The U.S.S. Response

     Hello everyone, and welcome to my new page, The U.S.S. Response! That stands for Unofficial Soda Shop Response! Here I will be posting my thoughts on the new SS comments and topics from the last two days! Your comment might get in here, so just keep reading! But I won't keep you away from the response! Here it is:

     August 22nd - 31st
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from August 22nd - 31st. Here's the first communication I found interesting:

     The topic: I have no personal opinion of Emily Klub By Aaron "Epic" Wiley:

Rally around me all ye who don't give a wet banana peal about Emily Jones, or just don't really want to take a side in this debate.

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Yes, I have been talking a lot about Emily and the various Emily klubs over the past couple weeks. As I've said before, this is the hottest topic on SS now, and T.S. (Myself) suggested I do a U.S.S. on this topic. Aaron Wiley, until now, hasn't taken a side in the Emily debate, and it looks like he's not planning to. Obviously, that's why he started this klub, one of the newest and most unpopular Emily klubs. There are only two pages on this topic, and not too many people have joined, but it's still interesting. PF commented that Aaron should give a wet banana peel about Emily, to which Aaron replied that he shouldn't have a big opinion on every character.To see more of these kind of occurrences of rivalry, check out this topic and all the other Emily klubs! Good job, Epic - er, Aaron Wiley.

    A comment in the topic: Barret and Priscilla (guess the rest) By Pound Foolish, Hopeless Romantic:
  
    It's funny, but one could say falling in love as a child is just as complex and confusing as when you're an adult. When I was little, I'd have very strong feelings, including the desire to kiss. Like many little kids, I acted on it. I'm confused when people act like kids are just kids and can't fall in love. It's not just teens who have passionate emotions. (As Mr. Thinker demonstrates.) The funny thing is, people just gloss over such things. Then, when people are, say, twelve, and hit puberty, adults can obviously no longer act like they are sexless aliens and react. The general reaction is to say the kid are too young for love and dating. That's society's answer. The preteen and thirteen year old reacts: "huh?"
After all, how come a little kid is old enough for love... but when they're older all of a sudden they're not?
When I was little, I was somewhat discouraged from kissing, and drawing hearts with a girl's initials, etc, but I never got in trouble for it. My feelings didn't cease, but all of a sudden, I was supposed to ignore them.
On the other hand, dating is so popular, a lot of young kids will do it just to fit in. I never was interested in dating as a child, but I'm homeschooled. Most such pressure takes place in public schools.
I realize this all sounds rather uncomplimentary to adults, but in years, at least, I'm more or less an adult (well, kinda sorta... technically...) Anyways, I'm sure this all sounds a bit odd, and frankly, I'm not sure of what I myself am saying. Anyways, as far as Barrett and Priscilla... they already spend time alone. That's pretty much what dating is. All that would change if they really and truly admitted their feelings is they'd be doing the same things... with an acknowledged new purpose.
Would that be so bad?
Frankly, as for me.... I don't really know. But I'm not against it either.

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Ahh... Another post from PF involving romance. This is no surprise. And I'm sure what he just wrote will be quite a bit better than what I'm about to write, but I'll try. This is a very interesting post. I wholeheartedly agree with PF. Some children may be too young for dating, but who can be too old for love? Love is a feeling, an emotion, and it's impossible to stop it. If it happens, it happens. That's why it puzzles me when parents tell their kids, "You're too young to be liking girls." or "You're too young to be liking boys." Kids can't help it! I understand what PF is trying to say, but I decided to add my own thoughts. Good job again, Pound Foolish!

     August 16th - 21st
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from August 11th - 15th. Here's the first communication I found interesting:

     The topic: Make a Sandwich by Wooton Basset:

Here's how this works. All we have to do is make a sandwich. So I will type an ingredient (ingrediants do not have to be food related) then the next person will type an ingredient and when we get to the 50th person, he/she will put on an ingredient and eat the sandwich. Then we start over again.

1. Marshmallows

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Current Games seem to have taken SS by storm ever since the subtopic was introduced. Users like C-guy have created several games, but the real game mastermind is Wooton. He comes up with an ingenious game just about every other day that sells like gangbusters when it's created. (Not literally, of course, SS topics do not cost money.) This is one of his best, especially since it gives us gross people an oppurtunity to use our skills to create the most disgusting sandwich the world has ever known! Pop in there and see what deliciously disgusting concoctions we have created from Wooton's little game. Good job, Wooton Basset!

     A comment in the topic The E.S.K. (Emily Stinks Klub) by Pound Foolish:

      Yes, it is rather indecorous. Kinda disgusting, really. You're going a bit overboard, Wooton... it is a bit funny, though. I would encourage you to stop, however, before it becomes a coin-headed, ballerina with see-through top being attacked by dinosaurs in lederhosen land. Seriously, no more, I think two pictures of me in a tutu is enough for anyone.

     Communication specialist CT101 reporting:

     PF is talking about some - um, unique pictures that Wooton made of him in a tutu and a bathing suit. Wooton is a great logo designer, but like PF said, he went overboard. This is an interesting reply for PF however, considering he seems to enjoy talking abotu tutus and him wearing one. I can't believe he got tired of pictures of him in a tutu! I believe that's the first time he's said 'no more' when discussing tutus. Hmm... If you would like to see the picture he was talking about, here it is:

    

   
      Weird right? Good job, PF - er, Pound Foolish!

     August 11th - August 15th
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from August 11th - 15th. Here's the first (and only. Sorry, my mom wants me to get off soon.) communication I found interesting:

     The topic: A Psychoanalysis of Lester by Arkan Dreamwalker

     When Whit first asked (In No Way Out pt. 1) “Where am I?” He was answered with: “You’re with Lester.” This is exactly right. Lester being mentally unsound (*sigh*, yes, like Pound Foolish.), his mentality picked up on the fact that there was no relative measure and therefore established him as the only point of association. An interesting aspect of his psyche is that his brain is mentally hindered, yet smart in its own way. He knew that it was “shots” he was receiving and his brain made the connection between the words “shot” and “shoot” causing him to confuse Whit by saying “They’ll shoot me.” On the one hand this sounds stupid (*sigh*, yes, like Pound Foolish). On the other hand it was clever of him to make connection between “shot” and “shoot”. You see this linkage mentality in his saying 3-18-99 when he meant “I can’t tell you”: The combination of the safe being a secret his mind made the link between the two and thus he said three-eighteen-ninety nine. He later proved his intelligence by tricking the burglar at the end of No Way Out pt. 2.
At the beginning Lester was full of fear, only nurtured by living alone (except for Ralph), sneaking about, and being yelled at whenever he was seen. He was as much imprisoned by his fear as by the walls of his room. This fear caused an extreme secrecy which hindered his helping Whit. It was his love for Whit that caused his selflessness to finally shine through and gave up his secrecy and fear at the same time.
Why we do not hear of Ralph in this episode is debatable, one reason being that he was too distracted (with Whit) whenever we see him, this however in not entirely credible. The real reason of course is that the writers hadn’t thought of Ralph yet.
I will not go into why Lester created Ralph because Whit’s psychologist friend went into that in The Invisible Dog. All in all, Lester is at heart an extremely kindhearted soul, who wishes the best for everybody, mentally unsound though he may be.

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Arkan Dreamwalker seems to be fascinated with the character of Lester. He's already set up two topics devoted to him, one about the character in general and one specifically about Ralph. This is a very interesting, very long topic that seems like a "Deeper Look" (Go visit CCC) into the character of Lester. I've found Arkan's insights to be fascinating and well, insightful. He seems to be a very interesting, very smart fellow. And his verbal slashings of PF are amusing as well. Everyone (except suzylou, PF's loyal, loving fake fiance) seems to have developed an artificial grudge of PF, and Arkan is no exception. I think the reason that not too many people have responded to this topic is because Arkan basically cleared the subject of Lester with this amazing post. Good job, Arkan Dreamwalker!

     July 23rd - August 10th
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from July 23rd - August 10th. Here's the first communication I found interesting:

     The topic: E.R.K. (The Emily RULES! Klub) by Pound Foolish

     Welcome, all those who like Emily, to the Emily RULES! Klub. There's a small group of annoying people who claim they do not like Emily. Among them are Wooton Bassett, Creative Thinker 101, and The Old Judge. They slander Emily and look down on her. Let us rally together to support Emily! I, Pound Foolish, one of the most popular posters on this site, and newly appointed moderator, accept Mr. Thinker's declaration of war!I shall be posting a weekly reason why Emily RULES! Which probably no one will read but Suzy, but it'll be fun! All members, if they have not already, must add Emily RULES! to their signature. Finally, all who do not join the Emily RULES! Club are asked to forgo using the trademarked JeremiahRed™. No scandalously middle ground signatures, like "Emily's okay..." are allowed! (Funny though that is.) Alright... let's go. I, Pound Foolish, leader of the Emily Lovers, has not yet begun to fight! ARE WE WARRIORS OR ARE WE WIMPS!?

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 is on a tyraid over this topic! (he's also reporting):

     This topic, and I don't believe I'm exaggerating here, is the biggest thing that's happened to SS since it began. It's already spawned two other clubs and made 15 pages in about two weeks, and who knows how many more clubs and pages will be made once this Emily war is all over? I am going to try to be calm and official when I report about this topic, but considering I started this club's arch-rival: E.S.K. (The Emily Stinks Klub) that will be hard to do. Pound Foolish stumbled upon something controversial. There have been quite a few insults fired during this childish, mostly friendly war, and some users such as Godsgirl6153 and underseasie are upset by these harsh words, though it's been said that the insults are all in fun. It's quite entertaining to just read page after page of stupid debate on Emily. There have been a lot of funny, memorable, and controversial comments made in this topic and the other Emily Clubs topics. It's starting to get very interesting, and I'm curious to see if or when all this will end. But for now, the Emily Club topics are at the top of Character Discussion, getting constant responses by Emily Lovers, Emily Haters, and Neutral people. It has been fun being a part of this, and I look forward to continuing this childish debate. Good job, Pound Foolish! (I'll get you later!)

     A comment in the topic: Hobbies by Arkan Dreamwalker

    Hobbies:
Magic Tricks
Key-chain Collecting
Leather-working
Writing
Playing my Mouth Harp
Stamp Collecting
Cutting Things Out
Coin Collecting
Sub: Collecting Foreign Coins
Sub: Collecting Old American Coins
Sub: Squished Penny Collecting
Sub: Statehood Quarter Collecting
Sub: National Park Quarter Collecting
Sub: Westward Expansion Nickle Collecting
Playing Harmonica
Getting anything on Houdini
Listening to Music
Collecting Board Games
Playing Board Games
Reading
Sports
Sub: Basketball
Sub: Volleyball
Sub: Softball
Sub: Soccer
Sewing
Drawing
Cork Collecting
Painting
Playing Video Games
Gardening
Cooking
Bottle collecting
Photography
Posting on The Soda Shop

     Communcation Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Arkan Dreamwalker is very new to SS, but he's starting to become an asset to the board already. He's active in many topics, including the new Emily Clubs. Obviously, he's quite a jack of all trades. I'm especially interested in this coin collecting hobby, as I've never met anyone who does that.It obviously took him a long time to compile this list, and I appreciate that he provided it. Good job, Arkan Dreamwalker!

     A comment in the topic: Penny: a Dog? by Ghana4God

     Hmmm.. Penny is an interesting character. I kind of have a love|hate relationship... I'm excited to see what they have in store for her, although one thing troubles me. One episode she's not a Christian, and the next she is. Now, maybe I missed something, but it just seems weird to me. And when I hear her and Wooton together, she seems WAY to much like Wooton, so much so, Its felt like he's not as unique as he was before. And I absolutely love Wooton, and for a while, it was because they're was nobody else like him in Odyssey (Except maybe Harlow Doyle, but that's a different story), but now, it can be kind of (censor)ing when they're together, although Childish Things was quite amusing! That is part of my opinion.






     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     This is an interesting comment. I'd like to clear some things up that PF"s response didn't clear up. First of all, I believe some people mistakenly believed that Penny was, in a way, lying when she said she was a Christian in GRC, because she was a part of a criminal's prayer group. But, I would like to point out that just because you join a suggestive prayer group does not mean you aren't a Christian, though it does mean that you are an immature and childish one, which Penny is. Also, Connie was in the prayer group for a period of time. Does that mean that she's not a true Christian either? So, Penny wasn't an unbeliever in one episode and a Christian in another, she was a Christian all along, though a misguided one. I also understand her problem with Wooton and Penny's similar personality, and I once completely agreed with her. But I've changed my outlook a bit. Penny and Wooton may be a little bit similar, but aren't couples supposed to be at least a little similar? If couples were completely opposite, they wouldn't really like each other! Besides, Penny does have her own personality, and I still think Wooton is unique. Good job, Ghana4God!
 
     The topic: Jason and Mitch Vs. AIC by Wooton Basset

      Write what you think is unique about both AIC and JaM: SA. They are both very unique. Write why you like them both.

     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Another great topic. I enjoy both story arcs, but - well, you can see my answer on the topic. It's in Sites Around Town. I think it's great that Wooton is willing to start a small friendly competition between his story arch and mine. It shows that he wants to know people's opinions, even if they're not in favor of him. I might have thought of this topic, but he made it while I was fasting.

     A comment in the topic: Spam! Spam! Spam! by Godsgirl6153

     Well, the problem with the weird usernames rule, is some don't make sense to some people, but to the people who have that username, it makes perfect sense. Take my sister for example. Her username is underseasie.
A few other forums that I am apart of have mod approval before joining. Maybe TSS could do something like that?

     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     This is quite a good idea. I, frankly, do not know what 'underseasie' or 'Arkan Dreamwalker' are supposed to mean, but like Godsgirl said, usernames may seem weird to others, but they make perfect sense to the user. Mod approval would have been a good idea, but like someone said, the mods would get tired of approving new users. So Jacob and the other admins later came up with a great solution to stop spammers. Each new user has to answer a bit of easy Odyssey trivia before joining! So, both of these issues are solved! Good job, Godsgirl6153

     July 18th - 22nd
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from July 18th - 22nd. Here's the first communication I found interesting:

     The topic: Crushes by Wooton Basset

     Pound Foolish was supposed to create this topic but he didn't so I will. This is a topic to say if you have a crush on an AIO actor or actress.

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     What an interesting, embarrasing topic. If you want to see my response check it out, but I'm just going to comment on the topic as a whole. Pound Foolish also created the topic just a few minutes after Wooton, but his has been locked. We got some really interesting repsonses from this topic, including embarrasing confessions of love and some really funny moments! If you browse through this entire topic, you will be thouroughly entertained. I've commented on here alot. It's fun to confess embarrasing things to people you've never met, isn't it?

     The topic: Least Favorite Character by Sparkyhappygiraffe

     Who is your least favorite character?? I know I've heard some people say that Emily is their least favrite character, but mine would have to be "Mayor Margret Faye".

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     I posted on this, saying that I'm not sure who my least favorite character is. But this is still a very interesting topic, and it got some great responses. I actually like it when people put least favorite character or least favorite episode topics. It gives people the oppurtunity to discuss what they DON'T like about Odyssey. But I wonder why her least favorite is Margret Faye... I liked her!

     July 15th - 16th
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from July 15th - 16th. Here's the first communication I found interesting:

     A comment in the topic: Lego Fans by Wooton Basset

     No my iron man helmet is not on there because I copied it from another person on mocpages. And no I have never been on the Brothers Brick. Here is a picture of my iron man helmet:

Attachments:

Photo on 12-07-16 at 7.37 PM.jpg [ 67.28 KiB | Viewed 2 times ]

      Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Wooton Basset is a Lego fan. He even has a lego blog, and there's a link to that in the interview I did with him. But this! Wow! An Iron Man helmet! That's amazing! How many exclamation points was that? Anyway, this looks like an amazing design, and even if Wooton did copy it, he still was able to build it. He also stated in an earlier post that this Iron Man helmet can fit around his head! I don't think I would ever be able to make a helmet like that. Overall, Wooton obviously did an amazing job and I just wanted to acknowledge him. Good job, Wooton!

     A comment in the topic Totally Tubular Top 10 Commenters Club by T.S. (Myself)

     Here they are:

 1  HannahJ.------------2118      
 2  gabbygirl17---------1160      
 3  Wooton Bassett-----1085      
 4  The Old Judge--------996      
 5  T.S. (myself)---------804      
 6  C-guy-----------------765      
 7  CreativeThinker101--612      
 8  suzylou---------------593      
 9  EugeneforPresident--564      
 10  Godsgirl6157---------547      

So far, we have everyone in the club except for

1. Wooton Bassett
2. The Old Judge
3. CreativeThinker101

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     I was not in the Totally Tubular Top 10 Commenters Club because I had no idea I was in the Top 10 list! But yay, I am, and I'm joining! And it's so cool that T.S. was able to compile this Top 10 list! This will be an amazing reference list in the future, if only to see how many posts we had back in those good ol' days. (I'll bet when I check back in 3 years, I'll have 12000 posts, and I'll think, "Wow! I can't believe I ever had 612! How pathetic!") Any way, this is an amazing list and I thank T.S. (Myself) for providing it. I can't wait to put in my signature that I'm a member of the Totally Tubular Top 10 Commenters Club! Good job, T.S. (Myself)!

     July 13th - 14th
     Hello communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from July 13th - 14th. Here's the first communication I found interesting:

     The topic: Lucy By T.S. (Myself)

     Lucy is tied for my favorite AIO character. Every time I hear her speak, I can sense the innocence in her heart, and the pure relationship with God. She was such a deep, beautiful person who cared so much about everyone around her. She also went through much tragedy and pain, and I believe that, partly, this was responsible for her quiet thoughtfulness later in her life. What does everyone else think of her?

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

      T.S. (Myself) is known throughout SS as a profound, deep, person, as well as a long commenter. Recently, he started this topic, and I commented on it the second I saw it. T.S. is obviously a good writer, and his words flow together poetically. And I must agree with everything he said about Lucy. You can hear the innocence in her voice. She did go through much tragedy and pain, with Blackguaard and her dad, though I never really thought about it. This is a new topic, posted just yesterday, and it hasn't gotten too many responses, but I hope it does, because it's one I'll be watching out for when I do the next U.S.S. Response. Good job, T.S. (Myself)!

     The topic: Interview with Kimmy Robertson by Hannah J.

      Hi Y'all I'm going to be hosting a interview on Me4TheKing with Kimmy Robertson! I need help with the questions. Thanks.

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     I just love interviews, don't you? Getting to talk to your favorite actors or directors or authors or painters or janitors or convicted villains or garbage truck workers. It's an amazing opportunity, and I love doing interviews on my blog. I've tried to do a few recently, but only one of them has worked out. But Hannah J., really, is doing something that no one else has done before. What is it? To interview an AIO actor on a non-AIO website, her blog, Me 4 the King. Now Hannah J.'s blog has evolved into a bit of an AIO blog, but it still has VBS updates and discusses spiritual topics. So, it still is essentially non-AIO, though it's Christian and Hannah J. will have an AIO blog out soon. And I'm super-excited about this interview, and I already gave Hannah J. a question. I love contributing to interviews, so when I saw this topic, I went right to it! I can't wait for this interview and I look forward to hearing more from Hannah J. Good job, Hannah J.!

     A comment in the topic Musicals by Pound Foolish.

      I was transported by Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, and Seussical. I most recently saw Tom Sawyer: The Musical. My favorite ever is Snoopy (the sequel to Your a Good Man Charlie Brown, which I've never seen except the animated movie, sadly.) This'll sound odd, but it blew me away and touched me pretty deeply. Needless to say, I also laughed my head onto the floor. (That language is figurative.)

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Ah, yes. The U.S.S. Response can truly not be complete without one of Pound Foolish's signature comments. PF has great taste in musicals. Beauty and the Beast is great, I saw parts of Fiddler on the Roof and LOVED it, I hear The Music Man is a classic, and anything with 'Suess' in it is great! But Snoopy! I'm a bit of a Peanuts enthusiast, so I've heard that they made a couple Broadway plays of Peanuts, and I was very interested in seeing them. But, I didn't, and it makes me feel worse to learn they were really good! Darn you, PF! (Just kidding!) And Tom Sawyer: The Musical? They'll make anything into a musical, these days. And I can see how that cute little beagle touched you PF. It's nice to know you have such a passion for music and plays brought together. Good job, Pound Foolish!

     July 11th - 12th
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from July 11th - 12th. Here's the first communication I found interesting:

     A comment in the topic Did you like the way Something Old/New Ended? by (once again) Pound Foolish.

 Maureen, Maureen, Maureen,
Fell down and burst her spleen
Connie trampled her till she was unfit to be seen
Whit thought it was mean
Mitch was sad but decided Maureen was now has a has-been
Connie's eyes lit up with a sheen
Poor, poor Maureen, Maureen, Maureen
(But she had it coming, have you seen?)

I don't think I'll submit that to the Chicken Soup section, but I like it!

     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Well, we have some very creative AIO fans, now don't we? I have to say that that is a HORRIBLY FUNNY poem! And I would consider actually submitting it to the Chicken Soup section! Great job, my young poet friend. A burst of a spleen and a trampling by a supposedly Christian role model is a little graphically disturbing, but I see your point, Pound Foolish. Like most AIO fans, you DO NOT LIKE MAUREEN! Actually, I like the character of Maureen, and I think it would be cool if she and Mitch came back with kids. Good job, Pound Foolish!

      The topic: Adventures in Odyssey Returns to iTunes By Bren.

     What do you guys think about AIO returning to iTunes? To a degree I like it since I have an iPhone but at the same time, it's easy to just rip what CDs you have into your iTunes library. I have done so with AIO in the past so I might use it and I might not. What about you?

      Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     I love the idea of AIO returning to iTunes. I think it's a fantastic move and I hope to possibly download 56 on my iPod. This topic got some interesting responses, even one by the administrator: Jacob Isom, so make sure you check it out. I posted a little bit about the return to iTunes on AIO News, but I'd like to go more in-depth here. Actually, I have no recollection of AIO ever being on iTunes, but we just recently got into Apple, and I haven't been an online AIO fan for very long, so it's natural that I wouldn't know about it. I'm super excited about this return, as all the major AIO websites are talking about it. But actually, Bren, if you're not tech-saavy like me, it's not too easy to rip CD's onto your iTunes library. iTunes is more complicated than it has to be in a way, and I'd rather just buy the stuff. We're supporting the best radio drama ever, after all! Overall, this is a great topic with great responses. Good job, Bren!

     A comment in the topic Seventh-day Adventist Q&A by sheltiez.

     I could go on for hours about Ellen G. White, but, for the sake of the reader of this post, I am only going to post a short biography and what I believe about her.

Ellen White was born Eleanor Gould Harmon in 1827 in Gorham, Maine. Soon after the birth of her and her twin sister, Elizabeth, the family moved to the city of Portland, Maine. She grew up in a Methodist home and was a normal girl for the first nine years of her life. Then, in 1836, her world changed dramatically when she was hit on the nose with a rock thrown by a jealous classmate. She stayed in a coma for three weeks before waking up to find she had a broken nose which changed her face quite a bit. doctors were able to do nothing for her, and her injury caused her not to be able to steady her hand to write or focus on a page to read. She never achieved a formal education and all hope was lost of her becoming a productive person.
In 1840, the family went to a Methodist campmeeting where they herd William Miller preach his ideas of prophecy. They accepted his ideas and became part of his followers called Millerites. He preached that the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 ended in 1844 and that Jesus would come at that time. Ellen accepted Jesus as her Savior at that campmeeting and was baptized two years later in 1842 in the ocean. The Methodist church decided shortly after the Harmons had accepted the Millerite message that it was not of Christ. The church expelled every Methodist member who would not give up these beliefs including the Harmons. After Ellen was baptized, she joined the mission work among the youth and spread the message to everyone who would listen. In 1844, obviously, Jesus did not return. Ellen later described that year as the happiest of all of her years and 1845 as the saddest of all her years because she was not with her Savior. The Millerites, who had started to be called Adventists because they preached the second advent of Christ, stayed strong and studied the Bible. They found that the prophecy meant the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly one (see belief 24 in my post of the 28 beliefs).
In late 1844, Ellen had a vision. She saw the Advent believers on a narrow path that led to the New Jerusalem. At the gate of the city was Jesus with all of his glory. As long as the people kept their eyes on Him, they stayed on the path. At the far end of the path, she saw a much lesser light which was the Advent message. Throughout her life, she had hundreds of visions and prophetic dreams, lasting from a few minutes to several hours. Witnesses of these visions said that while in vision she would stare upward as if looking at something intently. She would sometimes walk around the room or make gestures with her hands. She would not breathe at all, but her pulse would be regular. She would receive supernatural strength. One time, at a church crowded with people, she had a vision. As she was in vision, she picked up the Bible from the pulpit which weighed 18 pounds. She held it up in the air with one hand for several hours before coming out of vision. Afterward, she could not pick up the Bible without using both hands and could not raise it in the air. By the power of God, Ellen White wrote many books containing the message that she said God wanted her to spread to the world. Remember, she never learned to read or write. Some of her visions contained scientific things which she could not understand but were completely accurate. She once described the planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn which she did not know of as she had never studied science. One vision in 1860, five months before the start of the Civil War, she had a vision about the war. The next day at the Adventist church in Parkville, Michigan, she shared her vision. She also said that several families in that room would lose sons, brothers, and fathers in the war. This was at the time when no one thought there would be a war. Sure enough, there was a war and several families from Parkville Adventist Church did lose sons, brothers, and fathers.
I think I have been going too long, so, in summery of the rest of her life, she accepted the Sabbath shortly after marrying James White in 1846. Her visions guided the church in its early days, but did not replaced Scripture. She always said that God wanted Christians to go to the Bible and study it. She said that her message was only to explain the Bible and to help Adventists know what it says. She died in 1915 in St. Helena, California.

Now, the church today believes that Ellen White's writings are important to study, but that Scripture should always come first. We do not hold her writings on the same level as the Bible. I have read a few of her books and have enjoyed them. I love reading her book, Desire of Ages, about the life of Christ. By the way, in her writings she constantly quotes the Bible and the pages are laced with verses from Genesis to Revelation. Many of her prophecies have been fulfilled and even some of the ones about the last days. I believe that she was a prophetess of God and that her visions were from God. I also hope that I can have such a close relationship with Jesus as she did. She was an amazing woman and I cannot wait to meet her in New Jerusalem.

     Communication specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     Wow, was that too long for you? I read every fascinating word of it. I just stumbled upon this post as I was browsing the 'Church' subforum to find good posts. I have never heard of Ellen White, but she sounds like a truly amazing woman and prophetess. God has definitely used prophets in recent years to get his teachings across, including Ellen White. This is an amazing biography, sheltiez, and I believe you could go on for hours about this fascinating woman, though I thank you that you didn't. Ellen's visions sound amazing, and I believe that they were given to her by God. I am interested in reading more about her, and, yes, like you, I cannot wait to meet her in New Jerusalem. Good job on this great biography, sheltiez!

     July 9th - 10th
     Hello, communication specialist CreativeThinker101 speaking. I will be discussing the latest communications from the ship The U.S.S. Response, mainly from July 9th - 10th. Here's the first communication that I found interesting:

     The topic Santa: Yes or No By underseasie.

     I wanted to know you guy's opinion on Santa. I personally don't see the point of lying to your kids, then, when they get "old enough", to say, "You know all that stuff I told you about Santa Claus? Yeah, well it was all a lie, he's not real." That's not a very good example to kids in being honest, even about little things. My parents never did Santa or the Easter Bunny. They did do the Tooth Fairy, but we knew it was our mom and she knew that we knew, so we all just played along. So what do you guys think?

I just wanted to add, that if you do have Santa, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, and I hope no ones takes offense from what I'm saying.

     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     I found this one to be particularly interesting. I believe that underseasie has some very good points. You shouldn't lie to your kids, and Santa can get in the way of Jesus. Parents need to be good role models, and lying to your kids for the sake of Christmas is not being a good role model. Kids need to know that Santa isn't real, but Jesus is. I think kids who celebrate Christmas and believe in Santa are forgetting about Jesus with all the hubbub around Santa. But you could do the same thing with Santa as underseasie did with the Tooth Fairy. Overall, this is a fascinating topic, even if it doesn't have too many responses. Good job, underseasie!

     A comment in the topic Book Corner by Pound Foolish

Yeah, what in the world ARE you two talking about? I believe those are some of those gratuitous comments the moderator was saying need to be STOPPED! I see why. Yep isn't a very interesting comment, even spelled with a "u." Alright. I am charmed to find you enjoy The Wheel on the School, TS! I am very fond of that story. I've been through it twice. I want to read The Hiding Place sometime, my family owns it and my mom has loved it for years.

I have read millions and millions of words worth of books, but here is my attempt at a fav list...
1. The Dragons in Our Midst books
2. LOTR and The Hobbit
3. Narnia and other things by that amazing man
4. Anything by Shakespeare, but particularly Macbeth
5. Anything by Oscar Wilde, but especially The Importance of Being Earnest and Lady Wildermere's Fan
6. Regina Doman's fairytale books
7. Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice and Emma
8. Any classical fairytale by Grimm and Anderson
9. The Chronicles of Prydain
10. To Kill a Mockingbird
Children's books:
Charley and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, (Roald Dahl) Half Magic (Edward Eager)
As far as somewhat factual books, one of my favorites is Johnny Tremain

     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

     If you're a Soda Shop user, you would know that Pound Foolish and T.S. (Myself) make long, deep, fascinating comments. This one wouldn't fall into that category, but I've always really enjoyed when Soda Shoppers leave lists. I sometimes do, and it's a good way to organize and present things. I like this book least particularly because it doesn't have a lot of new books. In fact, if you look, you'll see that the only modern book is 'The Dragons in Our Midst' series, published several years ago. You wouldn't expect someone's Top 10 Favorite Book List to have Jane Austen, Shakspeare, Grimm and Anderson, or Oscar Wilde on it. I also really like Roald Dahl as well, and, though I haven't read it, Johnny Tremain looks quite good. Overall, this was a very fun and interesting comment to read. Good job, Pound Foolish!

      A comment in the topic New or Old? by Pound Foolish:

Some of you will hate me for this. But the new ones are better in some ways. They are more consitently funny, and the habit of having more than one plot at once makes things more interesting, and allows for characters to appear more often in the shows. And... oh boy, now some of you will want to kill me... But a few of the early ones, though not many, were just plain yawn in places. I'm not saying the Stojka era is better than the two precessors, but it certainly measure up. The trouble is, once people like a something, and something new with it comes out, they tend to interpret differences and flaws. They miss what was there before, even if what's there now is just as good. If people accept the new AIO, instead of complaining about what's gone, we'll all like it. Yes, we're all terribly, terribly sad Dave Madden and Corey Burton are retired and the great Walker Edmiston is dead, God rest his soul. But those things happen. And the same AIO fans who miss the old plots and old people would probably scream if the plots were too similar or if AIO replaced the voices of the classic characters.

 
     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

 
     I know this is another one by Pound Foolish, but he really has a lot of things to say. Yes, some of us may hate him for this comment, but I like how he voices his opinions in an interesting, sometimes controversial, way. I think a lot of fans do act like they hate the new era because there are new characters. But, change can help you change, you know, and that can be a good thing! (Listen to Back to Abnormal) It is sad that Dave Madden and Corey Burton retired, and that Walker Edminston died, but Pound Foolish is right. Those things happened. That's why AIO brought in new characters. I'll bet one day they'll be saying, "When Whit Hertford got too old to be on AIO, Odyssey was horrible." or "When Kimmy Robertson stopped working with them, AIO went down the tubes." So you see, people were complaining about The Washingtons, and now they're asking them to return. And good point, Pound Foolish, we would hate it if they brought in a new guy to play Bernard, yet we want him to come back! Dave Madden is retired, people. Overall, Pound Foolish delivers an interesting comment yet again. You know, Pound Foolish, I think you should consider starting and AIO website, if you want to! I would love to hear your opinions. Good job, Pound Foolish!

     The topic: Odyssey Jeopardy by Wooton Basset

   
     This works just like the Jeopardy tv show only there is Odyssey questions. Anybody who wants to play sign up here. The sign up will close in about 5 days.

 
     Communication Specialist CreativeThinker101 reporting:

 
     I love the SS games. Wooton Basset is quite creative, and he came up with many of the SS games, including: AIO Finish the Story, Odyssey Hurt and Heal, and, of course, Odyssey Jeopardy. When I saw this topic, I immediately signed up. I love the prospect of Odyssey Jeopardy, and I'm excited about competing with my fellow Soda Shoppers. Wooton hasn't started the contest yet, but I think this could be very interesting... I'm very curious to see what kind of questions Wooton will present us, and I'm pumped about winning! (Just so you know, I'm not sure that I'll win!) Overall, this looks like an incredibly fun contest. So go sign up for it!