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Hi my mom joined TWI in 78, she Went WOW as single mom in 79 with me aged 7 and my baby sis aged 5. Albert Lea, MN. '80 returned home to NewIberia LA By the time I was 13 i was forced to take PFAL. Forced to SIT out loud in front of many. (terrible experience). That experience alone ruined me for the whole TWI but it was the only religion I knew. Im 45 now happily attending a non denom evangelical type church. My mom is still a fully functioning member of TWI and honestly she's an extremist on many issues. Ive spent the past 25 years trying to figure out what's crap and what's truth. This ministry really has a grip on my mom. But she seems happy just very self righteous snd honestly drives people away rather than drawing them in. Id livevto reminisce with anyone who also was WOW Ambassador in Albert Lea, MN in 1979. I'm 45 but was 7/8 then so if you were an adult I'd imagine you would be 60+ yrs old by now. Like my mom. She was 28 at the time I believe. Her name was Paula LeBlanc Lambert. Mine is Tessie

We have the answers to your toughest questions about the Bible. Guaranteed! Even if we have to make up the answers.

Promotes harmony in the home. And if that home doesn't work, you can always mark and avoid everyone in it and start your own gender non-specific home.

So speaking for myself when I was in the Way I knew absolutely nothing about the swinger's club in the BOT. I knew nothing of coverups, or anything else that has been exposed here on GSC. Was this because I mostly was not in upper leadership echelons? Yes probably. The same whitewashing went on with the Corps that goes on in the whole ministry. The only ones with the real picture and most of the facts are the ones meeting in silence behind closed doors and changing people's assignments and such. The ones at the top. Anything we remotely suspected was quickly handled, dealt with, and packaged up. Even the second to third presidency change. Publicly, a one time affair. Oh, then another one pops up, but we're handling it. Leadership change. A lot of logical explanations about the power being too centralized, checks and balances, a new better Corps where the top administrators aren't the top teachers. They whitewash the reality so that those with genuine hearts will be continually fooled and continue to invest their life, money, time into a fantasy.

How hard is it to find GSC and other opposing viewpoints if John Lynn [or fill in the blank of splinter group leader] is still SINGING WIERWILLE'S PRAISES and DECEIVING others with weekly teachings? Or, pressuring people to sign up for Momentus and its gut-spilling public confessions? Maybe, hobnob with CFF and the wierwille kids.....and then, venture out to Mississippi and get drawn into S.O.W.E.R.S. and learn from the likes of a Walter Cummins? My point..........these hirelings and deceivers make it harder to exit from the wierwille-cult indoctrination. In my opinion..........Paul Allen blazed a trail with Waydale and then, GreaseSpot Café took the baton and broke the stranglehold, not Shroyer, Clapp, Finnegan, Panarello, etc. etc. Many of us have had our share of disagreements with several who've come to this site STILL siding with "the good ole days" when wierwille walked the earth. Just when you'd think that these splinters have run their course........ANOTHER ONE pops up. Why? What gives? And further, every splinter seemingly wants to hitch its wagon to the wierwille legacy......whatever that is. Then, two of the wierwille namesake, J.P. and Sara, join forces with the CFF-outfit.......Kevin quits his job as an architect rallying to wife's [Sara] ambitions at CFF and J.P. helps spearhead the S.O.W.E.R.S. operation as his son, victor paul, becomes the face of way corps training II. OMG.........could the cult splinter groups devise a more incestuous relationship to deceive others??? Money. Vanity. Deception. Lording over others. What are the reasons for all of these splinter groups? Sure........they ALL want to help others. Pppffffttttt. Even that Corps Website......you couldn't badmouth wierwille or corps training. When Paul Allen got bumrushed off twi's grounds.........he did something TOTALLY DIFFERENT than all other "helpful splinter groups." Paul set up Waydale to strategically and systematically attack The Way International doctrine AND craig martindale. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

For those who missed it, Vespers Chimes Hour Caravan was another Christian radio show with Christian music and a sermon. It was neither the first, nor the last, and Christian radio to this day has Christian music, sermons, and Christian music with sermons. If it sounds NOTHING like twi to you, that's because it WAS nothing like twi. With Vespers Chimes, vpw plagiarized sermons off of Christian writers here and there whom he was editing. In twi, vpw plagiarized entire classes and programs, mostly from a handful of writers like EW Bullinger and JE Stiles, and did so right after he plagiarized BG Leonard's class in its entirety (yes, he taught the entire class as his own, a few months after taking it.) The twi experience really began when vpw went to the Groovy Christians who were already successful Christians, and fooled some of them into thinking he was some great one, using the work of Leonard, Bullinger, etc. He turned them into the recruiting arm of twi, and those of us with positive experiences in twi can trace them all from the influence of THOSE Christians, not the canned classes vpw ripped off. So, Vespers Chimes Hour Caravan had nothing whatsoever in common with twi except that vpw was supposedly running one, then the other. To claim one is a continuation of the other is blatantly dishonest- and twi being dishonest should come as no surprise anymore. vpw claimed it was the same, and vpw being dishonest should come as no surprise anymore. If you tell the most blatant, dishonest lie in the world enough times, some people will start to believe it-which has probably been made into a motivational sign hanging up somewhere in twi.

Disciplines the mind by a wooden spoon; the "spoonings" will cease when your believing improves.

We accept all forms of giving....we'll even accept your grandmother's dentures if they have gold in em.

I think those guys could have been the headliner at a Snooze Fest....here's their slogan: The Victors - when all other sleep aids fail.

Thanks for sharing that, Bolshevik! For some reason this one line really stood out to me: “maintains a strict hierarchy separating unsuspecting supporters and recruits from the inner workings” I was going to bold or highlight the operative word in that phrase…but couldn’t decide which one it would be – every word is necessary to explain the truth on how abusive and controlling cults like the way international operate…amazing....there’s a purpose for every word he says, where he says it, why he says it….oh, never mind – just slipped into a PFAL induced coma for a second there. But seriously – overall some great observations and so true…thanks again for that video.

More like a castle dungeon system. with levels for the players. Hard to get out of the dungeon when you make it to level 80 and don't want to leave. For most of the leader types I've noticed it was the inability to follow the leader at the time that caused them to leave,... someone with a bigger nametag upset them. Rarely did someone leave because of a person with a lower nametag. Am I the only one thats noticing this?

My commitment to God......was HIJACKED by twi manipulators. Where in scripture (chapter and verse) is one to 'uphold his commitment' to an organization that, supposedly, is standing 'on the Word' (whatever that means)? TWI is the culprit....that 'adds a word, changes a word and therefore one no longer has the Word' in the ready-reference of pfal quotes. Stand with twi......."no matter what" 1) What if Wierwille takes my wife for his late-night lusts? 2) What if Wierwille stole the foundational class and plagairized wholesale contents of others? 3) What if Wierwille and company black-balled good people who knew some dirty secrets? 4) What if twi hordes $54 Million and the uppities get 'extra' spending money for shopping? 5) What if twi's research has gaping holes in it and smart research people are shown the door? 6) What if safety is compromised by risky, faulty policies and personnel? 7) What if the voice of God TELLS ME TO LEAVE? <_<

Nothing is the difference. Plus, the way international has the attitude that the ministry owes people nothing. Never mind that commitments are a two sided affair. Servants for example expect to be taken care of for their service, be it something as respectable salary. Nope - the way international would expect slavery from the people that commit themselves to the way ministry. Just another disposable resource at hand. Use it up and throw away the waste that remains. Oh, and let's work extra hard to do without because we need to steward our $54 million in abundant sharing we have squirreled away in our assets. But you need to do without and give more.

TWI and the splinters are very heavy on teaching that once you've made a vow, you have to fulfill it, and there's no godly way out. But there is! If you've made a foolish vow, all you have to do is REPENT. Just like any other sin. I felt very liberated when I started repenting of all the foolish vows I had made while involved with TWI and the splinters. Dale Sides was one of the worst manipulators in this category. He would be in front of a group and ask us to join him in prayer by repeating out load the things he was saying as he prayed. Then, in the middle of the prayer, he would insert something like, "...and I'll pray 15 minutes each day for the India mission... and I'll contribute money for the India mission...", and before you know it, you've made a vow that you MUST fulfill. Momentus used vows to manipulate people. Love, Steve

I think that was it for me exactly. I stuck through my WOW year because of the commitment I made, same with Way Disciple, and for the few years following, even though I was miserable and I knew the teachings were empty... I had made a commitment and I would stick it out no matter what. When I got married, I made a deeper vow before God to my husband, and in my mind I also made the same vow to any children we would have - that they would always be first in my heart - and that twi wouldn't take them away from me like they did with my parents and siblings. And when that fellowship coordinator asked me if my unborn baby was "a good thing" I knew it was time to leave.

I doubt it's right to say people "stuck it out" to be able to get the WoW pin, or anything else, really. I do think people stuck it out because they had made a commitment to do whatever they were doing, and wanted to see that through. TWI taught so much about commitment (mostly about commitment to the ministry that had taught you the word - gag) - about seeing things through that you'd started - about not quitting when the going got rough - and all of that is good stuff and great principles for life. However, the commitment had subtly become shifted from Godly commitment, to a commitment to TWI. And people became misdirected because TWI is so "in the face," so that they placed the wrong focus on the commitment. It's very liberating to understand that walking away from TWI is NOT walking away from God, and in leaving behind a God-denying organization, you may in fact be walking TOWARDS a better life with God.

Yep, and thanks to the internet these creeps are exposed as the manipulating, money-grabbing, abusive cult that they really are! Stumble that, fockers!

I think I have been out 6 or 7 years now.I have told many people that since leaving I finally feel like I am having the enjoyable life God intended people to have,my life has honestly never been better,health,relationships,finances,job,spiritually,everything every aspect of life is awesome! I think we are all examples of "God restoring the years the locust has eaten."

Well Ham,... years of service and then what? They hand you your nuts! If your not as smart a a squirrel, you don't bugger off and stay right where the Adversary wants you.

I remember when I was an innie and driving, by myself, to see an "unbeliever" friend, who was definitely not an unbeliever but a non-Way believer. At that time the rants from lcm were so extreme about stepping out from God's protection that I thought the adversary could just kill me anytime because (1) I didn't have another Way believer in the car with me and (2) I was going to see a friend who wasn't in the ministry and therefore didn't have all of God's benefits and blessings. That was a horrible time for me. I hated the ministry for the fear it was putting me through, but I was too scared to leave. I also was very conflicted because I couldn't figure out why I thought I was better off before I got in the ministry than I was now, at that time. Of course now I know: I WAS!! And let's talk about bad things happening to people: The worst things that have happened to me were when I was in the ministry and not out. My life was great until I went in. Of course I was only 20 and hadn't lived a lot of life by then. But when I was in the ministry some creep broke into my house and came into my room at night while I was sleeping. He was so quiet, yet I shot up in the bed--I know it was God or Jesus who woke me up (which The Way would take credit for in a heartbeat, but that's another topic)--but it freaked me out so bad to see someone at the foot of my bed in the middle of the night. I was terrified of the dark for months afterward. And then the other horrible thing was living life paranoid during the time I mentioned in the above paragraph. Healthy, well-rounded people do not live terrified like I did then. That is not normal, very unhealthy, and detrimental. BTW, since I've left, I've never been scared of being victimized by another person or even the devil himself. Hmmm...I think I'm better off without the way's false sense of "protection."

People who have left seem to have the same amount of heartache and problems, successes and triumphs as the general population. When I first was kicked out I probably looked like the poster child for being a grease spot by midnight. My wife threw me out, most of my kids wouldn't talk to me, I lived in an apartment that I nicknamed "The Hovel". But that was temporary. I remarried, get along fine with my kids (am officiating at one son's wedding tomorrow) remarried to a wonderful woman, my salary has about doubled, I'm out of debt, have started a business, lost weight and am generally healthy and really enjoy life!

When I was an "innie" I saw many people come and go. I never heard of any horror stories of people who left. One person had some health issues years after leaving yet who says they wouldn't have had those same issues if still involved. I know of people that are "innies" that have had many health conditions including cancer. Our bodies are not perfect-they get sick, they get tired, they get broke. Being involved in twi isn't a protector against anything "bad." Since leaving I haven't had any horror stories. Actually, I've felt better in every way. I feel like I took God out of box and he can now really bless me. I trust Him more. The other day I almost got hit by a car who ran a red light. Is that because I left the twi? No. It was because the person ran a red light and I don't know why. The way the light is positioned it could cause confusion for a driver so I think I'll bring this up to my local government. I heard the soft words of, "Look at that car." So I looked and watched. I heard, "He's not stopping! Horn, horn!" I honked my horn, pushed on the brakes. The other car stopped, I stopped with 2 feet to spare. No it wasn't the adversary. It was a person not paying attention. After the fact, I thanked God and went on my way. I was peaceful, not distraught over the situation. Another thing is I've felt like I can look at other people without thinking they are of the devil because they aren't in twi. I've missed out on learning from other people. Why should I compare myself with others? Even though the Bible (II Cor. 10:12) says we are not to compare ourselves with others and the ministry taught not to compare ourselves, they (the twi) didn't practice it. Actions speak louder than words. I saw that a lot in twi. Actions didn't equal words. I can tell the floodgates are open and I'm ready to share. Thanks for reading. Balanced

I had panic attacks for a while after I first left, mostly because a part of me was afraid that what they had said was true. After while, nothing bad happened and I knew I made the right decision to leave. Then the panic attacks stopped. Life has been much, much better since I left. I found an inner strength I didn't know I had until I got out.

http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,29/task,doc_download/gid,29/ We are damned if we meet catastrophe and damned if we prosper. If something bad happens it's for leaving the ministry. If we prosper and do exceeding well then the devil did it so we would tempt others to leave. Personally, I have never been better. My wife and I have a prosperous business, we are mortgage free home owners - by choice and not constraint, we are active in our neighborhood and city, our relationship has blossomed into a team / partnership, our son is doing very well. But I am sure the cultists will say where the Lord has prospered me it's all the devil. And they can call the light darkness and the darkness light, not understanding that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus - yay, not even leaving the way international.