skyrider

Thanks, Rocky. Sometimes, I think that my story would be of little interest.....farm kid, sports, college, twi, corps, deprogramming, time spent with vpw, clergy, country coordinator, limb coordinator, times with martindale, major events escorting mrs. wierwille, sudden exit... Then I stop and think......there is SO MUCH that I've never written at GS. .

Here's one example of that: While in-residence, one Friday the corps coordinators separated all the men and women. The plan was to have men's and women's advances......like some 40 per branch, or so. Anyways, that day my Branch coordinator, Mike Tr@cy taught us men regarding leadership, goals and fortitude.....and, one of the take-aways from his teaching, which I still remember to this day.....he wanted to be one of the next corps after graduation to gift ONE MILLION DOLLARS to twi. Yeah.....ONE MILLION DOLLARS. See, wierwille had been on campus a few week prior and stated (the gist)......"Not all of you corps are going to be limb or branch leaders. Some of you will need to go into businesses and professions and serve God in that manner. And, someday, I [vpw] look forward to someone abundantly sharing one million dollars to twi." Yes, wierwille said as much......and, here, weeks later, a 7th corps guy was determined to go do just that. The corps numbers were jumping so drastically at the time [300 per year] and Rome City campus was filling up as well.....that twi leadership were encouraging corps to go into businesses and professions after graduation. Sure, run a twig.....but don't count on being on twi's payroll. At that time, the 7th corps was heralded at the most gifted, talented corps of them all. And, many of them took wierwille's statements......and after graduation, were gone.

That question, Why did you stay when you had misgivings about him? was one that simmered on the back burner of my mind while in-residence. And, one that deserves answered.....but I must admit, it was interwoven within the fabric of several complexities. Interwoven Complexities: 1) Two years as a WOW Ambassador....and I'd seen several healings and small wonders. 2) At that time, the corps program did not equate to a lifetime of twi-servitude. 3) Biblical Research was bigger than wierwille.....bigger than twi, I thought. 4) Wierwille would soon fade in a few yrs, twi would move on....and so would I. 5) I found refuge in a few others, mostly 7th corps, who thought the same. 6) Made a pact with hq staff co-worker to help with other staffers struggling. 7) Was God wanting me to stay *within*.....to help unburden others? 8) My prayer was that God would show me when to leave.....and He did. Perhaps, some of you wrestled with some of these?

When one discovered inconsistencies, weakness and flaws in a system......dozens more seem to pop up to verify it. In fact, it gets to the point where you don't have to go out of your way looking for them, they find you. And, so it was.....at the 1979 Corps Week. And please understand why so many of my references are in the "corps genre"......nothing exposes wierwille AND twi more than being *up close and personal* [ie twi's "most spiritual" training]. Like so many things in twi, Corps Week was heralded as A unique time for the man of God, Dr. Wierwille, to be with his corps......and then, there was the REAL REASON. The corps provided the necessary work force ahead, and during, the rock of ages. Not just getting the tents up, but virtually everything. The OSC Warehouse became a full-scale operation of food storage, prep, and distribution center. Semi-trailers were parked on the west end to provide for frozen products and cold-storage. Forklifts were abuzz at 4:30am to move product to feed the masses. Obviously, you can't have 18,000 - 22,000 people show up and not be ready to feed them. Anyways........Corps Week wasn't really about wierwille imparting more *spiritual gems to corps*......it was MANDATORY WORK WEEK OR ELSE. The "or else" was the threat of expulsion. Yeah, if you didn't show up....they were going to throw your azz out. And, if you DO show up for corps week.....DON'T YOU DARE leave early and skip the roa. And, this was 1979. Ummmm.....so, these kinds of inconsistencies and threats kept reinforcing in me that all of this mog-doctrine shenanigans were masking twi-servitude. Should I stay and try to change it? Could my life possibly make any difference in the whole scheme of things? By 1979, there was this *silent, dogged resistance* to comply to wierwille's demands. And, rather than address some issues head-on.....wierwille reverted to thuggery and threats. Even vp's demeanor was different during corps week; he could sense the resistance. Yet, he could do nothing. His mask was slipping.

My book would be entitled EX-posing The Way. Green to depict wierwille's twi and its double-meaning of "the emerald city of oz." Yellow-gold to depict the enticing way in.....and the golden truth of getting out. Wonder if anyone would ever buy it?

When I speak of *seduction*......the far greater implication, I reference, is that of spiritual seduction. Yes, a number of women were seduced into wierwille's bedroom, but a far greater number [women AND men] were seduced into his cult. The night-owl setting camouflaged this seductive arrangement towards wierwille's wheelhouse. On a pristine evening, the night sky was aglow with twinkling stars and soft, fresh air. The fire crackled and the flames danced alluring all who entered the campfire area of an enchanting night-owl. Far removed from a podium and desks, sensations of pleasantry warmed one's soul with acceptance and delight. The seduction had already started before the cognitive mind could even grasp its stealthy entrance. Who could resist its temptations? Who doesn't love a campfire? Wierwille played his advantage well. Again, it was *staged* to entice.....using all the outdoor elements towards inward desires, into his cult. The select few that made their way to his bed, well, who could blame them for wanting to share of themselves with the mog? The others? Well.....they "were blessed" just to be in his presence and join in God's plan to move this word. See? This was spiritual stuff.....and that's why, the way woods was considered by vpw to be one of the top five holy places at the way international. Clearly, there's a reason why the book of I John chapter 2, written to those born again, WARNS of two things: 1)Seduction and 2)No need for man (flesh, lust) to teach you . You should *abide* in the anointing and with it, you shall be taught. Sadly, and deceptively......few in the corps were abiding. .

The in-residence corps numbers were quite meager until the 6th corps went to Emporia. If I recall correctly, the 4th corps enrollees had jumped to 55 and the 5th corps hit 75.....but the 6th corps quantum leaped to near 320. And, those numbers stayed fairly consistent [310-345] thru the 14th corps, or thereabouts....not to mention, the addition of the Rome City campus numbers. So, I tend to think that wierwille, as always, looked for a way to maximize his "training." Wierwille was a *group* leader.......he didn't have time for one-on-one stuff, at least not in the biblical teaching sense. Group-teachings, group-meetings, group-release sessions, group-weddings, group-pictures, group-meals.....I guess, its the commune way. And besides, one-on-one conversation might lead to questions, specific questions......and wierwille didn't like to be questioned. With group teachings, it was against spiritual protocol to raise your hand and ask a question. Plus, a couple of times, at corps week and/or word in business weekends, the trustees took on Q&A....but it quickly unraveled and the trustees went into defensive mode. Anyways.....back to wierwille maximizing his "training." At times, he'd drive around in his golf cart to be [or, at least show] that he was out-and-about with the people. Of course, he seemed to soften more if corps women approached him; with men, he often bristled. It is fair to say that I'd seen this on a few occasions. BUT......the nightowl setting was where the stars were aligned in wierwille's favor. Such a setting seemed more personal, and not just another group-teaching. Many factors were to his advantage: 1)Controlled setting, 2)Informality, 3)Drambuie, before-during-after, 4)Seductive and measured, 5)Expound on wierwille legacy, 6)No one came to take notes and 7)Afterwards, a corps girl invited to the coach? Nothing relaxed wierwille like a well-planned nightowl. In the way woods, at hq.......there's a rustic lectern at the edge of the campfire area. On the bark-like lectern is a plaque commemorating George Jess, the first corps director. Perhaps, the symbolism runs much deeper than most realize: the nightowl was one of wierwille's seductive, corps pleasures. .

I never said he did. Slowly, re-read my opening post. What part of paraphrase do you not understand?

And further.....to add to all this, we had raised German Shorthaired Pointers when I was on the farm. Great dogs for pheasant hunting. Plus......at 15, I bought a 350 Honda scrambler motorcycle and upgraded, two years later to a 900cc Kawasaki at the same time that my dad bought another 1200 Harley. I could ride his Harley anytime that I desired. SO.....when I had gotten involved in twi, I had ALREADY been around two things that vpw claimed as "trophy-hobbies:" German Shorthairs and Harleys. Was THIS some strange twist of fate or a haphazard circumstance?????

I think this is the part that people don't understand when they say things like "Why didn't you just leave?". Yes, I'm sure that many don't understand. As I've stated many times before, I believe that every person had a unique experience in twi....different upbringing, culture, pursuits, reasoning, goals, peers, leadership, etc. For me, coming from a farming background and growing up with sports [football, basketball, golf and track], the "discipline training" in the corps program was miniscule. I didn't even need an alarm clock to awaken me at 4:45am....it was already built-in from childhood. And, the aerobic points?.....no sweat. My senior year in high school, I was on the mile-relay team that broke the school record and it stood for nearly 25 years. So, going out and running around the Emporia track was refreshing.....not grueling. Or, the time the in-residence corps walked a couple of miles [and back].....to a nearby farm on Emporia's outskirts, to participate in a "hunter's safety" course. We shot 10 rounds with the .22 rifle and 2 shots with a 12 gauge shotgun. Once again, [in my mind]....petty and miniscule. You see, I'd grown up pheasant hunting along shooting rabbit and coyote. But I was happy for others who'd grown up in a city and had no knowledge of firearms, much less actually experiencing it. Most were excited to have done it. But....regarding the corps program, I didn't necessarily view it as *black or white, right or wrong*.....I held the scriptural allegory of likening it to a wheat field, where the wheat and tares [weeds] grow together. And, harvest awaits us all. And, the Lord of the harvest will toss out the tares and even separate the chaff from the wheat. You see, at age 11 on a wheat farm.....I was driving a combine at harvest time. So, if some corps leader was a bully, a slouch, a hypocrite, or worse....then he'd reap the wind of the Lord's harvest. Although wierwille always tried to paint the canvas of twi=best and others=bad....I refused the premise. The scriptures said otherwise. Nor did I buy into twi's caste system. Just because someone didn't go into the corps didn't make them any less spiritual. But I was in the process of learning more and seeing where it led. And, here I was in the corps program where the in-docvic-trination was as thick as flies on an August afternoon abandoned watermelon slice. Discernment was my ally.

Not quite sure I understand your point here, krys. Are you referring to the *ice cream bowl* as hooliganism ....ie disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying or vandalism? Even the modern usage.....has started to be used to describe people who are dissatisfied with the status quo and decide to challenge it through highly disruptive and positive innovative efforts, usually in collaboration with like-minded individuals. Initially, we never set out to *challenge or disrupt* the corps program. We simply wanted to enjoy a small sector of time, fun and pleasure.....all by ourselves.

Yes.....NOTHING, in my mind, could have been more blasphemous to God than the corps program. My corps twig coordinator was Venezuelan, Milagros Flores...meaning miracle flower. She was a wonderful young woman who exemplified all that was good and wholesome, desiring to serve God. She was bubbling with joy and enthusiasm and a smile that would brighten any day. What a lily of the valley! And, THAT is the sad and detrimental reality of the corps training......it was deceptive and stifling in every way. Some, to this day, have never discerned its deceptiveness. The *ice cream incident* proved to be an early shot across the bow. I had learned from this incident and came thru unscathed. My discernment was heightened. Sure, I could have left. I had money in the bank and a car in the parking lot. Within two hours, I could have been gone......forever removed from twi. But I stayed. Was I being foolish or was I listening to God? What lie ahead? I was intrigued. Why had I seen God's power on the WOW field.....and now, sidestepped this authoritarian yell-fest? Was God leading me in....or helping me to lead others out? I prayed for God's discernment, constantly.

That is what speaks VOLUMES. More than all the corps teachings, and smug spirituality......experiences like THIS spoke irrefutably of twi's *command and control* agenda. That's why the "hard-core wierwille apologists" rarely are the corps grads BECAUSE they saw behind the scenes, the choking of individuality. Only THOSE ON PAYROLL, twi or offshoots, will defend the dumb-down debacle. Sorry, I can't remember any specifically.....but some were nifty. Most, though, were just a tweaking of a scripture like....."Thy ice cream I found and did eat; and it was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart." Stuff like that. How threatening, eh?

Thanks newlife. I suppose, in many ways.....stories like this sound so juvenile. Why not just head out to the nearest Ben & Jerry's and buy a nice sundae, or share one? Well again, you'd have to put yourself in our shoes to gain a deeper perspective. Money was tight, real tight for some. I strongly suspect some corps anxiously awaited sponsor money to give them the allotted $20 monthly spending allowance. Every dollar was measured. Plus, lots of corps didn't have a car.....and leaving campus meant hoofing it several blocks there and back. So, like any "institutionalized soul".....the path of least resistance was to simply go without the treat and just subside until the next meal. Such environments erode individual initiative fairly quickly.....not to mention leadership qualities. As I've stated many times, the corps program was the ANTITHESIS of a leadership program. So, since I had a car and presented the idea of pooling money together for a Saturday ice cream treat.....it satisfied all the criteria for a SMART PLAN OF ACTION. Car?....check. Small expenditure?.....check. Ice cream treat?....check. Fun and laughter?......check, check. And, like the movie Shawshank Redemption, the inmates utilize cigarettes as a bartering system and devise a smuggling route to access certain items........so, too, our ice cream bowl became a subtle statement of reserved fun that we, and we alone, initiated. Small potatoes, I suppose. But when you're suppressed and "confined"....it's amazing what simple pleasures arouse the senses and frees the mind.

Amazing to think.......that was 35 years ago! And, Don B. --- RIP

Well....as noted above, I was not in the meeting when THE CONFRONTATION took place, but heard the explanation secondhand. The nearest explanations I could pin down: 1) They didn't approve of our little "insurrection" against established order. 2) We didn't ask for their permission before proceeding with our group. 3) Our "group meeting" was OUTSIDE the established confines of the program. 4) The *ice cream retemories* were evidence of twi-blasphemy. In other words.....it was a battle of wills, and WE WERE WINNING. Like any form of institutionalizing.....those in authority claim control. If, and when, there becomes a system where the detainees are usurping and maintaining their own little set of rules.....and DISPLAYING it to others.....it must be eliminated.

Here's another little story. Same timeframe. My first dorm assignment at Emporia was Uncle Harry Hall....and at the time, all-male. And, one of the best-dressed 7th corps men, Steve, was just down the hallway. Nice guy, friendly and impeccably detailed in every way. One afternoon, while stopping in at my dorm room to get something, I saw Steve walking to his room carrying 6 or 7 laundered shirts from the cleaners. As we met, I commented on his shirts and he told me that his Dad set up an account at the nearby cleaners for him.....ie his Dad "sponsored" this cleaning service for him. So, each week Steve makes a run to the cleaners to drop off and pick up his dress clothes. After the 7th corps graduation, I never saw him again......not even at the rock of ages, one month later. PS ......maybe, I should have had an "ice cream sponsor" .........and a "Budweiser sponsor" etc. etc.

Yeah.....imo, it takes a simple incident like this to TO ILLUSTRATE THE INSTITUTIONALIZED, CONTROLLING NATURE OF TWI in all its perverted glory. A training location? Un-frikken-believable, isn't it? Submission is the name of the game. They watch. They monitor. They yell. They control. Using threats, they establish control.....until the teenager grows up, and leaves. See, that's the thing. It's not based on scripture, nor some sort of spiritual maturity crap......it's authoritarian dogma. The corps coordinators had the same reflexive traits as derr wierwille. What is really ridiculous.....is that there's STILL a following of this madness.

Here I step, into this web-booth, to make another confession..... I was the 'Founder and Instigator of the 1978 Ice Cream Bowl at the Emporia Campus.' Of course, none of this means anything to anyone not privy to its virtues, and ploys.......and legacy. Let me explain. After nearly two months of twi's corps program, the everyday droning of their constant lectures was mind-numbing. To me, every fiber of the program was to suppress the individual and institutionalize the collective will. Besides the podium stuff, there were corps twigs, dorm meetings, branch responsibility duties, and job-department supervisors. Floss charts, aerobic points and prayer room vigils were packaged into this training, too. Heck, even lunch meal lectures could turn into a full-scale teaching on toilet paper efficiency. Rules and restrictions were interwoven thru every fabric of corps training.....even one's monthly allowance. At that time, TWENTY DOLLARS A MONTH was our spending limit. Each corps was responsible for their budget book and tracking every penny spent throughout the month. Twig coordinators would collect these budget books each month to check and inspect. At times, certain corps who, they said, had violated the spending rule were lambasted from the podium..... and, usually, after said person was long gone. Think of that book/movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.....and nurse Ratched, to gain a perspective of the institutionalized atmosphere that surrounded the free spirit of some, especially me. From the wide-open space of a farm, to fun-filled college nights.......to this? Anyways.....here's the confession part. After about 10 weeks of in-docvic-trination, I thought that the best way to spend *some* of my $20 budget-money, and stay within the rules, was........pool money together to treat ourselves. I credit Don Brun-l-, my roommate as a healthy collaborator in this adventure.....and wild man, Bill F_ry who joined in week two. Here's the deal.....since they usually gave us *self-structured time* [4 hrs] on Saturday afternoon..... then, why not take this money and buy a couple of gallons of ice cream and plop all of it into one big bowl. Everyone who contributes gets a spoon and the eating began. Simple, right? But little did I know how this simple adventure would grow into a big, snarling monster? Saturday after Saturday, we looked forward to our "Ice Cream Bowl"......and our 'membership' was growing. We started decorating our ice cream bowl with oreo cookies and chocolate syrup. By week 4, we gleefully prided ourselves in *out-smarting the system* and partaking of this pleasure. I'm not quite sure who started the Ice Cream Retemories, but it smacked of ridiculing the elites for their oppressive system. And, as things of this nature go....."the horse was out of the barn." By early December, we had set up our own little *Ice Cream Board of Trustees.* Sure, it was all in jest....flavored with some ridicule and payback. Perhaps, survival mode.....setting up our little system within the system, I suppose. Anyways, the ice cream mania was spreading.....and then, we went on Christmas break. When we arrived back at the Emporia campus, all work assignment changed [block 2]. I was assigned to Dishroom Detail.....and had to oversee Mr. Hobart, the cleaner-eater, making sure all flatware and dishware was spotless. This assignment kept me from attending those Saturday afternoon ice cream bowls. I was removed from the fun, the jesting, the sugar-buzz........and THE CONFRONTATION. This particular Saturday, the lunchtime announcement that the corps coordinators wanted to meet with everyone who'd participated in last Saturday's ice cream eating [Jan. 20th??] needed to meet upstairs in the Fireplace Room. Uh, oh.....that didn't sound good. From all accounts, I heard it was an ugly verbal hour-long lashing that stopped short of throwing them out of the corps program. And, there I was.....in the dishroom below cleaning up after the meal. How my life might have changed had I been black-listed that day.....I'll never know.

When I met with corps leadership regarding my corps sponsorship, I told them that I was planning to pay ALL of it myself. They were aghast at this...... and said that THAT was "...selfish on my part. They told me that I NEEDED corps sponsors to release the spiritual truths that I would be learning AND needed their prayers." So, I found 6 or 7 people that I'd blessed during my two WOW years, and PAID nearly 85% of my corps tuition myself. Growing up on a farm, my Dad started putting money into my account when I started working at age 10. Also, thru the years, my brothers and I did many types of side work for farmers ($100 here, $200 there) by setting up grain bins, building fence, helping with livestock, etc. And, I worked during college too. Also.....I agreed to sponsor an 8th corps girl while I was in-residence. .

Good points, waysider. And, John......if you want to add "getting high" and/or drugs into the mix, it would be like equating one's addiction to secularism, but when vpw cruised the streets he was offering hits of *wierwillism.* And....the problem with this "drug" was....ONLY wierwille had it and was selling it. That would be THE WAY to corner the market. :spy:/> .

And.....THIS is why I keep saying that if twiers would read and re-read Mrs. W's book, they would SEE that the wierwille-mystique is full of holes. The mog-theorem in twi was ONLY AVAILABLE via obscurity. This book not only fails to obscure, but does the opposite: it SPOTLIGHTS the deception. Thank you Mrs. Wierwille.

Ummm.....where in the scriptures does it say that we will be judged by The Word? Sounds like wierwille rattling off a bunch of stuff, but then fails to comprehend the errors. The greatest of God's works is His word, isn't that how its stated? Okay, then....."his works" are going to judge us? Nope, not true. The Lord will judge his people [Heb 10:30]. Why, how silly. That would be like one of ole Henry Ford's production cars *judging* a car owner on his driving skills [aka pfal teaching analogy]. .

And....with that, he ATE their lunch.

Two things: 1) Obviously, without proofreading and secretaries, wierwille was a pitiful example of writing skills and 2) he's the one to point out "isolated positions" when, in fact, he is the one leading them towards isolation. IN YOUR FACE, he blusters. .