Belle

Oak, that's PRICELESS! PERFECT!! I'm going to add that to the Gems thread, if'n you don't mind.

That's awesome, Chef! That's how it should be! Open arms and no condemnation. I'm happy for you!

I always wondered where we were moving the word TO? Did we need a dolly and a U-Haul? Once we got it there were we going to have to move it again? Who was paying for all this moving and why couldn't it just stay put somewhere?

exegeckomai is WRONG???? :ph34r:

Ron, I think that's the e-mail of the year! I was laughing so hard that I had to share it with the prairie dogging cube farm neighbors. WE were laughing so hard that the people in the cube farm across the hall came over and now the e-mail has been sent around the company within a matter of minutes. If you listen closely, you can hear which department has just received a copy in their inbox.

I love it Jonny! I also happen to think it's very sweet and romantic. :wub: Your wife is one very special and lucky lady. :)

Mark, I'm with Rascal in considering you a class act. ;) DMiller and Sunny, please accept my apology. I have re-read what you wrote and I think, now, I get what you were trying to say and I mis-read you because of MY bad day. I *think* what you meant was that you are able to separate people and organizations from God and that when you get upset or feel abandoned and let down, that it's because of people and not because of God. That you always trust God to take care of you and that's how you deal with huge disappointments and hurt. It's recognizing that God didn't do the harmful things - the group did and to not give God the blame. We would do well to be able to separate the two?

Sunny, and David, that's all wonderful and great for you, but can you two see that you've gotten an honest question from someone who was tainted and abused spiritually in TWI? Can you see how your answers saying that you've never had this problem in your own personal life do nothing but make the seeker feel less than spiritual and even more lowly than TWI already did a good job of doing?] This poor soul is asking HOW to trust God again. To hear that you never had the problem that he/she had is just validating what TWI under craig's rule taught. Big whoop if YOU'VE never experienced this question or situation. WHAT do you have to contribute to those who have? Your responses, although most likely true, provide no assurance or encouragement to those who have doubted God because of what they saw, learned, experienced and were taught in TWI.

I know, Johnny, I'm just giving him sh!t ---- as Mama would say... It made him nervous enough to respond, didn't it??? ;) Silly me, Chef, I sent it to you at adelphia.net as your sign on name mentions..... ALTHOUGH.....I am highly willing to swap muscadine wine and/or Edam cheese balls for some good seafood, belive it or not, it's awfully hard to find down here.

JL, I told you to forget about him! I can trade southern Florida grown muscadine wine for that salmon! ;) I even e-mailed him and he hasn't responded..... OR Mississippi State Edam Cheese, if that's preferable.

Mark: Penguin: Mark nails it here, Penguin, as do many others. The God we were taught in TWI was first loving, forgiving and all goodness and light, but the God he became as we took more and more classes, signed up for more and more responsibility out of a love for God and wanting to serve HIS people, is not a God any of us would have signed up for initially. God became a perverted image of God in TWI slowly, over a period of time: - First he wanted us to know more - to become experts at Greek, Hebrew, "rightly dividing the word" - This required time - lots and lots of time and money by way of classes, travelling to AC specials, travelling to classes on the field, special meetings, etc. - Then he wanted us to give him more of our time - as HFC's, WC, WD, WOW, witnessing partners, etc.... - Then he wanted more of our money. 10% wasn't enough anymore; we were in the GRACE administration - we need to do MORE. - Then we were reminded we were in the GRACE administration so we should be DOING more - doing more Better and longer than ever before. The God TWI taught us (those of us under Craig's rule) was a selfish God, a judgemental God, a God who was never satisfied or happy with us. They didn't say "TWI wants your money" - "TWI wants your time" - "TWI wants you to sell your house" - "TWI wants you to suck the MOG's d***"! It was always "GOD WANTS YOU TO......" - "GOD EXPECTS......" - "Don't you want to please GOD?" Yes, it is really hard to get back to what God is supposed to be. Who he is supposed to be. We were taught a totally different God - our God, according to TWI was never satisfied and expected more of us than even our "earthly" fathers would dream of expecting of his children. I guess the first step is to get rid of that image of God. To get back to the God who is all loving, all caring, wants only the best for his kids, especially forgiving and pleased to give us good, peaceable gifts. A calm, quiet God who doesn't spit in anyone's direction. A God who doesn't like a minister who yells and curses at his flock. A God who prefers a minister to truly care for his flock as if they are precious, delicate lambs. A God who really and truly only wants to love you and wants you to love him. Maybe some time in the Gospels reading what Jesus taught about God would help. TWI only taught from the more clinical/historical sections and the sections where Jesus was mad or casting out spirits. Read the sweet parts, read the sweet lessons, read the peaceful sections. Those will sooth your soul and help you to get that mean, wooden spoon weilding God out of your mind. :) It's basically exactly what Mark said, but in "mouth of the south" volume. :wub: You're awfully special, Penguin!! I hope that helps!

A guy runs a stop sign and gets caught by a police officer. Cop says, “License and registration, please.” Guy says, “What for?” Cop says, “You didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign.” Guy says, “I slowed down, and no one was coming.” Cop says, “You didn’t come to a complete stop. License and registration, please.” Guy says, “What’s the difference?” Cop says, “The difference is, you have to come to a complete stop. License and registration, PLEASE!” Guy says, “If you can show me the difference between slow down and stop, I’ll give you my license and registration.” Cop says, “Exit your vehicle, sir.” The cop takes out his nightstick and starts beating the ever-loving crap out of the guy. “Now,” the cop says, “do you want me to stop or just slow down?”

Very nice and very well said, Diazbro. Thank you. I recently received a subscription renewal notice from TWI much to my surprise, so I subscribed. :P We'll see what happens with that.

:o :unsure: :blink: :o Does that REALLY say what I think it says??

David, Maybe that's why jerks, crooks and idiots are primarily the only ones who do go into politics. :blink: They must have a different conscience than we do to be able to stand before the public day after day and ask them for their support and justify their actions.

I love it, ex! I'm not ever around kids but when I was I always loved learning the new slang they came up with. Please keep sharing! Peace, Belle

Thinkin boutcha Psalmie!

I prefer to wad mine. Maybe there's a certain type of Oak tree that only produces acorns after fifty years, but I know mine was planted in the front yard when the house was built 15 years ago, it was about two or three years old at the time. The tree is less than twenty years old and puts out a motherload of acorns. Curious, I Googled oak tree acorn production and all of these links confirm that oak trees produce acorns in less than fifty years. I had to do a specific search on fifty years to find the species that takes fifty years to produce. This one produces acorns in only five years: Gobbler Sawtooth Oak Floridata Oak Tree Information Facts on Oak Trees White Oak Acorn Production at 20 Years Twenty-Five to Thirty Year Acorn Production

Krys, that is so cool! I didn't know that - Of course I Googled it and found the coolest website. This must be one of the ones that craiggers got all up in arms about.... Which Way Does Your Monkey Swing? My Oak Tree is only about 18 years old and it produces tons of acorns! Vixen loves to eat 'em and fights the squirrels for 'em. Maybe it's just an above average tree. While these are fun, it's still important to make sure that the facts are correct. It's not getting all upset, it's just making sure that I'm not part of the problem or passing along incorrect information - some people will believe anything. That's how Mary Magdalene got to be called a slut and a prostitute for so many years..... :blink:

LOL! Ron, I forgot about all those pictures! Gawd Awwwmighty they loved giving out pictures of themselves, didn't they? I remember the all the bru ha ha over those dang pictures and how everyone was so excited to get them every year. Didn't craiggers dress up as Paul for a "gift" to the WC one year?

Darn! Then I reckon you'll just have to send it to me. Somebody's gotta brag on ya! ;)

Very True, John. I was pretty frustrated a week or so ago and was ready to chunk the whole thing, but someone from here talked to me and then I got yet another anonymous PM from a lurker who wanted some help and advice. That reminded me how very important this place is and how utterly lost, confused and lonely I was when I was in their shoes. I used to be here for me and now it's getting to be about being able to help others. I've been in contact with many people through PMs who lurk but never post. I've helped people get out of TWIt bondage and I've kept people from getting involved with it. I never post anything about it because it's personal and I remember how scary it was to see anything that might remotely reveal your identity to TWI. That alone is a huge red flag, or should be anyway. I mean, why should your church care? Why do they have anything to hide? If there's nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide or cover or justify then there shouldn't be any problem with people talking about them. Paranoid Pariahs they are!

You're a good man, Johnny Lingo! I'm sure that the Chef will have no problem bragging about your salmon! He'll just make the rest of us jealous, though, ya know? ;)

LOL! When I first moved down here my Daddy was notorious for wanting to get his picture made by everything that was decorated for Christmas - his instructions were clear, too.... Hey! Get a picture of me standing by this palm Christmas Tree wearing my shorts! Hey! Get a picture of me in my bathing suit standing on the beach with this Egg Nog in my hand at Christmas! Hey! Get a picture of me riding in your convertible with the top down at Christmas! He was so tickled to be able to wear shorts at Christmas! And then there's the traditional Christmas Eve Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe each year. Twill be in Mississippi this year, though, no HRC - Cock of the Walk will be picking up the slack! :P

His idiotic policies asided -- How embarrassing for him! That alone is a serious consequence for his actions. I got a DUI over ten years ago and I was so snockerd I fell down doing the heel to toe test. It was a long, painful, EXPENSIVE ordeal and terribly embarrassing and only a very select few people knew about it. In fact, I NEVER talk about it. Only lately have I been able to talk about it and even then, it's still painful and embarrassing. I had to watch the video of my arrest with my lawyer and that alone made me think about suicide - and I'm not exaggerating. He got caught and if he has any remorse for what he did, it will most likely be the last time he does something like that. Thank God he didn't hurt or kill anyone! Hopefully, if he has a drinking problem, then he will get some help with that. Maybe this will be the straw that broke the camels back and keep him from staying in office and running for other offices, but, then again, Marion Barry continued to get elected after all kinds of crack, cocaine, prostitution, etc. convictions. Just another reason I'll never go into politics! I would HATE to live in such a fishbowl. It makes it very difficult to keep up the sugar & spice image I've worked so hard for. ;)