Watered Garden

A long time ago, in the 1960's in Indiana, there was a man who had been incarcerated several times for various sex crimes. Each time he was rehabilitated, he came back to small Ohio River town where he grew up. Each time, after rehabilitation, he committed another sex crime, worse (if there are degrees of sex crimes) than the last. Finally, this individual, after having been rehabilitated many times, kidnapped the 11-year-old daughter of a local physician. He raped the child, strangled her to death, cut her body in pieces, and threw the pieces in the Ohio River. The rehabilitated criminal was caught, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. This caused protests from the Christian community, many of whom were strongly opposed to the death penalty for any crime. A couple who were quite prominent in our community, members of the Methodist church to which my parents and I belonged, spoke strongly about this poor rehabilitated, victimized fellow's plight. "He is sick!" they cried. "He has a disease! Would you condemn someone to death for having cancer or diabetes or the flu?" Would you execute in a horrible manner, the electric chair, someone who suffers from heart failure? God forbid! This poor soul doesn't need to be punished! He needs help and love and understanding! Please sign our petition to have him forgiven and release to a mental health facility so that he can be rehabilitated as he deserves, not punished for his illness!" They felt so badly for him. They marched in a snowstorm around the Governor's mansion that winter. Eventually, the individual in question died of a ruptured appendix, which he suffered in prison. Somehow, medical treatment failed to reach him in time. His body was donated to science and used in the anatomy lab at Indiana University Medical Center, I believe. So, in death, he suffered the same fate he inflicted on a sweet little 11year-old girl. This is a horror story that has stayed with me since the early 1960's, when it happened. Soft hearted, and even softer headed socalled Christians have wailed and wept for decades about these poor helpless souls, while ignoring the voices of the innocents that cry out from the grave! Kill the slavering demented, depraved sons-of-bytches. Every last damned to hell one of them. WG

Okay, sorry for my bad about the K-car. Guess they fooled me, as we once owned an Aries wagon that I ended up hating with a passion. However, I liked the Spirit. My all time favorite was my 1999 Civic EX Coupe that I totalled last year. It was a very fun car to drive, got excellent gas mileage and was cute as could be. A pain in the anatomy due to its size and only two doors if we wanted to take along anybody and my husband's hair brushed the ceiling of the car. So now we have a CR-V, 141K miles not as good mileage, but much more practical for our needs WG

I would suggest trying to find a rescue group for the breeds you are interested in, one close by your area. Many good dogs get lost or thrown away for little or no reason. My next door neighbors just got rid of their cute little chocolate Lab puppy. That tiny little Christmas present weighed 60 pounds after 8 months, and they didn't want to bother training him, or spend the money to get him neutered so he would settle down (my cousin calls that surgery a "brain adjustment.") Fortunately, they found someone who wanted him desperately. I was training him at my house to stay out of the garden and flower beds and he was smart and gorgeous. But as others have stated, it's a long term commitment. Look before you leap. WG, owner of a 12 year old Lab and a 14 year old cocker spaniel.

Dodge Spirits are not K-cars. They came after the K-cars. We had a 1989 Dodge Spirit with a 4 cylinder engine that we put 205K on before we sold it. Six-cylinder engines are bad, though. I heartily recommend Hondas. They may not be too glamorous, but with appropriate maintenance they do very well. A Civic or Accord coupe can look cool enough and if it's a manual transmission, is rather sporty to drive. We bought our son a 1990-something Jeep CJ7 with a 4-inch lift and 32 inch big wheels. Piece of poo-poo. Shook so bad we replaced the alternator twice, clutch at least once (he generously taught his friends how to drive a manual transmission) and the battery a couple times also. You could hear him from a mile away. The only benefit was, there was no way he could sneak in late at night, the windows rattling from his approach would wake up half the neighborhood! I also don't recommend spending a penny on the kid's transportation, even if they promise to get a job and pay you back. WG

Jesus emphatically contrasted Himself with the devil as complete opposites and in John 10:10, He states that the thief (satan) comes to steal, kill and destroy. In utter and complete constrast to the devil's motives, He states "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Why do some people not get healed of their diseases? I think the best answer is "I don't know." I do believe that not all healing takes place in this life. I was healed once of a disease when I prayed to be healed, and then when I was diagnosed with diabetes, I was not, at least partly because it was 1994 and I was too ashamed to ask. I think that the condemnation TWI showered on those who were not healed or who lost a dear one as Ozbird did, a child, was wrong, wrong, wrong. See, it interfered with the "name it and claim it" doctrine of TWI. And you know, sometimes poo-poo happens. One thing as a believer in Christ I comfort myself with is that for me, this world is as bad as it will ever get. That's not to say it doesn't suck like an open chest wound sometimes. WG

I knew the McF**dens a long time ago in NC. They were pretty nice. Then when we got kicked out of the FWC, they and the wife of the man who ran FWC at the time saw us at a WIB and turned their noses up at us. However, in order to survive the reign of terror, I think most people had to stop being nice. WG

When LCM made that portential declaration, all I could think was "BULLSH**T!" I go to a real church now, and we send out real missionaries, and there are places they go where they can't talk about Jesus Christ without placing their lives in danger. They teach by example, by living the life Christ taught. It makes me think that perhaps by "The Word" he meant something other than the Gospel of Christ. Ya think??? WG

Thanks again, CW. Believing = receiving is kind of the opposite of "let go and let God." One of my biggest freedom-inducing realizations was when I suddenly thought "who the heck am I to tell God what to do?' Oldies: Remember that wonderful wonderful chapter in the holy sacred Blue Book entitled "Are you limiting God?" Bubba, YOU are limiting God when you hold up these formulas to be better than God, better than His Word. Amazingly enough, God can do much, much more than we were ever told by these goons. One of the nastiest things I ever heard was in the early days of my association with TWI. Some poor soul had a lousy, rotten cold, and was criticized with "Well! and where is yourbelieving?" How, about, "Gee, I'm sorry honey. Is there anything I can do? Have you seen the doctor? Here's a fresh kleenex." This is the formula used to weed out the imperfect ones from LCM's nightmare days. If you were sick, if you were hurting, if your family wasn't perfect, in other words if you were a human being, you were believing negatively, and you were not worthy of the privilege of crossing the bridge into the promised land of the prevailing word. More people were hurt by this crap than you will ever know. And I do mean crap. WG

CoolWaters, thanks so much for posting Christ's prayer. I am always amazed at its power. And I am amazed at the ignorance I had of that power, and of the identity of my Savior for 23 years. May He forgive me. Sometime maybe we could PT about the topic of renewed mind. I have been thinking about it for a long time. I think God works mightily in that area of our lives and it's NOT all up to us. But I don't want to (a) derail and (b) get into an argument with anyone who feels The Word of Vic is the Will of God or anything of that sort. Hope you are doing well. Love, WG

Dittoes! Been on a two day vacation myself - right here at home staying with my grandson, Dylan, age 2. Expended a lot of energy, but very good for the head. The joy and wonder of a two year old holding a wildflower in his hand is just amazing. Every time I look around me, I want to feel that same joy and wonder when I think of what God has done for me. WG

Allan? Sunshine? What happened to everybody??? WG

When Col. North was embedded with the Army, he mentioned the little wipes like you use for babies' bottoms being very helpful. Don't send peanut butter M&M's as they easily squash. The voice of experience speaking here. WG

God bless the Tarheels! I used to live in Salisbury aka Smallsbury. The people are kind and generous and just wholesome small town America! WG

And also I want to say, Sunshine in WA, that I think I know you and you were so special and helpful during my miserable 3 months in rez. If you need help picking up theprivate topic,lemme know. WG

Oops, wrong thread! So sorry! wG

Sunshine in Washington, I sent you a private message! WG

A lot of people who have cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. have committed the unpardonable sin of being born wearing the wrong set of genes! It's corruptible flesh, people!

Cancer sucks. A doctor I worked for back in the 1970's said that he tried to use synonyms because when he used the word cancer the patient never heard another thing. But you are correct, progress is being made in leaps and bounds. By the way, if TWI was correct then I'm working in a hotbed of devil spirits! What BS! I wonder how many people died of cancer rather than admit they had it, and have people think they were posssessed? WG

Whatever LCM said caused DEW's cancer, the fact that the guy smoked like a chimney undoubtedly had more to do with it than spiritual stuff. Smoking causes a ton of problems, not just with the lungs. Head and neck cancers, tongue, mouth, all kinds of nasty stuff, not to mention emphysema and death by house fire caused by a dropped ciggy. If you smoke, please quit. We don't want to mention your name in the In Memoriam thread! WG

I work where intraocular melanomas are treated with eye plaques. A medical person once told me that intraocular melanoma likes the liver and almost always metastasizes there if not "caught in time." Do victims of this disease ever get brain mets? I dunno. But melanoma is a nasty little son of a bytch and can pop up almost anywhere. Cancer is a real vicious horrible death, one I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, not VP, not LCM not even UBL. Ironically, a year or so after VPW's death victims of this disease started getting treated with eye plaques, tiny bits of radioactive material that get plunked on the tumor and shrink it right down.

Jonny, the same darn thing happened to my son! He was held back in school a year, so he came to 9th grade, high school, a big handsome 16 year old stud muffin. That spring, he was dating a girl a couple years older, very attractive, from a family who fancied themselves small town aristocracy. She was MUCH more mature than he was then, and while we liked her, we were uneasy about their relationship. So, prom time comes, and she shows up in a dress her daddy just happened to pick up on his last trip to Paris, has arranged for two dateless girl friends to go with them, in her aunt's convertible. So off they with the girls in the back and daddy driving with my son in front. So as soon as they got there, she dumped him like a bad habit! He did manage to have a good time with one of the other girls, but skipped after prom (she had latched on to someone else) and came home in a foul mood, and went to church with us, where he promptly fell asleep. I asked the girl about it, and she told me he had been seeing someone else and she wanted to break up with him, but she didn't think she could get another prom date, and she just had to walk into prom with a date, couldn't go in by herself, being small town aristocracy and all! So she walked into the room and dumped him once they crossed the threshhold! What a jerk she was, probably still is for all I know. WG

Regarding the college issue: I oh so clearly remember The Reverend Mr. Margindale having a **** hemorrhage about people saving money for their children to go to college. He required of his followers that if their child was to get education beyond high school, it be paid for by full scholarship! No college loans, no saving money, no expensive education. "If you think you want to go to medical school and be a doctor, CHANGE YOUR MIND!" he shouted. He went on to explain that there are plenty of doctors in this world, and most people just go to medical school because they want to be a physician and make tons of money, rather than putting God first in their lives and serving His Ministry. So the Man Of God For This Day and Time and Hour did most certainly throw a few barriers in the path of those who wanted to be college bound. It was looked upon as egotistical, selfish and unwise to want to spend money on a college education. In fact, it was all but forbidden. A FULL 100% paid scholarship must be awarded to any TWI who wished to go to college. No low interest college loans, not one dime was to be spent that had to be paid back. And NO saving money to send your kid to college. Send them Way Disciple, send them in The Way Corps instead! Think of how much better equipped to live a more than abundant life they will be after THAT education! This was somewhat different than in the earlier days, when there were a lot of people to be won over to TWI on college campuses and VPW encouraged college attendance. But I do distinctly remember LCM's opposition to it, and his scorn for those who wanted to go to something like medical school. (And I could go on and on about THAT, but I won't bother). WG

When we lived in North Carolina, we had a big hollow maple tree and a pecan tree in the back yard. The durn squirrels lived in the first and considered the second to be their private pantry. So we fooled them, my cocker spaniel and I. We would wait until they shook the pecans down from the tree and scampered down on the ground to pick them up and take them home. Then the dog and I would race outside, he to chase them back up the tree and me to gather the pecans. Worked real well, as long as we were home. The pup never came close to catching one either, but they sure did like to curse at him (us?) from the safety of a limb. The little boogers would actually climb the screens on our windows and scurry up the bricks on our house. I wanted that maple tree cut down so bad, but we moved before I could persuade The Boss to make it happen. WG

Abs, I'm very thankful you have had the appropriate resources. And I have no idea if my son's biologicals had ADD type problems. I really really wish I'd gotten him earlier. But then again, it mightn't have made that much difference. I completely understand your feelings, though. When our son was in grades 2-4, we lived in a small town NC and the schools were very helpful. However, later we moved and things changed. The high school guidance counselor actually laughed in my face when I mentioned some ideas to help my son. Anyways, you are terrific and please forget what you wrote and deleted. I have. WG

No smells remind me of TWI. Thank God. WG