Belle

Happiest of Birthdays, Strange one!! I hope it was as wonderful as you are. Thanks for keeping us looking at the lighter side of things. I had a Sno Cone in your honor:

A la prochaine sent me these BEAUTIFUL photos!! Aren't they just gorgeous?!?!? A la, I'd be tickled pink to have any of these as a card from you! I'd imagine you're framed and displayed proudly by those receiving these from you!

Happiest of Birthdays, Z!! I hope it was AWESOME!!!

Ron, I love the pic both ways! I thought it was a neat perspective only seeing the top of it. :D I LOVE things that remind me of home and that's definitely one that does. Thank you for sharing it with us. A La, I have a scanner and can either scan the pics, or if you already have them as attachments you can e-mail them to me and I'll be glad to post them for you. I'd LOVE to see some of your pictures! I dabbled in photography in college and had a professional mentor me. It was a blast!! I LOVE getting cards like that and have lots of them framed around the house. It truly is a gift from the heart, imo. I suspect those lucky enough to get your original pictures feel the same way.

Dot, I'm on my way out, but I was on the diet for a long time and came off my Glucophage while following the diet. Basically you eat whatever you want, just with healthier substitutions: White Bread - Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread (not plain "wheat" bread - must be 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Pasta - Whole Wheat Pasta Sugar - Agave Syrup or artificial sweeteners Never eat anything that has more than 3 grams of Sugar on the label with the exception of tomatoes because they are naturally high in sugar. The trick is to read labels because you'd be surprised at how many things you'd never suspect have sugar in them - canned tomatoes - canned veggies. No corn, bananas (debatable) or potatoes. I have a ton of recipes that I collected while on the diet and still use a bunch of them - especially the SB friendly cheesecake. :D I actually found the information and recipes much better in the Sugar Busters for Kids book. :P Feel free to PM me the kinds of things you like and I'll pull some of my favorites from that. I'm doing WW now and still use all my SB recipes.

What are your plans?

That guy shooting looks like my Uncle Johnny!! Where'd the bullet go? Definitely a great clip. Thanks, Ron!

Yeah! Great idea, Mark! Don the ole Greasespot T-shirt and shove your way toward the cameras. I'll be looking fer ya since I'm and old fogie and not much for crowds these days.....besides that, there's too many drunks on the roads during New Year's Eve and I don't want to contribute to the statistics....

How absolutely cool! Please let us know what you find out! I don't have any stamps, but I think it's fascinating to learn about the different hobbies people have on here. My Paw Paw has collected coins since he was a boy, but I don't know much about it except that he does....that's always been a Paw Paw - Grandson quality time thing.

Think Lizzy is one and I know a couple of people "in" who are lurkers but communicate with me privately. Lowly Lolly Poppy, but he/she hasn't been here in a while. I think there are a few others, but can't be for sure right now....need more coffee.... Then there's those who WISH they were back in "the household". :blink:

Is it, Lifted, or do they not start over till the start of the 2006 Hurricane Season? I 'spose this has never been an issue before either. B)

I know what you mean, WW. My mother's mother was going into surgery for her second double bypass and she talked about dying the whole week up to her surgery date. She died on the operating table. We all think that she was really ready to die. She had had a very, very rough life, her kids were all grown, married with kids of their own and doing very well for themselves. We tend to think that because of that she was ready and able to quit fighting all the awful things that she had had to put up with in her own life (namely a very abusive and dangerous ex-husband). My great-grandfather, however, was never even expecting to die and had already booked his schedule, planted his crops, re-stocked the catfish pond and was planning to go hunting the next day with some buddies. Never even crossed his mind that he might die sometime soon. He died of natural causes and was never sick, really. It came as a total shock to everyone. So's who to say what happens, what causes it and why, imo. *shrug* Paul Bro*ks used to say that the more you learned of the word, the more black & white everything became. I think in TWIt world that's true, but it's not in real life and that's why TWI screws people up so bad. We try so hard to pigeon hole everything and it's not easy to pound that square peg into a round hole.

On the "Good Way Corps" thread Thin Lizzy said: DMiller said (quite well, I might add): Bramble very wonderfully added: I know my grandparents are getting on up in years and my grandfather has had some problems with his heart and it's no longer operating anywhere near even 80%. Neither one of them is ready to die and they are planning a few trips this year because they don't want to slow down. My grandmother says every day is a blessing. They know they're not young anymore and have health issues that do slow them down, but they are in no way losing their will to live - in fact they are working for and fighting for life - and not just an existence. I don't remember TWI teaching that all old people who die have lost their will to live. They did talk about SOME people losing their will to live, but I don't recall any blanket b.s. statement like that. Does anyone else? What do YOU think about death?

The use of the two Greek words paraklesis and parakaleo is the repitition of words from the same root. This can be classified under the polyptoton figure of speech. With the use of polyptoton, God emphasizes the comfort or strength that came to Titus’s heart when those who were confronted responded to the reproof they’d been given and line their lives back up with the word and will of God. The heart and manner of response of the one confronted is vital. Titus had gone to Corinth on Paul’s behalf to see how the Corinthians were responding to the reproof that they had received as recorded in 1 Cor. When Titus reported back to Paul, he relayed their earnest desire, their mourning and their fervent mind toward Paul and the other apostles. These were the elements of response Paul and Titus were looking for so Paul rejoiced at seeing this response. “Earnest desire” indicates the Corinthian believers’ desire to have full sharing fellowship with Paul. Throughout the church epistles there are forms of this word used thereby indicating the desire of a person or people to be with on another. The Corinthian believers were not purposefully avoiding Paul and his leadership, oversight and direction. On the contrary, they were greatly longing to be with him physically and desired that their thinking, speech and actions would show their association with him. “Mourning” indicates the Corinthians were lamenting their wrongs and errors or their mistakes. They expressed a genuine remorse and grief regarding those things Paul confronted them on. “Fervent mind” is from the Greek word zealos. The Corinthian believers demonstrated a zeal, a fervor, a passion toward Paul and the other apostles. Rather than holding on to their hurt feelings, justifying their error, and complaining about how they were confronted. These Corinthians had a passion for the truth that Paul represented and spoke. Seems to me this whole section is like they were worshipping Paul and not God. It’s also very subtle how he is laying the groundwork for TWIts to fear pointing out where leadership might be wrong in their confrontation, too harsh and harmful in the way they confront….”I yell because I care!” became a battle cry among leadership who learned it from craiggers all the way down to the spittle flying.

Themex, yes. The Way Magazine is fondly referred to here as the Way Rag.....the rag and sometimes worse, but it's generally never called a fish wrapper as some newspapers are. I think the fish protested it some time ago so we had to start calling it something else. :P Why Johnny Lingo, does this mean you know a single, handsome suitor to introduce me to? :wub:

Trois Col 1:28 Whom (Christ) we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. In order to do this, we preach Christ; we warn and we teach – giving instruction on a continual basis. Part of the process of maturing in the household of believers is “warning ever man.” The word “warning” is translated from a Greek word, noutheteo, meaning “to admonish”, “to remind”, “to correct” or “confront”. Confrontation is a vital part of presenting every believer perfect in Christ. When confronted, how does this person know whether he or she is making progress and properly responding to the confrontation? After confronting a situation, what signposts should the confronting believer look for when following up with the confronted individual? 2 Cor 7 has a section on “godly sorryow” which gives us the characteristics and attitudes that should be evident in people’s lives if they are committed to change. The Apostle Paul confronted the Corinthians on several matters, and wanted to know how they were going along in correcting themselves. He sent Titus, a man with an energized ministry, to the Corinthians to see their progress and to report back to him. 2 Cor 7:7 And not by his (Titus’s) coming only, but by the consolation (paraklesis)[also] wherewith he was comforted (parakaleo) in [by] you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning [lamenting], your fervent mind [zeal, fervor] toward me [to “us” in Aramaic]; so that I rejoiced the more.

Part Duex - Another day my wife comes home from the store with a brand new set of curtains for every single window in the home. She spends so much money that it exceeds our budgeted amount for the year. I am responsible for the finances and so I don’t ignore this situation just because “I don’t want to have a fight”. I speak up. “Honey, you have the best decorating taste and these are beautiful. However, you did forget one thing. You are supposed to check with me, your financial adviser, before making a purchase to make sure I have placed the money in the budget for these things.” Yeah, right! Anyone who knows Bob KNOWS this isn’t how this conversation would go. She responds by saying, “Yes, I forgot that. Can we afford these things?” Then we come to a resolution. Whenever situations are confronted within the household, whether in a couple’s home or in the household of believers, we must work together in order to see the harmonious functioning of the one Body. Some confrontations are handled simply on a day-by-day basis, like the examples cited above. Other matters are deep-rooted old-man habits which require intense, passionate attention and radical change. Like the way Dootie confronted craiggers and vee pee instead of continuing to counsel the poor women raped by them? It is these more difficult situations that require the believer who needs to change and the individual(s) confronting him to have a standard used to measure that change has taken place. The purpose of TWI is to present every man – every believer in the household – perfect, mature and complete in Christ.

Woo Hoo!!! Thanks much to the lurker who sent the TWIt article by Moneyhands to me. :D This article appeared in the September/October 1997 rag. Responding to Confrontation Evidence of Change I will provide a non-plagerized version of the article in regular type (I’ll use vee pee’s non-plagerism techniques as much as possible without getting Paw into trouble. ;) ) My comments will be in italics, but brief so that people can read the article before we discuss it. If it becomes too long for one post, I will break it out into several posts. *************************** 2 Cor 7 shows us in very specific ways what worked in the Corinthian believers’ hearts after they received confrontation, thereby providing signposts for us to live and apply today. It is God’s desire and good pleasure for faithful disciples of the household of the one Body to submit themselves to His Word and to one another (Eph 5:21). When that loving respect for God and His Word is lacking in the life of a fellow believer in the household, confrontation is necessary. Notice how much emphasis is put on the “faithful” disciples and “the household”. This is what was pounded into our heads. The “one Body” became TWI only and those who are supposedly born again are no longer considered “of the Body” though I don’t know if it’s documented anywhere that it was taught that explicitly….perhaps later in this article. For example, God’s Word says that the man is to be the head of the woman; he is to proivde for, lead and direct his home and those in it. As a husband, I endeavor to live as the head in my marriage relationship to Dootie. I do not, however, carry the responsibility for every department in the home. My wife doesn’t either. Each one of us carries responsibilities in the home. I am the head, however and am to be consulted in the overall decisions in our home. Suppose my wife and I decided, based on our individual long suits and abilities, that among our many responsibilities, she will be responsible for all the interior design of our home, and I will oversee all of the finances. I trust and respect my wife’s ability and she respects mine. Suppose one day I decide that my autographed photo of David Letterman (given to me by people I pretended to care about until booting them from WC and then M&A them) be hung in full view, and because of an attitude of “I’m the head of our home; I can hang it wherever I want,” I hang it in the living room. What happens when my wife comes home? She does not ignore the photograph or walk past it, but rather she comes to find me and says, “I saw Dave’s picture in our living room. Did you put it there, Bob?” My response is, “Yes, I did.” Dootie continues, “I thought I was responsible for the interior design of our home.” The conversation goes from there until the situation is resolved as craiggers has taught us.

Well, ya see, Rick....caller ID comes with the cell phone and I'm notorious about not answering my phone anyway (I HATE talking on the phone). That's why I can get away with paying for the cheapest package they have. LOL! I really do only answer it when I feel like it - 'cept at work where it's required. You're also absolutely right - it's wonderful and necessary to be able to just disappear when we need/want to, isn't it?

Cowgirl, do you know I've never even seen a furnace in my whole life except on tv? :huh: In fact, I never even saw a real live basement till I was in college. The whole concept was so far beyond my pea brained understanding. LOL! Truth be told, I'd love to have a fire in the fireplace and get to wear big, cozy sweaters. I soooo miss the four seasons and even though we never had much snow growing up in Mississippi, I really think I'd love to live where there's snow. Those pictures you post are absolutely beautiful and I can only imagine how nice it is to wake up to that so many mornings. I really feel sorry for all y'all with the rising heating prices, though. :( Thanks for the suggestions!! George, I'll try Lowes and either get a bunch or see if they'll carry them for me. Thanks for that suggestion, Shellon. If not, I'll call the cmpany who installed the unit to see if they can order some for me. Thanks for that info and the proper terminology, Morgan! It's funny all the things you just don't pay attention to when someone else has always done them. In apartments the maintenance people always did that, then my ex - this is a first for me. Now.....if I could just find someone to clean those blasted rain gutters....I got an oak and a few elm trees growing in them. :P

I got it, Sudo, but was waiting for someone more witty than I to respond. But since no one has jumped on that one...( :P ) I'd venture to say that perhaps there's either no hope for you OR you can't increase your size any more than it already is. I'm not guessing which one it is, though! :unsure: A girl I worked with once told the story of the ad in the back of a magazine for a system that would increase your bust size. It was a reasonable price, so she sent off for it. The day the order came in the mail she said it was in a normal size envelope and when she opened it, the instructions were to rub the item on her chest three times a day. The item that came in the envelope? A photocopy of a pair of hands. LOL!

I just cancelled my home phone and use only my cell phone. I'd rather pay for just one phone and I like having the cell in case of an emergency. I also like the convenience of text messaging, especially if someone needs/wants to tell me something that isn't urgent and/or shouldn't disrupt me at work. I only pay $45/month for my Cingular plan and my whole family is on Cingular so those calls are all free anyway. I never use the full 200 minutes/month that I get with my plan and I do use it for all my long distance calls (which are also very few and far between). I was paying $80/month for the same stuff on both phones. This is so much easier and cheaper for my lifestyle.

JustLoafing, I have often wondered the same thing. It seems to me that if they really did believe what they were teaching that they would be scared sh1tless about having to explain to God why they have done the things they've done and destroyed the lives they've destroyed. They don't seem to care. We KNOW vee pee, craig and many other leadership have these on their record. I believe they worshipped themselves and the Bible, but others would disagree with that. Hatred - We were taught to hate anyone who rejected TWI, left TWI or belonged to another church. Heck, at one time craig had us practically hating Jesus and especially any song to or about him. Discord - they are pros at this - among families, married couples, among other religions.... Fits of rage - "God won't spit in your direction!" How many first hand accounts of vee pee and craiggers going off on tirades here? Too many to count. There's so much more here and so many examples of their lives reflecting all of these "acts of the sinful nature" - even the most worshipful vee pee apologist has to admit to this unless they are just fooling themselves. Patience, Kindness and Goodness are things one would be hard pressed to find in any TWI leadership in the upper echelon. They LOVE the upper seats! They LOVE the adoration! They LOVE having servants, but I don't think those are things meant by these verses. They are faithful to ruining marriages and lives. Faithful to spying out the liberties in Christ that their follwers have, but again, I don't think that's what these verses are talking about. Hmmmmm, seems pretty clear to me which "fruit" we were exposed to.....

Daddy is no help when it comes to matters of the home. He's the kind of guy who will pay someone rather than try to fix something on his own (too many bad experiences, I think. ;) ) I had to get a new AC/Heating unit and the blasted thing requires a "custom" filter. It's a hard plastic shell with a "reusable" filter inside it. You're supposed to be able to clean it off and replace it, but it has to dry before you replace it and it never really seems to get all that clean. Besides that, it's not as tight as the store-bought filters and you can see straight through it, so I wonder how well it works anyway. I want an alternative to this filter and tried buying the size closest to the filter and wrapping it with weather stripping, but it's not working. The stripping is too flexible and doesn't hold the filter in place. Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas about how I can use a better filter and not have to rely on the one that came with the system?

If you plan to go to Times Square let us know so we can watch for you on TV!