Belle

John R has a great story about someone pretty high up on the food chain sending a video tape of a ministry teaching, class, something or other to Florida and the TWI stuff ended before the tape ran out. Guess what didn't end before the tape ran out? PORN! These TWIts had taped something ministry related over a porn tape they had made. LOL! I don't remember the details, but maybe Mr. R will come back and fill in the gaps.

THANKS, Y'ALL!! I knew I'd be able to count on you for advice and suggestions. Sudo and Bluzeman, please do post the songs! If I can learn the words before I go maybe I'll shock my buddies. I'm sure everyone else will enjoy the memories associated with them. I'll deinfitely work on the Time Warp, WW. I want to be able to have fun and not have to concentrate too hard on getting it right. I have absolutely no rhythm, so getting some practice in beforehand is not such a bad idea. I've also passed along the order of the props and dress suggestion. I think I'll wear the black witch wig I have for Halloween, black t-shirt, black jeans and maybe even some of the fake body piercing jewlery I also have. Not really dressed up like a character, but not just some plain Janet either. The office is sizzling with electric anticipation as there is a pretty nice contingent from here going. I also have friends from outside work coming to meet us there. I can hardly wait! This is gonna be so much fun!!

You two are way smarter than I am! I'd have never been able to get that right! Steven Hawking helped me pass Astronomy in college, though. I had major trouble staying focused in that class. (The fact that it was on Mon-Wed-Fri mornings at 9am during my Freshman year had absolutely nothing to do with it. ) I saw that Steven was interviewed in the latest Playboy magazine and since men really buy it for the articles, I bought a copy for my professor. He started stammering and turned beet red when I gave it to him I just knew I had blown any chances of passing his class. He must have liked the article because I ended up with a C. :P I seriously did read the article and became absolutely fascinated with Hawking after that, so my grades and attention in class naturally came up, too. I began following him in the news and loved seeing the biographical movie about his life. I'll bet that CD is equally awesome, Oen. :)

Yes, it's true. I am a Rocky Horror virgin. Tomorrow night at midnight I'm going with a group of friends to a showing at Universal Studios City Walk. I'm not dressing up because I have this thing about appearing half naked in public and my white slip is dirty. Any advice, words of wisdom, things I need to know? I do know we're buying "kits" for the show before hand - apparently they sell pre-packaged bags with the requisite rice, toast, toilet paper?, etc... I've been instructed to bring money for that, especially since I won't be dressing up.

I concur with Chas. I'd add more, but she said it so well. ^_^

dancing and WTH, it seems like you two hold to a lot of TWI doctrine and concordance word studies. That's your belief/religion, right? How did you come to believe what you believe? Do you think your way is the only right way? How do you feel about others who have a different belief system that what you've laid out here as your doctrine? Where does your image of God come from? Who taught you that and why do you take their word for it? If your answer is that it's because the Bible says that, then why do you believe their interpretation of the Bible over someone else's? When is the last time you changed something you had previously believed to be THE TRUTH? What caused you to change your mind? I'm not saying you're right or wrong, just wondering how you got to that point and to what degree you're willing to discuss and consider other viewpoints. What do you think about people of other faiths? (Faith - not meaning faith in God... it does have more than one definition. ) dancing, please know that when I do read and understand what you're saying I appreciate your sharing and I'm glad that you do post here. :) I just don't spend much time in the dungeon down here to begin with. My brain is already in overdrive in other areas.

LOL! I'll have to post "before" and "after" pictures of some of the charming geek-sters I've dated. I have NEVER been to a Stark Trek convention, though!!

Oh great! Something to look forward to.... hunter orange bridesmaid dresses. :blink: I had to check and make sure you didn't really send us to The Onion.

Sorry, dancing, I don't get what you're trying to say and merely quoting verses and concordances doesn't contribute anything. :blink: I skip over those kinds of posts - too TWI for me and no substance to add to the discussion. Writing grammatically correct is another reason why I skip a lot of posts. It just hurts my eyes. It's nothing personal, but it has to be a real slow day for me to take time to try to decipher the posts of people who write like that. And, this topic really has nothing to do with the Bible so scripture is out of place and it seems as though you're really just presenting a perfect example of what we're talking about... that some of us believe there is no one belief or faith and that it's not necessary that we all think, believe and worship alike. God looks on the heart - not the brain and certainly not the nametag. T-Bone, "navigate their spiritual journey" - I've never heard it put like that and certainly never thought of it that way, but it certainly makes it all the more exciting to think of it in those terms. :) I LOVE whitewater rafting and the last time I went I bought a t-shirt that says, "The journey is the destination" because it resonated with me. I think of life as a whitewater rafting ride. We pay for the ride and don't really want to get to the end of the river. We enjoy each curve of the river, the quiet waters, the places where we can set up camp, the bends of rapids that get our blood pumping, the rocks under the surface that are dangerous, etc. The whole journey is what we're there for and only the wimpiest wimps are eagerly anticipating (hoping) for the ride to be over. To consider the spiritual exploration in the same light is really cool! When I left TWI I wasn't sure what to do. Part of me wanted to find a "traditional" church and parts of me wanted to go back and re-examine the things I had been exploring prior to TWI (Tarot, Tibetan Meditation, Buddhism, Christian Science....) just a litany of things and gleaning what I could and felt relevant from each one. Not committing to just one way of thinking, believing except that there is a God Almighty out there and we should get to know him and ask for his providence in our lives.

Meet the new boss - same as the old boss Same song, next verse

Abso-Awesome-Lutely!! Heck, just reading the myspace accounts of the TWI kids, one can see that they are conflicted between being "normal" teenagers, enjoying "normal" teenage "schtuff" and living the legalistic lifestly of TWI. Frankly, I was surprised to see some of the kids allowed to have myspace accounts knowing who their parents are....even more surprised at the comments posted in their profiles, the pictures, wishes, desires, etc. Good on 'em! I hope they keep investigating "normal" things and living as much a "normal" life as possible so that they can taste, smell, feel, see, hear, experience the true freedom and abundant life others have found outside the oppression of TWI. Then, hopefully, they'll be able to help their parents see past the fear of leaving TWI.

It seems to me that the only folks standing up for Jim are the ones who haven't been screwed by him yet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOTTAWAYFER!!!! I HOPE IT'S FULL OF SPECIAL TREATS, SPECIAL MEMORIES AND ESPECIALLY LOTS OF LOVE! You're uber special to me and I'm so thankful for the privilege of being able to call you "friend".

Cool, please tell us how it goes when you have it! Here's the link to the thread I mentioned earlier: Table Wine. There's some great information there!

I wonder, Socks, after reading your post, if the mutliple wives thing came from the fact that many women died in childbirth and prior to the industrial revolution many kids were needed to have hands to work and take care of the family for free. I know in the South, it was said that the bigger the family the more hands one had to work the farms, but I came from humble beginnings and we couldn't afford slaves, so all the work was done by the parents and chillin'. That's why my Great-Grandmother was so excited to have seven SONS and no girls... that is, till WWII came and took them all away. :( Makes sense that it would have been the case as far back as time can remember.....to me, anyway.

Mebbee in the same places where all the other claims (claims, not facts being the operative word) are? :unsure: Oh, WAIT!!! I KNOW!!! In his IMAGINATION!!!! Such a vivid fantasy life he must have.

Musta been a good day to die, Linda. We put our own for killing five innocent college students in Gainesville. All had been killed with a hunting knife. Some had been mutilated, sexually assaulted and put in shocking poses. One girl's severed head had been placed on a shelf, her body posed as if seated. Then this perv had the gall to prolong his life by going all the way to the US Supreme court claiming that lethal injection was "cruel and unusual punishment". Hello??? WTF?? What about the horrible, awful, unspeakable things he did to those young children and the scars those who found them, worked the scenes and hunted for him have to live with? Gainsville Serial Killer Killed For Sudo: This guy pleaded guilty and confessed to other murders in LA. Another devilish jerk-wad who killed 3 deputies, a K-9 "D-O-G" (pronounced "Dee Oh Gee") and wounded two other deputies was sentenced to the death penalty this week, too. The Deputy witnesses have no doubt as to who killed their comrades as they were there with the fortunate Deputies who weren't wounded cuffed his a$$.

Mo, you are one classy lady! You also have more intestinal fortitude than your attacker. He's just like an ignorant bully on the playground. He doesn't know what he believes and certainly can't articulate any semi-intelligent discussion. "Yo Mama" "Yo mama wears combat boots" type of insults is all he knows how to communicate. It must make his blood boil that nobody takes him seriously and the more he attacks, the more respect it builds for you. Tom, I agree with the projection assessment. How lucky we are to have him come on here as judge, jury and prosecutor. We might all be converted to Mormonism if it weren't for him coming on here to throw bricks from his glass house. LOL!! He must be down here to avoid having to answer the questions asking him to prove his statements up in the "About the Way" section. Primarily how by ALL accounts, vee pee impacted mainstream Christianity. ROFLMAO!!! I giggle every time I think about that! Now that you've asked him direct questions, he's just going to have to find someone else to pick on. Shame on you!

Excellent post, Bramble! The way I see it, once we get to the point that we think we know it all and have not only all the answers, but all the RIGHT answers, we become empty and like the Dead Sea. Our bucket is full and there's no room for considering the smallest possibility that - GASP! - we just might be wrong. This is why I enjoy discussing other faiths, beliefs and the history of different religions. I've had a blast learning new and different things since leaving TWI. Life just keeps getting better and better, too! I've seen more answers to prayer and more exceeding abundance since practicing different things I've learned from a wide variety of people. While I frequently visit a Methodist Church, my beliefs are far from limited to their doctrine alone. It's always good, safe and wise to keep our eyes and ears open - God only knows what new things we might learn. People who only want to attack others and/or refuse to talk to folks from different backgrounds, perspectives, etc. are the most pathetic, imo.

- For Cool!

Mad Dog 20/20 should always be served AFTER Strawberry Hill and not before. Saltines are a nice compliment to the above wines. Triscuits, not so good. Seriously, Oenphile and Rhino are probably the experts to consult. You might want to send them a PM. Also, there is a thread started by Satori, I think, where people listed their favorite wines and there are some awesome suggestions and information on that thread. I'll see if I can find it. Here's a few pics from my last Wine & Cheese Party: