-star flag using blue cloth to replace the field and white adhesive for the stars. ... President Dwight D. Eisenhower made the design the official American flag in 1960. It is the only flag in American history to have flown over the White House for more than five administrations." Jeffrey Cottrell, a multimedia specialist at the Historical Society of Saginaw County at the Castle Museum, knew Heft during the last several years of his life. "Bob always had a story for everyone," Cottrell said. "He was greatly loved in these parts, and while selfishly we'd love to see the flag in our museum, we'd completely understand if it made it to the Smithsonian, where, in all honesty, it probably belongs." By the way, before Heft, there was already a precedent when it came to a teenager designing a high-profile flag. In 1927, 13-year-old Benny Benson created the flag for the territory of Alaska. His "Big Dipper" design, chosen from more than 700, still flies as the flag of the 49th state.

The Marine Corps has built godly character into its people. When my son was almost not going to graduate from high school the good Lord sent a twi Marine to our twig. He took time out from his busy schedule to be Paul's friend and get him signed up for the Marines. (They had a requirement of high school graduation!) Paul's friends in the Marines got him through high school, through boot camp, through his tour in the Marines and through countless hurdles of life. I will ever be thankful for what the Marines do "over there" and also by the help they give to countless children who have not learned courage, loyalty, honesty, and brotherly kindness. After being in the twi corps (accurately called corpse) I see a basic difference in the two groups that one teaches godly character and the other teaches ungodliness. Some kids that go into the Marines take drugs and cheat on their wives, but that is not the doctrine. In twi corpse the doctrine is ungodliness.

To Rumrunner's family and friends , My sincere condolences and thanks for the kindness you have brought into the world. With special thanks that we are out of twi and able to have this time together during and after RR's life on earth. When still in twi I lost my best friend ever -- OK it's this term is as silly as "my favorite verse" I do have other best friends but Lucy definitely was my best friend because she fit almost my whole heart with her kindness -- the kind thoughtful words and music from you has brought so much kindness to me also and softened the grief of that loss from over 15 years ago. Thanks. (she loved balloons. . . thanks DotMatrix). Perhaps the reason the birds do not stop their singing and the flowers continue to bloom is that the kindness of RR and so many others who have gone on to their reward does not die but does live on as they hoped it would. It has been said by folk more nobler than I that there are words for one who has lost their parents and become the sadness of orphans. Widows and widowers bear the grief of losing their spouse. But there is no word for one who has lost a friend. Certainly we are not friendless because there are other friends we have. But a friend lost takes with them that portion of our heart we gave them. But as Dooj has said what we received in return is far greater and we will ever be in their debt and can only ease that grief by continuing to pay forward this weighty debt. Thanks again for being a friend

Ingredients Foolproof Pie Dough2 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces), plus more for work surface1teaspoon table salt 2tablespoons sugar 12tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices1/2cup vegetable shortening , cold, cut into 4 pieces1/4cup vodka , cold (see note)1/4cup cold water Blueberry Filling6cups fresh blueberries (about 30 ounces) (see note)1Granny Smith apple , peeled and grated on large holes of box grater2teaspoons grated zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon3/4cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)2tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca , ground (see note) Pinch table salt 2tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/4-inch pieces 1large egg , lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water Instructions For The Pie Dough: Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate while preparing filling until dough is firm, about 30 minutes. For The Filling: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 3 cups berries in medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Using potato masher, mash berries several times to release juices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing occasionally, until about half of berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. Place grated apple in clean kitchen towel and wring dry. Transfer apple to large bowl. Add cooked berries, remaining 3 cups uncooked berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca, and salt; toss to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling. Roll out second disk of dough on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 11-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Using 1 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut another 6 rounds from dough, 1 1/2 inches from edge of center hole and equally spaced around center hole. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang on each side. Using kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of overhanging dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture. If dough is very soft, chill in freezer for 10 minutes. Place pie on heated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve. Note: This recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but unthawed frozen blueberries will work as well. In step 4, cook half the frozen berries over medium-high heat, without mashing, until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 12 to 15 minutes. Grind the tapioca to a powder in a spice grinder or mini food processor. If using pearl tapioca, reduce the amount to 5 teaspoons. Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor; do not substitute.

Bible says, "forsake not the fellowship of the saints." To me that means we need to get ourselves where saints congregate, and today that's pretty much in churches. After twi I have tried to get involved with other twi-related groups but haven't been very successful. I get the email from CFF in Tipp City OH but haven't been able to make it to any of their events. I have been strapped for cash and time so I haven't made it to any of the great travel-to events I used to love. I attend(ed) and was baptized Pentecostal (UPC) and Assembly of God and some other churches, both here in Reno and in Sacramento. And had some really nice times there. Here in Reno I was going to a Baptist church but quit because the pastor there kept criticizing Catholics and I have had enough backbiting other Christians to last me five lifetimes at least. I did and do enjoy going to different churches. It's a different face of the Lord at each place, different facets of His strengths and our weaknesses at each place. I go to church not so much for what I can get but for just being with the Body of Christ and maybe I can contribute something. Certainly I can always pray there. it seems that I am ending up Catholic. I went through the Catholic introductory class -- Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults -- RCIA -- about 16 years ago, and it's the group that I am feeling most comfortable with as time goes on. Fred recently had a personal experience with the Lord and started going with me to church and has signed up to take the RCIA class. (He has always enjoyed the church suppers!) -- I look for fruit -- you can tell a tree by its fruit -- Some of the nicest of twi people left the Catholic church -- the Catholic church cultivated that "niceness" in them. -- The priest doesn't yell or criticize. One time I remember hearing a priest yell and criticize, but that was a convert to Catholicism and it was many years ago. -- People are more concerned with their own walk than yours -- There generally 5 or more services on a weekend and 7 or 8 churches in town, so no one could try to keep track of whether you went to church or not. -- Schools, hospitals, orphanages, small businesses, farms and gardens have been started by Catholics. Community service is a life blood of a Catholic (Mother Teresa was the real deal). -- The weekly church handout also includes a budget note of how much was collected the previous week, how the church stands with their budget. No hidden agendas. I know how much is being paid for electricity, and how much the rummage sale, church supper, and bookstore earned and what the food pantry needs. -- I do like confession. It gives a clean start. ("Lord I am doing pretty good. I haven't hurt anyone. I haven't sinned any great sin, but I will be getting up out of bed now and I'll need your help in a big way from here on out.") -- I do like rummage sales and church suppers and the food pantry. They do good community service and they are nice times to work with fellow church members. -- The crucifix is a reminder that Jesus paid the price for our life. (I don't think you can successfully approach grace without His payment firmly engraved inside. -- Each person, upon entering the Church, before he/she takes a seat, bows before the crucifix in humble acknowledgment of His paying the price for our being there. -- Both Fred and I have Catholic backgrounds. His great grandma and grandma and my mom and her family.

Rebellion, hard-heart, and stiff-neck are dangerous things. Of course things were so twisted in twi because the leadership was in rebellion against the Lord. I have found that a softer neck and willingness to obey what the Holy Spirit speaks does pave the way for a more fruitful life -- communication with Him, answered prayers, etc. Not being stiff-necked has been a lesson the Lord continues to work with me for many years. I cannot say I have learned it yet. Watchman Nee was a great example of this humility. He was imprisoned by the communists from 1960 to 1972 and he died in prison. He was charged with taking money from Europeans and Americans and for being a spy because he couldn't prevent his church businesses from prospering due to the fact that he faithfully tithed and obeyed the Lord. During the time of his imprisonment his friends knew he was still alive because from outside the prison they could hear "his deep baritone singing the hymns he loved." Watchman Nee's writings were produced by his friends from notes made at his teachings many years ago (there was a new one published in 2009). He never saw or reviewed many of the works published as his writings. I asked a Chinese person who also loved his stuff how did he know it was not counterfeit Watchman Nee? He had a gentle laugh and said, "It would not be Watchman Nee." Watchman Nee's writings are most precious but they allow no room for rationalization -- he lived his life with that integrity. When I first started reading this stuff I would make notes to "correct" his simplicity -- but upon recent re-reading those same passages I find now that I was in error, not Watchman Nee. Because there is a softness of the "still small voice" of the Holy Spirit, His voice cannot be heard when one has a stiff neck and/or a hard heart, so these things which are life-threatening diseases should be avoided at all costs.

This thread reminded me (again) of how thankful I am for people who keep revealing the onion layers of deception that twi cloaked us with. I agree that vpee's defusing the fire of so many precious ministries was a successful sneaky trick of the devil. And it was not only Heefner's and Doop's ministries that were powered-out, but also so many others as well -- for me it's Micha*l Mart*n and D*l Dunc*n I knew first hand -- along with many of the posters on this thread -- where could they have gone with the Lord if they had support and true Godly kindness instead of a web of deception covering them? it was nice to read that Lonnie Frisbee's ministry continued with power and impact of Godliness in the world. Thanks Pawtucket, gc and all of you who keep this place open. It's sincerely appreciated.

I still speak in tongues, and very thankful for it. After pfal I couldn't do it, but Bill Schley gave me the spiritual oomph to get there, for which I am eternally grateful. Speaking in tongues is there when I don't feel like praying and helps me overcome that hump. In the dark night of the soul it's there as a comfort that I am a spiritual being and the God Who has delivered me previously will probably be able to do so this time. 5 days ago I got a grandbaby who was in infant ICU because of sugar problems. . . so many heartaches God has seen us through. I am deeply thankful for each verse of scripture, each prayer by my understanding, each speaking in tongues I do. . . At a Way Family Camp I went into the prayer place to pray, fell asleep, and Johnny Townsend kindly woke me up when he came in in the morning to pray -- and without a "Could you not pray without falling asleep?" chastisement, but that was a long time ago when kindness was what won our hearts to the Lord. I can pray a little better today than then, although I still feel woefully insufficient in all categories. After these few 50 years of trying to pray good, and 40 years of trying to pray without ceasing (after I read the command to do so). . . I still am woefullly insufficient. After these few years I have grown in respect for many people who pray, with and without speaking in tongues. I think it's the Lord Who moves the mountains when we pray, and He still looks on the heart. I don't think Billy Graham speaks in tongues but he certainly prays effectually and effectively (whatever!). The integrity of his life certainly has earned many things for the Lord's treasure. Integrity of lifetime is no small thing. In hope, Kit

Zixar: Praying for you and with you for good recovery. Job ended up with more than what the devil killed, stole and destroyed. Others have gone that way, but God is ever faithful. My life also is manifesting the "before restoration" destruction and I am hoping and praying that the restoration promises will come to pass for all of us. That's what friends are for:) In hope, Kit Sober Reno NV

Welcome Balanced. Hope you enjoy your stay. I've been coming to the Greasespot Cafe for many years now, and along with learning of what was and is going on at twi and the cathartic release of frustrations and disappointments from hopes and dreams from that period of my life being shattered, I also found that many lovely friendships with people from the Greasespot Cafe have endured. This place is not just a therapy location but also a place to find friendship that is deeply rewarding. In His hope, Kit Sober Reno NV

Time flies when you're having fun, or Like the frog on the lily pad said, "Time's fun when you're having flies." It's been a rocky road but I am getting more free day by day. The good Lord is still Very Good. Many thanks to all of you who have helped so many including me identify and cut the bonds of imprisonment created by twi association. Thank you very much, Kit

Nevada has been pretty quiet on earthquakes the last two years as I've been watching, but California it seems to me that consistently has shown >600 for the week. And this 7.2 this afternoon was pretty big. http://quake.usgs.go...t_allframes.htm California Nevada earthquakes . Scroll down to lower part of the page for the list of earthquakes and locations.

I became a Catholic prior to the scandal, and one of the priests was the priest of my church. I had noticed that he didn't have the "pizzaz" of other priests, and going to confession before him did not provide the release and relief that confession ususally did. There is a mark of the Holy Spirit that goes with someone who walks with the Lord. That's what we need to identify and stick with. Without the Holy Spirit there is no life. Catholic or non-Catholic. But oh, with that Holy Spirit, Catholics are some of the most awesomely humble men and women I've ever met. Each time they go into church they bow before the crucified Lord (what a daily reminder of His sacrifice for us, and our associated humility). The Mass is a service to elevate the communion service. Catholics have done so much to build orphanages, schools, and hospitals. Catholic Relief Services provide a way to make a living by giving a goat to a family or a sewing machine to a woman for example. The most humble servants of the Lord I have met personally have been Catholics. So many personal stories because these priests live with their church members. When a friend's mother died, Jim told me to go to the cemetary, not the church, and I went there and it turned out the bill hadn't been paid and the cemetery didn't have anything ready to receive the body. I told them that she was on the way,and they quick did something. Father Bob, when the procession arrived at the cemetery, just had an empty hole which he dutifully sprinkled with holy water and blessed. And later when I told him the story he was able to understand why it wasn't set properly. Father Tom at my current church is not very funny,a nd the priest who retired used to begin every homily (e.g., sermon) with a joke. Well, the last service, I really missed prior Father Tom and his jokes, and new Father Tom went through the whole service, and at the end he was asking for people with anniversary to stand (for applause), and then birthdays... and no celebrants to applaud, so he says, "any driver's license renews?" and that was a laugh-getter. So Father Tom walked with God to be silly and give me a much needed laugh. (Life is not too funny for me nowadays). These Catholic priests and nuns and church members keep on keeping on, just trying to live before the Lord (as so many of us also do) so they will hear that , "well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord."

(AP) - A seven-year old boy was at the center of a King County courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Seattle Seahawks football team, whom the boy firmly believes is not capable of beating anyone. <BR class=ecxwebkit-block-placeholder>

Congratulations. Way Cool! I ordered it and look forward to its arrival. Again, Congratulations. Kit

I signed up Fred for a gym membership at Gold's Gym, and it turned out that the agreement allowed them to take the monthly membership out of my bank account, and if I didn't formally (with their forms) cancel in a 3-week period before the end of the 12 months, the membership would automatically renew. And the gym wasn't even built when I signed up. It was amazing, and it took 8 months to cancel and included major internet publicity. It was terrible.