Belle

Uncle Howie? Crown offices? I'm cornfused. :huh: Encouraging folks to move off campus? Letting the fields grow? Sounds like they are trying to cut costs as much as possible without selling off anything and exposing how pathetically they've shrunk. The sharks were talking this week-end and that $40 million we know they have in the bank is from Gunnison's paperwork - that means TWI itself probably has a lot more than that in the bank in addition to that $40 million. Wonder if they're having to dip into those coffers and how long it will last as TWI continues to shrink. Aren't most of the folks left reaching the top end of the natural life span and/or their sunset years? Income typically dips at that time and, naturally, abundant sharing dollars will follow suit. :unsure:

Welcome, Doug! First order's on the house! What can I get you? I do several things, actually. :) I attend a small Methodist Church every once in a while. I attend a few www.meetup.com groups that like to study, research and talk about some of the same things I do. I participate in the Doctrinal discussions here at the cafe occasionally, usually I just lurk down there but I've certainly learned a great deal from our resident experts. I also subscribe to a couple of "religious" magazines. Each "place" provides a bit of what I need and want. I kinda like it that way - not tied to any one group and not expecting one group/person/people to be everything I need.

What are you looking for, New Life? Why do you feel like you don't "fit in" as you put it? What do you like and not like about the churches you've been to? How much "study" have you done since leaving TWI? Have you visited the Doctrinal Booth here at the cafe? What do you feel about TWI-like fellowships that you don't find anywhere else? Those kinds of things might be able to help us help you better. :) Have you maybe tried looking at www.meetup.com to see if perhaps there's a group in your area that's not really a "church" per se but who subscribe to or are interested in the same topics as you?

Have you tried sending him a Private Message? You can go to his profile (It is his name) and choose "send a message". If he gets e-mail notifications that someone has PM'd him, he'll know to log in and retrieve it. :)

I left my heart in San Francisco!! :( I so did not want to leave! There was too much left to do and the weather and the people were absolutely wonderful! We did quite a bit, but still didn't get to everything we wanted to do. The most important thing we DID get to do was.... Dinner with Notta and Eyes!! Awesome! AWESOME TIME!! Daddy, however, was so busy asking them questions that us three gals hardly had a chance to chat. He was as disappointed as we were that we didn't have more time to spend together. Jonny Lingo, we found a much whiter cousin of yours and he very generously agreed to pose for a few pictures with us. I'm waiting for the fam to e-mail me the pics so I don't have them handy just yet. Had dinner at The Cosmopolitan downtown. Drove Pacific Coast Highway down to Big Sur. Daddy got to see Pebble Beach Golf Course and we took his picture at the 18th hole. We had lunch in Carmel. Enjoyed the 17 Mile Drive. Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. Bought some wine in Napa - some tea in China Town - some See's Chocolates. Hung out on the San Francisco Trolley. Watched down at the Wharf. Took turns taking pictures with the other tourists at Haight & Ashbury Streets. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my visit. Back to sleeping with the windows closed, the ac cranking and no waves lulling me to sleep at night...... *sniffle*

Stuffed Chicken Breasts 4 chicken breasts 1 box frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup low fat mayo 1/2 cup low fat feta 4 strips turkey bacon Cut a pocket in four chicken breasts. Mix together the spinach, garlic, mayo and feta. Stuff chicken with mixture and place in shallow baking dish. Place a slice of turkey bacon on each piece of chicken and bake at 375 for one hour. Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! This recipe is most delicious. Yummy even. Who knew I could use the word 'yummy' to describe spinach? The cheese, mayo, garlic spinach filling is good enough to use in other recipes too, perhaps on a whole-wheat pita or in an omelet. Plus, it was very quick to put together, though the baking did take about 45 minutes. (I used small chicken breasts.) I subbed a strip of ham for the bacon and it came out fine, if a little black and curly on the edges.

Outfield, I cook chicken tenderloins in the frying pan with just a wee bit of olive oil and minced garlic, chop it up and put it on a pita with the chopped sun dried tomatoes (you'll need to soak them in water to soften up if they aren't already), and crumbled goat cheese, basil, oregano. I've done it with Parmesan cheese, but I imagine the goat cheese would be good, too. I've got a ton of Chicken recipes. I just posted one under your Taco/Nacho thread. I'll pull out my trusty homemade cookbook and post some more when I get back in town.

These are also Most Excellent! The name is NOT false advertising! (Bow can vouch for me as she and The Princess have enjoyed them as well.) World's Greatest Chicken Nachos A spicy picadillo mixture, using chicken instead of the traditional beef, gives these nachos a special zip. Serve with chopped cilantro, shredded lettuce, sliced radish, and low-fat sour cream. Ingredients Chicken picadillo: 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil 8 ounces ground chicken or turkey 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon chili powder 3 tablespoons raisins 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained 1 (16-ounce) can pink beans (such as Goya) or other small beans, drained Nachos: 40 baked tortilla chips 1/2 cup bottled salsa 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese Preparation Preheat oven to 450°. To prepare chicken picadillo, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, cumin, oregano, salt, and jalapeños; cook until chicken is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in flour and chili powder; cook 1 minute. Add raisins, vinegar, sugar, and tomatoes; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add beans; cook until thoroughly heated. To prepare nachos, arrange chips on a large baking sheet. Spoon chicken picadillo and salsa evenly over chips; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield 8 servings (serving size: 5 nachos) Nutritional Information CALORIES 208(26% from fat); FAT 6g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 11.6g; CHOLESTEROL 31mg; CALCIUM 123mg; SODIUM 545mg; FIBER 3.6g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28g Jim Fobel , Cooking Light, JULY 1999 Belle's Note: I don't use ground chicken or turkey - I've always just used chopped chicken breast from the bags of frozen tenderloins that are a mainstay in my house. I also don't use sour cream or cheese and, believe me, I look for an excuse to smother everything in sour cream and/or cheese. :P It's just so darn good without it. I also don't use the nachos. I just serve it over a bed of lettuce. It's even better the second day!

Yes! We want pictures when you get back!!

Awwww, you still look good, Chas! Are those green eyes? Please tell me no, cause I"m gonna go all out jealous on you if they are!

YEAH!!! :eusa_clap: Now, where's them pik-chures?? And, of course, you'll be the best darn mil out there! She IS lucky to have a wonderful husband and in-laws! How does the princess like being a sister-in-law?

<_< Does sound odd, WG. I looked on Snopes, too, and don't see any warnings, but if you're on the cutting edge of the scam they wouldn't know about it yet.

Thanks so much, y’all! Looks like Eyes, Notta and I will be hooking up to cause a ruckus in San Fran while I’m there! I’m soooooo darn excited about that! Debauchery, it will be for sure! I have passed all this information on to the family and will continue to do so as the suggestions come in. Priscilla, thanks for the info. The ferry sounds like great and we’re definitely going to do some wine tours, I’ll look up info on the Russian River, Korbel Winery and other areas you’ve mentioned. My brother’s a local now but I don’t know how much he goes out ot eat. Hopefully he’s checking with friends & co-workers. Dove, What would a trip to San Fran be without some Rice A Roni? Thanks for the reminder! Mister P, I do care! That’s why I asked. :) Mondavi… got it – I’ll look into reservations and insist we do the cheesy touristy Fisherman’s Wharf & boat tour. I had wondered if Alcatraz was worth visiting first hand…. I’ve kinda always wanted to. My brother lives just north of Haight-Asbury and I’ve already put that on the MUST SEE list, although he says it’s more of a slum area now and not all that impressive. LOL! Thanks for the heads up on the Asian restaurant showgirls, too! NLL, Pity you’re not going to be there! We could add yet another Greasespotter to our small little gathering while I’m there. I really didn’t know I’d be going until the last minute. I hope you enjoy your family obligations…. Reunions can be a blast. Oh Behave – Oh My! That is beautiful!! I will definitely push to enjoy some time there! Thank you!

Dan, I have no problem with your point of view. I have a problem with you judging (yes, your words do come across as judgmental) those who have viewpoints different from yours and especially then not even having the courtesy to read or consider why they have come to different conclusions than you have. You say in this post that you're here to listen, yet, each time I've provided or offered to provide proof for statements that you question, you say "don't bother posting a bunch of links" and "I don't have time to read all the proof you've put in front of me". Maybe you are here to listen, but not to something that would shatter your bubble? You lived in the grand illusion days of TWI when everything was butterflies and rainbows and everyone loved each other and rapes weren't happening and people weren't being abused in every way, shape and form. Everyone was a saint. Every day a gift. I realize that. I don't begrudge that, in fact, I wish I had some experiences like that during my TWI days and I love reading the threads when folks get to waxing nostalgic about those halcyon days. You just don't seem to know, care or want to know about the ugly underside of TWI, nor do you seem to want those of us with knowledge and experiences with it to share what we know. It's entirely possible to share "your side" as you say without denigrating, judging and second-guessing those of us who have a different point of view. I haven't seen you do that. You've basically called us liars and full of conjecture - which is not the case. RailRoader, they're still trying their darndest to get people to move to HQ, eh? No surprise. A friend of mine signed up to work ONE YEAR at HQ and they lied, coerced and forced her to work another year. I'm sure she's not the only person that's happened to. My ex wanted so badly to go WayDisciple and/or Way Corps. I told him I was too old to be working part-time in a fast food restaurant and I sure as he11 wasn't going to live in a dorm with a bunch of other serfs. I can imagine that others have come to the conclusion that it's not "all that" anymore. Maybe when I was in my late teens, early 20's and not concerned about having a real job, a family and a future.... but not now. Almost everyone I know who has done it has regretted it or is at least of the mind that they would never do it again. It's easy to see them scramble for good things to share about their experience.

RR, you answered your own question. My understanding, which very well could be wrong, is not that the buildings are in a state of disrepair or neglect, merely not kept to the ridiculously pristine and anal retentive levels that they had been in the past. That could be attributed to lack of manpower rather than lack of funds. We know they have tens of millions of dollars in the bank.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Aahhhhh, thank you!! 2Life, dunno, but my brother lives on the coast in Pacifica, so if they're there, we should surely see them.... hopefully. Are you in San Fran, Eyes?? I thought, for some reason you were in NV or AZ. If you are in San Fran, then, of course you MUST join us! MUST - as in "not an option", get it?? I'll make sure we pick a place with lots of gravy! Geo, I wish you could come meet us there. I know your delightful personality and your knowledge of history would make it an awesome trip.

Well, Dan, if you don't want to know what some of us know, is it necessarily wise to "take exception" to the things we say? :blink: :wacko: And, I suppose if you've never lived at poverty or near poverty level because of the legalism, oppression, guilt and verbal abuse of leadership, you couldn't possibly understand how watching them go to luxurious retreats in tropical, expensive locations for vacations that none of us were able to have, much less allowed to have, then you couldn't understand that either. I don't mind your questioning or disagreeing with us, but, darnit man, if you're gonna do that, then you should at least be willing to consider our perspective and knowledge of the situation that causes us to think and feel that way.

Welcome, Agape!! Been out about 3 years here. :) And I was only "in" during the 90's, so I missed all the "good ole' days" most folks wax nostalgic about, too. And, like you, it was them insisting that we NOT look on the internet that got my dander up. I wanted to know what they must be hiding to be so adamant about controlling yet one more aspect of our lives. The more you (rhetorical) learn, the worse it gets. There's just sooooo much that it's absolutely disgusting. You make a good point, too about trying to cover things up. IF the ministry is so corrupt and so putrid that they have to stage a "coup" to fix it, does that not tell them something about the quality and worthiness of trying to "fix" something like that - much less going about it in such an "ungodly" way?? You'd think........... but, then again, common sense has never been a strong suit for TWIts - me included. Thank goodness we're free from all that so we CAN think for ourselves now... I've taken my chances of living outside the alleged "protection of the household" and ya know what? Life has been a ba-zillion times better - even when it's not been all butterflies and rainbows. In the words of Mary Chapin Carpenter, I'll take my chances..... I sat alone in the dark one night, tuning in by remote I found a preacher who spoke of the light but there was brimstone in his throat He'd show me the way according to him in return for my personal check I flipped my channel back to CNN and I lit another cigarette I take my chances, forgiveness doesn't come with a debt I take my chances, I take my chances every chance I get I've crossed lines of words and wire and both have cut me deep I've been frozen out and I've been on fire and the tears are mine to weep Now I can cry until I laugh and laugh until I cry So cut the deck right in half, I'll play from either side I take my chances, I pay my dollar and I place my bet I take my chances, I take my chances every chance I get I take my chances, I don't cling to remorse or regret I take my chances, I take my chances every chance I get I take my chances

Oh YES! YES!! YES!!! I'd LOVE to meet you for lunch, coffee, hugs, laughs..... whatever - ANYTIME!!! I *think* I still have your e-mail addy. I'll e-mail you so we can make a date.... or ten!

I'll be in San Fran visiting my little (33 year old) brother over Labor Day Week-end. I KNOW I'm going to meet up with Notta while I'm there and very excited about that!! We'll also be meeting up with some of my brother's business partners and a couple he worked with in Taiwan. I am looking for some suggestions as to what else to suggest we do. I know Daddy wants to do some kind of Napa Valley tour while we're there and his girlfriend wants to go to the Hearst Castle, but that's friggin' five hours away <_< , so I'm trying to come up with some alternatives that are closer to San Fran. I'm sure Bro has some other suggestions, but wanted to help out if I can. Whaddya say?

HOW COOL!!! Check with TempleLady, too! Two resident experts here at the cafe, for sure!

Chas, of COURSE "sassy redhead" fits so much better! I think that since I pay for my red hair, I just don't think about people being real redheads. Your family is beautiful!!! I've never seen hubs before - y'all make a great looking family! And Kristopher - OMG! he's gotten so big! Seems like just yesterday you were posting that you were pregnant..... Wow! Time flies! Thank you for sharing them with us.

Thanks, Abi. I've learned so much from y'all down here in the basement and I have missed the good conversations, although I haven't contributed to much, I've certainly enjoyed lurking through the years. I still don't know for sure what I believe about many things and it's all subject to change at any moment, but I'm enjoying the journey and that's the real destination, no?

((((Dot)))) I do so hope you know I think the world of you and I think you're a very strong, compassionate and loving woman. I hope that you don't get so wrapped up in this quest of yours that you're easily snookered or miss the red flags that God does send your way. :) I'm curious, too, if you spend any time getting really quiet - quiet with yourself - meditating, for lack of a better word. Not sitting with your brain going 100 mph over all the things going on in your life and heart, but just getting quiet, sitting and breathing, thinking nothing, of nothing at all, just "in" (breathe) - "out" (breathe).... That's when things get clear for me and, I think, why so many of us have incredible insights while we're in the shower or mindlessly washing dishes. It's a time when we stop life for a moment and get quiet in our own brains and hearts. Like cman so eloquently stated.... the answers are usually already within us, it's just getting to that point where we are quiet enough to actually hear that still, small voice, ya know? :wub: