Pineapple Story, Conquer Slothfulness, Stand Alone, develop orderliness

[afptl]

I went to my 2nd homeschooling conference this summer, and there was a family selling these books and More! They were called Training for triumph and have a website as well.  I didn't know anything about Bill gothard or ATI, I just thought they were nice books. I have the Pineapple story, how to stand alone, how to conquer slothfulness, and how to develop orderliness.  I kinda stumbled up this website and some other articles and am upset I bought this!  Has anyone read them? are they truth or trash? any thoughts for a newbie? thanks and God Bless, Ann

[ninth doctor]

Truth or trash can be a difficult question to answer. The problem lies not in the motivation but in the application.There is nothing wrong with wanting to be orderly,less slothful etc.However Gothard's ministry tends to use a sledgehammer when a fly swatter might be more appropriate.He has a tendency to see things in the Bible that at best are a stretch of the imagination.P.S. "How to stand alone" eat food with lots of garlic and onions.

[encourager]

I remember the "Pineapple Story". It was about selfishness. I think there was this missionary that planted pineapples and didn't want to share them. He said something like: "My hands plant them, my hands eat them." or something like that. It has been so long since I have read the story.

As far as his teaching on slothfulness, all I remember is his illustration of the ants. There are some verses in Proverbs about ants and how they are always busy. !shy

Gothard's teaching on Proverbs 6:6-11 makes it sound like you are not to have any leisure time whatsoever. It makes sense that he teaches this passage the way he does because he is all about discipline. No fun allowed! He must not take any vacations. Well, maybe he does, but doesn't want to tell anyone.

I realize in our generation of comforts that maybe too much emphasis is put on leisure time, but there does need to be a time of rest. According to a legalistic person even rest is work. Some say that Sunday is to be a day of rest, but to the legalist it is an act of duty and responsiblity to do all the right things on the "Lord's Day".

The person that sees only duty and responsibility usually ends up burning out. It gets to the point where you have to prioritize what is important and what is not, because everything can scream at you and say it is important. There are some things you have to let slide. It is way too hard to do everything. With a legalistic mindset you are always under a task master and made to feel guilty over what things you neglected to do or how much time gets wasted. It also makes others around feel guilty and uneasy because they end up feeling obligated to the same task master.

[Calmate]

For as much as TV focuses on leisure activities (primarily through showing us what the super-rich are up to, thanks E channel), the hard, cold facts are that most working Americans don't take their vacations and even when they are on vacation, they are thinking about work! See http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/us/20vacation.html and http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Careers/story?id=2151399&page=1

[Vara Sundaisy]

My family was never into IBLP stuff but I've actually heard of some of the books. I remember being at a friend's house where they were reading a book about a loon and then I saw an IBLP children's book called The Eagle Story in a library not too long ago. They were cautiouary tales disguised as beautifully illustrated biology lessons.

From what I remember of the loon story, it started describing this big beautiful Minnesota bird that had it all together. This loon was going places. But one time, come migration time, the loon either landed too early (to illustrate the irreversible evils of impatience) or left the lake too late (to illustrate the irreversible evils of procrastination). There was too much ice surrounding the loon for it to take off (like planes on a runway, loons have to run a while in the water; they can't just up and fly). It was stuck there and "it would soon die."

The eagle story had a similar plot. Once there was this great big beautiful eagle that had it all together. See it flying so majestically in the sky. One day it gets curious, falls into temptation, and gets caught in a trap. Once again, "It would soon die."

The pattern I see being taught in these stories is that, if you slip up once, you're screwed. If you view life and God this way, you're walking on eggshells. But this is not the Christianity I know and love. IBLP has it wrong. We don't start with perfection and have to maintain it or die. We're already dead and God's grace resuscitates us.

If I would make these stories theologically correct, someone would break the ice for the loon, and someone would bust the eagle out of the trap.

I think of the lyrics of one of my favorite Coldplay songs, "Amsterdam":

Come on, my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
If i, if I’d only waited
I’d not be stuck here in this hole
Come here my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
And I swear I waited and waited
I’ve got to get out of this hole

But time is on your side
Its on your side now
Not pushing you down and all around
It’s no cause for concern

Come on, oh my star is fading
And I see no chance of release
And I know I’m dead on the surface
But I am screaming underneath

And time is on your side
Its on your side now
Not pushing you down
And all around, no
It’s no cause for concern

Stuck on the end of this ball and chain
And I’m on my way back down again
Stood on a bridge, tied to the noose
Sick to the stomach
You can say what you mean
But it won’t change a thing
I’m sick of the secrets
Stood on the edge, tied to a noose
You came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose.