skyrider

Three fiery confrontations changed my perception of wierwille.....listed below: For those of you who only experienced the pfal-persona, stage-crafted, mogness-mystique of wierwille......this post is for you. Ironic, isn't it? Time and time again, wierwille called his 'disciples' POSSESSED.....and then, does nothing about it except yell till his fury subsided and then stomp out. It doesn't pass the smell test.

ex..... Maybe, with the summation of my first post, the better question is.......what could go RIGHT?

penworks.......so true. As long as your education, profession, business, celebrity status HELPS twi......then, fine. VPW and Howard would gush all over the way builder guys during those building years of the OSC, the Corps Chalet, the Auditorium, Founders' Hall, etc. The architects, the project managers, the electricians, the carpenters, the cabinet makers, the plumbers......."they're the BEST!" Hey, if they miss meetings or teachings AND ARE OUT THERE WORKING HARD FOR TWI....screw the rules/regs and corps policies. There were plenty of 7th corps guys who missed WHOLE BLOCKS OF INREZ TRAINING by going to Tinnie, NM during that building time of LEAD. Other guys split out to Grand Junction, Colorado to help with that Grand Home Log company at the onset of the corps chalet. Same deal with education. Why, when Dan McCon@ughy (sp?) was getting his doctorate, it's going to HELP twi do better research. Yes, the caveat is WHO BENEFITS ??!!

Same with the Shroyer group (CFF).......daughter Tonia now sits in the big chair. When will people wake up and see how these "ministries" are just businesses where administrators make a nice living sitting in an office and/or traveling to seminars? Sheeeesh.

Seems like many of wierwille's former "leaders" now have a psalm....a doctrine....and their OWN class. Just like wierwille, tweak another's work and research a bit......and then, open the doors for business. How many guys have "taken their marbles" and moved to another game across the street?

For those who want to grow up and pursue more education......disdain SECULAR education. For those who start having children and growing families.....instruct them on HOW TO TRAIN those unruly kids. For those who admit that their bills are not being paid......use them as a teaching of UNBELIEF. What could go wrong?

And.....when they come to an annual festival, assign them MORE work. And still.....designate a "corps week" to have them leave their secular jobs early and work for free MORE. And further.....denegrate them for their LACK OF COMMITMENT. What could go wrong?

Looking back at the twi scenario and experience......what could go wrong? A lazy man tries to decide what's the easiest path thru life.....farming, business or a minister. Since he loathes the thought of the hard labor that comes with farming or the dedicated persistance that goes with business, the ministry is his fall-back choice. So, off he goes to get edji-cated, and even then......looks for the path of least resistance as he scales his "Pikes Peak doctorate." As a young pastor in need of work, he spends sixteen years in two church pastorates that he, again, loathes. He is stuck and going nowhere in a structure that constricts and confines......and he doubts whether the words "holy bible" are even true. He plugs along and realizes, even in his narcissism that the ONLY WAY OUT IS LEARNING FROM OTHER MEN AND THEIR RESEARCH. So, he keeps listening to radio broadcasts, going to seminars and reading thru commentaries that he would later claim to trash their worthlessness. In taking BG Leonard's class, wierwille seizes on a pathway out of the church structure.....the class-based model. Four years later, wierwille resigns from his Van Wert Church....of which, 5 months later they erase his name from the clergy listing. Now, wierwille begins a stretch of fits-n-starts to gain footing and after Old Man Wierwille dies and the wierwille homestead becomes a possible headquarters for the upstart location, a growing number of Troy followers refused to support a wierwille farm mortgage and the future move to the farmstead was a cold non-event in February 1962. Live classes year after year added bumps of support, but fizzled in support. This live-class strategy was time-consuming and yielded very little movement forward. New technologies must be employed to "put wierwille in front of more people." Even for all its trumpeted glory, the pfal filming was a meager, furniture-renting, time-constraining, flunky-amateurish, retina-burning experience. Seemingly, the Jesus Movement in America helped to spark a fire of spirituality in the youth.......and wierwille took this burning coal back to the farmstead. Like the MLM business model, could it be that some floundering for direction might see this involvement as a leg up to their future as well? The corps program was the carrot for the donkey......and he kept pulling the cart while wierwille sat in the farmhouse and smoked his kools. More carrots, more carts.....and in a few years there were donkeys everywhere. And, twi made an a$$ of anyone who eyed those carrots. A growing number of followers does NOT make a movement godly.......does it? What could go wrong?

Hmmmm?.......you do make a valid point there, Rocky. Guess I should have been more specific Wierwille never led AN UPRIGHT EXAMPLE.....you know, 20th century apostle paul stuff :B)

For me.......SIT and other subsequent manifestations weren't so much a quest for power, but SEEKING a relationship with my heavenly Father. If wanting to serve and help others was a power trip, then I guess I've been found guilty.

John........hard-hearted sickos who do others' bidding. What you saw UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL was Matthew 23.......hypocrites, blind guides, serpents, generation of vipers -- who say and do not. When Jesus exposed their evil for all to see, the scribes and pharisees became even more vehement to kill him. And, fastforward about two thousand years and wierwille "MADE THEM TWOFOLD MORE THE CHILD OF HELL THAN HIMSELF" (v.15) These burdens are grievous and it is my prayer that you continue to unravel and distance yourself and your family from this evil. .

Goey......good to see you. Yeah, for me.....whenever I got far away from the hq-noise and beating-the-sit-drum, the simple pleasures of life came alive again. On the field, I would often delve into the four gospels and teach those truths in leaders' meetings and fellowships. Heck....as a Limb coordinator, I conducted many meetings WITHOUT the manifestations on display. I think that, deep down, I often felt like sit/tip was a gonging of "look at me, look at me." Same thing about teaching, actually......it wasn't about the one teaching, it was all about ministering from the heart of God's love to help others.

Twinky......yes, wives were in a situation that husband authority could always overrule. You are correct. BUT.....I would like to add, that as corps during those explosive years of 1990-1997, we sat thru mandatory corps phone hookups from September to June. Many of those corps meetings would last for nearly THREE HOURS.....and it was like, as if, the mog's authority ALWAYS trumped my authority in my household. It a slightly different twist, "Married to the Cult" would have some of the same parallels as "Married to the Mob." <_<

John --- ".....I had been forced out of twi" Was there any fiery confrontation to go with this? Care to expound on this "forced out?"

Jim.......the Johnny T. that I observed while at hq was not all that perceptive (code word -- spiritual). Around 1982, he was given oversight of those corps meetings AFTER the sunday service teaching.....yeah, corps grads were highly encouraged to join in with inrez corps around 7:30pm. Well, ole Johnny would rehash the sunday teaching AGAIN and proceed to ramble and ramble and ramble.....until like 10:45pm. It didn't take long before corps grads, and I was among them, just stopped going. There were enough of us that twi leadership never mounted a rebuttal. Yep, Johnny T. just loved to heard himself talk.......and lost track of any perception of others. And, being the all-involved type of guy I was......on two occasions, I ran across a Johnny T. that was boozed up. His slurring of words gave us alot of laughter at the time, but quite unimpressive to say the least. Plus, he'd walk the grounds with that big chunk of chew and spitting all the time......and trying to act like wierwille. So......no, I wouldn't say that Johnny would have been a better pick. <_<

Walking back thru a bit of history, one can pinpoint certain 'forks in the road' when TWI leadership could have admitted their shortcomings and errors in twi doctrine......AND pivoted toward the truth. Yet, sadly and deceptively......they obfuscated such responsibility before the Lord and covered their deeds in darkness. Where could TWI have come clean? 1) By 1978, wierwille could have admitted that twi needed to break from centralized control and mogdom doctrine. 2) In 1982, martindale could have steered twi toward a "hq staff serve the people" and not people serving hq. 3) In 1985, geer should have had meetings with U.S. leadership --- rather than instigate a power-grab. 4) In 1986, martindale, geer, cummins, townsend and others should have come clean on 'adultery issues' in twi. 5) In 1986, trustees should have publically admitted wierwille's death was cancer and changed adv class teachings. 6) THEN.....(perhaps) dozens of splinter groups wouldn't have started their own versions of "we've got the true word." Of course, all of this presupposes that wierwille's ministry had ANYTHING OF VALUE that could have been salvaged. And, the more I objectively look at twi's doctrines, practices, policies and propaganda.......the more I clearly see that wierwille NEVER LED BY EXAMPLE. Oh, sure.....he "taught" and critiqued and scrutinized others' research, but was always searching that magical formula to razzle/dazzle a following. Even, in hindsight, the speaking in tongues/Pentecost stuff seems little more than a climax crescenda of session 12. Did wierwille's "speaking in tongues like a house of fire" dramatically change and alter HIS life? Nope. For years, 1980-1987 (??).....The Way Credit Union loaned money to staffers, corps and qualified advanced class grads to purchase mortgages. Yes, twi sanctioned that BUYING A HOME was a good investment! Year after year, many of those staffers, that STILL work in lockstep to rosalie's policies, were 'in debt' to their monthly mortgages. All of this changed when martindale sniffed out that times had changed and it was no longer spiritually viable to have 'a risky mortgage and be in debt to the world.' Hmmmmm? Could it possibly be......that with more and more corps buying homes that it became IMPOSSIBLE to re-assign corps to different locations year after year? You see......as corps grew older and older, LIVING and HAVING CHILDREN got in the way of twi's corporate machine. The wierwille model of bullying, exploiting, and manipulating people was screeching to a halt. And, twi was NOT going to change for nobody! Conveniently, wierwille stepped down from presidency (1982) and soon died, as these challenges came rushing to the surface. The corps were coming of age.........and NO AMOUNT OF BULLYING by martindale or geer was going to turn the tide. Yet, twi just continued to double-down on their policies and legalism! Why wouldn't TWI just come clean and resolve the lockstep mentality in twi? The Scriptures clearly show that every christian has unique characteristics and responsibilities in which to serve. Why all the caste-system promoting of the corps program? Isn't everyone, everywhere who wants to give and serve needful? There are reasons why some 2,800 way corps have left twi...... There are reasons why some 475 way clergy have left twi....... .

The ABSOLUTE RULE OF WIERWILLE was one of many false doctrines promulgated by wierwille. The ABSOLUTE RULE OF MARTINDALE was the continuation of wierwille's abusive authoritarian rule. The ABSOLUTE RULE OF RIVENBARK is concealed in a reporting-back style of command chain doctrine. The ABSOLUTE RULE OF NEXT-GROOMED-MOG will be a continuation of twi's evil and abuse. Micromanaging followers with directives and policies is NOT 'freedom in Christ' or walking by the spirit. And, with each passing decade......twi is waxing worse and worse. Far removed from any Christian substance or practical application, twi is taking its followers into a spiralling drain hole of vanity. Twi was methodically built on a man-made foundation that has been crumbling since its inception.

And yet, on the flip side.......even hardcore trustees avoided family birthdays and anniversaries. Back in 1998 1) Twi Prez Martindale......was ousted in 2000 (and later, divorced). Anniversary and birthday celebrations?? 2) Vice Prez Rivenbark......was twice-divorced and had no relationship with her two sons. 3) Sec/Treas Reynolds.......was divorced and never talked about his son. Nice track record there, huh? The former three trustees.....all divorced and families dispersed. What's that little green card promise?....."Harmony in the home"

Yeah......books, magazines, record albums, pictures, crosses, statues, etc. can attract and house devil spirits. Therefore, you need to rid yourselves of these hookiepook items and BURN THEM. Yet.......for decades, wierwille clings to his dog-porno video and brings it out every so often to show inrez corps. <_<

Twi's TWEAKING OF HOLIDAYS is all about control. On one hand, twi teaches how most holidays have pagan roots......yet, they tweak the name and intent, THEN embrace the new tweaked version as a 'spiritual air-brushed holiday.' See, Happy Hearts Day is fine after you strip away the catholic saint stuff, cupid and all....and go with the love stuff. And, Bless and Treat.....of course, they have to ridicule the gullible public that embraces the spooks and witches and zombies, but candy treats and biblical costumes are given the trustee approval. See, all this cherry-picking helps twi maintain the elitist high road. According to them, they see these holidays from a spiritual vantage point and, can then, spit out the bad and taste the good. At one time, twi was known to promote "Burn the Ballast" day. You need to burn the books, records, and stuff that was holding you down spirituallly. Later, they saw how ridiculous that sounded and changed it to "Burn the Chaff Day." Then, when vic's brother Harry died in the Fall of 1977......by March 1978 twi renamed it "Uncle Harry Day." And, the wheels on twi's bus go 'round and 'round........pppffffffttt. And, as mentioned above....twi's anniversary date is given much fanfare to a non-event. See, it's about WIERWILLE and how the guy was fabulously ahead of his time spiritually than his contemporaries. He was the MOGFOT for gawd's sake! It doesn't matter if details were blown out of proportion and of folklore legend. Why, victor paul wierwille was the Ohio version of Paul Bunyan...... The twi propaganda machine worked night and day to build a pseudo-ministry of sorts. The sad truth is that we were scammed into an alternate world of lies and deceptions that took many of us to a desolate wilderness. And, finding the way back home has been an arduous journey. .

No, it certainly hasn't been all in vain........BUT no thanks to wierwille or twi. With diligence and determined focus, my life and family and all those 'creature comforts' that go with it have rebounded in remarkable splendor. And, with the kids thru college and a fine brick home.....no rain is 'pouring thru my roof to sour my day.' But still......wierwille and co. deliberately deceived me and re-directed me OFF my course. They sold me a bill of goods that had no value. And, the loss of opportunity.....where youth and education collide to magnify a source of life's blend of harmony, love, abundance and accomplishments.....was thwarted by twi's detour. One can easily speculate WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN if I'd side-stepped twi's snare and kept sprinting forward. That time-loss is like a hard-to-forget abusive situation. In my youth, twi gained manipulative control and abused their power to sway me from my intended goals. Like that book....."The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" it harmed and damaged me. Yes, me! It was spiritual abuse. The longer one stays in an abusive situation, the more damage incurred. With every step forward, we are leaving the past abuses behind. The last fifteen years of STEPS have put twi way back in the rearview mirror. My wife rarily discusses it. My kids never mention it. Their vague memories of twi is all the people at rock of ages. Our years on the field sheltered them from the scalding pot of hq. And me, well I like coming here to share the 'other side of twi' AND see if those red flags are still flying in twi. And.....they STILL are. :B)

Twi became so micromanaged that they tried to negate emotions.

First off......I would imagine that twi will be celebrating its 70th Anniversary........er, 55th Anniversary next weekend. The October 1942 is framed around a few kids singing and wierwille speaking into a microphone for a radio broadcast.....even though, by twi's own account, wierwille submitted his registration letter to his Van Wert Church in August 1957. But hey, twi's string of lies has its origin in an ANNIVERSARY LIE. No surprise there. Twi leadership pushes a world of deception......and re-written history. And, followers are ensnared in feigned importance of spiritual significance. Oh, how I sometimes wish that I could turn back time. Yeah, turn back the clock and take part in all I missed. 1) Anniversaries -- celebrations of family milestones, the joys and smiles, hugs and laughter of a full life. 2) Birthdays -- parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces and nephews, friends and coworkers.... 3) Reunions -- family get-togethers, pictures, trips, outings, vacations, connecting, re-connecting.... 4) Funerals -- at times, my heart pains to know I didn't attend some funerals because of twi restrictions 5) Holidays -- those special times of celebration and relationships, building a life of memories and love Add school functions, ballgames, little league, costume parties, etc. and it becomes apparent of what one might have missed. Then add.....we were out walking the streets to witness for a cult and it comes crashing down with a mighty sigh (uuugh). For many of us.....we never were a part of our neices and nephews growing years. Now, they have kids of their own. And, I'm the uncle that they never knew.....nor heard from thru the years. For some, who had divorced parents or dysfunctional families.....perhaps, some of this seems irrelavent. But for me, it brings with it a flood of regrets......and sorrow of heart. My grandmother, my maternal grandmother was so incredibly special. Oh, how I wish that I'd spent MORE TIME WITH HER THRU THOSE YEARS. Her love and wisdom surpassed mrs. wierwille any day of the week....no doubt. But......whatever. These past 15 years have been liberating to REBUILD, RENEW, REFRESH, and REBIRTH my life and relationships. And, life ain't over yet. :)

You mean like this?........Click Here -- Most Fiery

Yeah......just like wierwille's claim after his sermon on drunkenness. Supposedly, wierwille went to the back of the church and dropped to his knees ".....and asked the Father to forgive him and that he would NEVER AGAIN preach a negative sermon." Who ya gonna believe? PFAL or your lying eyes (and ears)? <_<