CoolWaters

Ah the Methodists! :)--> As a member of the United Methodist Churches I can say that, via their Shalom Zone ministries, all people, adults and children alike, are welcome and do not have to pay a thing. I went through the Shalom Zone training back in '95 or '96 (gotta find my certification and check that out...don't know where it is since the move). The training was awesome and intense...and free. Since then, the Shalom Zone efforts of my church in Topeka grew to become a 501©3 organization that does after school programs every day of the school week, has Friday Fun Nights for the whole family (movies, games, food, etc), has a mentoring program and a tutoring program, and we have built an 11 unit apartment complex for low- to moderate-income families in my old neighborhood. My church is also a host site for Meals on Wheels. From what I've heard, the next effort will be a school...with hopes that nobody will be rejected for lack of ability to pay. All of these programs are available to anybody anywhere at no charge (except, of course, rent...which is subsidized). We have worked diligently to access all funding available through all avenues and have been able to maintain these programs by combining funding from the UMC General Church, HUD, several philanthropic organizations, local fund raising efforts, state housing monies, etc. This all said, however, most religious organizations will not accept funding from any outside source besides parishioners/congregants/members because of all of the strings attached...particularly the strings attached to any government funding. Most often the strings attached are related to keeping the church from denying program access to "outsiders" or "non-believers", and to safeguard program beneficiaries from being hounded by the church to "believe or leave". Most religious groups feel that these types of strings hinder their ability to preach the gospel or whatever their group does. The Covenant of Shalom in Topeka decided these strings were not heavy burdens...that any witness to Christ is done by the way a church acts towards the people of the community or anybody else, not by forcing people to join and "believe" if they want to participate in programs. The UMC slogan is "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors." Although not practiced wholly by all UMC churches, I can say without a doubt that my old church lives up to the challenge. So I guess I'm saying that if where you're looking isn't meeting your needs, look elsewhere. I know that there is tons of funding available...it's just a matter of looking...and be willing to accept that most funding sources will not fund closed programs. I also know that most religious schools have grants and scholarships available to anybody. Which is why I was surprised that you weren't offered that information...unless that particular school just doesn't need or doesn't want students outside of their circle.

I thought this was a book by twi...too familiar...and the only familiars I get into anymore are the ones that don't tell me what to do...

I figured I could use you as an example and you'd find it funny! :D--> ;)--> Ooooops! I didn't mean to say, "Abigail does demand of us to draw a line in the sand and say..." I meant to say "Abigail does NOT..." Going to go edit now. Tee hee.

TYVM {{{{{ExC}}}}}! After seeing the movie, "What the Bleep", this is an especially interesting site! :D-->

UncleHairy (the poster here at GSC...not vpw's brother...lol) said something awhile ago that has stayed with me and helped me quite a bit spiritually...and geeze...now that I think about it...I hope it was UH...eeek! He pointed out how odd it is to say "I believe in God". We don't go around saying "I believe in Abigail" as proof that we know Abigail exists and that she is our friend. We don't go calling Abigail on the telephone and saying, "Dear Abby, I believe in you. I believe in your children. I believe in your words. Hear me now and treat me like the friend you say you are to me and give me what I ask for..." We don't go around telling people, "If you don't believe in Abigail, you're going to be sorry!" We don't run around all over the green earth and every message board screaming, "I know Abigail! I know Abigail! Save yourselves and come meet Abigail." We don't get a telephone call from Abigail and spend the rest of the week wondering if it was Abigail...or if we were mentally deranged to even think we may get a telephone call from Abigail. Abigail certainly does not demand of us to meet every single person with whom we ever come into contact. Abigail does not demand of us to draw a line in the sand and say, "Everybody for Abigail stand with me. Everybody against Abigail stand on the other side of the line...then prepare for your doom." (Maybe the elementary schoolyard Abigail may have...but I don't think she would have done so more than once. :D--> ) I'll bet that Abigail would be horrified to find out that anybody was doing any such things I've mentioned above in her name. I'll bet she'd be especially horrified to find out that anybody ever killed in her name. So why, then, must we treat Jesus as a spoiled rotten elementary schoolyard little boy? Why must we treat Jesus as if he is the product of a sick mind? When Jesus wants to talk to us, he talks to us. His voice is unmistakeable. It is promised that his voice is unmistakeable. Jesus declares of himself that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus declares of himself that he is the only way unto the father. The bible declares him as the mediator between God and man. The bible promises that if you seek, you will find. The bible promises that God is a good father and will not give us a scorpion when we ask for an egg, or a stone when we ask for bread. So, if a person has any reasoning ability at all, one must conclude that if one is seeking the Truth, one will always find Jesus. There is just no other biblical option. Therefore, it does not matter what one calls what one has found after one has sought the Truth. Biblically speaking, the only option when seeking the Truth is to find Jesus. Everything else is just a battle of words and opinions. IMO. :D--> :D-->

By Steve Lortz in the "About The Way" forum on the thread about only one thought in your mind at a time:

Such awesome and thought-provoking posts! Steve Lortz, such a great summation! In fact, I think your last sentence deserves honorable mention in the GS Gems! I certainly hope there's more discussion to come on this topic...because you all make me stop and go hmmmmm, now there's a good point.

Personl preferences are not the point here...you have yours, I have mine...arguing about them is without purpose, imo. What I'm asking is whether there's any validity to the teaching that a person can hold only one thought in his/her mind at a time.

But on the serious side of this topic... If a computer can have several windows open at the same time and doing different things, why can't the mind?

Like that would have been acceptable to my boss! Part of QA was that we finished customer service calls in 4 minutes and repair calls in 9 minutes. No way to do that without multi-tasking.

Party Animals A bottle of Bacardi 101 A bottle of Cuervo Gold A shot glass A tall glass A bucket of ice cubes Fill tall glass with 3 or 4 ice cubes and Bacardi. Fill shot glass with Cuervo Gold. Slam the shot of Cuervo and follow with sipping the Bacardi.

Maybe...hmmmm! ;)--> Actually, I received the very first written customer commendation ever received in the call center where I worked. I also received over 300 Quality Awards, 3 trophies for Quality Performance, and many prizes for Quality Performance. All based upon customers who either wrote my supervisors with commendations or who asked for my supervisors on the phone after I had finished working with them on their account. Some of the prizes I won were: a Sony Digital camcorder that takes still pictures as well as night pictures, has a built-in printer and, at the time I won the prize, was valued at $1200; 2 TVs; an all expenses paid and catered trip to a KC Royals game for me and hubby; a catered dinner and performance at a comedy club for me and hubby; and a catered dinner with a performance by an Elvis impersonator (who was terrific!).

Belle, Yep. Makes me go hmmmm. :D-->

Is this really correct? I was thinking about this after I had posted two completely opposite reactions to the same situation...reactions that occurred at the same time. On the one hand, the situation made (still makes) my skin crawl. On the other hand, I had to supress giggles over what was being said. The spittle and rage made my skin crawl. The childish stupidity of the temper tantrum words coming from a grown man made me have gigglefits. Being a parent and/or caretaker of little ones demands that a person "multi-task". Does multi-tasking infer more than one thought at the same time? I know when I worked at Mickey D's I could take orders, make change and draw drinks all at the same time...and do it quickly and correctly. When I worked for a very large wireless company taking repair and other customer service calls, I could take notes of the current call while I was writing notes of the last call. Just something else that makes me go hmmmmm about twi teachings.

UH, I've mulled over such a question myself...how come a divine voice is so hard to know when I can distinguish the voices of friends and family from clear across the room? IMO... The concept of "god" is an abstract concept...a figment of imagination if you will...contained within our minds...not corporeal...not "real" in 3d. So, quite literally, "god" is an expression of the divine within ourselves. Because of this it is difficult for people to sift through all the stuff that crowds the forefront of one's mind on a day-to-day basis and get to the divine within ourselves. Also, most people have had the idea of being divine within so pounded down and belittled that they are not sure that it even exists. Some will even deny its existence. Some will even consider the very idea "evil". We live in a world that is based upon self doubt. Is it any wonder that we pay more attention to, and, therefore, can communicate with, what's outside of ourselves than what is inside of ourselves?

Spewth....hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I love it!

Wow! Belle! I got goosebumps! Especially that last paragraph... Wow!

IMO, this post says it all and bears repeating.

OMG ExC!!!!!!!!! That's the best laugh I've had all day!!!!!!! And Trevor...can't teach a snake to suck eggs...LAMO!!!!!!!! rascal....LMAO!!!!

Is it possible... Do you all mean to say... In all total seriousness I ask, nay, beg of you all... Is THE not god??? I am like totally freaking out here...ya know? My whole belief system has been turned upside down and if anybody has any proof that THE is not god... Oh help... The above post is meant for humor only. Don't take it for real.

I think I've buried my own question! How does the gift ministry of Teacher work?

OM, thank you for your very interesting input! This particular person is very, very old school twi...got involved early...I met him in '75. He wasn't like this then...was like this only after he came out of corpse. :(--> Belle, no derail imo...'cause I'm not trying to teach you anything! LOL! :D--> ;)--> I wasn't around when the Eve/lesbian teaching came out. If I had been, I don't think I could have held in my uproarious guffaws!!!!!!! I could hardly hold in the giggles when the guy I'm talking about was baptizing me with his spit. LOL ;)-->

Thank you all for responding! It really helps to get things out of my head and look at them where the light is better. ;)--> :D--> Great point ExC! And I am sure you are aware there will come the day that you and your child will communicate with one another as adults...when the roles of parent/child will no longer be needed. Then I know you know there will come the day when the parent/child role will reverse...and the child will be buying Depends. :D--> Ain't life grand!?!?!? LMAO, JT! Bramble, my skin still crawls thinking about the absolute spitting rage this "teacher" spewed when I refused to accept what he was "teaching" as valid. He even went so far as to tell me that I have a spirit of pride and then to "remind" me that people like me are to be M&A. --> This all started over me telling him that I wanted to get to know Jesus' words and follow Jesus' example instead of Paul's. --> dmiller....yep! UH...conditioning...what a perfect word here! Puts a whole new perspective on things. RG, very interesting points. "If you are a true teacher and one single pupil does not understand what you are teaching, you have failed." I remember telling this guy that if he will not consider my words or the words of any of his other "students", then eventually his words will be ignored. BTW...he has a whole lot of "education" behind him...working on his doctorate last I heard...don't know if any of his learning involved learning how to teach...because, doncha know, he has the gift ministry of a teacher...sigh... Shaz, exactly. How does one know one has the gift ministry of a teacher? How do others know this about one? rascal, if you ever shut up, I'm coming after you to personally make you talk!!!! LOL ;)--> I'm sorry you or anyone else went through such things. Goey, is arrogance related to pride? ;)--> I have run away from this person...but looking back is hard to stop doing...I've known him for 29 years...sigh...

This is an area twi screwed up miserably...at least in my life. What does it mean to teach? What does it mean to be a teacher? Is there a difference between secular teaching methods and biblical teaching methods? Is there a difference between being a teacher of reading, writing and arithmetic and being a teacher of the bible? I personally think that there is no difference. I also personally think that twi inferred (if not directly taught) that there is a difference...that being a biblical teacher means that one has special anointing from "god"...that one's teachings must be followed regardless of the rightness or wrongness of what one is teaching...that not to follow a specially anointed teacher is akin to blasphemy...and that once a teacher, always a teacher...and that means that once a student, always a student...in other words, as was not too long ago told to me by an offshoot pastor, "I am the teacher, you are the student. That will never change. I refuse to allow you to teach me." I also think that, on the other hand, secular teachers hope that their students will question and probe and learn from the process...to use their minds...and, eventually, surpass the teacher...and that when a student becomes the teacher, then the original teacher is satisfied that their teaching was sufficient.

LOL ExC! ;)--> Belle, We all applauded at the end of the movie...everybody in the audience applauded, including me and my friend. (We went to the matinee (saved 2 bucks lol) so the theatre was not full, but was about half full.) However, once out into the light of day, I recognized the believing=receiving thing immediately. And no, believing does not = receiving. There are bunches of threads here discussing that twi doctrine. Candace Pert is the one who interested me the most, too. I'm going to have to look into her some more...check out what she's saying some more... I go real slow with something as initially grabbing as this movie is...because it's too easy to fall back into the stuff that kept me in twi for far too long...and kept my brain from getting over twi...you know what I mean?...gotta change those neuropeptide receivers...or whatever they are...lol ;)-->