Kit Sober

Thanks White Dove. I stand corrected (and corrected my comment) for "no life." Regarding giving credit to vpw's ministry for the blessing of the Lord in our lives, my view of that, now, is that it is similar to Naaman's giving the gifts to Gehazi -- The blessings of the Lord came from the Holy Spirit and was given to men who walked with the Lord, BG Leonard, JE Stiles, EW Bullinger, and others in the twi who did live to serve the Lord. However, vpw made merchandise of that work for his own gain, in my opinion.

A friend said once that the people who were really there don't remember it. (That's why it's a lost historical moment.)

Re Watchman Nee: He was in prison from 1952 until his death in 1972. His wife died shortly before he did (I think that's what broke his will to live). Anyway. There are many books "by Watchman Nee" out there. And Watchman Nee only approved a few -- "The spiritual Man" and a couple of others that were printed prior to 1952. None of Watchman Nee's books, which are primarily published from student notes of his teachings, say "edited pothsumously" etc. They just say, "by Watchman Nee." I asked a Chinese fellow once who also knew Watchman Nee stuff, "How do you know if it isn't really Watchman Nee?" He thought (prayed), then chuckled, then answered, "If it wasn't Watchman Nee, it woudn't be Watchman Nee." In more complicated way: If Watchman Nee hadn't said those things, it wouldn't carry the life of the spirit we know as that of Watchman Nee. Example: Watchman Nee said, "The reasonings and justifications of man will dry and wither up and blow away (Genesis 3:7)." This carries a heartbreaking truth with a sparkle in the eye from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I can read Watchman Nee stuff where the softness of him seems far away from the printed page, but the "feel" of what Watchman Nee said over 50 years ago is still there. Of course, in my opinion, the life of the spirit that vpw cannot be determined due to the muddying of the waters by plagerism, for me, the point is moot for vpw works. I would, of course, recommend reading JE Stiles, BG Leonard, Norman Vincent Peale, Billy Graham and countless others who walked with the Lord and tried to communicate that in their works to learn the feel of the Holy Spirit. vpw was simply a con man and his stuff will only lure you into a con man's web.

Smiley: ?peeking in from hidden place?

One of the eye opening verses was, "the righteous looketh well to the life of his beast." Never admired a person who didn't "look well" to the life of his/her animals. At this time in my life I can't have a pet because I travel for a week at a time with my work and husband isn't always here either because of his work.

Just what I needed! (I liked them all.) Thanks.

Be careful Imagine. That's when I got kicked out of twi.

Thanks for the reminder. My friend's daughter had an encounter with a bull in the road. And insurance was limited to some huge amount, but my friend was afraid that even that might not be enough because she was liable for the value of the thing, and the owner could claim "loss of income," etc. On deer, Oh dear: We drive to Wendover from Reno an average of once a month plus (3 casinos there, one audit each a quarter, plus "special" audits). No one else driving has ever encountered a deer. I drive very seldom, usually I ride, but I have had a deer in my headlights a couple of times and only just barely escaped hitting one. I think the devil has a happy time scaring and hurting us any way he can. A hard-a** wouldn't care if he hit a deer. You are in my prayers.

One of my most favorite all-time Christians is Watchman Nee. Chinese. And he was an adult Christian in China at Communist takeover (1949 and afterwards). Watchman Nee had had a nice Christian up-bringing in the 1940's and earlier at the hand of some wonderful missionaries to that place (including Ruth Graham's mother and father, and many other mountain-ous men and woman of the Lord). Hudson Taylor and others. Anyway, after 1949 persecution set in, people were hounded by the State to turn in Christian leaders as enemy of the State. Just before his arrest in 1952, Watchman Nee was abandoned by his faithful followers and ridiculed openly and called a failure (because his "church" was disbanded). He was accused, not of being Christian, but of being a spy. Watchman Nee asked the Lord if he was a failure as he was called. The Lord said simply, "no." That was enough for Watchman Nee. Watchman Nee would die in prison 20 years after his arrest. And it was said that his "clear baritone could be heard from outside the prison walls singing the Christian hyms he loved." Watchman Nee is my example of how much weight I have a right to give other people over the testimony of the Lord. What this means in the context of suicide (and combatting those thoughts of failure and defeat) is that, for me, the hope and inspiration Watchman Nee's life gives is bound up in his endurance of otherwise unendurable things by his faith that all things are sent by the Lord. I personally have no open door to consider suicide (no matter how awful my situation) because of my example of Watchman Nee. Many write of the qualities of "worship" (I have lots of these books). I just found a little pamphlet of Watchman Nee about worship on sale at Christian Book Distributors (purveyor of discounted Christian stuff). Therein Watchman Nee said, among other things, that you cannot worship if you complain. Complaining seals up the lips to worship. Difficult and hard to hear stuff like that Watchman Nee taught before he was arrested, and then proved by his life afterwards. A little sentence he taught, and then it was transcribed and put into a book. To me this is amazing. In hope,

Nottawayfer: I am so sory that the concept of giving on your birthday was given such an ugly taste to you. That was not why the Lord designed it. Leave it to twi to make a blessing of God become grievous and unbearable The heart of giving on a birthday was to keep one's focus on the blessings of life and the Lord has given unto us and our responsibility to return in thanks to Him by taking care of others (A response of, "I am my brothers keeper.") It is really not new thing that, "Here is something that twi made grievous." By their grievous and unbearable interpretations, twi turned many against the very God who so loved them that He gave His only begotten son for us. I am amazed at the continuing surfacing of evidence to twi's cruelty to the souls of those charged to their care. (Here it is 10+ years since Waydale first began to publically unveil the wickeness of twi, and I am learning something new today.)

I'd like to go, too. (Of course, don't know if I can, but it's a nice hope to have.)

It's a birthday present I wanted to get to someone I lost touch with. Thanks for your help. It's sincerely appreciated. Note to Waysider: I didn't know a logon from a lumber mill 15 years ago. I certainly would be even more computer dumb than I am without the kind kind of helpfulness found on Waydale (10 years ago) and Greasespot Cafe (been around a while, too). It will be great when we have more time logged onto Greasespot Cafe than we had in twi! But arthritis is creeping in and body parts are wearing out at my end of pc. And I was able to find the address I needed. Thanks, again.

Dec 31 is out with the old and the dead, and welcome to the life and hope of the new!!!!!

A note of what has worked for me: I have had two great blessings of seeing two men I care for deeply break free from this stuff. Neither one I "preached" to, both I prayed for and loved with all my heart. That's all. (Which is what I try to make as my manner.) One the Lord brought a perfectly undeniably perfect woman to him (who he has happily been with for 6 years already), and the other consciously decided to quit (I lost track of him).

It's also birthday of Will Rogers, Laura Bush, and a most precious one to me, Watchman Nee. So glad you were born.

That's cute. I was just thinking of the one he did in the movie. But this is nice, too.

I liked Napoleon Dynamite's rap, too.

Received in email today, and thought it fit here ... and I would say when we offer the kind kind of helpfulness of the Lord, He is there. (I did have someone once ask if I was an angel, I said, "Sweetheart, you can rest assured I am jsut a person. I have bad teeth, I'm hard of hearing, and other physical defects. I never heard of an angel with these. I have heard of all kinds of angels but never one with falling apart body parts and other heartaches.")

Stub 1, Some peole are like teapots with no whistle to let off steam. twi, generally for those who congregate at the Greasespot Cafe, kept the whistle capped and allowed no one to speak out regarding injustices experienced and witnessed. Some of us need a release to vent the pent up hurt and grief from our twi years. Hope it never happens to you. But please don't criticize others who wear shoes that you have never walked in. Superciliousness is a horrible disease that takes years to come out of once you want to be kind and tenderhearted (which is what Jesus was and is). Prevention of this disease is to refrain from judging others, even when you think you have the right to do so. The Greasespot Cafe may give you a place to be judgmental of people here, but your soul and spirit will later ache in grief when you realize that twi (and not people like Tom here) are the perpetrators of the most grievous crimes of the heart. In hope,

Suicide is not a solitary act. A person may think he is alone and that no one cares, etc. but suicide does affect others, as responses here also demonstrate. The answer, I believe, to Cain's question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" is "Yes." (Else the Lord would not have asked Cain where he was:)) Twenty years ago the Lord told me that I was a person's only friend, and at first I handled this commission pretty faithfully. And then in the course of my own heartaches, and it looked like Mike had gotten some friends, including a girlfriend, and I quit that job (I never got on an outside-of-work friendship with Mike). I did keep in touch with one co-worker, and found that a few months after I left, Mike committed suicide. As also shown in Wayside's story of his dad's advice the "it would break your mother's heart" for him to commit suicide, the victims of suicide are the ones left behind as well as the one who dies. And Thank you Allan W and others who tell that I am not alone in being careful of others' sadness because of a past failure to give to others the compassion the the Lord has so kindly given to me. In hope,

(I haven't been able to guess a one) But did want to note that right clicking on a picture, and "properties" will tell you what the picture is.

Yesterday I was thinking about the root of bitterness, and how important it is to keep that from taking root in me. When feeding the root of bitterness with bitter thoughts I make mistakes and do things I regret because the Holy Spirit's connection with my heart and life is weakened. I don't understand it, but the price of bitterness is too high for me to pay.

From my first drive with my dad (putting into first at a stop light, rolling backwards and hitting the guy and he coming out and saying, "forget it") to yesterday (driving home in Reno from Wendover after a week of work and being able to share some of God's love and kindness with a fellow worker), for me all roads traveled are filled with God's love and grace. :) Hitherto shalt thou come but no further: 1975, 2 children and me in Rambler, one young 10 year old and a baby. One a 4-lane California Walnut Creek suburb road. Car comes from opposite lane directly at me. I try to avoid him but he focuses on me and hits dead on. Old Rambler (this was a metal not plastic) did not survive, but we were all fine. The driver was a favorite son who was just "feeling his oats" and charges against him were dismissed. :)delivered out of trouble before you know it Driving to some event. Three lane freeway above Sacramento to Truckee. Light snow, poor visibility. I moved from the middle over to the right one lane for no reason. A few seconds later a semi moved where I was with no signal. No one else saw it. They were all talking, having a great time. Like so many things, He is always there with His hand over us. :)devil doesn't want me around Years ago I found the best way through rush hour was to pray. In early 70's I was stuck on freeway along the bay in rush hour going nowhere. Had taken pfal and wanted to be like "those guys" who knew the Lord (like Steve Abella). Well there goes Steve Abella driving a bunch of people, and they cut through traffic like a knife through soft butter. I was awed. A few years later, in rush hour traffic I realized I was so close to these people I may never be so close to again, and I started to pray for them. And then the traffic parted in front of me. By this time I was on talking terms with Holy Spirit myself, and He said, "Devil would rather let you through than have you pray for these people." Thanks for the memories.

Stuff like this is how people promote the "Christianity is for fools" philosophy. IMHO there is a loving God who hears the weakest cry of the smallest child. Of course it helps for people to read and pray over the prayer lists of others, but the putting into words the cry of the heart helps a person receive their answer from the Lord. I can imagine that a church member or family member not knowing what to do with the letters received cast them into the ocean like casting them to the Lord. Hope this story has a nice ending.

my first see of this. Brought me to tears. Thanks for sharing it. (another blessing of life I chalk up to the Greasespot Cafe.)