J0nny Ling0

Hi there FreeIndeed! So sorry to hear about the way you were treated, but, no surprise, that. I myself am thank ful for what I learned in The Way. I was in from 75-90. The earlier years for me were the best, but things got more and more legalistic up until the big bomb of Passing of a Patriarch dropped in 86, and then things spun wildly out of control until my wife and I were kicked out. And so, we have fellowshipped loosely with ex Ways that are involved with various "splinter groups" some of which (the groups) are good in that there is a sort of vow never to become legalistic again, and some seem to be somewhat religious and same old. But none of them to my knowledge are anything like TWI II. And I might add, I for one did not have the "opportunity" to experience any of that horror. Some of the poor folks here that stayed through the nineties were absolutely and totally stomped on by a raging LCM and his new doctrine of legalism. It was horrendous according to their stories. You will find here folks whose thinking ranges from PFAL being the absolute God breathed Word, all the way to total atheism and everything in between. Some here believe that VPW started the whole thing for the purpose of having a "sex and money farm" from day one, while others (like myself) believe that it started out with love for God and His Word as the motivation, but sin nature as it so often does, paved the way for the downfall of The Way with all of the usual grabs for power, money and sex, attributes that go as far back as the story of David and Bathsheba and beyond. I would have to say that of all the sites about The Way, this one will probably provide you with the most negative outlook. But for so many who were treated so poorly, this is a place where they can finally "vent" for the first time since they were so viley treated in The Way. And of course you can imagine how seriously a person would have been "jumped on" during their days in TWI II if they even dared to mention something that they believed was "off". You know, just like you being jumped on for staying home and building your shed. And so maybe for them, the venting is good.... Like I was warned when I first "came here", having a "thick skin" can be a real asset in some of the discussions. And so with that, I bid you welcome and a good day! God bless! Jonny P.S. Have you checked out http://eph320.com/ ?

Ummm, DMiller, aka "Mama Bear", I know that you are a "polar bear poser", because, when you gave your e-mail address, I happen to know (ginosko) that the City of North Pole is land locked, and, is way far south of the Arctic Ocean! South of Fairbanks even. But, the glasses are really cute. Kinda reminds me of a "hot" school teacher I used to fantasize about... And, Cool Chef. Here is something my wife and I like to do, which not only stretches the smoked fish, but is also totally awesome as far as a cullinary delight goes: Get yourself some of you favorite crackers (my favorite is garlic Triscuits), and set them aside. Then, take a generous portion of the smoked, and put it in a mixing bowl. Cereal bowl, whatever. Get your self some cream cheese, some mayo, dice some onions, add what ever seasonings you think will best compliment the "concoction" (not a very cullinary word it it?), and mix it all together like one would do when making a tuna or chicken salad. Now, as an aside, any of the bones that I missed when filletting (the "pin" bones are the ones hardest to get), will be nicely evident once you mix it all together. Pluck them out, smear (smear?) generous portions on that Triscuit, and let your mouth water in ecstacy! And, I might add, this is particularly good with............. beer!

I caught 'em, filleted 'em, brined 'em, and smoked 'em. I also have a bunch more flash frozen that I bought of off the F/V Alaskan Assassin, owned by a friend of mine. FV= fishing vessel. I am guessing that you know that CChef. I bought 85 pounds of it in the round (fresh off theboat, heads and guts still intact-cheapest way to buy) for .90 cents a pound, or around $77.00. Oh yeah, I just did the math: $76.50 When you buy them "headed and gutted", then this year it was around $1.35 a pound. Still way better than the grocery store. After I brined them in my own "secret solution" ( no big secret) of salt, brown sugar, soy sauce, some Spike (you know that seasoning)? for about five hours, I de-brined them by running the fillets under cold water, patted them dry, and then put them on the smoking racks to dry. The drying part is essential, because, there needs to be this "tacky-ness" to the meat which is known as the "pellicle". This takes about an hour, and when the pellicle forms like a thin film, then the time is right to put the smoke on it. That thin layer is important because it keeps the moisture inside the meat as it cures. When I put the smoke on it, I used store bought alder chips. I felt kinda bad about using the store bought alder, because usually, were I still in my beautiful (and oh so missed!) home in Haines, Alaska, I would have smoked it Indian style in a "outhouse style" smokehouse that I built (that my renters are now using), and would have built a small fire under it with fresh green alder with the bark stripped off. After the fire is built, and going, then I close the front of it up and "bar the door" with a 2x4 which keeps the door tight and doesn't allow much air in-hence causing it to smoke-as well as gives me the false sense of safety that it will keep the bears out. Hmmph. It's never happened to me yet, but I have had neighbors up in Haines, AK, who have had their smokers completely destroyed by the brown bears, as well as have all of the salmon gone! Man, now that would really pi$$ a person off, wouldn't it? The smoker I use is now here on my back deck in the "big city" of Juneau, is a "Smokey Mountain" brand smoker that I bought art Costco, a Sam's Wholesale Warehouse" type of place. You guys have Costco's down there? I think I paid $120 bucks for it. I also think you may be able to find them in a Cabela's catalogue. It really is pretty nice for you can regulate the heat fairly easily because of the gas burner, which essentially keeps your wood chips going as you pay attention to the heat temp. When I smoked this batch, I kept the temp at around 200 f for the first two hours, and then dropped it back to 175 f for the final three hours. And what I did is what is called a "hot smoke" which some purists say is "all wrong", because to do it right, one must do the "cold smoke" process. To this I say; "Whatever". There's a bazillion ways to do it it seems, and I have had some mighty fine smoked salmon. But I do know that I like it the way I do it, and it doesn't take as damned long. It already takes long enough during the prep stages anyway. And so, there is that on that. Gladja like it!

Confucius say: Man who fart in church must sit in his own pew. Wife who puts man in dog house may soon find him in cat house. Man who lays girl in field gets piece on earth. Man who stand on toilet is high on pot Man who walk through airport door sideways going to Bangkok. Baseball got it all wrong — man with four balls cannot walk. Virgin like balloon — one prick, all gone. :o I guess the whole "Confucious Say" thing is about clever "double entendre's"

Belle:Aww shucks... I mean, it wuddn't that big a deal..And thanks CChef for the compliments, for I am sure you know a few things about cullinary delights, and so I really appreciate the compliment! Annd Sudo....NNnoooooo! Don't tell! It was only a one time thing! And, I was only trying to do one of the three things that makes a person a "real Alaskan"! But I got mixed up, killed the Eskimo Woman and made lovooovvve to the polar bear! But it was an accident...I swear it!!

Mr. O'Malley. Very well put. You too TOTW...

Rascal, Ya know, there may be a majority of people here at this site who were hurt by TWI. But, you know, there are thousands of others at other websites who are thankful for their time spent in The Way and are sad that it all fell apart. http://eph320.com/ is one place where there are many many who don't view it as a ministry that "destroyed their lives". There are people in CFF who view TWI One as something that was good and wonderful. There are those with CES who view TWI One as something that was a big blessing to their lives that started out good and then went sour due to your basic idolatry, as well as many others. I know a guy who is over in India who is still running the PFAL class in the Hindu language who goes about teaching and converting Hindus and Sikhs to the redemption that is found through Jesus Christ our lord. It's almost weird when I get e-mails from him, because it's like he's in a "time warp". When the Way went down, he just kept on keeping on with no allegience to anyone. And man! You should hear the stories of deliverance! It blows my mind the things he is doing there with "old Way doctrine". In fact, a friend of mine's eighteen year old son is now over there, and he sends thes fantastic e-mails about the blind seeing and the dead being raised, and all kinds of "Ist Century Church In The 21st" kind of stuff. I wonder if he relays the story of "Punjab Jump Up" when he runs the class in Hindi... And this guy's first real introduction to the Bible came via PFAL at an American university when he first came over to study from India. And this guy is as pure as the driven snow. And to me, just he alone was a beautiful fruit from TWI that has become a fantastic blessing to many thousands in poverty stricken India... And yes, he has progressed in doctrine well beyond TWI, but has held fast to the good and discarded the bad. And so, I don't think that the "bad fruit thing" is the best way to discredit PFAL, that's all. And there are many here who have posted that they had great times in The Way and are glad of their involvement. I just got PM'd by two of them this morning and would do it again if they had the chance. But of course these folks take the easy road when they post so they don't come under the normal ridicule that follows when positives are spoken. Well gee now, that kinda speaks volumes now that I think about it. They really liked their time in The Way, but don't really want to mention it publicly because they don't want to be blasted for it. That seems to say something about the "broad minded thinking" of those who blast... Groucho, sorry I didn't respond to your post. I didn't read it through yet. You kinda snuck it in there when I was contemplating this reply... And once again, why is there what appears to be such a double standard where on the one hand; that The Way's "evil minions" deserve "Death to Smoochy" for supporting and promoting a ministry of evil even if they weren't the actual perpetrators? But on the other hand when they are talked about on an individual basis at a "happy thread", or sadly at the In Memorium thread, they are revered as wonderful men and women of God full of so much love and believing? I dunno, it does seem a bit contradictory to me, that's all... The plagerism thing is a better point if you want to pick at it.

Ya know, I just gotta say this: It certainly does appear to me that VPW took verbatim from other men's works. Personally, I do not really give a doodly damn. The things in the class that were a blessing to me, regardless of where they came from were, and still are, a blessing to me. I do not thnk that the argument that "you shall know them by their fruits" is a good way to prove that The Way was evil though, as was outlined in the second post. For, so many many of us here are that fruit! You and I have read it over and over again where so many people from the past have been praised up one side and down the other for "the wonderful love of God that they had in their heart", and how they were so "willing to do anything for the believers". Just look at the thread about the Way Corps and the "good ones" that you've known. Or there is a thread about good times at the Rock, just filled with fond memories. And, in the "In Memorium" thread, there have been so many wonderful things said aout these wonderful people who have now fallen asleep that it rather amazes me. It amazes me because in one thread, TWI is/was a ministry of hate and abuse, but on another thread it is/was the place where so many people had some of the finest times of their lives! I have been roasted for saying positive things here about The Way, and have been challenged by those who disagree with me and say that; "it wasn't The Way or it's leaders that were good, but rather the people in the ministry that were good". Well, these good people spoken of are the fruits of VPWs ministry. You are-we are, whether we like it or not. And so, to use this argument that there was bad fruit from the PFAL class, therefore the class was bad, I think is a poor argument for the purpose of discrediting the class. Hey, I am a fruit of it, and so were all of you! Are you bad? And so, I want to tell you that I in no way defend the sexual abuse and the mental abuse that occurred in The Way. I do believe it happened, and that it was wrong, is off the Word, it hurt people, and that the perpetrators were hypocrytical. But, honestly, and I do not mean to pick a fight here, but, why is it that the "evil minions" of The Way are reviled with reckless abandon on one thread, but then praised up one side and down the other in the In Memorium thread as was the case with ex VP Donald Earnst and many others who have passed on? I mean it does seem to be a huge dichotomy, doesn't it? I would think that some Psychologist dissecting this site might think that we in this group here are loaded up with a lot of major inconsistencies. Or, that studying this site might be a good basis for a thesis for a doctorate in psychology...

Belle, I don't get one of the Florida ones. What does it mean that "cars in front of you are often driven by headless people?" I don't get that one...

Things weren't much like that when I was in The Way. It may have been like that in some areas, but I wouldn't have lasted too long if I was told to do this all the time. Like you said Digi; "Yuck" And Top Of Th World. Thank you. I wish I had been your partner on that LEAD outing. I'd have died for you my sweet Sister. So thankful that you've been able to move on though....

"Unique New York! Unique New York! New Yeek Younork! New Yeek You nork!! You Nork Yew Neek!

I once hear a certain "mog" say; "You were fishing, weren't you Jonny?" Tom Tuttle, I am "pm" ing you. Stand by and wait one....

Good one!

Say "Unique New York" real fast six times. Same with "Toy Boat".

Thanks y'all. And Top Of The World, Did we PM a while back? I think we did. MAL Twig in the Corps? Or was it the LEAD "event?"

Confucius Say: A penis has a hole in the end so men can be open minded. A good woman will do 70 chores around the house. Cooking and 69. Never argue with a fool...he may be doing the same thing. A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired. It's ok to let a fool kiss you, but don't let a kiss fool you. A Penis is the only thing that a woman hopes she will find hard to handle.

Confucious say; "Woman who fly upside down have crack up..." :o

Hey, no doubt Mary is the one of whom I wrote who was the bride in the incident. She is wonderful and a friend, and now the mother of two. Her husband, a Brazillian, and now an American Citizen is a very good friend of mine, and they live in Palmer. Her husband, as an "alien", immigration wise, must have had some amazing patience during that time. But he was strong, for he loved Mary and wanted her for his wife. And, she is his wife, and life is great for them. PM me if you want to get to know them. They have a wonderful fellowship in Palmer/Wasilla, and it is by no means a "waybrain" clone-ish kind of a thing, but the integrity of God's Word is respected there... And, I am proud that I was involved in all of that, for, that really was my old Twig. And we were tight, and it broke my heart to see what had happened to it, and when the dust settled and the smoke cleared, I was so thankful that so many of my friends came to the place that they could begin to see clearly again. And I am so blessed to see that it was GOD who opened their eyes and that it had nothing to do with any manipulation on my part. If I did anything, I only prayed. It was just God and His love for His people...

In regards to Rhino's post; It is all about the "redistribution of wealth", via some of Al Gore's philosophy and others. Basically, it is WRONG that we Americans live as happily and as abundantly as we do, and we must "re-distribute this wealth". Never a problem that Al Gore is filthy rich off of his coal mine in Tennessee. Therefore, we must wrack and ruin America's economy by taxing us to the max on fossil fuels, and curtailing our use of said fuels by a large percentage according to the "Kyoto protocol". This way, our economy will be wrecked, and, other economies in other countries who are not regulated nearly as badly as we (Americans), "can catch" up and surpass our economy. It is all about the REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH. Google it....It is all about money, not saving "mother earth". Unfortunately, many do gooders have been hoodwinked by those who want to blame America for a natural warming trend, and chop up our economy in the name of saving the goddess Gaia also known as Mother Earth. It's just more religion and money. Earth worship disguising the lust for money and power. Nothing changes under this old sun...

Confucious say; "Man who walk around with hand in pocket feel cocky all day...."

Twig Leader Rats Out Long Time Faithful Couple For Something That Never Happened! I have some dear firends here in Juneau, Alaska, who were still with The Way when we "re-arrived" here in 1993. My wife and I had been out since '89 or so, and had long since given up on trying to help our friends (these friends inparticular) decide to leave The Way. When we came to Juneau this time, it was to work as a merchant seaman with the Alaska Marine Highway, the state ferry system. We came strictly for the employment, and although there were still remnants of the Twig that I came and started back in 1982 (those dear friends), my intention had nothing to do with "wresting them away" from TWI. I was done with all of that. But because they were our friends and best man and matron of honor at our wedding in Juneau in 1983, we did have a happy reunion with them, and, to their credit, they "consorted with us" even though they knew that it would no doubt be frowned upon by their leadership. And even though I believed them to be involved with what was to us a very tainted, hurtful, and ruined ministry, my wife and I refrained from saying anything negative about TWI, or LCM, or anything about the way we had been treated when we were kicked out. Both of us couples avoided talking about TWI or anything to do with it, other than talk of fun times we had together between the years of 1982-1986 when we were all in Alaska together the first time around. I do remember scanning a Way magazine at their house when I did some house sitting for them and being totally grossed out by some article about homos by Craig that stated that "that the average homosexual consumes at least thirteen pounds of fecal matter by the time they are forty five years old", or something very close to that affect, and being totally grossed out! Man I thought, thiings have really gone down the ....ter with TWI! (pun intended). I'd always thought The Way Mag was "For People Who Loved God And His Word", so what the hell is it coming to? But, I never brought it up to them. And so, our friendship began to rekindle, although there was a strain slightly below the surface due to our non involvement with The Way. And mind you, I had been an ordained clergyman, and so no doubt they were wrestling with the; "Wow, he was ordained, and yet now copped out" thinking, and it must have been hard for them. But, they were faithful friends and had vowed that they would be our friends, for certainly we were not the "evil type" of cop outs they had been warned about. In the meantime, I did start a family fellowship in my home, and one other ex way gal in Juneau attended, along with my wife and three kids. As time went on another two from my old Twig moved to town, and they started coming to our fellowship. But mind you, that couple that moved to town, and the single gal, had all left The Way even before the big purges starting in '86. And so, all of a sudden (when I didn't even plan to have more than a fellowship with my family), we had five adults and five kids coming over to my mobile home for fellowship on an irregular basis, when I was home from working on the ferry. And, none of us ever spoke to our "still in" friends in any negative manner about The Way, for, we had all been friends before, and dagnabbit, we wanted to still be friends. In the meantime, some guy named Bob, the local Corps guy and "branch" leader continued to run what was essentially a Twig. It kind of killed me too, because this guy was a disc jockey for a local radio station, and he had that goofy "Hey there groovy guys and groovy gals! This is KINY Radio!" type of a persona, and it just killed me to hear him on the radio whenever driving down the highway, or when doing a drywall job in between working on the ferries. I have to admit that it rankled me that this guy held so much sway over my friends, but I kept my resolution that I would not try and interfere with my friends who still wanted to fellowship with this guy. And then, an amazing thing happened. There was another couple in theTWI Twig that wanted to get married. The husband to be wanted to take the class, but for the three years or so that this Bob guy was in Juneau, they(Bob and the Twig) were unable to get a class together. The bride and groom both wanted to be married with both of them being grads, but, there never was a class for him to take. And so, they decided to get married anyway. This was made known to the local Corps guy, and wedding plans were made. And the wedding was to be a big one. The bride is a native American, with Filipino blood as well, and this was to be a big and beautiful wedding as well as a cultural event. She is a wonderful and beautiful child of God, and she was so excited that her wonderful day was finally going to happen! The wedding was to be held at the local ANB Hall (Alaska Native Brotherhood), and it was to have lots of the beauty and pomp and circumstance of a sweet and big wedding . Maybe to say that it was going to be one of those "My Big Fat Tlingit/Filipino Weddings". I can't quit remember if the Corps guy was to perform that wedding, but I think he was. at any rate, at the last minute, like two days before the wedding, the Corps guy "calls it off" because the groom to be was not a PFAL grad! Further more, he told the rest of the Twig that they should not attend the wedding because of their "disobedience", which, none of them did, except for my best man friend and his wife. Well, this threw the whole thing into a major tails spin. In this part of Alaska, when relatives come to town for things like weddings, many times they come from the nearby villages on the islands through out the Southeast Alaska Archipelago. And this gals' relatives were already arriving! And, this couple was determined to be married after all of this time of waiting. And so, thank God, the bride to be and her husband to be decided that they were going to just do it anyway, regardless of what this Corps guy said, and as you all can imagine, this took a lot of fortitude. And so, all of the sudden, this gal, about to be married, and flush with all of the wonderful yet sometimes scary emotions that flood a person's soul when such a glorious Day is about to arrive, was faced with this whole thing about being "marked and avoided" for "spiritual disobedience", and a whole host of very unpleasant thoughts, and the wedding was only two days away!. Honestly, I believe this guy pulled this stunt with only one day before the wedding, but I am saying "two days" just to be safe in my recitation. They decided on a justice of the peace to perform the ceremony, and asked myself, and the other couple that had recently moved back to Juneau (all of us Ex-Ways and either from or fruit from our original Juneau Twig) to help out with the wedding. And so, we did the set up, lighting, and, I'm the one who video'd the whole thing, and it came off as a wonderful wedding, and they are still married to this day and living elsewhere in Alaska. It was really fun too, because one of the Grand Mom's kept spiking the punch with vodka afterwards! Now, here is where the absurdity continues. First of all, because the initial couple (my best man and his wife) I mentioned at the beginning of the story attended the wedding, they became "marked" in some fashion or another, as did the couple who got married. The other couple and myself were already marked. At any rate, that couple was, within a short time after the wedding, accused of attending my home fellowship. The Bob guy "knew" that they had been attending my fellowship because he knew it "spiritually". And our old friends and best man and matron of honor were totally blown away because they were not even asked if they had been to our fellowship. The were simply and blatantly accused of it, and put on some sort of "spiritual probation" or some such baloney. And, since they knew that they had never been to my fellowship, were really hurt by this baseless accusation. And so, they called the limb coordinator in Anchorage, who, apparently just plain went along with the Corps guy Bob in Juneau, and our friends were without recourse. That limb guy may well have said some very absurd things to them, but, I don't recall what they were. At any rate, they were black balled for something they knew that they didn't do, but since "God had told everybody that they'd done it", there was no way for them but OUT. And so, they made their exit, and amazingly, that whole "Old Twig Of Us" was finally back together as friends and believers with no more weird walls of division between us. And I am so thankful, because I never said anything negative about The Way to them. The Way itslf drove them out....

This cracks me up. That is like saying when one is standing outside without a coat when it is fifteen degrees below zero that; "The reason I am freezing is because it is so warm outside........." Now that is rich...

Hey Socks, nice insight...

Great joke! LCM, when I first went to Alaska as a new Corps grad, sent me that joke. But instead, the guy in the bar, a newcomer to Alaska, asks what it was the he had to do to be come a "real Alaskan". The answer from a couple of old sourdoughs at the bar was that he had to drink a gallon of "this here Yukon Whiskee, kill a polar bear with his bear hands, and make looove to an Eskimo woman". And of course when he come back in the bar after everyone hears the bloody roaring of the guy and the polar bear, the guy walks in and say; "Now, where's that Eskimo gal I'm sposed to kill?" Funny thin about this is that Craig must have sent me that same joke every time he wrote me a letter. Probably at least five times did he mention that damned joke. So nice that Craig was being so personal with me...

Gee Mo, sorry for not catching the drift there. I had not known that you have been going through some kind of health problems, and so, glad to hear alive and well!