Glossary
- Home:
- In the early days of the Family International, our communal centers were called colonies. This changed in the mid '70s when emphasis was put on our centers being more homey and less austere. Thus their name was changed to Homes. The term is capitalized in our literature when it is talking about a Family International communal center as opposed to simply a residence.
- Life with Grandpa children's books:
- A five-volume series of books, illustrated in comic strip form, and based on events in Father David's Home. They were intended for children, and were largely based on Father David's interactions with the three children in his household during their preadolescent years. The series was published during the early 1980s.
- Mo Letters:
- The "Mo Letters" are the writings of Father David, who was known in the early days of the Family International as Moses David. This was often shortened to Mo, and hence his writings became known as the "Mo Letters."
- Witness:
- "Witness" is a term commonly used among Christians to denote the act of talking about and living their faith. The term originates in Mark 16:15, when Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples and to all believers to preach their faith. He said they would "be witnesses unto Me in all the world."
- Flannelgraph:
- A storytelling system that uses a board covered with flannel, onto which paper cutouts of characters and objects from a story are placed. The paper objects are moved around as the story unfolds. The cutouts are backed either with flannel or some other substance that adheres lightly to the flannel background.
- Mo Lion:
- Father David once saw himself pictured as an old male lion in a vision. He was taken with the portrayal, and for several years, whenever he was illustrated in the publications of the Family International, it was with the body of a man and the head of a lion. The illustrated character became known as Mo Lion.
- Spirit-led:
- A term that came into use in the early days of the Family. It was loosely based on Galatians 5:18: "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law," and meant that one should realize that set templates or rules could not necessarily be applied to every situation. Thus it was important to be prayerful and led by the Lord in how to approach situations, especially ones with unusual circumstances.
- Prophecy:
- When the Lord speaks and gives a message through one of His followers, such inspired utterances are referred to as prophecy. Throughout the Bible the Lord spoke to His people this way, inspiring His prophets to give His words and messages to those for whom they were intended. The Family's theology teaches that God still speaks today. A prophecy is a message from Jesus Christ directly, or it can also be via the agency of other helpful spirit beings. Prophecies are often words of instruction or encouragement, and not necessarily predictions of the future.
- Miracle-workers in the Endtime:
- The Family International firmly believes that the Endtime as foretold in the Bible is imminent. In the book of Revelation, chapter 11, we are told of two people who will be outstanding miracle-workers and leaders of the Christians in those days. Father David taught that these two, while perhaps the most outstanding, will not be alone in possessing many of the powers imputed to them. He fervently believed that many in the Family—if and when the Lord saw that it was necessary—would also have powers to work miracles as a testimony to divine truth and power during that time when Christianity will be outlawed and its adherents viciously persecuted.
- HCS:
- The Heavenly City School is situated in a rural area to the south of Tokyo. It had formerly been a private school, and was renamed the Heavenly City School when Father David and his entourage moved there in 1988. The school itself is a large cross-shaped building and there are several other houses on or adjacent to the property that the Family uses. The HCS remains an active Family Home at the writing of this book.
- Good Thots:
- Good Thots is a Family produced two-volume treasury of stories, anecdotes, wise sayings, and much more, compiled from a multitude of Christian and secular sources.
- Parent day:
- Parents in the Family are encouraged to devote one full day a week entirely to their children (or at least one day every two weeks), besides the regular time they spend with their children on a daily basis.
- GenUp:
- An internal Family magazine published for preadolescents.
- Millennium:
- This refers to a period of 1,000 years, during which time Jesus Christ and His heavenly forces will rule and reign over the entire world. As Jesus and His forces establish the kingdom of God on Earth, justice, equity, and true righteousness will at last prevail. (See Daniel 2:44; Revelation 20:1-4,6; 5:10; Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:6-9; Psalm 46:9; Jeremiah 31:34)
