skyrider

How do you sleep at night.......?? Now, that you are up there on the "big chair"........it must feel good, right? Hopefully, linder is still running errands and still go-fer.......printing off GSC-updates.....like he did for Rosalie. Because.............I know you are a busy man. It's taken you 28 years at hq and kissing the ring to get there. But.........I hope you can stop for a minute.....from your busy day and answer me this: Right now......I pulled out a picture of you, Michele and daughter......with a card that says (quote)........."What a great blessing it was to spend time with you in Dallas! We are so thankful to have had that opportunity. (Name........skyrider) your Way Magazine article is excellent (Jean-Yves.....you underlined "excellent" twice). Thanks for all of the work you put into it, your practical examples really made it live for us.......(next paragraph) Have a great (you underlined....."great") time enjoying the holidays and prevailing in this glorious household."...............(signed) Love, Jean-Yves, Michele and Audr3y So..........I guess that I have three questions: Martindale labeled my wife and me "possessed" and (from what other corps told us) "we had turned our backs on God"... [nine months later after we received this card from you]..........how, Jean-Yves did YOU praise me with accolades and state "your practical examples really made it live" for you and Michele......yet, you watched....martindale, rosalie, and howard mount a CHARACTER ASSASSINATION against us on that corps night and a smear campaign that followed......not coming to our defense, NOT ONE PHONE CALL? Jean-Yves...........is THIS how you are going to make "spiritual" decisions as twi's 4th president......as other corps work diligently to keep priorities of family, God and work in proper balance? Not sure if it was the first day, but I remember being with you at the Plains of Abraham......you were so young and vibrant......NOW, how do you sleep at night? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Note: Click on the Chateau Frontenac insert of "plains of Abraham link"..........WHAT A VIEW overlooking the Saint Lawrence River .

More Info / Reflections Filling in some details........ Abduction Altered .....I believe the abduction went to Plan B.........during that van ride to Wichita, KS......disgruntle thug-conversation led me to believe that this whole abduction process was originally supposed to take place the night before (after supper with folks). Thus, traveling thru night would have made it easier for them and less conspicuous (hiding the abduction from fellow-travelers). Maybe....I wouldn't have been blind-folded in cargo van. ~~~~~ Separation Gap .........This whole thing could have been diffused with better communication with folks. The damn phone switchboard set-up at Emporia Campus and HQ were (perhaps, at hq ----- still are) ASININE. The whole frickin' gatekeeper-to-cultperson only heightened by parents' concerns that THEY had us enclosed and under their "spell." ~~~~~ HQ-Sexcapade at 1998 Adv Class ...........Maybe, someday....someone will come forward to give more details, but it might be too much exposure to those trying to rebuild. That's the thing about all this.....those who experienced such things and saw the cult's fangs........don't WANT to tell their stories. Too much time was ALREADY lost.......and rebuilding life, career, family, etc is of utmost importance. ~~~~~ TWI's Needs-Basis Doctrine ...............1) An absolute joke, 2) Use/abuse of people, 3) Short-term use of people.....Long-term advantage to twi, 4) Wierwille's temp agency.......No Investment In People, 5) Anti-Family........because of $$$$$, 6) Children were shelved/ignored.......again, $$$$......to have children involved multiple layers of involvement/investment (.....ie. braces, school activities, cars, higher education......hell, having one's OWN family traditions)....but I digress.... ~~~~~ HQ-Bureaucracy is a FARCE ...........in late-September of 1998 (a month after we exited).......... I received in the mail another "invite" to attend the November 1998 Advanced Class Special.......................to AGAIN..............be Mrs. Wierwille's escort. ~~~~~

........this story was a work in progress since the days of Waydale ........I still remember starting that thread Bravehearts Unite! and DWBH, Paul (ex-twi) and I had lots of laughs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ghost Ryders In The Sky My Escape from Cult-Hell Part I We Thought We Were Free Part II BOOM: Everything Changed Part III 1997: Fury Unleashed Part IV 1998: The Money Iceberg The First Bookend Part V The Music Played On Part VI The Price We Paid Part VII Sprinting Thru The Finish Part VIII The Two Bookends Part IX Fresh Air77 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks and Praise: Pawtucket (others in no particular order).....DWBH, Rocky, WordWolf, waysider, penworks, krys, Twinky, .......(and many more) (pictures on the GSC wall)..........Groucho, Catcup, Belle, Oakspear, RottieGrrrl, excathedra,...........(and many more) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .

GSC is an Oasis This place is a pleasant contrast to life's challenges and schedules.......but I need to get to work. If the girls weren't so cute and the drinks so refreshing......I'd stop coming here altogether. Cheers!.........I gotta go.....for now. .

Depths of Understanding About the time, I think that I understand something.....I find that I really didn't understand it at all or that more understanding would be gained over the next ridge. This could not be more apparent to me than the process of writing this book. I am not the same person I was on December 15th.....when I began this journey. I'm exploring caverns and crevices that I told myself not to venture. Memories of anguish that haunted my soul....I forbade to trespass. I cordoned off those areas of my life for years. Nor did I want others to see them either. All those years in a cult and I'm still breaking free from the corral. And now, in less than one month, I have changed even more. My perceptions are different. My thinking is different. What is beyond the next ridge? What lies beyond the horizon? This catharsis journey has changed my life. What differing perceptions are gained throughout the day as the sunlight brightens our understanding and then, leaves us with deep-red hues of splendor. Or, what a difference a few years make.......after exiting a cult. The stark contrast of understanding this journey could not be more apparent than where I was some 35 years ago. As I sat there in wanda's home typing my report, I titled it.....Kidnapped: Ten Days of Hell. It took me years to extricate myself from that cult. What a chasm I have crossed.........I didn't understand it at all.

Paranoia Through the years, I've seen varying aspects of paranoia regarding the cult and I'm sure most of you have too. Not to belabor the point.....here are four examples that come to mind.......again, on different points of a continuum: I was sitting with wierwille on his motor coach as we worked thru my 36-pages of captivity report (1981). Of those three-day afternoon sessions, this happened on the second day. Back and forth, wierwille asked me questions about this-or-that.....and would scratch thru whole sentences of my report and/or reword them to his liking for those "By The Way" articles for the St. Marys Evening Leader. On the second afternoon, while we were deep into this......the motor coach doors whisked open and Chris Geer briskly headed toward us at the table. Wierwille lifted his head and they made eye contact. With intensity of focus and brevity of words.....Geer said, "They're here. On grounds." Wierwille shot to his feet and the two walked out, got in Geer's car and drove away. I was the only one who witnessed this....no one else was in the motor coach. Stunned by it all, I sat there for another two minutes and then left the coach. Never did figure it out, but it sure got wierwille's attention in a hurry. ~~~~~ Outside of OKC, I spent much of my time and effort in Tulsa to help strengthen outreach efforts. Several corps had come and gone thru the years, but this one night.......I found myself trying to help craig's sister breath thru a multitude of factors that will remain confidential. It was well past midnight and took nearly three hours to untangle the growing intensity of anxiety and fear. We went for a short walk to help break its momentum. The paranoia was real, coming from several directions and by 3:45am her thinking and heart settled. During my one-hour drive home to OKC, I pondered the sequence of how something like that could escalate. ~~~~~ The advanced class grad who wanted out of twi, after we were m/a ...(mentioned before). It was surreal to watch paranoia mount its charge. As I said before, we had two secret meetings....one in the middle of the day, another late at night. The fear that someone in twi might see her with us was palpable. Her short bursts of speech had a tinge of shortness of breath. She was deeply conflicted and disturbed. Trying to process it all, the only thing that made sense to her was space. She needed time and space.....and moving out of the duplex, away from her roommate, was the first step. The stigma of m/a that twi had thumped on our chests made no sense. The convergence of the m/a stigma and Lally's damage control methods ushered in critical thought. And, paranoia dissipated. ~~~~~ In 2002, four years after we'd left the cult.....my family took a four-day trip to Canada. We wanted to take our growing boys to Niagara Falls and head over to London, Ontario to show my oldest son the city and hospital where he was born. Also, we had five people that we wanted to visit from years gone by. On this Saturday morning, we met up with this couple, she had been a godsend to help with all the cult's bookstore functions and her husband was invaluable to me as we handled the financial ledger and accounting. [In Canada.....we did ALL the financial reports, yearly self-imposed audit, etc......in states, limb work never had to do any of this, it went to hq]. Anyways......a phone call was made, because we thought it'd be nice to see Goldie, a wonderful adv class grad who was on the executive committee during my tenure. We agreed to meet at a food court in a local mall. When he arrived......the paranoia in his eyes was striking. He kept glancing over his shoulder to see if any believers might see him there with us. Here, a 72-year old businessman gripped by cult-fear was a memory I will never forget. ~~~~~

More Background: Let me back up on this one and fill in the blanks: Another girl phoned........who was signed up for foundational way-class. I had personally witnessed to her and signed her up. Now what? I was m/a and she called to ask me what to do. She was conflicted (obviously).... A week later, she came to talk with me face-to-face (she parked her car around the corner, down the street) She, too, was growing paranoid of what to think. She wanted info of class.....but saw wreckage floating around. I was driving on Northwest Expressway around 4pm one day (mid-June) and I had this thought (small, still voice..??).....go to Mardel's Christian Bookstore. I had only been there ONE time, but passed by it often. So, I turned around and.....mostly out of curiosity -- just to see.....once there, parked my car. I stepped inside and said to myself, "Now what?" Again, I had this inner peace and an inner "voice" said....."the bible aisle, someone is searching." Okay, now I'm really interested and thinking to myself....."If this is of God....I will be amazed." In the bookstore aisle was this woman talking to a sales clerk asking about different types of bibles. I watched for about a minute and then, stepped toward her and said that I really liked the king james version rather than some of the other paraphrased versions. We had a 5-6 minute conversation on this....and then, I told her about home fellowships and "blah, blah, blah." Anyways.......the rest of the story is she came to 3-4 fellowships and signed up for the class to check it out. So.....this woman was deeply conflicted six weeks later when I, "the state leader" was blacklisted. She had NO idea of twi-jargon, but had this unique personal involvement with me on that day and I'd seen her nearly every week. We had this "connection" because of that day at Mardel's. Note: Before, during and after twi................I've had a couple dozen of these unique experiences. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Stigma of M/A Twi uses the "mark/avoid" label as a scare tactic. I suppose there are many ways to look at this, of course......but it's like someone comes around the corner, perhaps even in your own house and erupts BOO! It startles you.....and freezes you. You are caught off guard and......frozen in place. Processing what just happened takes a bit. We know that twi twists all kinds of scriptures, but this one is used as a weapon. Everyone with THAT label is to be marked with a "black heart" letter....and shunned. Why? Well....because they're "possessed." It hardly takes much more than that to freeze critical thought. Obviously, martindale slapped this "scarlet letter" on us......while, all the time, he was romping from bed to bed committing adultery and/or sexual predation!! But I digress..... Once labelled, everyone we'd ever had contact with in twi shunned us. Heck, not just from the average go-to-twig believer........all the way to the highest ranks, critical thought is short-circuited. Our corps "friends" and buds, whom we'd been in the trenches with for over two decades....would NOT call to ask, what happened? Corps nor clergy called.......we were stigmatized. Martindale gave the order. The power of that label is very real. If word is sounded out from hq, then it must be so. It took years to condition people's minds to this lockstep loyalty......but the word "cop out" or "tripped out" was its father. Long before "mark/avoid" made its way into the cult lexicon......wierwille used "cop out" with great effect. BOO! DAMAGE CONTROL Like nearly everything twi, damage control is the rapid response to protect twi's public image. And, most likely.....from the very days that wierwille set his sights on some woman in his private office as pastor in Paine or at Van Wert church....things had to be covered up. I always find it amusing to think......after wierwille left the Van Wert church, the church board struck wierwille's name from the clergy registry (to protect their image). (lol) Anyways.......damage control, there to protect wierwille and/or his cult-in-the-making. We can easily see that all thru the years, twi's history and image were whitewashed......then, polished with bullsh!t crème up and down the bannisters. Everything....all of it, everywhere. My wife and I were simply on the radar that day in August 1998. We turned in our corps nametags and were walking away. That could NOT be tolerated. We simply had TOO MUCH influence.....questions would start rippling into waves if the Lallys didn't act fast. I assumed that Tom called Craig less than ten minutes after we pulled away from their doorstep. And, craig gave the order. The Lallys went into action. We were the Limb coordinators in martindale's home state. We had a sterling reputation throughout the state.....AND.....direct access to sway hundreds in Oklahoma, Canada, Indiana* and some on hq-staff. Our reputations had to be destroyed. Hemorrhaging could not be allowed to gain strength. *Note: We had lived in Indiana after leaving Canada in April 1987. Our visas expired (another story....lol)

INDULGE ME.........one more time.... Johnny cash song.....and imagery.... .....spelled with a "y" it was personal.......hey, it's "my story" lol Ghost Ryders In The Sky A mighty herd of red-eyed cows A-plowing thru the ragged skies and up the cloudy draw their brands were still on fire hot breath he could feel .....the riders (cult) are riding hard to catch that herd These cows are red-eyed (angry, anxious) and plowing ahead (trying to get away)....AWAY .........they'd been freshly branded (still on fire) .....and herded (contained, controlled) .........the riders (cult leaders) were "riding hard" to bring them back......to CATCH THAT HERD .........the riders (cult leaders) felt that these cows were "theirs" (ownership, property) .........the cows were fiercely trying to GET AWAY ############ That song is so vivid with imagery and expanse. I grew up near ranch country.....and was around angry black angus cows. So...........THAT is the title of "my book".........Ghost Ryders In The Sky.........and I'm sticking to it. ############ An old cowboy stops to rest on a ridge.....when he saw the cows Here at GSC.......we see the cows (trying to get away) ############ title: Ghost Ryders In The Sky subtitle: My Escape from Cult-Hell .

So......why did I search out Trancenet......then, Waydale.......and stayed the course in GSC..? What started the driving passion of John Walsh to do what he did? It's extremely personal when it involves your kid(s). No, our kid wasn't abducted or killed, but...... The guttural pain.....of seeing our boys cope with cult-backstabbers The nights of crying......what's wrong? why can't we play with them? Now........I was going thru the extrication process......for all of us, wife & kids.......and, helping this adv class girl. Another girl phoned........who was signed up for foundational way-class. I had personally witnessed to her and signed her up. Now what? I was m/a and she called to ask me what to do. She was conflicted (obviously).... A week later, she came to talk with me face-to-face (she parked her car around the corner, down the street) She, too, was growing paranoid of what to think. She wanted info of class.....but saw wreckage floating around. More phone calls.............I got another 15-20 phone calls from others. They too were at crossroads.......and bailed. As things rippled out and out.......down to next generation.......I probably helped 120-150 others exit the cult. Even now, during Christmas.....we always have a dinner meal with a family that we helped to extricate. .......The rippling effect of helping others out of this cult......going into a third generation.

IMO...............that's why when some drive-by posters come here to GSC and pop off They have NO IDEA.....the secret, driving, under-belly scum of that cult-organization. NONE. They extrapolate their opinions and view points from the cult-magazine echo chamber. There is a HUGE difference between: Extraction........getting out relatively easy and walking away from a cult. Extrication.......the grasping, sucking tentacles of the octopus in deep waters. THAT'S WHY......GSC is so damn important !!!!! All of you posters are so special. Your depth of thinking, exposure, and support.......HELPING so many, many people. I sometimes think that GSC and your/our efforts....has helped at least 10 thousand or more. Hell........even those who never were in......have expressed thanks. YOU POSTERS.................ROCK and kick-a$$. ........THANKS.

The more I type this ONGOING saga..... The more I........STILL like the "Ghost Ryders In The Sky" analogy. All these "haunting" memories......streaming across the skies.

The Saga continues................................ Now.....we were looking at "a clean slate".......WHAT NOW? First 2-3 weeks........emphasis on our two little boys (lots of hugs, encouragement, trying to explain......) Thankfully......the new school year was beginning.....and lots of positive things in that area I started the arduous process of rebuilding a "resume"......I was 43 yrs old An advanced class grad in OKC phoned......she wanted OUT of twi ..........we had two secret meetings to discuss issues with her. The paranoia in her heart....and shock of us being m/a. ..........she was living with another ac grad......who was a glassy-eyed follower ...............three more weeks went by. This adv class grad made decision to leave. She was SO scared. ...............we offered to have her move in with us while she, too, processed the cult-aftermath ......................and she did NOT want any confrontation from new limb guy OR her roommate ......................so, we stealthily moved her belongings while her roommate was at work Got that?........this ac grad was SO SCARED and PARANOID she wanted us to help her thru this without any twi-confrontation. Gawd......the whole thing seemed like an undercover-spy movie. Hey, twi............see what kind of filth, ilk and paranoia that you are driving people to??? This ac grad had left extra money and note on kitchen counter to help pay future bills....not wanting to burden her roommate Of course, this roommate came home from work.....to find this. She called the new limb guy immediately........and he said stuff like....."See, you gotta be real cautious....they (we) are possessed." OMG.........The lengths to which the twi-cult DRIVES people to see DEVIL SPIRITS in everything. .

And yeah.......I spelled it with a "y" ..........it WAS personal to me Ghost Ryders...... = .....Martindale, Lally........and the haunting, cattle-driver Wierwille .

Thanks Rocky..... That's what I love.......about Johnny Cash's "Ghost Riders in the Sky" The expanse and depth of the song & imagery An old cowboy on a ridge The imagery of the horns, hoofs, hot-breath, stampeding cattle The cattle had brands-still-on-fire.........BRANDED The imagery of the ghost riders and horses thundering across the skies Perhaps, I'll just embrace this "ghost rider vision".........how I saw this "art"........ The twi-CULT.... ARE / IS..... "the ghost riders driving cattle across the endless skies." ..."save your soul from hell" ....every metaphor has it limitations. STILL..........love the song and how it moves me !! .

SO YEAH........BOTH.......lallys AND martindale slithered away UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS. BOTH.......Tom & Craig........vicious, bastards......if you weren't in lockstep loyalty !!!

AND.....because I had "connections".......I was the one who posted on GSC that ..Martindale slithered into Toledo in the dead of night. .

And.......while I'm still ....ed right now thinking about it..... Sunday Noon: Bullet-point sequence Six cars pulled up on street......Moving truck backed into limb drive-way I pushed button for garage to open Tom L. sternly and briskly walked thru garage.....I met him at access door. He abruptly said, "Don't you come out....I'm coming in." My wife stood a fair distance away.........the boys were in at side bedroom window. The more our boys realized what was happening.......they started sobbing deeply. Four of the adv class parents' kids.......were their constant playmates (swimming, birthday parties, etc.) ----------------- Six or seven adv class grads wouldn't make any eye-contact.......got to work loading big items Tom went thru inventory list checking things off.......and was very concerned about limb files Twi "allowed" us to buy a kitchen hutch and washer/drier Oh......T0m Mull!ns.......Arkansas Limb Coordinator arrived.....and was now in garage ...........later that day, Lallys and Mull!ns had ANOTHER mtg with corps. ....................Corps couple from Tulsa became NEW limb coordinators. Limb would be run from there. ...........I guess it took 3 power-hitters in my state to try and destroy us. lol ------------------ Bookstore items all needed to be inventoried, storage cabinets, a sofa, folding chairs, etc. My wife has to get the boys away from the windows.......the building trauma was too much Lally interrogated me further.........who all had I called since Friday night.......damage control Probably...........One hour and thirty minutes later...........truck was loaded, they pulled away -------------------- This deep-sense of betrayal.......was like a lump in my gut. 20 minutes later.......we locked the house and went to hamburger/ice cream store to distance ourselves from it all. We had caller id.......but all the next week, phone calls came in registering "anonymous" After the third day.....I picked up the phone to see. Person on other end wouldn't answer.......6-7 seconds, "click." Was twi checking on me? Toying with me? Pestering me? Would they come late at night and pound on the door? Again.......during my deprogramming, twi sent 4 guys into my hometown knocking on doors. What would they do regarding me? This was martindale's home state and it all embarrassed him to deal with it. I slept in the living room........at least 4-5 nights. Flashbacks.....brutal, gut-wrenching abandonment of former life. After another few days..........the silence was deafening. No phone calls. Our whole network of people were cut from our life. In another sense....................all the swirling of activity had stopped.......and THAT felt good. My mind started to process it all. I was going introvert........... Less than 3 years later.........Tom & Barbara Lally secretly loaded their truck and drove away late at night. **When Austin people went to check on them that next day........the apartment was empty, a deceptive ploy. .

THANKS........you're the man, Rocky! You know.......when all those memories about my parents surface........it cuts me like a knife! And.................when I have all those memories fighting for my bride......it brings the tears. And.................when my little boys got hurt...... IT ROYALLY PI$$ED and Pi$$ES me off. BUT.................I have NO PROBLEM..............talking about THEM, the CULT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Lallys came into OKC and tried kicking over every stone to find something/anything on us........NOTHING. Of course, they called the corps in Tulsa, too.........and the corps rolled into OKC for 2-3 hr mtg........ The Lallys, then, held private mtgs with every corps/ac grad in OKC & Tulsa......trying to find dirt on us. This was eye-to-eye "what can YOU tell us" private-type mtgs. They wanted SOMETHING/ANYTHING.......to feed the narrative for martindale's slander on us. That's why..........when lcm did corps mtg......it was "so vague"..........he had NO DIRT. We were blasted for "turning our backs on God AND the corps commitment." THAT.....was the vague slander!! Gawd.......after I'd put in 24 years in twi and my wife had put in 28 years in twi !!!!!!!!! The best slander lally/lcm railed on (we later heard)..........we were putting our KIDS above God. The INSANITY of that statement. And........corps people swallowed that bile. And........corps, some who've since called us AND visited us (years later) in Indiana.....are STILL in Twi !!!!!!!!!!!! And........martindale, at corps mtg (we later heard)......we were "worldly" and being turned over to Satan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ANYONE OUT THERE.........lurking..........TWI IS A FvCKING CULT !!!

AND........just because I'm pi$$ed thinking about all this......... Quote....from the other thread.. "It was near 10pm.......and the region couple offered, with ministry petty cash expense, to pay for our night in a motel. I turned it down. They implored us....it was only "the right thing to do." I said no thanks. We headed out the door and drove away. I looked at my wife, she looked at me.....it was like, "Did THAT just happen? Did we just quit and walk away from decades of corps? No. More. Corps. Assignments?" I totally believe that the lallys were trying to lull us into a trap.......(if we'd stayed in Austin motel) I think as that confrontation ended......[trap---offer motel].......and then, lallys would high-tail into OKC ahead of us Once in OKC.....they'd start damage control.....i.e. meeting corps/ac grads [before we got back to OKC] ...........................lallys did get into OKC around 11am Sat..........and set up city-wide mtg to blacklist us ................................one ac grad (at mtg) later told us that not ONE person said anything negative about us ........................................NOTHING.....as lallys kept drilling down & down, trying to find "some dirt" Gawd..........I could write SO MUCH MORE.......but who wants to hear all this blow-by-blow crap? ....................Then, Martindale smeared and slashed our reputations on the next Corps Mtg --- via phone lines. ....................AFTER............EVERYTHING we'd done for his family.......mainly ---- Rod, Jo, & Kerry .

YEAH!.......less than 3 years later after our....... 2 hr+ white-hot confrontation (Aug 1998)...... AFTER......MARTINDALE WENT DOWN IN FLAMES....(Aug 2000) THEN........LA1LYS...........BAILED TWI .......(9 months later --- Jun 2001) They lied and deceived......the next limb/region replacement guy...... They lied and deceived......the whole branch area in Austin........... They gave a fake address.........where they were "going to move"... Believers in area were going to help load/unload moving truck Tom/Barb called mid-day and told believers .....didn't need their help They were......twi's Austin Branch Coordinators They'd stepped down from region/limb....to get job in "secular world" ...........they were deceptively and stealthily.....EXTRICATING (from cult) ....................they took 9 months to think/process/pack......we had 28 hrs. ............................28 hrs. to physically extricate the limb/personal entanglement THEN.........POOF.........they drove away in the middle of the night. ..........leaving no forwarding address.........NOTHING. ..........wanting NO PART of a confrontation COWARDS. SCUM. Again, this was..........around June 2001. ........where is that nice pic of the little girl with............the one-finger salute?

Thanks Rocky........ After three weeks of postings, memories and deprogramming flashbacks.......I've got to GO INTROVERT..... And......maybe, too many metaphors..... Probably need to change the title too..... Love the expanse of song & johnny cash......but it confuses.......who are the ghost riders? Those still riding on..... The cowboy sees this vision, contemplates, at crossroads in life.........is warned by spirits of damned cowboys riding by. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perhaps...........STOP the GHOST RIDING with subtitle.....CULTS ARE DANGEROUS Ghost Riding Ghost riding, frequently used in the context of "ghost riding the whip" (a "whip" being a vehicle) or simply ghostin', is when a person exits their moving vehicle, and dances beside and around it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maybe, kill this thread............and start over. Guess at the end of my long "extrication post" with lallys, my metaphorical analogy was off kilter. Too many sleepless nights.......again........and struggling to put all this stuff in writing. I'm wiped, totally spent. Maybe, .....that's why book writing is done, largely in isolation/seclusion......deep thought & reviews. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If anyone cares at all........add suggestions to title of book, or not........... Sh!t.....it's not like the thing will ever be published, or anything. lol I can't thank you greasespotters enough.........

Thanks again...........Greasespotters !!!! See you in a month, or two..................... ~~~~~ Edited: Under further consideration????? To me, .........Ghost Ryders In The Sky........or Not. (if someone with nifty computer skills can insert a full image of this.....I'd appreciate it) Ghost Ryders In The Sky .

Part IX FreshAir77 We, as a family, walked away from the cult.......and breathed fresh air. Nothing else mattered. Every time I look at my wife and our two sons.....it was totally worth it. I walked thru a cult-hell to find my bride.......and married an angel. And, I dedicate this last chapter to my Dad and Mom.....they walked thru hell with me and for me. Thanks Dad. Thanks Mom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you Greasespotters !! I have no more words. You all are truly amazing and I dedicate the title of this "book" to you. I'm going introvert for awhile......to ponder the depths of the oceans, the reaches of the universe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ghost Ryders In The Sky ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .

The Next Week The dreaded call came. Our region coordinators wanted my wife and I to come to Austin for a meeting. At the time, we had made our decision and planned to stay in OKC. Both boys were at a pivotal point in their respective schools, middle and high school. The school fit was perfect for us. I had strong indications that our region leaders had been in contact with martindale......and probably, got wind of our disgruntle remarks from the dozens of phone calls flying back and forth. Perhaps, someone had got confronted in another state and "outed us"......I really wasn't quite sure. Still don't know. But anyways.......a Thursday meeting was just not going to work for us because of the boys, and so, Friday night 7pm in Austin it was. My wife and I had agreed that we were done. We were turning in our corps nametags......which also meant clergy status. It. Was. Over. We. Were. Done. Being. Corps. We planned to put all our energy in our family and rebuild. I would start looking for employment. We'd lay low, get our ducks in a row......and process the past 5 weeks. It had been such a turbulent, swirl of activity......we needed time and space. And........the question of WHEN......had arrived !!!!! If I remember correctly, it was about six and one-half hours drive from OKC to Austin. Would have been nice to do a conference call.....but I knew, this one was face-to-face confrontation! [Hind sight is 20/20-----and I wished I'd never gone there. Arrgh]. Gawd.......it irks me to even think about it, even now. My wife and I had ALL THOSE HOURS traveling and we knew confrontation was coming. But this way, we'd tell them about our priorities, our family, our decision. In Austin, the "meeting" lasted for almost three hours.....20-25 minutes of class stuff, business, etc.......and then, confrontation. Growing.....Intensifying.....What The Hell Are You Thinking Confrontation? Thankfully, I was sooooo exhausted from weeks of sleepless nights, turmoil, that I didn't throw a punch. Over and over, we told them that we were done being corps. And, of course, that brought on the white-hot confrontation. How can you quit? What?... you want to just sit in twig and let someone else lead you? Accusations. Mocking the stupidity of our quitting. Anything to try to get a rise, a reaction, a sliver to attack and counterpunch. To put this in writing, I don't really know where all the time went. All the confrontations blurred together. We handed over our corps nametags. Yeah, I believe that's right. We'd brought our corps nametags....it was like a defiant moment of We-Are-Done. It was near 10pm.......and the region couple offered, with ministry petty cash expense, to pay for our night in a motel. I turned it down. They implored us....it was only "the right thing to do." I said no thanks. We headed out the door and drove away. I looked at my wife, she looked at me.....it was like, "Did THAT just happen? Did we just quit and walk away from decades of corps? No. More. Corps. Assignments?" [They thought we were going to get a local motel room.] I drove all the way home.....totally exhausted. Arrived home in OKC at 4:45am. We fell into bed. At 7:25am.......the phone rang, a dear advanced class grad called and said, "The La1lys are headed to OKC. I hear you guys are mark & avoid!!" At 8:00am.......Tom La1ly called and said, "We will be there at the Limb tomorrow at noon (Sunday) to load up limb furniture, files and inventory. Have it all in the garage, we will be bringing other believers to help us. You are not to come out. We don't want you near them. I will bring the limb inventory sheet. You are mark and avoid. Bye." I had 28 hours.......the interwoven complexities of twi's furniture, files, storage cabinets, bookstore items, meeting items, horns of plenty, all this limb stuff needed to be separated, moved to the garage......and he was bringing a 3-page inventory list. [EXTRICATION......the cult-tentacles were everywhere in the limb home.] What a mess.........on top of only two and one-half hours of sleep (by driving home, back to OKC)......I worked into the night and slept probably four hours Saturday night. By the next morning, I could hardly see straight. By Sunday.............around 11am, it was all done.....in the garage.....and we were mark and avoid. No contact with the believers. Our boys were in shock.......confused and intervals of crying.......as we tried to explain it all. They lost many "friends" that day !!