Stayed Too Long

Misery? That is the sorriest excuse I have heard yet! "I am miserable so I will rape my neighbor."

An older woman in our fellowship died and the corp guy told every one in the twig when they could visit her in the funeral home, visit her family, and what food items to bring after the funeral. We were told not to contact her family, who were also in the twig, unless instructed to by him. At the funeral he showed absolutely no emotion, rushed through the service, and allowed no one to linger for a minute. We were rushed to the grave yard, had a quick service, and told to meet at the families home for a meal. After the meal we were told to immediately leave, and let the family work out the loss. I don't recall anyone helping the family afterwards deal with their loss, or even discuss it. Absolutely horrible.

I think many believe God's love and Satan's wrath revolves around the United States. Usually it takes an event happening in the U.S. for this type of thinking to begin. Bombs can be dropping in another part of the world, destroying life and property daily. Leaders in bukoo countries can be killing thousands of their people. Storms much, much bigger than what is going on now in New Orleans happen with loss of life and property much worse. But rarely a discussion of Satan causing all the destruction. Let something happen in the United States though and suddenly satan is alive and well.

If it was only VPW who wanted to turn the family farm into TWI, it never would have happened. Harry was right beside him all the way. VPW and Harry bought Rueben's(sp) interest, so he did not care to pass his land onto his heirs.

"Woman and men of old" were baby boomer's parents, pre WWII moms and dads. Us 'boomers' changed it all.....burned draft cards and bras, made love not war, tuned in, turned on, and dropped out. Decided any belief or practice done pre 60's, including being "men and woman of old", was from the "establishment", and to be destroyed. Woman became "liberated" and decided men were only needed for sex, and an occasional doobie. This certainly didn't go against the grain of most men, as sex was now free for the taking. Knights in shining armour were discarded for nights of free love. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am was the order of the day. No complaints from men....and none from the ladies...for awhile. Then liberated woman morphed into "feminists" and sex again had to have some "meaning" behind it. So what I am saying is: Men are after one thing! For the past 40 years that "one thing" has been free. You woman conditioned us that way.

Men of old were attracted to woman of old. How many of them do you think are around? Cook, iron, wash, ........

I agree and think all you cruel people should ask youself WWJD? Maybe you would come up with a little compassion and understanding for this poor soul.

Glad you are feeling so much better Jim.

That is how I describe being a 'pit stop'. Not talked to much, stick around long enough to wash her clothes, and head out again. varoooom, varooooom varooooom.....gone!

You talking about GS, work, a relationship, life????

What I used to do all night now takes all night to do.

Amazing!! I never realized how many people with common sense actually took PFAL. The rest of us were, "The Few. The Proud. The Marooned."

Within Christianity there is divison concerning almost every verse. If you are Catholic it doesn't matter if you believe in Jesus or not, if you have a mortal sin on your soul when you die you will spend eternity in hell. And if you die with a venial sin on your soul you will go to pergatory until you are cleansed enough to enter heaven. Some Christian religions say you must live a Christ like life to get to heaven. If you don't you will go to hell when you die. Others say all you have to do is believe Jesus is Christ and that God raised him from the dead, and you can live any life system you like, and yet you will go to heaven. If I choose Christianity which one will you guarantee will get me to heaven?

A good description of my current belief. Definately not sure about who "God" is or does, has done in the past, or will do in the future. Waaaayyyyyyyyy too many belief systems out there to pin one down as "right".

That clears it up....thanks.

When you say "cats", is that referring to the feline type, or "hip or cool people"? Either way do you literally mean "Killed"?

too funny!! :)-->

My 18 year old is heading off to university in a few weeks. It is difficult as she prepares to leave and begin life on her own. But looking back when I was her age, the world beckoned. I was glad to get out of the nest and move on, and she is the same way. From about the timne she was 15 I really had little say in her life. She knew what she wanted in life and was going for it. She has always been responsible so I let her have the reigns. I was there for guidance when she needed it but she had her friends and preferred hanging out with them. I had to accept this and was quite difficult. My job as parent is over except for doling out money for school.

You don't come across as preachy. Thank you for your insight.

I have not read the bible since my TWI days because it is full of empty promises. Even before my M&A it was a real task to sit down with it, especially when preparing a teaching. It was difficult proclaiming something I no longer believed in. There are individual versus that are inspiring to me. But I do not look to it as guidance for living my life any more than I do a book of poetry. There are times when I think about verses in a situation, but I also use ideas from psychology books, or from something I heard in a movie.

It has been brought up as a point of discussion. Some people think sex is very personal and should only be uttered behind closed doors. But it gets plenty of air time.

I believe there is something to "the will to live" although it is not written in stone. If it were a stead fast rule then passt cancer patients would still be alive because most did not want to die. Some went to other countries to receive experimental therapies. Most fought it to the end. On the other hand I have seen a spouse die and soon the other one goes also of no apparent reason. During WWII and the Baaton death march, many survivors said it was just their will to live that kept them going. They wanted to see their families again.

In the context of what our understanding is now of God and the spiritual realm I don't see any answers available. It seems human nature demands if we are wronged and can do nothing about it, we look to justice at some future point by a powerful judge. It doesn't seem to be in our being to accept certain wrongs we find troubling; we are not able to forgive or forget about them. The injustice done was just to great and the resolve lacking. In extreme cases like murder some people are satisfied if the killer is caught, convicted, and executed. You don't hear them say things like "They will have to answer to God for their crime". You hear "he got what was coming to him." But if the killer is never caught, or given a light sentence, then God's future justice and revenge begins to enter the situation. They say things like "he will get his due from God", or "I wouldn't want to be him on judgment day". To me it seems if we are able to forgive the injustice now no future action is required by God. But if we are unable to forgive the wrong then God will have to take action in the future to satisfy us.

Exactly what I have been thinking lately. And the God I am finally becoming comfortable with seems to vary a little or a lot from what other people have proven in their hearts. I don't believe he is all knowing and all powerful. If he is all knowing why did he screw the job up, have to put a few on an ark to save, totally destroy everyone else he made in his image, begin the repopulation process again, and mess the whole thing up again? And instead of destroying everyone once more, he uses threats of death and eternal damnation to try and keep everyone in line? He then realizes no one seems to be able to do all the laws and commandments he has laid out for his people, and comes to the conclusion his stipulations are just to difficult to accomplish, so he 'creates' a son who is one part god and one part human. He requires this 'son' to endure unimaginable torture, pain and death because his creation is not living up to expectations (I would have thought he could have forseen this and done things a little differently in the planning stages). Now all his weak children have to do is believe this son was raised from the dead and is their lord and all threats of damnation disappear. If this 'father' were held to the same standards of earthly parents he would be found wanting. Should an earthly parent have knowledge that someone was going to murder his child or foresaw harmful circumstances coming his child's way, he would do all in his power to stop it. But if god knows someone is going to kill his child, or foresees an accident coming, he will allow it in the name of 'free will' choice of the perpetrator. Can you image using that logic in front of a judge? It is inconceivable that a responsible parent would put up such a defense. But when a Christian's son or daughters body is mangled in a speeding accident, and they are forever confined to bed or wheelchair, or worse yet killed, their 'heavenly father' who is all powerful and all knowing says, "hey, free will choice, don't blame me'. And it isn't just this god; it is most people's god in general. All are very contradictory in their claims versus their performance. If all were as powerful as they claim none of their people would be harmed or ever get sick. There are chance reports of miracle healings which seem attributable to miracles, but most are due to science and medicine. For example, the only reason woman do not die in child birth today is because of surgery. If god was responsible for it a 100 years ago none would have died then. Believing in this all powerful and all knowing god requires way to much blind faith and turning your head when he does not deliver on his promises.

Maybe there has been no sitings of Loy because God's hand of protection has actually been taken off him and he has prophetically become a greasespot. Anyone heard any highway reports of road kill lately?