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If you're Foundational Class Grad, you need to get needs / want parallel and believe to receive If you're and Intermediate Class Grad, you now need be continually SITing first continue to see through to completion. If you're an Advanced Class Grad, you need to spend an afternoon finding a list of Bible verses to claim prior to action. Probably get leadership's permission first. After Way D, If you're not speaking The Word, don't expect God to hold back the Adversary and that lightbulb issue will never be solved. At Staff, We walk not by sight, God has to tell you in your heighten state of readiness to receive word of knowledge about these mystical lightbulb phenomena, it's about the Word Prevailing, not some physical need. At GSC, whether or not lightbulbs exist is personal experience and only your opinion (j/k) Does this seem the right progession? Somebody will have to explain Corps level. But it appears simple tasks become less simple the more spiritually helpless mature you get. Edited to add (unbelievers just change the light bulb, but that's due to a lack of awareness of the situation)

Why is it? When you want something good to happen, you have to complete a list of prerequisites. Miss even one and it won't work. (Details conveniently outlined in a 36 hour class for your convenience.) But, if you want something bad to happen, all you have to do is have a little fear. BOOM! ...Works for saint and sinner alike. "Why, if I was a betting man..."

Well, way corps would need to submit a proposed schedule for changing the bulb. Once approved, the proposed schedule would become the approved light bulb changing event titled "Walking in the Household in New Light". From there the event coordinator would need to hold several planning meetings to assemble the event crew and disseminate the event schedule with the local dimsciples (soon to be fully illuminated disciples) to assemble volunteers for various and sundry tasks. After the event and everyone is fully illuminated, the event coordinator would need to report back via a written debrief report that in no way would be brief. Now thats prevailing!!

The mainstream news cycle has a new buzzword, mission creep, in describing the Libya military action. Mission creep is the expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often after initial successes.[1] The term often implies a certain disapproval of newly adopted goals by the user of the term. Mission creep is usually considered undesirable due to the dangerous path of each success breeding more ambitious attempts, only stopping when a final, often catastrophic, failure occurs. The term was originally applied exclusively to military operations, but has recently been applied to many different fields. Wierwille's corps program was deeply flawed and stained by "mission creep." The corps program is 40 years old......and DEPENDING ON WHICH CORPS AND DECADE(S) he experienced, the "mission creep" of indoctrination is inescapably related. In general terms, the earlier corps programs were small groups with direct involvement from wierwille on "The Farm." When the 6th corps numbers swelled at the Emporia Campus, things were consistently changing......and the "Sick" corps group experienced more face-meltings (or, so I heard). Add the Rome City campus, add kids.......and changing diapers. But really......"mission creep" of the corps program was dramatically changed during the martindale era. The top-down command centers of twi were encroaching on every aspect of the corps grads' life and lifestyle. Yeah, its one thing to go thru the corps program and/or serve at twi's headquarters.......but, on the field, every day? every corps night? every weekend? And, it was MANDATORY TO ATTEND EVERY CORPS MEETING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE TO STAY IN TWI'S GOOD GRACES??? So yeah......I know some posters, some of the earlier corps, had nice experiences where they loved each other and served Jesus........BUT WIERWILLE ALLOWED "MISSION CREEP" by neglecting to define his program and its boundaries. And, putting martin-creep in charge. IMO....one of the greatest threads on GS defined the morphing of twi. In categorizing twi in time frames, or presidential eras.....TWI-1, TWI-2, and TWI-3.....it kept discussions from those broad generalizing statements. To be clear, twi has changed dramatically since 1969......hasn't it? Twi stopped selling all the "Joyful Noise" cassettes some 20 years ago. The new way songbooks no longer have the "Yes, it is Jesus" songs throughout......but *prevailing-way* songs. Depending on where your experience lies on the spectrum of "mission creep".......your posts will be colored with those thoughts!

The happiest thought I had driving out of NK on 12/14/1986, was that none of my children would ever again be exposed to, or imposed upon by a mindless, fundamentalist, destructive cult of personality like TWIt. And, in addition, they'd never become cult bait in their lives. Their normal early childhood development, the positive benefits and fun from socialization with a diverse community of fellow humans, and their PUBLIC EDUCATION sparked the curiosity and necessary determination to make their lives meaningful in reality, and to develope an acute social conscience and awareness of the good helping others brings to community and themselves. None of these legends in their own mind, like moneyhands er al, ever escaped the forced adolescence shoved upon them by Wierwille's Nazi style indoctrination/"training". The normal process of human development according to Piaget, is an 8 course cycle. Adolescence is phase 4, and averages between ages 12-20. The next phase, 5, is Identity Formation, one of the most critical of the phases, since what you are and determine to be as an individual human being is developed during this phase. Average ages for this stage are 21-32. The reason it is crucial to force "volunteers" to stay in extended adolescence is that it prevents volunteers from developing their own individual, unique identity, and thereby a purpose for their being. Wierwille kept "his keeds" in extended adolescence until his "teaching and training" coerced the volunteers to adopt an identity wholly beneficial to WEIRWILLE'S needs and wants above all others, including themselves. People like Moneyhands, Snorky and Patty Fay Roberts, the Fredericks, or the Horneys never made it out of that prolonged adolescence, so they never developed an authentic individual identity of self. Rather, they were taught that "self" was not Christian. Self is ego, pride, entitlement, and WRONG. Losing yourself in "the ministry" or "giving yourself to God", or devoting yourself to "living the corpse principles" forever, is RIGHT. So, wierwille kept his keeds "stoopeed" until their identity was "you're my corps, damnit!". Perfect for "a lifetime of service" to dictor Paul and his minus-try. But, not very healthy for those who accept it and strive to keep it until they die! So, in effect, what you have in this R'n'R cult is a bunch of 20 year olds figuring out that "the man" has been ripping them off for 40 years and NOW they're pissed! Well honey boo boo......too bad! It's too late! You all are in that stage of finding meaning and purpose to your life now that you're retired or getting close. No more sucking off mama TWI's teats anymore either! If you're not retired you will be fired and promptly M&A'd. A 65 year old adolescent trying to figure out the meaning of life after having wasted most of their own. So? What to do? Start your own business.......excuse me......church so you can do the work you've been trained to do. Manufacture "spiritual needs" in peoples' lives that only you and your "Word" can meet. Manufacture false questions, alternative facts, and truthful hyperbole that only YOU and "the Word"can answer and explain. Manufacture a spayshull new nuclear family of "likeminded believers", and make it even more spayshull and holy by calling it "the real household of Gawd". Maintain the exclusivity and exceptionalism of this "household" through complete, direct control of thinking AND behavior. Keep the "household" away from other sources, media, education, and most importantly other "Christians" and all churches! Make them fear da Debbil and debbil spurts, our invisible enemies which seem to be more omnipresent than God himself!! LOL! Again, the only way you can deal with da Debbil is by taking the ADVANCED CLASS! The one for "adult Christians" only! Again, learned helplessness, which makes life outside the "household" unbearable and impossible! Any one see some recognizable patterns here?? i have no sympathy for moneyhands or any of the self-serving frauds who signed that wayspeak much ado about nothing. It's just another tempest in their ever-shrinking TWIt teacup. They don't like not being able to tell everybody they're possessed or how to live their lives, raise their kids, and spend their precious time. Their way Corpse ministers after all. The cream of the crap, accepting "the charge of their faddah in da woid" to protect da woid, da woid, and nothing but da woid until they die! How very noble. How completely misguided and insane. My final word to these turds? Too effing bad! You're too late, too stupid, too dumb, and too immature to change anything. You invited 1400 people to your dog and pony show yesterday morning. That's like one snowflake in a blinding 4' blizzard. Nobody outside that 1400 gives a rat's ass about your minus-try, or your sudden enlightenment. Nobody who has been abused by you Nazis will ever care until YOU fuckers repent, apologize, and make restitution to those you have despitefully used through your years of "serving gawd and the household"! It's been 40 years so far. No one's holding their breath. Crawl back under your slimy rocks and STFU. Bless you!

Consider that you have a target audience for such a strategic move that includes potentially a thousand or more people who are already locked into the idea that they need to give away 15 percent of their income in order for God to protect them. The question is whether a viable market exists. I'd guess that it does... and that among the new splinter leadership group, there's probably enough financial resources to make them not so concerned about the urgency of getting the new revenue stream up and running to ensure survival.

You're right Skyrider. His statement is unclear and confusing. But God is not the author of confusion.

"If they cannot answer a question they will be able to contact me for further insight from God's Word" It's too bad God's Word isn't written down somewhere where everyone can access it. Thankfully, this man has a heart to serve.

Thanks OperaBuff......and thanks for your military service. Much appreciated. Although wierwille's methods were extremely subtle, there were times when his mask slipped and one got a peak at another side of wierwille. During my inrez years, I witnessed 3 occasions when wierwille went ballistic with uncontrollable, venomous rage.....two situations involved faithful corps, one involved vpw's bodyguard. And, in my opinion, martindale's yell-fests had nothing on wierwille. Wierwille was alpha male howl hound. Besides the narcissism, it took me years to recognize that wierwille was a misogynist. I had never quite put it at that degree, until Ralph D. came on this forum and gave testimony to some of his experiences.....but I did see and suspect wierwille's disdain for my wife's accomplishments. She had gone on staff in 1970 and had an office in the EOB......and, it wasn't until many years later, when wierwille's disdain for women surfaced. IMO.....wierwille rarely missed an opportunity to advance "his" ministry. Every staff person, every corps person was needed......until they WEREN'T. Sadly, the inner circle of trustees and yes-men covered for wierwille's predation and lusts and mistakes. Had twi ever been a ministry WHERE THE INTEGRITY OF GOD'S WORD LIVED.....there never would have been a Reverend L. Craig Martindale as the 2nd President. Mission Creep............creeps on.

Well put! I'd just point out that the term "mission creep" has been around for decades. From my years in the military and a career as a Defense Department civilian, mission creep not only describes the inevitable lurching forward that results from an insufficiently defined military mission. It's equally applicable to the expansion and functions of a bureaucracy. Having left the Way in the 70s, I missed the so-called fog years and all the un-Godly horrors that followed. But looking at all that from the outside, with eyes that gained considerable insight into the workings of bureaucracies during my career, it is obvious to me that the Way's bureaucracy was dysfunctional in the extreme, incestuous, and beyond the influence of whatever few rational thinkers that may have been around it. There was no proper functioning, there was only disfunction. To this day, I believe that most of the seemingly inexplicable decisions of its top leaders was due to sexual blackmail. There ain't nothing spiritual about good old-fashioned blackmail, but it is highly effective. Being blackmailed frequently explains why someone makes sudden, weird, contradictory decisions which, ultimately, are self-destructive.

Well defined? Like Libya?

I have to disagree. Well, I dont have to I suppose, but I do. "Mission Creep", if I'm understanding things correctly, implies that at one time there was a well-defined, needfull, and well carried out mission. I don't think such a thing existed in TWI.

"Mission Creep" Isn't that what it said on wierwille's name tag?

The expanded literal translation according to vpw: "The greatest thing in the world today is not Victoria's Secret - but it's close to it!" I wish you could see it in the original peep show - it's just so ho.

:biglaugh: now that would make for an interesting day--Id go myself to see that

I would go. I voted "other".. whatever is voiced, discussed, argued over, whatever.. it would be up to them.. don't spill the red wine. Consume it at reception, along with half a dozen refills.. God made wine for a reason, doncha know.. maybe I shouldn't say more.. but a few milligrams of lsd tossed in the punch might make all the difference at the party..

I know it is a twi, but you were invited by either the bride or groom. It will hopefully be the only wedding that they have in their life. Think about them in your decision. Wedding day is special wherever it is held. That said, always be carrying a glass of red wine. I will send you a list of people that you could "accidently" trip and spill it on.

Me? I'd go, and with the following conditions: 1) I would go and ONLY converse (ie., fellowship, yanno?) with the relative. 2) have plenty to eat. Might as well get _something_ out of the deal. Make sure its well prepared food tho'. Familia sure as hell doesn't cut it in that department. 3) have a '666' tatooed on my forehead. ... J-U-S-T kidding on that last part. ... Well, maybe not. Depends on how much they would pi** me off. But seriously, the only connection/possible obligation you have is with your relative. Nobody else in that madhouse can make any social demands on you. ... At all.

Yep, that's it-- "a token of my Christian faith and abiding love for you". I can see how LCM would have changed the vows to agree with his new doctrine. I'll stick with the vows I took. They've worked well so far (32+ years).

Well, I guess Victoria's secret is out.