skyrider

EXACTLY........where are these former twi-leaders? The dearth of these "ex-wayers" to come clean is stunning. Do they STILL agree with wierwille and his doctrines? Are they STILL complicit in the mlm-pyramid to funnel all monies to their splinter groups.....thus, amplifying their own side-ministries-of-pfal-nostalgia? I still have my 1985 Clergy Listing from twi.......and to SEE ALL THE NAMES WHO'VE EXITED is striking!! So many who were in major positions of authority are NOW running their own little group of way-daze followers. Obviously, its their means, for most, of livelihood......having no other skill sets or advanced education. I just thought that there'd be a dozen or more of this group that would have exposed wierwille, his sexual predation and skewed doctrines. Sometimes, I wonder........perhaps, twi has some blackmail material locked away on some of these splinter guys and have threatened them to STAY QUIET. Thankfully, men like you DWBH......have the balls to speak out and dismantle the wierwille mystique and twi's twisted history. I appreciate all you've done thru the years.

The telltale signs of a cult are being exposed, once again, on a series of documentary episodes on scientology. Last night, having dvr'd it from an earlier showing.....I watched the hour episode hosted by Leah Remini as ex-scientologists grapple with the repercussions of lies, guilt, betrayal, fraud, spiritual abuse and loss of family connections. The details of the scientology cult seem to be exponentially worse that even that of twi, it seems..........1) "the hole" --- a detention building for dissenters [ 2 years, for some? ], 2) Aggressive, public slander on websites and at person's place of employment, 3) Targeted 24/7 surveillance of top-level exitees, 4) Strong-arm family members in cult to blatantly lie/slander the one who leaves, 5) Required to sign "kidnap contracts".......etc. etc. Yet, many similarities are found in twi..........1) The hallmark of a cult is that one person wields the power, 2) No internal checks and balances, 3) Clawed his way to power in a series of purges, 4) False representation to IRS as a non-profit corp., 5) Fraud and Deception: lying to their followers, 6) Character assassinations, smears, slanders [mostly, clergy & corps who dissent --- and know the inner secrets], 7) WOW Ambassador program was highly exploitive and exclusionary, 8) Brutal confrontations and interrogations, 9) Ex-communication and savage retribution for disobedience, 10) No financial transparency.......etc. etc. 20 Reasons the Church of Scientology is a cult Sure, most of us know about all those purges during the martindale era [specifically, 1989-1996].......but what about wierwille? Wierwille clawed his way to power in a series of purges.............namely, by purging Steve Hefn3r and Jimmy D00p [The Way East and The Way West] from the ranks and consolidating power and centralizing finances. These two leaders were publically discredited so that wierwille could power-grab their movements, their followers. From these "purges"........all the monies pouring into ONE CENTRAL PLACE. This strategic move, alone, was the "nailing of the coffin" that would soon house the death of twi. Wierwille had to "purge these power bases"......because wierwille was a fraud, and stole whenever the opportunity presented itself. A series of purges has major, detrimental repercussions......it frightens the loyalists and strengthens the bullies. The strong of heart, who would confront such error and evil in their midst, are removed by the cult leader, as intended. Thus, the consolidation of power is amassed year after year......and the echo chamber of loyalists is little more than a rubber stamp to the twi-mandates. Wierwille removed any threats to his fledgling ascendency........and bullied his way into power. Whether its a North Korean dictator, a Scientology cult leader, or a twi "man-of-gawd"............the tactics are the same. Add purges.........refute outside information after pfal, stay off internet, avoid family & friends, invent twi-holidays to instill separation, etc The way to power is a series of purges. .

Wierwille instituted an all-or-nothing, black/white twi-ideology. Most all of his public banter was to scoff at higher education or "getting ahead." Heck, just believe God and everything will be fine.....live in the present, that's all that matters. Of course, he cherry-picked those verses that substantiated this message. Through the years, I have found many wonderful, dedicated Christians who were highly professional doing God's works......i.e. doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc. You know, men and women who lead professional lives and STILL (gasp!) are deeply involved in church work and charitable organizations. Here's a novel concept.....Why can't we do both -- be about the Lord's work AND healthily providing for family and future concerns? Why did wierwille/twi compartmentalize every aspect into little boxes rather than the whole of the individual? Why the teaching and living on a "needs-basis?" As we continue to unravel the twisted theocracy and ideology of wierwille doctrine.......I believe that we will find that he skewed and skewered the scriptures, time and again, to manipulate and exploit his followers. Whether it was education, career or one's family.........twi undermines the individual at every juncture.

Penworks.......time and time again, I can cross-reference your twi-experiences with my own. Same mold. Same patterns. Same techniques. Your chapter, Blindsided in Toledo, is one that wierwille and his lieutenants used to manipulate/exploit on a regular basis. Whether it was someone in our branch, area, pfal-class, or wherever......we were held responsible for some else's actions [or unbelief --- ppfftt]. Like, say for example, someone in the pfal class drops out and I'm running the class.....well, that was MY FAULT because I, apparently, wasn't spiritual enough to prevent them from dropping. No, no......it wasn't that they'd used their critical thinking processes and determined that this was NOT IN THEIR BEST INTERESTS, it was because I failed to recruit....er, believe to keep them protected from the adversary, the devil. I could cite DOZENS of instances of this technique, Blindsided in Toledo, thru the years by wierwille, martindale and corps leadership. Heck, at corps week, the corps were blamed for NOT STOPPING THE RAIN.....what about "ye of little faith/believing" wierwille, lcm, don, and howard? /sarc This chapter alone, penworks, was one of twi's premiere modus operandi techniques for decades. Double standard elitism.....to rule over the "schlubs." In those night owl meetings, wierwille would whine about those who took his foundational class and, within a matter of weeks, went back to their churches and communities ......so why heap shame/guilt on US, when he couldn't stop others from leaving? Manipulation-monger, that's why. The guy was standing behind the curtain pulling levers and pushing buttons. He, wierwille, was a fraud, a deceiver. All those times that we were sent out as Light-bearers, to "get a class together".......yet, the John Lynns of twi-hierarchy-fame struggled time and time again to recruit others for a class and set the class schedule. And, the ultimate? Believing for HEALTH and PROSPERITY. Through the decades, wierwille struggled immensely to jump-start his ministry. He stayed on church payroll for 15 years [1942-1957].......having claimed to have started The Way, Inc. in 1942. He had to heavily lean on his brother Harry's upholstery and furniture business for support and the renovation of the old wierwille farmstead home before they could actually move there in 1961. The filming of the pfal-class was done on the cheap....as they "bought" furniture/desk from nearby Dayton.....only to RETURN IT after the filming of the class. And, regarding health......how many people died through the years while in-residence? Under wierwille's spiritual oversight. Was wierwille responsible? Hell--yeah. Many people died under his "oversight." And......regarding health, how many hundreds of people were blindsided by confrontation thru the years with health issues? Where was wierwille during this time? He taught this stuff in his pfal class......yet, he wasn't around to pray and/or minister healing to corps and staff? And, in the end......wierwille doesn't even petition the staff or corps for their prayers or support, and dies of cancer. The man was on his deathbed.....still deceiving others. See, penworks........your story and personal experiences will resonate with all of us who look back on how we were "recruited" and more fully understand twi's deceptive methods. Thanks again. Yep, every chapter of your book, I hold dozens of vivid examples of their undertow......trying to sweep me off my feet. .

This book would be a nice Christmas to give loved ones.......and yourself. Heck, this book should be on every therapist's bookshelf that is counseling someone who has exited twi's doors.....or any other cult.

Ironic, ain't it?.........warning twi staff to stay off the internet. And, why not tell them to stay at the compound.....do NOT go to New Knoxville, St. Marys, New Bremen, Wapakoneta, or Minster and talk to local folks? The more twi tries to CONTROL PEOPLE, the more they show their CULT-colors. That mandate alone should have sent red flags waving wildly in cold breeze for all staffers to see......but alas, for many, the institutionalization has taken hold. I, too, believe that Waydale, GSC and these books [The Cult that Snapped, Losing the Way and Undertow] have done, and are doing, major damage to twi. The mere fact that Rosalie and co. failed to entice a surge of youngbloods to work at headquarters, "the spiritual epicenter of the world" donchaknow, speaks VOLUMES to its prevailing (cough, cough) message. Twi is more widely associated with DECEPTION than all its mumbo-jumbo. Yep.....wierwille chose to move twi to the family farm to launch "his" minus-try in compound-isolation and deception, and the ruse worked for a couple of decades.....BUT it doesn't work anymore. And, I don't think it will ever work again.

Yeah.......that's all twi's got anymore. Control the message that is getting out to others. The more one ventures into the cavernous pathway of twi, the more danger arises: 1) Top-down approach of all mandates/controls, 2) Lifetime of subservient obedience, 3) Twi is mediator between what's godly and what's forbidden, 4) All research is filtered thru wierwille-wholecloth, 5) Debt-free doctrine is new, seductive agenda, 6) Twi vs All Christian/Non-Christian Leadership in every denomination, 7) Parents, families, friends and co-workers can be the devil's conduits---Only twi is the right way, 8) Etc. etc. Twi has to control the message to their followers......otherwise, open communication and critical thinking processes help to expose twi's seduction. Whenever their doctrine (and fruit) is exposed to the light of day.......wierwille/twi has ALWAYS tried to scurry back into the shadows and darkness. Rosalie will NEVER "retire" from the twi-messaging, because it is the only way to sustain twi-relevance. The wierwille-mystique ALWAYS needs propping up, because it was built on a lie. The whole "man-of-God-for-this-day-and-time" shtick was a fabricated lie from a narcissistic, bloviating conman. If JYDL had been mentored in sound doctrine and able to walk by the spirit of God, why would Rosalie be needed at all to stand behind the scenes "winking and nodding" to direct his judgments?"

The true test of Rosalie's "retirement" is NOT that she steps down in January 2017, but........will she step aside? When wierwille retired in 1982, he ushered in a very public ceremony for the installation of the next president, L. Craig Martindale. Wierwille played up the fact that he was twi's president for 40 years (which he wasn't)......and the biblical significance of the number 40. Along with all the mantle/salt/oil/vows of this ceremony......wierwille was given a retirement gift, a Harley motorcycle and side-car, the "twig-hopper", to ride away in the golden sunset. Even though wierwille was facing health problems and the removal of an eye.....it wasn't long before he tried to re-insert his advise and "spiritual" judgment to the fore for the new trustees and corps household. Running to Emporia and Gartmore, wierwille tried to re-insert himself into, seemingly, spiritual relevancy.......again and again. Of course, martindale didn't do this........he was OUSTED. He slid out the back door of the corps chalet in the dark of night......headed to Toledo. Now......Rosalie is on the cusp of retirement, but will she? Will she step aside and keep her mouth shut? It's one thing to retire.....and step away from the day-by-day, hour-by hour petty onslaught of decisions that factor into cult micromanagement, but STILL WANT TO BE INVOLVED in the grand scheme of things. After all, she IS "the one who kept twi from going down in flames after the martindale-sexual-predation-scandal" that brought torrents of unwanted publicity to its shores. She deserves to be heard......whenever she chooses to speak. She has been "The Administrator"......and now, revered Emeritus Trustee (for Gawd-sake). And, she has a home less than a mile away from the OSC building. Will she walk the OSC hallways, eat frequently in the OSC cafeteria and keep close tabs on JYDL? I suspect that, even though she is retiring..........she will NOT step aside. The agenda is simply to put a new face, and younger international face, on twi.......as twi tries, again, to stop the hemorrhaging of numbers. JYDL is the new face.........Rosalie is the "wink and nod" behind the scenes. Same as wierwille did. Same-old, same-old. Will the wayfers play along? Let's play "Reach the Next Generation with JYDL" starting 2017. Get pumped for an exciting year and new president!!

Rocky......yep, Charlene's book would go a long way to explaining twi-doctrine, my thought processes and my personal story as well. But in my case.......add a couple of WOW years, red-flags during inrez training, a 10-day deprogramming episode, more corps assignments and staying after dem "fog years" to thwart chrisgeer's power-grab. What a ride! LOL. Thankfully, I too.....had years of inner-dissention about wierwille since 1978 [and martindale and geer] that had been building and catalogued to memory. But, all in all......our two boys would understand their parents' journey in a huge way by reading this book.

Just finished reading it. Good read........so much of my past [i.e. good parents, skeptical-of-twi friends I discounted, red-flags] came rushing back to my memory. Thanks for detailing your story that will impact thousands of others like me. All the best to you, Charlene. You are one brave and accomplished woman.

Thanks Charlene..........the book arrived in Friday's mail. Really good read. I'm halfway thru the book......and your story is riveting.

A cult that has lived on posthumously by the likes of Geer, Rivenbark, and other ilk feeding off the deception.

Thanks Out'n'About.......good to have updated and confirmed info. So...what's this about "eliminating the headcount requirement?" Does that mean that an outlying fellowship can run a foundational class of 3 students? If they've eliminated the requirement, who decides a minimum? How about a class with ONE new student? Imagine all the time, work, set-up,......for that ONE student? It sounds like the whole enchilada is coming to a screeching halt........BAMM.

Jean-Yves..........you do realize that Rosalie is handing you a wretched appointment, a non-profit corporation in freefall? Every baseline is failing......momentum, involvement, classes, programs, staffing, sunday service attendance.....and that's just the generic numbers. The internals? You know......the spiritual zeal and fervency has been on the dismal-dial for two decades. It ain't a pretty picture. So.......why allow Rosalie to be the "mog-whisperer?" To gain any headway, you are going to have to discard all "administrative-types" from your cabinet.......and find those who have a fervor for walking by the spirit. I know, I know......that is a TALL order seeing how twi has institutionalized wayfers for a generation or two. But,,,, you'd have to unshackle yourself and the "grooming" that's taken place for the past 28 years to turn the ship around. The only way you, Jean-Yves, are going to make headway..........is a "road to Damascus" experience. [Acts 9:8ff] .

Rosalie Rivenbark assumed the "leadership" role at twi in 1999.........after twi-lawyers stepped in and strongly advised the ouster of L. Craig Martindale to shield twi from his sexual predation and ensuing legal lawsuits/entanglements. Thus, by default.......or "battlefield promotions" (as twi liked to say, from secular sources), Rosalie slipped into the big chair. But.......wasn't this the same thing that happened in 1996 when Don Wierwille's health was fading and Rosalie was installed as vice-president? Her close ties to Donna, and the fact that Rosalie was advising craig strategic steps after dem "fog years".......and bada bing, bada boom----Rosalie had moved up within striking distance of the presidency. After all, it really was just an insider's club anyway.......where craig, don, howard, donna and rosalie held backroom conferences to thwart the chrisgeer power-grab. Don Wierwille was always considered an "administrator".......even his dad, victor paul wierwille, despised his lack of leadership to command. For 20 years, Rosalie has sat in the offices of vice-prez and now, prez............and WHAT LEGACY IS SHE LEAVING? No Advanced Class .............. and "the last fellowship in his state is disbanding....." Way to go, Rosalie-the-Administrator. lol No leader.......No outreach. Really, with "leadership" like this.............disbanding fellowships was easy to predict. Those who were on the frontlines of outreach......advanced class grads, corps and branch coordinators have been sounding THIS ALARM for 35 years. Twi became so dogmatic and rigid that it stifled any outreach. The heavy-handed dogma and techniques implemented from headquarters were fossilizing and institutionalizing the fold. And, for many years, twi instituted sunday night phone hookups for branches on the field........it was just so surreal, the insanity of it all. Craig, Don, Howard, Donna and Rosalie THOUGHT that these phone hookups to California, or Arizona, or wherever would invigorate outreach? Were they nucking futs? There were times when I thought, don't they (bod) see what lunacy this is?......heck, they spent 2 years on that crazy production, Athletes of the Spirit, and detailing each of those devil-spirit categories.....and twi had co-joined with the STATELY AND POWERFUL "spirits." The daimon spirit leads the group forward and they mimic his every move.....then, when he snaps, they fall in line in uncanny unison. Far from any Christ-like leadership, it wasn't even "leadership"........it was FOLLOWSHIP. Rigid, coerced followship. Period. And, you know what? Certain types of people will still follow..........others will not. So, Rosalie.......while you try to bask in the glow of your "presidential accomplishments" make sure you stay close to your admirers. Because it's not pretty to step back and take a broader perspective of your "leadership" and "accomplishments" these past 20 years: 1) Outreach on the field has been decimated, 2) No advanced class? 3) Pathetic corps enrollees, 4) States with no twi-fellowships, 5) Dismal sunday service attendance, 6) Aging staff and no interest from youngbloods, and 7) Institutionalized idolatry. No leader, no outreach.........no future. .

Me too.

......perhaps differing levels of involvement make all the difference. On the field, being a country, limb or branch coordinator.......was difficult and stressful. There were so many varying tasks to oversee......so many balls to juggle. Far more difficult than being a department coordinator at hq, imo. Depending on one's level of commitment/involvement on the field......set the stage for Collateral Damage's thread: Quote: ".........I realized how crumby the long-term TWI plan is for those out in the field. Find a menial job, work hard and don't rock the boat. Try to witness but we only need seats for the class- if it's just a connection, move it along. SELL SELL!!!! Find an apartment, move every few years, drive a 5 year+ model car (and keep that cardboard so you don't mess up the driveway). Long-term planning? You don't need that. God's got you. I woke up one day to realize my parents have no retirement and no equity of ANY kind."

Several reasons: 1) Expanding on Collateral Damage's thread which emphasized "those on the field" 2) I experienced both worlds (years on hq-staff and years running classes/mtgs on field)......and "the field" was MUCH harder 3) Since lcm's ouster, lawyers got involved and advised twi towards a retirement/pension plan and no overtime work w/o pay 4) Those on the field, work late into the night (overtime)......WITH NO PAY OR PERKS 5) Oftentimes, for those on the field......weekends are full of activity [staffers not so much--except make appearance on sunday]] 6) There are many reasons why those life-long staffers do NOT want to go back on the field and run classes

EXACTLY. Since twi refuses to invest in each state, in a small-scale brc........corps and adv class grads are forced to scavenge around the city for FREE meeting/class rooms. Translation: Finding a "free" room means clean-up, fix-up, set-up to utilize......and tear-down, put-away, store tables/chairs because it might be used next day by another group. Which means......LOTS of extra time and work for the set-up crew......so it's NOT REALLY "FREE." The field people pay dearly for this. The field people are fleeced of their time, work and hard-earned money (via abs). When I was a limb coordinator in an average-sized state.......the annual abundant sharing totals were hitting $180,000. For a period of time, we were NOT salaried......just got petty cash reimbursements. That's quite a bit of money to siphon off a state without having to "invest" much. At NO time, did the region/trunk personnel think to offer a monthly allowance for room rental. Heck, even our limb meetings.......we were supposed to find a free room. And then.......there were times when we had a special class, ie Rise and Expansion Class, there was a "registration fee" by each student that helped to cover room rental. Why is it.......ALL the heavy-lifting, heavy-"believing to move the word" (cough, cough) HAS TO BE DONE BY THE FIELD PEOPLE ?? The staff at headquarters are PAID to clean bathrooms, polish brass, sweep floors......and the abundant sharing PAYS for the auditorium. Not so in all those far-away states that scramble month after month to put classes/meetings together......cleaning soiled bathrooms and meeting rooms, leaving them better than they found them....and getting home at 11pm, fall into bed and do it all over again for the next class session. What lazy-assed, arrogant bastards......to feed off the blood, sweat, tears and stress of the faithful followers on the field.

Two things that Collateral Damage emphasized throughout his thread: 1) The menial subservience to those ON THE FIELD and 2) Financial malfeasance and exploitation of faithful followers [i.e. parents had given decades of twi-service and had no equity/financial future]. Those two driving issues were staple reasons why I, too, began dissenting from twi-dogma since the early '80s. From the field perspective.......go to twig, witness, go to twig coordinator meetings, set-up crews, run classes, no weekends, working menial jobs, scrapping money together for next major event, had to keep updating advance class status, etc.......yielding no equity, no home mortgage, no family vacations, no hope in sight of getting off twi's treadmill. Year after year. And, twi "wonders" why people exit and NEVER RETURN? Talk about callousness and a conscience seared with a hot iron. Modern-day Pharisees and hypocrites in upper-tier levels.

Umm.......I don't think that was the point of Collateral Damage's thread, nor is it mine. On so many levels, the wierwille & co. agenda was to keep the "believer" subservient: 1) obedient, 2) loyal, 3) flexible -- ready to move, 4) travel light (very little possessions), 5) witnessing and selling the soap, 6) no need for long-term planning/ God will be there for you, 7) twi will tell you how to live and prioritize your life, etc. There was just SO MUCH MORE than "giving financial assets to The Way." lol Quote: ".........I realized how crumby the long-term TWI plan is for those out in the field. Find a menial job, work hard and don't rock the boat. Try to witness but we only need seats for the class- if it's just a connection, move it along. SELL SELL!!!! Find an apartment, move every few years, drive a 5 year+ model car (and keep that cardboard so you don't mess up the driveway). Long-term planning? You don't need that. God's got you. I woke up one day to realize my parents have no retirement and no equity of ANY kind."

As the years click by, it becomes more apparent to me that a solid foundation in life (so often neglected, or derailed by swindlers and carnival barkers selling their wares that deceivingly exploit the young and vulnerable) yields exponential benefits. And, when I say "solid foundation" that includes: 1) Faith, hope and charitable love, 2) Embracing family, friends and loved ones, 3) Educational and career paths of opportunity, 4) Church, community, club and/or neighbor associations, 5) Financial plan to strengthen equity/investments/pension/ira, 6) Live love, laugh often and 7) Stay true to yourself and purpose in life. In re-reading the thread by Collateral Damage 30 years is MORE than enough ........ exposes the long-term plan of twi FOR THOSE ON THE FIELD. Quote: ".........I realized how crumby the long-term TWI plan is for those out in the field. Find a menial job, work hard and don't rock the boat. Try to witness but we only need seats for the class- if it's just a connection, move it along. SELL SELL!!!! Find an apartment, move every few years, drive a 5 year+ model car (and keep that cardboard so you don't mess up the driveway). Long-term planning? You don't need that. God's got you. I woke up one day to realize my parents have no retirement and no equity of ANY kind." Parents had NO retirement and NO equity of ANY kind.......[no pension or ira plan, no stock market investments, no home equity]. And, to think that some 22 years ago.....I, too, was heading DOWN THAT SAME PATH. The twi corporation in Ohio is a self-absorbed, idolatrous-infested nest of carnival barkers. They live to serve themselves. The regurgitated swill that is sloshed forth each sunday is the vomit from a viper's vortex. Throughout the week, the "teaching" is scrutinized by the wierwille-legacy machine and then, said-"teacher" practices the delivery in the bowels of an empty auditorium. Singing ladies of the sway come out and perform their little diddlies as rosie-the-riveter points and directs. You see......the sunday teaching service is, now, the ONLY REAL CONNECTION with the field, the followers. Itineraries by "the president" have been discarded on the ash heap for over 30 years. Limb cities have been hollowed out as some 500 clergy and 3,000 corps grads have exited twi and re-built their lives from the ground up. Heck.......if one delves into any research of the man victor wierwille, you will find: 1) He stayed on church payroll until August 1957 even though he claimed to have started "twi" in 1942, 2) wierwille's teachings, writings, books, and pamphlets were plagiarized from men like Stiles, Bullinger, Leonard, Clark, etc. 3) the pfal foundational class was wholesale ripped off from B.G. Leonard in Calgary, Alberta in 1953, 4) the advanced class had vast swaths of tangents ranging from the Marxists minstrels, the Thirteenth Tribe, None Dare Call it Conspiracy, The Hoax of the Six Million, the 16 Keys to walking by the spirit and much more, 5) the corps program was little more than wierwille-indoctrination-camp with snippets of cherry-picked scriptures, and 6) the sexual predation of wierwille/martindale [and others] and mystique persona of twi's founder has been totally debunked. Just remember this: Twi is sitting on a nest egg of $64 MILLION that was amassed thru decades of exploitation --- so they, unlike what they preach, are VERY INTERESTED in watching their investments/monies accrue each and every year. They certainly don't mind that their followers drive oil-leaking beaters to menial jobs. Nor do they help to fund any type of witnessing or class events in your area. That dime is on YOU. They know how to shame and guilt the innies out of every last lingering penny. And so it goes........... No retirement, No equity.......No problem. At least, NOT for twi. .

Well, Geshem the Arrabian................how about this up-to-date info from March 2016: 30 Years is more than enough Quote from post: <takes a seat and pulls out a menu> Hello All- There's quite a bit to unpack from 30 years. Bare with my rambling thoughts as they all get down. A third-generation "legacy", I only knew TWI as truth absolute. A child of the 80's, I remember growing up and having The Way being the only way. I took each class in the entire class series the exact week I was eligible, and repeated every chance I could. I only knew LCM as the fount-head of all things godly, and worshipped with (at) him through the birth of the new class. I soldiered on through his fall and stood behind my identity as a chosen part of the faithful remnant throughout the early 2000's. I pursued a degree and lead fellowships, certain I held forth what I knew to be the epicenter of the spiritual world. Once I got close to graduation, the promise of getting a job became VERY real. In a market the began to shrivel, I went from interview to interview, each time putting in hours of deliberate, thoughtful prayer and reflection, certain that the God I knew dwelt in my fellowships and that I was told would never let any wrong befall would come through in the clutch. Each time, nothing. Each time, disappointment. Each time, words came from those more seasoned as "Renew Your Mind", "It's not the spiritually best for YOU!", "God's got something bigger for YOU!". This was the first time I needed to prove God had my back. Long story short, I cobbled together enough to get by, but nothing close to the Eph 3:20 I was told time and time again. I got married, to an amazing and supportive spouse, who left her church to join up. She realized if she wanted tot be with me, she had to drink the Koolaid, and drink she did. She practically did a keg stand with that Hawaiian punch. Together, we weathered many situations that were far from the rosy scenes painted on STS tapes (or CDs or VHSs). Real life was hard as hell, and the God of the lectern and the magazine was not as quick to come through. There was always an explanation, mind you, but should not have to be this hard. "Maybe we're not studying enough. Maybe and hour daily is just a start.". "Are we giving enough? We're at 20%, but could we do more to prove our commitment to God and not our paycheck". We ABSed our meager earnings, lived in apartments, drove our terrible, leaky, beaten cars, and gladly taught others on how much God loved us and would provide. Any positive event in life was championed as proof of TWI's system. It began to seem like a lens that made all the bad not their fault and any positive thing their cause. Perspective. Fast forward to a fourth generation being born. Numerous requests from insiders to go on Staff and change from within. By this time, my life had changed. The grind of finally getting (and keeping) a real job meant hard work. I began to feel like everything in the ministry was a motion. Same old collaterals. The articles in the magazine were SOOOO predictable, as were the overly scripted services. Title, personal anecdote, verses, three main points, conclusion, blanket "Let's continue to..." statement... repeat. I felt as if I wasn't learning anything. To challenge myself and scratch my own spiritual and intellectual itch, I started my own studies and digging. ANy time I would bring these up, I was chastised for going solo and delving into what was already researched. I should re-search what is already available. By this time, I could hear an introduction and immediately know which verses would come up. One STS, I wrote on my wife's notes five verses. Sure as dang, each one was ticked in the course of that scripted speech teaching. I stopped taking notes. I stopped putting time into my teachings at fellowships. I started coasting. I could see others going through the same motions. I used to talk about all of the interesting connections and parallels the moment a great teaching was done. Now I saw how quickly others began talking about their week, their boring lives, their.... anything but the bible. Truth was, it was the collaterals being taught again and again and again. LCM was disavowed, never to be mentioned. All that was safe was the collaterals. So that's were everything went, and still are. Last flash is to the moment I realized how crumby the long-term TWI plan is for those out in the field. Find a menial job, work hard and don't rock the boat. Try to witness but we only need seats for the class- if it's just a connection, move it along. SELL SELL!!!! Find an apartment, move every few years, drive a 5 year+ model car (and keep that cardboard so you don't mess up the driveway). Long-term planning? You don't need that. God's got you. I woke up one day to realize my parents have no retirement and no equity of ANY kind. I didn't want that. I began looking at houses and tried every way to get one without getting a loan. Couldn't do it, so I tried to ask permission. Another post needs to explain this hot mess, but needless to say it was not on the menu. I forged ahead to the disapproval of many. Kid number two arrives- I stop going to STS. Our last trip, I don't even open my bible. I hear and scrutinize the entire presentation better than I had every encapsulated with my notes. (Oh the notes, but I digress...). On our way home, my wife says "What an electrifying teaching!". I let the air clear for about 5 seconds and say "Was it?". Her face was as white as the audience at any given STS. We then discuss very openly our current role in the ministry and where we saw our spiritual lives. Needless to say, it was the beginning of the end. We limped along for a few more years, mainly because of the sweet people that genuinely did care about others and the large family/friend connections. This is certainly a fact that cannot be overlooked, but we were killed with kindness and not won by spiritual truth. We eventually decide to skip fellowship for any convenient reason, attend other church services on Sunday mornings, and try on many religions/denominations. It came to a road that lead to us moving and telling our new coordinators we were out. I felt it necessary to go out on my terms, not middle-fingers a-blazing, but with a truthful talk. We left about two years ago.............<snip>

Penworks........congratulations on finishing your book. I look forward to getting my signed copy and reading/learning your personal journey, thoughts and insights of having escaped the undertow of twi-currents that were pulling us down and away to death/destruction.

Just my opinion........maybe it's time to drop the "president" title altogether in twi. Only for non-profit status does twi consider itself a church.......but how many church denominations have "presidents?" Senior pastors, yes. Rabbis, yes. Ministers of faith, yes. But "presidents?" The whole use of that term in the church setting is erroneous. Isn't it time, twi.........to re-think EVERYTHING that wierwille set in motion?