Leaderboard

My roads not taken would have included: significant professional recognition/acknowledgment and a respectable place in a respected profession in society a nice house and decent car a loving husband a load of children instead, I abandoned a potentially lucrative career; have only 10 years ago (blessedly) been able to buy a small house; I run a reliable car from 2003; I have never married; I don't have any children. I fought hard to get to where I was professionally, from a background with no record of tertiary education. First (and almost only of my generation and cousins) to get a degree. My house is tiny but it's fine AND it's mine AND I'm nearly mortgage free. It's a miracle, how that came to pass. I might yet find a husband. I will never have children. Not of my own, anyway. (Past the time for that... maybe if I change my name to Sarah?) Maybe I'll find a husband with his own kids - or even grandkids. And these last two are "the roads not taken" - what was stolen, defrauded, from me by TWI - that I deeply regret. Things could have been very different, without their constant interference. Breaking things up. Ruining lives and futures. What I DO have - is peace of mind. I am free of that organization and its miseries. I am content and thankful with the life I have. That doesn't stop me from wanting a little more. But that's not a "driver" in my life. I will go along the road the Lord has chosen for me and explore with enthusiasm and confidence all opportunities presented to me along that road.

It breaks my heart that people still follow VP's path to perdition. . . . . the most heartbreaking thing is those that have left long ago and are still immersed in it. VP's judgment is not one we want, not a place we want to follow him.....but, we can take heart....God is gracious and so able to deliver to the uttermost. I never underestimate the power of prayer or a true penitent heart before a merciful and all powerful God. :) Thank-you for your posts...they have meant a great deal to me.

We used to sing "Farther along we'll know all about it..." Well that turned out to be right, didn't it?

When I first got into the organization, I was awed by the teaching. You all know why, it was cleverly marketed and promoted with the aim of enticing/compelling you to take part. And part with your money. So it took me a bit to begin to see it. I never lived around a fellowship, I lived right in the middle of an East coast city. At the time, I didn't have a car, and didn't need one as I lived just a couple miles from where I worked. I noticed after two or three years and switching my "assigned" fellowship, that again, it was somewhere miles removed from me, in the suburbs where no public transit dare roam. Indeed, this was common to all the fellowship locations that I knew of. Not one of them in or near the city proper. This necessitated procuring rides from someone I lived near enough to take public transit to meet up and carpool with. This was an unpleasant development for "independent me", pleading with whoever would be "generous" enough to meet me at a bus stop (Not even my house, mind you!) but I submitted to it so I could get to fellowship. The thing that bothered me and seemed "unChristianlike" was the reaction if I was late, especially likely in light of my taking the bus. Public transportation is no excuse, I was admonished. Apparently, it was "believing" action to take the bus and wait an hour for them to get me, if required, no matter the weather conditions. At the time, it never occurred to me to question the words of someone who never rode public transportation in his life. This hardness of heart bothered me, even though the people in question helped me in other situations. There was a also a palpable disdain for people of the "wrong" economic status, judging by the lack of people under a certain income range, as they were reaping the results of "unbelief". I wondered, "aren't these the type of folks that need 'the Word' most of all?" I never asked this directly, but plenty there mentioned how "spiritually dark" the city was. They thought that they were too far gone is what I deduced the reason for this was. I also noticed the "whitebread" composition of fellowships. No matter which suburban location, it was usually 90-100% white. And this near a majority-black city. Which also gives the real explanation for why almost no witnessing attempts took place there. The leadership implicitly believes there's no money it for 'em, so why bother. Don't get me started on the teenaged children of various "long-standing" corpse members or leadership there. Their arrogance and conceit were astounding. Because Mommy and Daddy were leadership/ veteran corpse/ way disciples/blah/ blah ..., they could look down upon us who were late to the game. They were generally more unpleasant to be around, though marginally less stiff, than their high-horsed parents.

I'm sure there is truth in that, especially at the upper levels. Speaking strictly for myself, though, I had no idea such a profound dichotomy even existed until decades after my initial introduction.

The "abundant life" was the carrot before the horse. We were drawn in with the promise of power and abundance. Those were synonymous with the list on the green card, "more harmony in the home," and the like. Doctor said something like, "Ask any businessman, he knows what prosperity is." Power was supposed to be in positive believing, faith v. fear, etc. Get what you want -- the red drapes on the windows. When VPW originally taught PFAL, he taught all nine manifestations -- the fullness of spiritual power, or so we were taught. But by the time we baby boomers got into it, there were 3 classes that were supposed to teach you enough to manifest "all nine all the time." Session 12 makes you think like you've got a hotline to God. Now some prayers are gonna get answered! But we needed more classes to get to the other 8. And more classes meant more money, and more time spent in TWI. Twig, abundant sharing, class, Twig, abundant sharing, class, WOW, more Twig, more classes, Corps. All designed to relieve us of our free labor and money. And slowly, we were taught what to want. Shaz

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Herr Victoid, son of Erma, son of Ernst, brother of Rueben, brother of Hairylegs, father of J.P. Puffenstuff , grandfather of the anointed messiah who will come to be known as Victoid Jr., and kin to the Wierwillonians of Hoopyville. Thus saith the Lord, "Victoid, bring me 6 faithful followers who will bring in 66 more faithful followers who will bring in 666 more faithful followers, etc. etc., etc. (Thou gettest thine picture.) and the snow gates of Heaven will burst forth with a black snow such as has n'er been seen since the last time black snow was seen. And upon thy petroleum distillate dispensing alters, I , the Lord of MLM, will reveal myself."