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Not just any limb assignment: In August 1992, my wife and I were assigned to the Oklahoma Limb. This was not just another limb, this was Craig Martindale's home state. His roots. His pride. His family. And, therefore......it was a special limb assignment. We were the Oklahoma limb coordinators for 6 years.....August 1992 - August 1998. And, by 1993......craig's parents, rod and joann, decided to move from the Denver area back to Stillwater, OK. So, along with limb responsibilities......we were entrusted with the whole martindale family and the special protocol to one and all......rod, jo, craig, kirk, kent, and kerry. When I said that I've "brushed shoulders" with all four twi-presidents........that is an understatement. Most notably from 1994-1998, I had a couple dozen or more intricate workings with craig.......personally and ministry-wise. Anytime that I assisted his parents, craig would express his gratitude. For nearly 10 months, we didn't have an established twig in Stillwater.....so I'd drive the 60 miles from Oklahoma City to Stillwater, with two or three corps and/or advanced class grads and I'd teach the "fellowship" in rod and jo's living room. They always expressed thankfulness and appreciation for our efforts. I was their "twig coordinator." Numerous situations......numerous communications. In March 1994, craig's grandmother passed away. Rod called me and asked if I'd come to Blackwell, OK to help. Several hours before the funeral service, craig and I did a few errands together and talked about the service. I had recently done a funeral and shared with him several of the verses of scripture that I highlighted at that time. Well....it did amaze me somewhat as I sat several pews back in that church and heard craig read and emphasize a couple of those same verses [not the normal standard ones] that I'd just given to him. I don't know why he did it.......but he did. When the "Rise and Expansion" series became a hot item.....martindale assigned for each limb coordinator to teach it in their state. Not sure if this was Sep/Oct 1994 or whenever.......but it took lots of prep time to teach those 8 "great statements." With charts, itineraries, expansion......we were to detail how the word prevailed in the first century. During that Fri/Sat/Sun weekend, I taught six of the sessions and my wife taught two.....and I must admit that we did a fine job of it. At the close of Sunday's final session, Rod M. came forward to shake my hand and thank me. He was slightly teary-eyed. And, the next week he called craig and signed up for the advanced class. Needless to say, craig martindale was very moved by this.......and sent me a hand-written note. On April 19, 1995......my wife and I were on our way to an apprentice corps couple's home. It was his birthday.....and we stopped at a nearby store near 60th street on the north side of Oklahoma City. While my wife was inside the store, there was this big BOOM.....and my car jostled side to side. What the heck was THAT? I stepped out of my car looking to the skies.....expecting to see the skytrails of a fighter jet that had broken the sound barrier (an air force base not far away). But no.....it wasn't that. Another 10 seconds go by before this white plume of smoke arose in downtown OKC. Must have been an explosion......a bomb. The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building became a crime scene. Within 90 minutes, McVeigh was implicated in the Oklahoma City bombing. I was less than six miles from the explosion and my car shook side-to-side. One of our advanced class grads had just left that building to walk three blocks to another building to run an errand. Lots of disinformation hit the airwaves. I could write a short thesis of what unfurled and what the public was never told. The building was demolished in 5 days and all the debris was hauled away to an undisclosed dumpsite.......no forensics. Lots of witnesses saw varying details. Some had reported of two seismograph readings (two blasts!) in Norman, OK.....a geological center just 28 miles south. A state representative in Oklahoma lost his job trying to expose the details. Martindale asked my region coordinator to keep him updated. One time, in 1996......craig was in Stillwater visiting his folks. He invited me to meet up with he and his dad at this sandwich/brewery OSU college-campus hot spot. A casual, light-hearted, good-to-see-you, get-together. A simple gesture to thank me for "being there" for his folks. Prior to the finished recording The Way of Abundance and Power class (foundational)......communication from the trunk/region had gone out to each limb coordinator to present a special gift to craig in a token of this class. For weeks, I'd pondered what would help to convey our appreciation for his efforts......and then, it hit me. Craig had highlighted at certain points in this class his love of baseball with his dad, and sports in general. Well.....it just seemed fitting to present craig with a new top-of-the-line baseball mitt with a baseball personally autographed by his dad. Craig, again......wrote me a nice, hand-written note of thanks. The next sunday teaching, craig showed the ball and glove for all to see. At the Dallas Advanced Class Special in November 1997, we presented craig martindale with a Will Rogers miniature stature [Will on his horse].....only three in existence. The Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, OK had two in their possession [one on display]......and this one had a price tag on it for sale. The Oklahoma believers chipped in and we bought it for around $1,250. [Amazed that they wanted to part with it.] For sure, this gift was very special to craig. For those who don't know......craig martindale was born on November 4th, the same day as will rogers.....and when craig was a little kid, his mom often called him "little will." SO.........here I was, in the midst of this psychodynamic personality fluctuating between super-ego and fits of yelling rage........and a guy who yukked it up while having a beer near the osu campus. He could be a raging terror on stage.....and an average guy in Oklahoma. But still..... all the purges, the directives, the reporting back, the micromanagement of full-time corps, the extreme expense cutting, the pregnancy and pet policies, the "present-truth" revelations.............(and yet, I still did not know of his rampant sexual predation)......... ........it was all so dizzying and I knew, deep down, that I wanted to jump from this train. ........I told myself to stay patient and look for a soft spot to roll. .

Well......I have come to an impasse. Unless I divulge more specifics, this whole timeline.....and the importance of why its so deep and personal.....will fall short of the "strike zone." So, hopefully I've got some fast balls, curves and sliders to keep the crowd involved. But.......with Christmas in sight and joy in the air, I've got dinner and evening plans. More to come..........