skyrider

I know, I know......as little johnnie thrusts his hand in the air to answer the question. Ummm......maybe we weren't really doing "the word" and were building a house upon the sand? Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand .

So true, so true.... And, in many ways....rebuilding one's life after twi might take longer with deeper pitfalls ahead. Having been thru twi's "wash and dry" cycle for 15-20+ years, many of us had been systematically segregated from all support systems, family, friends, co-workers, career path, cult-tarnished work resume, spouse and children upheaval, meager finances, more education, etc. For example, a 42 year old man with wife and children in tow is swamped with hundreds of decisions when he steps away from the twi-commune. And, as all statistics concur......financial pressures add significant burdens to one's marriage. Many could easily argue that in leaving twi, one is in a major hole....not even at "ground level." And, it might take a few years just to bring some "normalcy" to life again. I can easily relate to all those who go thru years and years of rebuilding their lives and fighting thru the regrets, the hurt, the burdens. And, husband and wife.....do they still have the same goals in life? And, if they don't........how to work thru the differences? And, if they can't........then what? The challenges and upheaval is enough to challenge the best of marriages. But really......twi has ALWAYS had a double-standard on facing hardship. When twi-ers go thru it.....the devil is fighting them. When ex-twiers are going thru hardships.......it's because the "cop-out" has left twi. Same with death. Dozens of my twi-"friends" have died in the past 25 years while "standing with twi's trustees." Life moves on quickly for all of us. Keep moving. .

Yeah.....I caught that oversight as well when I re-visited my post. Perhaps, I should have just added another category as......some found a new direction. Thus, it would be an all-inclusive sector for those who changed faiths, rejected any faith/religion, divorce, lifestyle changes, aspiring to a higher calling, desiring to find solitude and peace, society involvement, political activist, high on life, bitter from twi-past, health enthusiast, etc.........or dead. I should know, by now, that when a list is put out there......someone gets left out. .

According to Mrs. W's book, Born Again to Serve, p.91 ......25 new students are pictured with Rev. Leonard in this "second Leonard class with VP." Nine of these new students were from Van Wert, of which, Mrs. Wierwille and Don are included. Grads of the class are not included in this "new students" picture. Also, in book, p.92.....At the end of his class 'The Gifts of the Spirit,' Brother Leonard ordained several of the students, including Don. The younger children with our group, including our Karen and Mary, who where too young to qualify to be in B.G.'s class, came to the open meetings in the evenings. Our whole family of five learned to minister healing at that time. We learned that when we ask from God, we receive from God. It was B.G.'s daughter, Connie, who led our Mary into receiving holy spirit. Slightly over a year later, August 1 to 8, 1954, Brother Leonard and his family came to Van Wert to teach us more fully what he knew about the manifestations of faith (believing), miracles, and healing, also known as the impartation manifestations. Whatever Brother Leonard taught us, we took in with much enthusiasm and made it our own. Mrs. Wierwille's accounting of twi history gives pointed clarity to how Victor Paul Wierwille took Leonard's class-based ministry, and other's work, and patterned The Way, Inc. in 1957. .

And....from 1953-1957, while wierwille was "splintering out with his vpw-led class ministry" wierwille was on St. Peter's Evangelical and Reformed Church PAYROLL. Along with his attempts to splinter off from Stiles/Leonard work....AND STILL receiving regular paychecks from his church, wierwille headed to India and England for nearly 3-months on this "missionary endeavor" and, later, write his Dilemma of Foreign Missions booklet. And, from May 1956 until wierwille's resignation letter on August 7, 1957.....wierwille was laying the groundwork for his own endeavors. In receiving a salary paycheck, isn't it unethical to be stealthily working for one's own gain? Then, when the church leaders unanimously accepted wierwille's resignation.......he endeavors to persuade church congregants to follow him to the wierwille-led ministry. Steal class material..... Steal and plagairize other's work... Steal time from church... Steal congregants on the way out... Why are we surprised?

Christ in you Conundrum: Does faith come by hearing, and hearing the word of God bring deliverance to those who are burdened and oppressed.....OR, does the truth need to be pre-packaged in a three-week class to build believing? Free Spirit Conundrum: Did wierwille have to clamp down on the youth/believer movement with corporate mandates when he realized that pfal grads and hippie-types, in masse, were walking in God's power without vpw-led authority.....NOT NEEDING TWI'S HEAVY-HANDED DOGMA?

With some $53 MILLION in its stash/scam retirement portfolio.......the hospice staff make sure the elderly are bathed, showered and dressed properly for their dining room appearance. Shuffling along in retirement isn't all that hard when there are MILLIONS in the bank to cover all their needs and wants and wants and wants.

krys....I understand your recounting of these emails are from THEIR point of view, but it really does beg the question What status? What seniority? Looking back, it's ironic to me how some viewed the corps with a "status profile" when, in reality, corps were dropped from active corps at a moment's notice. Of course, I understand it.....but, corps were simply like "supervisors" and unworthy of proper research skills in wierwille's eyes. Corps grads quickly found out that being a corps graduate didn't really mean squat in the trustees' realm of recognition. Public pandering, yes........solid support and status? No. If a person has worked at a corporate hog farm for 15 years slopping around manure, and is "promoted" to supervise 5 others........is that supervisory status?

Yeah.....just tweak it abit and voila! another splinter group pops up. But really, and I've said this before......when one uncovers twi history, TWI IS A SPLINTER GROUP of Rev. B.G. Leonard's ministry! After wierwille sat thru BG's class twice, in 1953.....the younger wierwille leaves Calgary, Alberta with a "newfound mission" to teach a vpw-version of Leonard's class. Grads of Leonard's class didn't have to pay the registration fee in wierwille's class BECAUSE THEY WERE ALREADY GRADS -- [Note: Mrs. Wierwille's "Born Again to Serve" book]

krys......isn't that the conundrum, the puzzling bewilderment, that has divided the twi-ers, the splinter groups and those who have moved on to other things? The three versions of this puzzle: 1) Twi no longer has the spiritual discernment they once had. 2) Twi strayed from its foundation under LCM's tenure and is regrouping. 3) Twi NEVER was founded on a rock foundation......but with a patchwork of plagairism and platitudes. Some people, clearly, do not want to address this conundrum from an objective point of view. Some will simply hold to their convictions based on emotion, or past experiences, irrelevant of all the evidence to the contrary. But.....some of us have engaged in this discussion from a vast array of sources and testimony. From my twi tenure.....clearly, my twi-"friends" cover the vast continuum of the spectrum. Some are at the highest levels of staff positions at twi's headquarters.... Some have joined splinter groups and taken up their banner.... Some have found a local church that they absolutely enjoy.... Some have found solace in scripture reading, prayer and family-centered joys... Some have self-destructed and their lives are now in shambles... Life swiftly moves on.....and for many, twi is but a faint memory.

Hence......this thread. How can some people not see the COMMITTEE OF CONUNDRUMS that lay bare the perversions, the puzzlements, and all the problems that plagued twi? How can anyone with "spiritual discernment" or prudence consider the thought of going back into that smell-hole? The repugnant stench reaches to the heavens! Nobody bothers me anymore with twi invites......thank God.

The Word Conundrum: When wierwille took the mantle as the sole authority of "what The Word said"..... where were the "multitude of counsellors" and/or "elders at the gate" to confront this runaway authority? And further, when wierwille stated "The Word is the ministry and the ministry is the Word"......the idolatry in that statement oozes out!

Hibernation or indoctrination.......whatever, it's snoozing until awakened!

Perhaps, the twi-lingo is used to square-off in this meeting and see who still holds alpha status? It's sizing one up as to whether he is friend or foe?

See.....that's the problem with conundrums. Once you've spotted one.........the herd runs over you!

Repetitive Conundrum: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results......YET, even though twi's programs have crashed and burned, they keep repetitively trudging in dismal failure. Manifestations Conundrum: Teach nine manifestations of the spirit and that the elite operate at the high levels......YET, no one seems to see those "phantom six" manifestations that demonstrate that God's power is present.

More Abundant Life Conundrum: Wierwille states in pfal that when he "looked around" he saw more non-Christians living the more abundant life that the Christians......YET, he later emphasizes that this "abundance" is spiritual in nature.

According to Webster......conundrum is 1) a riddle whose answer contains a pun To me, it's difficult to conceptualize how a ministry that, supposedly, was teaching truth to set men free.......ended up enslaving those who never missed a teaching.

Adultery Conundrum: Wierwille teaches Martindale that he needs to "loosen up" and have plenty of sex IF he is to become an effective spiritual man of God......YET, if this "doctrine" was SO GREAT, why wasn't it taught to all the corps men?

Law of Believing Conundrum: Weather.....why didn't wierwille believe for nice weather every day? Why were corps yelled at for not keeping the rain away from corps week? Healing.....why didn't wierwille believe to overcome his health issues? Why were staff/corps booted from hq for having health problems? Outreach....why didn't wierwille believe for pfal classes to run everywhere? Why were class instructors reprimanded when some students exited pfal?

Corps Training Conundrum: Wierwille sits up front sipping his drambuie coffee and chain smoking while he teaches the corps about strict discipline.

Another similar conundrum: Wierwille demonstrates speaking in tongues in pfal and how it's a message from or for God. And, further, he explains that its a distinct language glorifying God.......yet, wierwille's "tongue" was unusually repetitive. Lo Shanta Malikaseto Lo Shanti.......Lo Shanta Malikaseto Lo Shanto

Here's the thing about a conundrum........when you find one, you face another one. In that, how far and how deep do you search to solve the puzzling item? If cancer is NOT caused by a devil spirit, WHAT ELSE DID WIERWILLE TEACH IN THE ADV. CLASS that is not a devil spirit. Then....if wierwille was wrong here, where else? See the conundrum?........and the follow-up conundrums? It's difficult to imagine that wierwille/twi having set out on such "spiritual high ground" would have such destructive ends to many who followed down its pathways. Therefore, the conundrum? The questions start surfacing......more and more. WHEN did it deviate from "the truth?" WHERE did twi teachings divert from the scriptures? HOW LONG has this seduction been going on? WHY didn't "men of God" speak up as the watchmen on the walls? Once a conundrum starts.......its hard to stop the beating of the conunDRUM. .

Another conundrum........advanced class teaching that cancer is a devil spirit. Then, years later.......wierwille dies of cancer. Puzzling......ain't it?

WW....good points. Yeah, it was confusing AND needed to be accepted in whole....ALL of pfal needed to be accepted! All of the classes had the wierwille stamp-of-approval. All of corps "training" was beneficial for spiritual maturity. ALL of wierwille's directives were "of God." The conundrum?.......wasn't pfal supposed to help us SEPARATE truth from error? The conundrum?.......don't the scriptures instruct us to SEARCH the scriptures to validate truth? The conundrum?.......when leadership is at cross-purposes to scripture, who mediates the conflict? The conundrum?.......when the "office of a bishop" is violated by the twi-president, then what? The conundrum?.......how do you cleanse a ministry that is being ruled by seductive leaders?