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The Mystery In Motion, Or, Will I Go To Hell For This?

Posted by Kevin Nye on June 20, 2009 at 4:30pm

The Mystery In Motion,
Or,
Will I Go To Hell For This?

My favorite time in the Tenth Corps was during our first year in residence at the end of the year. As you remember, we’d all been preparing for the 8th Corps Corps weddings, and Steve Lowder and the Maintenance crew had been pumping the mud and swan crap out of the pond for like a whole week. But then, when the pumps got most of it out but there was still serious amounts of muck with about ten inches of water on top of it, we, as the “Mystery In Motion” were called upon to do the mud bucket “hand over hand” thing to get the rest of the water, muck, pond scum, and Aquilla and Priscilla crap out of there. I remember that the guys did the hand over hand thing with the buckets full, sending the buckets to the back forty behind Uncle Harry, and the gals handed the empty buckets hand over hand back to the pond. No doubt, Phyllis Solomon, Mary Dougherty, Cheri Hall, and the other tough gals in the Tenth Corps made sure to get in line with the boys with the full buckets. But everybody, it seems, did their time in the pond, slopping mud on their backs to prevent the sun, etc. I remember a few guys and gals writing “I Love God” on their backs after the mud was slathered on, and after it was washed off later in the day, the same words stood out in “sun burned pink” on their backs. I remember that it was insufferably hot, and we all worked very hard, with guys throwing crawdads, baby catfish, and baby bass at the girls, and all was lots of fun.

And then I remember at one point in the afternoon, Britt Lynn and then Phil Bonadies (those guys were like two peas in a pod), decided to change the afternoon for the better. I was working on the northern edge of the pond about half the distance from the rope swing. I remember hearing a big “who hoo!” from someone, and looking up just in time to see Britt Lynn flying through the air off the rope swing and landing in a belly flop right smack dab in the mud! And then, Phil Bonadies followed suit, and the “order of the day” quickly began to unravel! I remember Britt (at least I think it was him-coulda been somebody else) going up to Linda MacDuffy and dumping two whole handfulls of mud straight down the top of her bib overalls! Which in turn caused her to start grabbing mud and flangin it at anybody within reach! And all hell just flat out broke loose!!

Now, I remember standing on the sidelines there thinking; “Man, I don’t want to get all muddy like that. I’m just going to watch”. But then I remembered the scene in the movie “McClintock” with John Wayne where there was a huge mud fight, and I decided right then and there that I was going to jump in with both feet. And so I did. I remember throwing people in to the middle where there was still water and slop, and I particularly remember grabbing Bob Kriebel from the sidelines (he’d been cheering on the fight but staying safely “away”), and dragging him in and throwing him in the muck. And I too was thrown down a time or two, and it was great.

But then, I looked to the edge of the pond on the circle drive side and saw our own Reverend Richard Thomas standing up in the much dryer mud at the edge of the pond and throwing people in with great vigor and gusto. When I saw that, I noticed that Jay Wilson had also seen what I’d seen. So I went over to him, and we conspired to tackle Richard and give him a taste of his own medicine. We retreated way back even to downstairs doors of the “garden level” of the Wierwille Library and consulted with each other. Both of us were convinced that “Richard T” had to go down. But we were also seriously worried about tackling a “Reverend” who also happened to be our Corps Coordinator. But we came to the conclusion that; “If he could dish it out”, he shouldn’t have a problem “getting it back”. And so, Jay made up the plan. He’d played football, I had not, although I could have I think. But Jay says; “Okay Kevin we’ll run at him from behind. You hit him high, and I’ll hit him low around his legs and into the slop he goes”. And so, with a little worry on our faces, we commenced. With great alacrity of mind (great alacrity of mind?-I just like that term, although it isn’t really fitting here), we ran at him as he was yelling and jeering at people that were getting all mucked up. He seemed to be enjoying his “immunity” as well as his physical ability to throw people into the sludge! It was wrong man, just plain, wrong, and we were going to fix that...

He never knew what hit him. I flew through the air at the same time Jay did and I wrapped my arms around his arms and chest just as Jay wrapped his big ol arms around Richard T’s legs. Our momentum was serious and we drove him straight into the pond! Richard was face down in the muck as I rode on top of Richard’s back. We drove him, rode him, straight into the water, the muck, the crawdads, and the swan shit! It was beautiful man!!

And when we came to a halt, Jay and I looked at each other and grinned from ear to ear. But, just then, Richard started cussing and saying “motherfuckers” and all kinds of bad shit and stood up and wiped the mud from his eyes which showed his rage. And I was thinking; “Oh shit! I am goin to Hell after all! I just tackled The Lord’s Annointed! The wrath of God be upon me!” He looked right at me and lunged. I tried to sprint in the mud with my legs going like Fred Flintstone trying to make his car go fast, and finally started to make way and get away from Richard. But man, he was pissed! He was not going to let me get away! I made it about fifteen feet before he tackled me and slammed me face down into the water, the muck, the crawdads, and the swan shit. He had the back of my head by the hair and repeatedly slammed my face into the slop, over and over and over while he cussed me out. Then he let me go and got up.

Wiping the mud from my eyes, I could see Jay Wilson standing there in disbelief with his jaw dropped and all that mud all over him. And Richard went after Jay. And it was the same story. And Jay started trying to run in that mud with his feet slipping and flyin but really getting nowhere. (polysyndeton) Yet, Richard seemed to get traction just fine! Within seconds, Richard T had Jay by the back of his head by the hair and was systematically slamming his head in to the, you guessed it, the water, the muck, the crawdads, and the swan shit. Richard muttered something and walked back to the rim of the pond…

I don’t think Jay and I talked to each other just then, but rather, just went our way, wondering if we’d done something “wrong” by “tackling a man of God” like that. At least that was what I was thinking. I did get back into that mud fight, and thought of it as one of the best times I was to have had when I was in The Way Corps. And it was. Man youz guys, we had some fine times, didn’t we? Dammit all, it was brilliant, that mud fight! I think Britt Lynn and Phil Bonadies were walking by the spirit that day!

I also remember a few years later, once I was on more of a “peer level” with Richard T, asking him if he thought we “were out of line spiritually” for doing that, or, if he was just pissed off. And he told me flat out that he was simply pissed off and wanted to pay us back plain and simple. So, Jay and I had made the right decision after all. We nailed your ass Richard! Hah!!

Father's Day

Posted by Lonnell Johnson on June 20, 2009 at 3:30pm

June is a special month in that it contains both my birthday and Father's Day. Here is a tribute to fathers. Enjoy this radio broadcast from a few years ago: Play Fathers Day BroadcastLonnellYou may also click the following link to download a copy: Fathers Day Broadcast Download http://richeson.org/john/WayCorpsSite/MusicandVideo/Fathersday.mp3

Father God, Godly Father

Posted by Chere Poole on June 19, 2009 at 4:13am

Father God ~ Godly fatherI was just thinking that on this Father's Day not everyone has a father to honor. Some have fathers who are difficult to honor. Perhaps you did not have the joy of growing up with or being loved and cared for by a Godly father. No matter your situation, as a child of God you can honor Him on this Father's Day.God embodies all the qualities of a strong, loving, tender father. He is worthy of our honor. He loves us unconditionally, no matter how we are thinking or behaving on a particular day. He does not mete out punishment for our wrongdoings, and always has a shoulder available to cry on when we reap the consequences of our wrong decisions.He rejoices at our successes, weeps with us over our losses, and loves us despite our failings. He looks upon our hearts with thankfulness for the purity that lies therein. He knows our frame, understands our struggles, and does not judge us by our weaknesses. He looks upon our hearts and what He sees there is the perfection of His creation in us, His incorruptible seed, the Christ in us. He looks forward to spending eternity with us ~ His precious planned for, long anticipated children ~ enjoying the continual feast He's prepared. But He rejoices each day we live upon this earth and love Him, doing our best to be our best for Him and for those we love.If you are doing your best to be a Godly father today, I thank Him for you. Love your family with all your might. Do not expect perfection from them any more than they expect it of you. Be kind, be strong, speak the truth of God's Word and cherish each moment you have loved ones to hold near and dear. Love your family despite their failings, and do your best to always be there with a comforting, nonjudgmental shoulder to cry on when necessary. Above all, love yourself as God loves you and rejoice in this gift of life you've been given.God bless you.

This is Not a Hallmark Moment

Posted by Billy Britt on June 17, 2009 at 10:05am

Here in the United States we celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June. Father’s Days are not an American invention and are observed in 52 countries around the world.It was not recognized as an official US holiday until in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed it into law.Father’s Day has always run as a distant second to Mother’s Day and was, in the beginning, thought to be a bit of a joke. Some felt it was a commercial stunt designed to fill up the calendar with useless holidays in order to sell greeting cards.The first modern Father’s Day celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia.For those grammarians who often find pleasure in pointing out spelling and other errors, the acceptable spelling is “Father’s Day.”Although the name of the event is usually understood as a plural possessive (i.e. “day belonging to fathers”), which would under normal English punctuation guidelines be spelled “Fathers’ Day,” the most common spelling is “Father’s Day,” as if it were a singular possessive (i.e. “day belonging to Father”).For the most part, I do not subscribe to the notion of setting aside specific days to celebrate an event such as Valentine’s Day. It has always seem to me that a good spouse should remember to do something special on more than one day a year or else soon they will be celebrating, “Divorce Day.”Sometimes I feel, holidays are nothing more than “Hallmark Holidays,” which are manufactured for commercial reasons. These include Grandparents’ Day, Sweetheart Day, and Administrative Professionals’ Day (formerly Secretary’s Day).Hallmark Holidays are nothing more than the manipulation of human emotions for financial gain.As the years have passed, I have grown much more sentimental and have had my “Hallmark Moments.” A thought, a smell, the look in my wife’s eye can make me cry as easily as smile. It seems, as we get older we appreciate things more, or at least we know what we have lost and what we miss.My dad has been dead now for a few years and there is little on this earth that would give me more pleasure than to spend the day with him. I view my dad as a great man, he was smart, charming, funny and most of all he loved me.When I was a kid my dad built me the best go-cart on the block and he never missed a chance to play catch with me, my dad and I were together a lot. In many ways, he was typical of what a dad should be and that is not to be underestimated.My dad also was a wonderful storyteller and I cannot calculate the many hours I would sit and listen to the fanciful yarns he could spin. Many of these stories I can still hear in my mind today. Perhaps this is why I became a writer.Each day, when my dad came home from work, the first thing he wanted to know was, “What did you learn today?” This continued to be a question he would ask me until he died. He was a curious man of many interests.I spent the last five years of his life being with him everyday, he needed my care and attention and it was little to repay the man who had given me so much.I lost some valuable time in those five years but I gained more in love and understanding than I can express in a few words. To know a loving father as a child is a gift of rare value. To really know your father as an adult and to feel the love grow is priceless.Toward the end of my dad’s life he would sit in his favorite chair and nap. Sometimes he would reach down and feel around the bottom of the chair for something. One day I asked him what he was looking for. He said, “I was trying to pick up Billy, he was right here next to my leg and I wanted to hold him for a while.”Often, we hear people speak about how the US Constitution has its foundation in the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament, what a different world we would live in if that were true.“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you,” is a commandment and the only one that gives a specific reward to the keeper.However, I know of no US laws that requires that this be followed even though the world would be a better place if we did. It is also interesting to note that the verse does not say, “Honor your father and your mother, if they have been nice to you.” Sometimes what is not written can be as powerful as what is. So I will leave that as food for thought.As for me, I will not celebrate Father’s Day this year; I will not buy soap-on-a-rope, Old Spice or a goofy tie. I will most likely never celebrate “Groundhog Day” or “Give Your Pet Lizard a Bone Day,” or any other Hallmark Holiday.But I will be thankful for having a wonderful father who was my protector, provider and friend.If your father is alive spend some time with him on Father’s Day or any day you can. Even if he was not the best of dads, he is your dad. If he has passed on like mine, remember him with fondness and like Wordsworth think of, “Father!—to God himself we cannot give a holier name.”

For Sale/Give Away???

Posted by Janelle Nissen (Werning) on June 17, 2009 at 9:08am

I dont know if anyone has any interest, but I would like to know if there is a need for a FOR SALE or FREE STUFF on here. I am cleaning house and have a WAY CORPS medium sweatshirt if any one is interested in it for "old times sake". I will give it away if interested party will pay s/h.So.....is this something of interest to anyone? A FOR SALE site????

A Birthday Blog from Dr. J

Posted by Lonnell Johnson on June 16, 2009 at 5:08pm

I am rejoicing with an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for another year of life. To say that I have been blessed, not just this past year, but over the past 67 years, is quite the understatement. How grateful I am for all that God has done for me. At such a time as this I recall the refrain to a hymn that speaks of the Love of God. These words mean so much to me:Could we with ink the ocean fill,And were the skies of parchment made,Were every stalk on earth a quill,And every man a scribe by trade,To write the love of God above,Would drain the ocean dry.Nor could the scroll contain the whole,Though stretched from sky to sky.To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge . . . such knowledge is too wonderful for me . . . it is high. I cannot attain unto it. Yet I can and do experientially know that God loves me, and that is more than I can bear at times. Nonetheless, I am truly grateful for all that He has done for me.For the past several years, I have composed a poem on my birthday, generally a reflective piece written in celebration of God’s goodness over the past year. From time to time, I think of the words of Saint Augustine: “To contemplate the truth and to share the fruits of that contemplation.” Here are some of my thoughts on this very special occasion:Accounting RecordsAn Apostolic Sonnet composedin celebration of my 67th BirthdayJune 17, 2009“Yes, the old account was settled long ago.”Traditional Gospel Song“. . . for your account in heaven is paid in full.”Dennis Cramer to Lonnell E. JohnsonAnd [so] the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in(adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) God, and thiswas accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God's will in thought and deed), and he was called God's friend.James 2:23 [Amplified Bible]As I once more compute the sum of all my days,Lengthen my life and strengthen my heart evermore.Assess my value and consider all my ways,As you add yet another measure of favor.Remove any trace that displeases or offends.Readjust my life and balance my equationAnd calculate the full return of your dividends:Record the total worth of Kingdom Salvation.That You are more than gracious cannot be denied:Far beyond the price anyone can estimate,All-sufficient grace, not added but multiplied.Each effort to serve You will more than compensate.You supplement to adjust the final amountAnd with joy reconcile each heavenly account.Thanks for celebrating God’s goodness with me.Lonnell

Important Health Information- Water or Coke?

Posted by Cheryle Geiger on June 5, 2009 at 5:56am

Important Health Information- Water or Coke?When you are thirsty which beverage will you choose Water or Coke?This information about water is so important I have to share it with you.WATER#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.(Likely applies to half the world population)#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weakthat it is mistaken for hunger.#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as 3%.#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangsfor almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University ofWashington study.#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses ofwater a day could significantly ease back and joint painfor up to 80% of sufferers.#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-termmemory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing onthe computer screen or on a printed page.#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk ofcolon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breastcancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to developbladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of wateryou should drink every day?Coke#1. In many states the highway patrol carriestwo gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood fromthe highway after a car accident.#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Cokeand it will be gone in two days.#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into thetoilet bowl and let the ‘real thing’ sit for one hour,then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removesstains from vitreous china.#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of ReynoldsWrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Poura can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubbleaway the corrosion.#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Colato the rusted bolt for several minutes.#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola intothe baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mixwith the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.#8… To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Cokeinto the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and runthrough a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosengrease stains. It will also clean road haze from yourwindshield.FOR YOUR INFORMATION:#1 the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoricacid also leaches calcium from bones and is a majorcontributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) thecommercial trucks must use a hazardous Material placecards reserved for highly corrosive materials.#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to cleanengines of the trucks for about 20 years!Now the question is, would you like a glass of water?or Coke?

Cat's in the Cradle

Posted by Joe Kriston on June 1, 2009 at 8:42pm

First of all, I should say, that I'm not really a cat person...I neither love cats nor detest them; they touch my being about as much as Dutch food does...Somehow, through no fault of my own and via circumstances I have never been able to recollect, I became the owner of a jet black cat that was dubbed "Sketchy" before her ever having set foot in my house...It seems that a couple of years ago, while minding my own business, I somehow ended up, either through one of the kids moving away, or a nephew or maybe some humane neighbor, with a litter box, a cat water bowl and food dish, a bag of Meow Mix and some verbal instructions on how to care for Sketchy, and of course,... Sketchy...Sketchy and I get along rather well, really...Sometimes we play little games or have little contests, like who can ignore the other the longest...Usually, I win, and when she's had enough of being ignored, she'll jump onto my lap, or on top of the computer keyboard or the newspaper and purr around for awhile---demanding my full attention...I'll accomodate her for awhile, until she starts rubbing her nose somewhere on me...I don't know why she has such a wet nose, and it's probably just some harmless cat juice on the end of it, but it still feels like snot to me and I really don't care to have it anywhere on my skin...So, I'll shoo her away, she'll turn and look at me like if she could, she'd give me the finger,and we'll both go back to whatever it was we were doing, which included ignoring eachother...Sunday night, while I was relaxing with the newspaper crossword in my lap and the baseball game of the week on the telly, there was a knock on the front door...I opened the door to a clean-cut looking young man who said he just wanted to let me know that his wife was in my garage rescuing her cat that ran away the day before...I said 'fine' and went to the garage to help out...When I got there, the wife was trying to crawl under my car and he asked me if I would close the garage door so her cat wouldn't get away...When I went over and pressed the button, the door went down about a foot, then stopped, and the wife yelled "she's getting away!", and flash!, I saw Sketchy go darting past her...I cleared my throat and said something like " umm, I ahh, like, err, I, I think that's MY cat"...The wife, nearing tears, gave me a look that said 'You don't own a cat! You probably steal all your neighbor's cats and feed them to your pet boa constrictor!'....Then she said, "I know that's my cat...I've had her for 11 years,...since I was little...She has seizures!...She's an epileptic...So now what?...Two minutes ago, life was good, baseball was on the tube and I was solving one of life's great mysteries, or at least the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, and now here I am facing this near hysterical young woman who wants to take my cat away from me...Do I now play King Soloman, and propose that we cut Sketchy in half so we both can have her?..I thought it best that she clear up any doubt whether Sketchy was in fact her cat or not...I pointed out Sketchy's crooked tail, which was broken when she was a kitten after somebody shut the door on it...That didn't convince the young woman...She looked at sketchy's ears and her belly and said " I know that's my cat"...Now, I'm feeling pretty dumb because I don't even know my own cat...But then again, who really studies all the features of their cat, and can describe them---especially a black cat?...I made a joking reference to the 'Meet the Parents" movie and Ben Stiller painting Robert DiNiro's cat...The woman decided to call her mother, who lived down the street and whose house her cat ran away from, to help her identify her cat...Then I start thinking, wait a minute---this girl is pretty dumb---after printing 'lost cat' flyers and having a cat for 11 years she still thinks the wrong cat is her cat?...Shortly, mom and dad pull up, confer with daughter and son-in-law while I'm standing at my front door wondering how I went from enjoying a carefree baseball game to feeling so defensive...Meantime, Sketchy is now relaxing on my living room floor like she owns the place, and since mom seems the most knowledgeable about the lost cat, I invite her in to examine Sketchy to clarify if in fact, my cat is the one that ran away from her house...The mother looked at Sketchy for less than a minute and determined that her daughter's cat was much bigger---but the resemblance was remarkable...Of course, I'm thinking all cats look alike, but I imagine Sketchy probably also gave the mother a look that said "I'm not going anywhere with you people----I'm staying right here"...They got back in their cars and left, apologizing for inconveniencing me and thanking me for my cooperation....I almost apologized to the young woman for owning a black cat and falsely getting her hopes up...And now Sketchy is getting bored with ignoring me and me ignoring her while I write this boring story, and is wanting attention, so here she is hopping up on my keyboard in front of my computer screen,blocking my view and ......jkfuiowyrw74h474gr647eh39d^^&F*7789*&taq2367F5r590()jhUI(9*)((*(*&G*^ff788p7p.....Meeeeoooowwww

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Note: this page contains paid content.