shazdancer

Well, if my name IS on someone's witnessing list, I can assure you, TWI, I ain't interested! Besides, if the Word IS already over the world, and everyone has heard who is gonna hear, why does anyone even need to witness? Hey igotout, don't tell me about Stepford. I used to LIVE there! Not TWI, but Fairfield County, where they recently shot the remake. Did you see it? Funniest line, by Bette Midler: "So I thought, where can I put a whole town made up of robots, and nobody would notice? Connecticut!" Yup, nobody'd notice. Regards, Shaz

Well, we're all getting a little older and smellier, you guys! I guess they are only retaining a remnant of the 70's and 80's believers, who continue on with a "this sucks, but where else can we go" mentality. And TWI was careful to position themselves as the only ones with the whole truth. ('Course, they sort of missed the boat in the I Cor. 13 department.) Faithful remnant? Well, maybe just a "set in their ways" remnant. Still doesn't answer my questions, though. Are they still checking up on people, pushing them to witness? Regards, Shaz

Hi, everybody! Yeah, I know it's supposed to be a "kinder, gentler" TWI since LCM got the boot, but what is it really like? -- Are they still required to witness? -- Do they have to fill out "Redeem the Time" sheets? -- Does leadership still breathe down their necks, poke into their personal lives? The reason I am asking is, my ex has gone back in, and he keeps trying to "witness" to me by mail. I wonder if perhaps he is writing my name down as someone he witnessed to. Anybody? Bueller? :D--> Shaz

Crack me up, that the House of His Healing Presence was torn down. So now prayer is an old wineskin...! Perhaps he was just p.o.'d that people might walk by the Corps Chalet, er, the President's Home while he was doing something a little, er, old wineskinnish Regards, Shaz

Garth, if I promise not to touch the screen, can I still keep the chocolate? :D--> Shaz

Hey Song, what is your point, or are you just interested in a doctrinal discussion? If so, we have a lovely Doctrinal Section you can visit....

I dunno, There are beanies in several foreign (oops! international) countries now. If you go to the special toy conventions, they will let you get a special beanie. If you are one of the initiated ones and send them money, you can get another special beanie each month. And for a small donation before the holidays, you can get yet another special beanie. Egad, the parallels with TWI (even SOUNDS like Ty!) are uncanny! If Warner ever retires and makes a guy with a big forehead the head of the company, I will run screaming... ;)--> Shaz

Ouch, Soxers! Though I can appreciate where you're coming from. Oral lost all credibility for me with his "God will call me home if you don't give enough money" scam. Sheesh, worse than Ty Warner saying Beanie Babies are over.... Bzzzzzztt!! Shaz

Dear mstar, I read the whole thing, and trust me, you aren't missing much. They even had time for a quick demonstration of "give me money and you'll get twice back." Boring, if I hear a "big bang" over NYC I'll let you know.... I'd rather talk about the other Copland (well done, Danny, you noticed that Aaron spelled his name differently). My favorite piece, the lesser-known "Duo for Flute and Piano." The last movement won me $500 toward college once, for my choreography and performance, a looong time ago! Regards, Shaz

Sounds like a wonderful trip! Be safe, and return safely. Shalom. Shaz

To apologize and make amends would be the moral thing to do. To apologize and make amends would open The Way International, Inc. to lawsuits. Which one is TWI doing? That explains it all as to what TWI is. Regards, Shaz

After all those years of not being allowed to see Mrs. Wierwille, Donna is now able to show her kindness to her friend. Kind of puts TWI to shame, doesn't it? Shaz

A belated L'Shanah Tovah, Abigail, and hope you enjoyed the holidays. Regards, Shaz

Hmm, I'm not ready to write off the whole generation just yet. I worked with a 23-year-old just before I left CT. She worked her tushy off, was not afraid to make mistakes and listen to corrections, and was a pleasure to work with (contrasted with our boss). Ditto the young couple I worked with several years ago, who were always respectful and responsible. Up here in ME, I have been impressed with a young lady at the local drugstore, who is always courteous, and downright cheery and helpful to the elderly customers. The younger children I work with here are, as a rule, much more respectful and pleasant than those I worked with in affluent Fairfield County, CT, where the children feel entitled, and regard their teachers as hired help to be exploited, as do their parents (a sweeping generality, and generally true in my experience). In my opinion, the attitude of the parents has a huge influence on the attitude of the children in the workplace. And yeah, the parents are our generation, the coddled baby boomers. Regards, Shaz

TRANQUIL -- nice play, dmiller!

rascal said... I can only speak about my own experience, but it echoes rascal's. I went to school in one of the best public school systems in CT, probably one of the best in the country at that time. My father was a teacher there. I loved it! I took advantage of a lot of interesting courses and many gifted teachers. I have always loved learning, and still do.I returned to CT with 2 daughters. I moved back mostly because of the good education I knew they would get. It was a very expensive place to live as a single parent. Many times over the next several years, I would wonder if it was worth it. Kid #1 had some minor problems adjusting to the divorce and the new surroundings. She was picked on at school. The teacher was not interceding, and when I spoke to her, she didn't sound like she would. I volunteered to do a program for her class one day, and when I got there, she wasn't there. The kids were alone. I must have gotten at least ten minutes into my program before she showed up. She spun her absence to me afterwards, saying she had "just gone next door to the other classroom for a minute." Uh huh. Over the years, I had mentioned in parent-teacher conferences that kid #1 had trouble with reading, especially if she had to transfer a test answer to a separate sheet of paper (you know, color in the little bubbles?). No one did anything (now I know I should have insisted that the administration test her). We spent long hours at home, making the dull facts on the page come alive so that she could retain the information. It was clear that she knew the info cold, but could still nearly flunk the test at the end of the week. In high school, she went herself to the guidance office, and someone did look at her. They said, "You're right, you do have some specific learning disabilities; but you've learned to compensate for them so well, we aren't going to do anything about it!" When it was time to plan for college, she knew she wanted to major in interior design -- had her portfolio reviewed at a college so she knew what she needed. But her guidance counselor AND principal laughed at her enthusiasm over one school we had visited, and told her she should go to another school they had selected -- one that didn't even HAVE her major! I went into the guidance office, and read that guy the riot act. Daughter #1 did great in the college of her choice, making the Who's Who of Junior Colleges by recommendation of faculty and peers. She went on to transfer to a very good 4-year school and got her degree. AND, she loves to read. This is already too long, so I won't go into daughter #2 and my son, but suffice to say that as long as they were not bothering anyone, things were fine, they got educations that would clearly make them able to succeed at college. But if they needed any extra effort made on their behalf, this most well-endowed public school couldn't be bothered. And attempts by me to ask for help were often met with resistance, and I had to go above the head of the person who should have responded to get things done. In the case of my son, I was actually lied to, more than once. I have no problems with people who prefer home schooling, as long as they do it well and it works for their kid. I have considered it more than once. Regards, Shaz

I challenge Mxyzptlk, and it is ruled unacceptable. Good, 'cuz I have AEIONST on my rack, and I can play it through that L on the board... Shaz

dmiller, he appeared in Superman, as the evil mischief-maker from another dimension. He could be sent back to his home dimension if he could be tricked into saying his name backwards. Hey, I didn't say it was a plausible character... Shaz

It also dawns on me, ex, that perhaps your exway friend counts telling you to take the Class again as witnessing, and feels that she did her duty by saying the magic words "PFAL" to you. Does she belong to a splinter group? Do they pressure people to witness? I'm still getting "witnessed" to by my innie ex, so yeah, I understand tedious. I guess we're only "believers" if we're the right brand of believers. **Sigh** Shaz

Aw, Dovey, now you've done it! I'll probably be stuck with that tune in my head all day... :)--> ;)--> :D--> Shaz

Dear ex10, How many times is it necessary to sit through the thing to get it? I haven't been through a PFAL class in over 20 years now, but I think I still remember the major concepts and minor points. Show me a scripture, and I can probably tell you how VPW "handled" it. I think there's a point at which sitting through the thing only yields new trivia, like how many times VP says "that's riiight" in session 3. (I have no idea!) I also think there's a point at which it becomes idolatry. Regards, Shaz

Oopsie, DMcG's book is already gone via the Buy It Now option. But I also found 12 songbooks, and put those up as well. Happy bidding! Shamelessly self-promoting, Shaz

Right you are, Mike. I added that into the list. Thanks. Tom, you're probably right, and this list may be redundant. But I noticed a couple of things just from looking at the dates: 1.) Wierwille was only 24 years old when he started as a pastor. Then after only one year, he is disillusioned about not being able to help people (according to the pamphlet). He spends one whole summer :rolleyes studying the Bible after Rosalind Rinker's challenge, then sees snow on the gas pumps. Hmm... sounds more like lazy than revelation! 2.) Mrs. Wierwille had given birth just two months before VPW took her and the older children to India and elsewhere for a year. She should barely have recovered from the birth. They left JP with relatives for the baby's crucial first year of life. Not exactly a sterling example of Christian parenting. 3.) The 40th Anniversary celebration was not for the 40th year of The Way, nor of PFAL. It was 40 years since the snow on the gas pumps story supposedly happened. (Clarification by Catcup -- TWI counts its anniversary from the first Vesper Chimes Hour radio broadcast, also in 1942, also 11 years before the first PFAL Class. Thanks, Catcup!) Sure makes it sound like TWI was well-established to say it that way, though, huh? Regards, Shaz

Wowsers, catcup, nice work on the Rawlins tapes!!! I have a few Way-related books left, and they are going up on eBay this week. Two pamphlets -- Dorothy Owens' Christian Etiquette and Wierwille's poetry collection An Album of Verse. I am auctioning them off as a set. I also have two books that were written by Corps grads and offered in The Way Bookstore. One is L*nn*ll J*hns*n's book of poetry, and the other is D*nn*s McG**'s novel, The Rescue. He wrote the book while on Staff at Rome City, and I was one of his "editors" that got to preview the manuscript and make suggestions. Both LJ and DM were kind, gentle people. I hope they are well. Regards, Shaz

Okay, now the REST of the story... 1961 The Way, Inc. moves to the Wierwille farm 1962 first summer school in the new BRC 1967 Are the Dead Alive Now? published; PFAL filmed 1968 VPW goes to Haight-Ashbury 1969 first Way Corps 1971 WOW ambassador program begins; the PFAL book and Vols 1-3 are published 1974 Way C of E bought 1975 Jesus Christ is Not God published 1976 Rome City and Gunnison campuses bought 1977 Live PFAL taught at Ball State U.; HEW and HRA installed as new BOT; Vol. 4 published 1978 LEAD property bought 1979 Advanced Class '79 1980 Jesus Christ our Passover published 1982 Fortieth Anniversary celebration; LCM installed as new president; Jesus Christ our Promised Seed published 1984 live PFAL in Gunnison; Gartmore dedicated 1985 WOW Auditorium opens; Vol. 5 published; VPW dies May 20, age 68Hope that helps, Shaz