My perspective

[YP0534]

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

YP0534
Did you leave the LC after that incident?

Yes.

How could I participate in meetings of mutuality if my speaking was not allowed?

What made you go back to that elder?

I just wanted the peace to go on with the Lord.
I didn't want there to be any issue between me and them as I went forward.

I had felt a lot of ways between my last day among them and that day but I was finally able to go back in forgiveness and in truth to tell what had happened to me

You know how the speculative stories get told about why people stop meeting with them.

Only to end up with something else to forgive!

How long were you in the LC?

Only a few years.

Although I got saved through their preaching, I met with all kinds of Christians everywhere for awhile, so, I'd say, maybe from from Spring of 1986 through Spring of 1989.

I pray the Lord has healed all your wounds.

God is Good..He is JUST also. Vengence is the LORD's.

I believe so.

Thank you.


I do still dearly love all those saints I knew there, even that particular knucklehead, and I await the day the Lord will make all such things right.

But the Lord brought me in and the Lord brought me out and I can sing
"No, No, No, No, No, I’ll never go back anymore!"

Hallelujah!

[finallyprettyokay]

Well, the past couple of days on the forum have been interesting, to say the least. Got me thinking about what the heck am I doing here? Maybe I'm not the only one here who has ever asked themselves that question .

When I was younger, it seems like I was a little like a puppy -- if someone was the slightest bit nice to me, I was just so grateful. I am much more secure with myself these days --- a gift from God. I am so lucky that I have really quite a few friends who just really love me. And I love them. And we keep our relationships pretty stress free. That unconditional love that is so precious.

So, I stumbled into these two forums just playing around on line one night while my husband watched baseball (Go Rockies! That's for my husband. I don't care very much. True confession). And I just sort of hung out, mostly curious. Or so I thought.

One day I decided to post, and I thought 'well, I am doing so well. I am really pretty much healed from all that long, long ago LC stuff'. Thus, the moniker finallyprettyokay.

Posted a few times. Read a little more. Pretty soon --- oh my gosh. What was this? Feelings surfacing. All these years later. (We left in 1978).

I have never been part of any sort of internet group of people before. I am now, I guess. Here it is --- I still don't really know what I am doing here, how I am doing this --- if I am doing it right or well, or what the heck I am doing. Most of the time I feel so outclassed and not nearly smart enough. And I actually am pretty smart. You may just have to take my word for it. :rollingeyes2:

And. Here's the real thing I want to share. I know some of you now. I don't mean in any sort of ID way, or we used to be in the same city or anything like that. I mean, from your writing. From my reading.

(Countmeworthy and I did pass in the night, so to speak -- by a year or so. San Diego).

So. there are people here I really like. A bunch of people. I've had some PM time with some of you. And those people are definitely people I like. But, believe me, there are others that have not been PMers with me (yet). And it still amazes me so much. I am so surprized to have cyber people I care about. (I think I'm a little slow --- lots of people discovered this cyber connecting a long time ago. Hey, I'm 56 years old. I'm learning!)

And when my cyber friends have disagreements, I just don't know what to do. There you have it. What am I trying to say? Uhhh ---

Oh, I don't know. Thanks to all of you. You all help me a lot. The LC was an experience that had profound, long reaching effects, for better or for worse. We'll keep trying to make more sense of it here. Thanks.


finallyprettyokay

but not as okay as I thought -----

[blessD]

Hi FPO

I read your post on the Factor thread and came here to read what you wrote. Yes, the Factor thread gets very theoretical and full of debate. I really don't get too much out of such banter. Some of it is interesting to me, but some of it reminds me of hours, days, and years spent listening to people who liked to hear themselves talk ;-).

[finallyprettyokay]

CMW wrote to YPO:You're NOT alone but you know I read your posts!

I hope people read mine. I'm sure everyone hopes their posts are read too!

And to be honest....I'm 'guilty' of NOT reading everyone's posts!

Well, I solved the problem this time by shamelessly promoting my post on another thead. Oh, I knew I should have been making the big bucks all this time on Madison Avenue!!!

Go with God, all y'all.

fpo

[YP0534]

Originally Posted by finallyprettyokay

Well, the past couple of days on the forum have been interesting, to say the least. Got me thinking about what the heck am I doing here? Maybe I'm not the only one here who has ever asked themselves that question .

No, you are definitely not the only one who has ever asked themselves that question.

I've been seriously asking myself this question daily for the past week or so.

• First, I just post too much. Everybody knows this. I clearly have a problem.
• Second, there's a lot that goes on around there that I have real problems with.
• Third, the cost-to-benefit ratio seems pretty low both directions, i.e., I don't get much enjoyment or light coming my way and I have no confidence that I provide any enjoyment or light to anyone else, both despite a significant time investment on my part.
• Fourth, the signal-to-noise ratio has become quite frustrating over this period, expecially a lot of circular meta-analysis about talking about talking about things.
• Fifth, I've been part of these kinds of virtual communities before and I'm aware of the fabric of such things and the sorts of issues that always accompany them.
• Sixth, my wife.

I made a decision twice before to depart here already. The first time it was the Lord that clearly kept me here a little bit longer. I fellowshipped this point with a few people and I'm glad I remained. This second time, however, I'm not sure I didn't miss Him when He left the room. I thought maybe I was merely bored but it's hard to see Him here at the moment, for sure. And now it seems I may have succeeded in offending multiple people by expressing my own opinion.

Now that I've laid out a little of my past and a couple of points I feel the Lord has spoken to me about, I may have truly contributed and gained all that I can in this place.

I certainly don't wish to continue offending others with errant postings but even if I am able to exercise not to do so, I see others who have no sensitivity to that issue whatsoever and just my being here becomes a problem both to them and to me.

Plus, although I still do not know what comes next in the experience of the assembly, I'm pretty clear now that I wouldn't see in laid out in ASCII.

I appreciate your fellowship, FPO. Thank you for sharing that.

No. You are not the only one who has wondered this way...

[countmeworthy]

Originally Posted by YP0534

No, you are definitely not the only one who has ever asked themselves that question.
[LIST][*]First, I just post too much. Everybody knows this. I clearly have a problem.
.[*]Third, the cost-to-benefit ratio seems pretty low both directions, i.e., I don't get much enjoyment or light coming my way and I have no confidence that I provide any enjoyment or light to anyone else, both despite a significant time investment on my part.

I appreciate your fellowship, FPO. Thank you for sharing that.

No. You are not the only one who has wondered this way...

YP0534 & FPO,

I think many of us.....especially the regulars, ask themselves the same ole' question.....WHY are we here?

We all have lives outside this forum. We have left the LC behind us...those of us who have left. And I agree that the cost to benefit ration is pretty low most of the time....for ME that is. Then again I don't know. My goal here as it is outside this forum is to encourage, uplift the saints and the downtrodden...to give them hope and point them to our Precious LORD & KING JESUS. Truly HE is the Savior and the DELIVERER. He is the One who sets the captives, the prisoners free.

(See~ I'm already going about doing what I say I do! )

Once in a while, someone thanks me or tells me I've encouraged them...so IF, I can at least help ONE person who has been downtrodden by life's problems or by the hauntings of the Ghost of the LSM/LC, and given them HOPE again in Christ Jesus, then I guess that is why the LORD won't release me from this forum.

Once in a while, I check up on the other forum but by & large, I think I'm pretty much done with that one.

YP0534, I think most of us feel there is not much enjoyment or light coming our way!!! You're NOT alone but you know I read your posts!

I hope people read mine. I'm sure everyone hopes their posts are read too!

And to be honest....I'm 'guilty' of NOT reading everyone's posts!

I was not a part of the 80's & 90's..or anything current pertaining the LC/LSM.

The LC lingo has always been a turn off for me and it is WORST now than it's ever been! & Just as the world turns, the LSM/LC terminology makes my stomach turn

(Had to throw in a knuck-knuck!)

So It IS hard for me to read about what happened in the 80's. I don't care one I-OH-TA for Lee's teachings on this or that...his perspectives on this or that.

Compared to many, my time in the LC was short-lived, from 1975-'78-'79. Like you YP0534, The Lord led me in and the LORD led me out! YAHOO!

But like everyone else, the LC had an affect me...in some ways GOOD...and other ways...well...<sigh>

I try to focus on the GOOD...I got the WORD of God into me. Much of it is inscribed into my being. I learned how to do this there and adhere to the principles taught to me in the LC. I learned how to fellowship with people. I learned how to share the gospel and not be ashamed or embarrassed to do so.

Today, I will talk to people about the LORD just as if I was talking to them about football, basketball, FOOD or a neat movie. I don't 'care' if they don't KNOW our LORD JESUS. When I speak them about HIM, the Holy Spirit leads me to speak to them in a way they feel comfortable hearing about HIM.

The LORD led a guy the other day to me to change a flat tire on my car. He asked me & my friend where we were going..I told him to a 'church service.' He rolled his eyes..and told me emphatically-HE was NOT a CHRISTIAN and that CHRISTIANS were the worst.

I told him I understood how he felt and that Judgment was going to come FIRST to the house of GOD. He mumbled something else..and then I asked him if he believed in Jesus. He told me "OF COURSE I DO!!!!" LOL!!

I found out he's a handyman by trade so I wanted to get his phone # to give me some estimates on some work I need on my house. When I said I wanted to ask him something, he snapped and said 'DON'T INVITE ME TO CHURCH!' I snapped back at him and said "I WASN"T going to INVITE you to CHURCH! I was going to ask YOU if you could give me some ESTIMATES to do some work around my house!' :-)))

When he finished changing my tire, I gave him some 'wet ones' to clean his hands with and a $$ thank you gift $$. He didn't want to take it and finally said, OK, I'll take it but I'm going to give it to someone who needs it.

So a couple of days later, he called me to make an appointment to come over. We're shooting the breeze and I ask him if he lives alone or has a roomate. He fumbled and stumbled to answer my question. I then apologized for being NOSY. He said I wasn't being nosy just curious...then reluctantly 'fessed up and told me he was living with his fiancee.

So I said...OH!! Soooo, you're living in SIN are you? Que Bonito! (That's spanish for a sarcastic 'Well, that's really good of you.'

I told him to go to the justice of the peace and sign that piece of paper to make it legal.

Anyway... I brought up that little story 'cause, I never know how God is going to use me. :-)))) You know, I doubt the guy is going to do what I suggested he do but he wasn't mad at me for saying what I said to him! And he enjoyed talking to me...and will be coming this week to see what work he might be able to do for me. :-)))


Btw, the Holy Spirit also prompts me when not to say anything...and I think I've learned to become a good listener to the VOICE of GOD. :-)

So...I'm rambling off.

It's early in the morning..forgive me for it. I haven't spent much time in the Presence of the LORD yet. I think I'll go do that..soon as I finish glancing through this forum and checking my emails. I see the world is still in tact. Nothing out of the ordinary happened last night or this morning yet.

THANK YOU LORD JESUS for another day to HONOR and SERVE the KING of kings with All my heart, soul and spirit.

LORD FATHER GOD, Bless EVERYONE on this forum with JOY unspeakable and the PEACE of GOD surpassing their understanding. Comfort those who need comforting, Holy Spirit for that is what You do best. That is why YOUR Name is the Comforter and Counselor!

Open the Windows of HEAVEN Blessed Jesus and let the gifts from GOD shower your precious people this day!

Later everyone...thanks for reading!

Carol