Twinky

Still no reason not to wear a mask. And those around him should have been masked and ideally vaxed as well.

Not unexpected. He hung on for a long time with the cancer. Really foolish of him, knowing he was immuno-suppressed, to not get a vaccine or wear masks. I'd liked him when I first got involved in TWI. He got weird later, though. Always sad when someone you know dies.

Nuns' wading pool !?!

Unfortunately there are so many scriptures that are given a slant, or twisted, that it's almost impossible to say what isn't twisted. Because once indoctrinated through PFAL (or its equivalent in your language), that colours what you see, read, hear and understand later. Mostly, the Old Testament is okay to just read and accept at face value. And the book of Revelation, which wasn't well understood in TWI. It is true to say that TWI isn't the only "religious" organisation that puts a twist or a slant on different Bible verses and passages, and uses the Bible to promote a point of view that isn't Godly (ie, passages are carefully chosen to support their own PoV). But TWI did this in a comprehensively deceptive and divisive manner. Perhaps not everything they taught or teach is wrong. But everything needs to be viewed with some suspicion and checked against more reliable resources - there are plenty of online Bible search tools and commentaries. It's time to exercise those dulled critical thinking skills!

I remember that salt covenant, and after they'd kicked me out (for no good reason) I suffered horribly from guilt. Later, I re-evaluated that. You might also remember that there was a pledge of allegiance too - to the US flag or whatever Americans pledge to. Not being American, of course, I never did that, nor would I ever want to. But in my heart I pledged my allegiance to God. Or more specifically, I think: I pledged allegiance to the Way Ministry and to the God for which it stands. Later, I re-evaluated that, too. Once I realised that The Way in no way whatsoever stood for God and what God is, wants, does, etc, I realised that my allegiance wasn't to the Way Ministry, because it didn't stand for God at all - but to God as God, directly, without any intervening organisation or person or thing. I think I always knew and accepted that my salt covenant was to God and not the Way; it took me a while to work my head around that and kick out that induced self-condemnation. So while the salt covenant was a horrible guilt trip at first, later it kept me grounded and safe because instead of feeling as though I was a disgrace to God, I began to remember that God is good and never leaves us or forsakes us, no matter how "bad" we have been. In fact, happy to tell you that God has well and truly kept his end of the salt covenant. Life has not been as anticipated; but it is full of blessings, amazing things that have happened, and abundant in all good things. Godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Tim 6 bears re-reading!) (And I have a lot more than food and clothing with which to be content!!)

Anglican church requirements: Preparing for Ordained Ministry | The Church of England The C of E prefers its candidates for ordination to have done other work first, so some undertake a degree in (ay accountancy), practice as an accountant for a few years, then seek selection for ordination. It's not a given, even if someone appears suitable. There are extensive interviews with increasingly more senior ministers within the hierarchy, not to be exclusionary or punitive, but to be sure that the call is properly heard and responded to. One of our previous curates did exactly this: had wanted to be a priest since a mid-teenager, not accepted and told to apply in a few years but to do something else working with people beforehand, so was an accountant for 4 or 5 years. Stayed with the ambition and has now been a priest for - must be over a decade now. Current curate was a ballerina. Many others have been teachers, youth workers, etc. Not all those who "feel the call" are accepted, but they still have vital roles to play in the church life. Training takes several years study, then (as it were) an apprenticeship to an experienced minister. You're looking at 5 or 6 years training before being let loose more or less unsupervised on the public. My best friend is a Methodist minister. After several years as a lawyer, she too training, after extensive personal discussions with senior Methodist staff to make sure she was really suited to the role. Then, three years or more theological college, then another one or two as a probationer minister, before now being loosed on her own congregations (she's been a qualified minister for well over a decade now).

He probably means, "...in TWI, and then out, one experiences ..." Not everyone uses commas appropriately, nor proofreads, before hitting the Submit Reply button.

Woh, that's a warning to us all. To every member of every congregation. Can't remember ever reading that before. A great warning against selfishness and self-interest ("the sleek and the strong") ahead of sharing nicely with others. And it applies not just to the church, but to every other person in this "pasture" of the world. Are some nations so rich and selfish that they shove other poorer nations aside? I'll just leave that thought with you. If I say too much, it'll get stripped as being political. As if Jesus were not political, hey?

Like it or not, he knew what he was doing when he assaulted women. When he messed with other men's wives. Even the most thick among us know that messing around with other people's spouses isn't a good look (as it were). His incandescent, vitriolic rants and rages were beyond imagining. Lunchtime "sharings" could last 1.5 hrs and he raged against everyone and everything. Very scary. (For you older people here, be glad you didn't endure them.) He was manipulative, sweet one moment and foulmouthed the next (perhaps learned from VPW, but he certainly "made that his own.") I had never sworn before, but came out of TWI with a marked ability to use language that most people find unacceptable (still working on getting rid of that). Corps Nights were more ranting and raving and foulmouthedness, with lurid descriptions of (in particular) alleged homosexual act. I have to agree with Bolshy One on this. I never knew VPW, had recently died before I got involved. What I'd seen of him in the PFAL videos wasn't impressive, and I was aware of numerous errors he made. But it was still, despite errors, holding out the bible in more depth than I'd encountered before. What I knew of TWI was this thick, ugly, man who thought he was God's gift to the world. The SNS tapes, to begin with, were okay. I went in rez and met him and his "teachings" in person. I am amazed, now, that I stayed around at all. But I never saw that side before I went in rez. And it had cost me a lot in non-monetary terms, to go in rez. Yeah, he taught things. Mostly, what Christian service is not. I can agree with WW that LCM is a victim too: sought out and groomed by VPW, who by his behaviour demonstrated "what it was not." How to be a bad leader, how to bully and scare people. There must have been that within LCM to enable that to develop to the level it did: perhaps the college jock desire for adulation. Wherever he is in life now, I hope he's repented of his nastiness, his behaviour to others, and has learned to lie peaceably and politely with other people. Has he learned humility? Service? Integrity? He has devastated many lives (mine included). An open apology to all those he hurt, males and females, would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath for that. I forgive him and don 't wish him any ill - but I don't forget what he has done to so many.

Look like she's now on the board of directors. So he's probably still hanging around at HQ doing ... well, if he's lucky, something that actually does need doing.

Christianity was once a cult of Jewishness, too. Jesus, however, never intended to start a new religion, but to turn people back to God. Some say that Christianity is a cult started by Paul/Saul. Good post, T-Bone. When the rules of the organisation itself become more important than the (real) rules of God, then there's a problem.

Corn and sauerkraut. Yummy. Hey, how about an omelette? Or fried chicken? Or ... (wait for it) ... caaaake!!!!!

Ah, got it. A cheese and ham pasty. Right. Is there anything else on the menu in this Cafe?

What's calzone?

Wah, those parting gifts, thank you gifts, and whatever. Give, give, give. Give your money, give your time. On reflection, I think I did go there. Early on, maybe my first few weeks in-rez, a large chunk of my in-rez corps went to empty and clean out a place prior to its sale and auctioning of contents. We went there with Jacque Horney. It was busy, hard work, and filthy with dirt and neglect and lots of spider webs, but actually it was a very enjoyable and relaxed time. Jacque was quite good fun. Even then, it was nice to be away from the strictness of HQ. I could see it had once been a beautiful place, but outside was beginning to look very tatty from lack of care and attention, and inside was scruffy and looked to be falling apart from damp in places. Not much time to explore or get a feel for what was there. I remember doing some work in the library. Gail had come from HQ to select any books she wanted back in Ohio. I must have been helping her by marking said books, or similar. She estimated the number of books in the library there as xxx thousand. When the books were all counted and boxed up into non-Ohio disposals and Ohio retention books, her estimate was very accurate. Impressive.

Yes, the boundaries got pushed and shoved all over the place. I recall from PFAL (and I've rarely heard anyone here discuss it) a bit about moving boundaries. Deut 27:17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ (NASB) And yet, that is precisely what PFAL and all other TWI materials proceeded to do. They removed the boundary marks in our minds - for some, perhaps a good thing but for many others, a very, very bad thing - the boundaries of common decency, honesty, integrity, physical contact, sexual contact, and moving through other aspects of self-preservation. Everything. It started before PFAL, actually; the first twig probably saw everyone getting hugs and maybe kisses, regardless of whether or not the newbie liked being hugged by strangers. It wasn't "loving encouragement" to grow and "be enlarged" by moving our own boundaries. No, in some cases it was a full-scale assault on decent, appropriately established boundaries. My boundaries got very blurred, very confused. I think they are back now in the places where I'm comfortable with them being. It took years, like Rocky, like most of us. God CURSES them, for moving boundaries. God is not the author of confusion.

Here's the same, but without the interjecting woman's comments (who does she think she is, it's not her story!)

Proverbs 2:6 New International Version For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Maybe TWI has run out of other ways to make "the Word" incomprehensible?

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Let's not go that way, OldSkool. No policy regarding covid on their website, unless they have one well hidden. But you know what? We're all outa there, and what they think doesn't matter to anyone here. Unless you want to know, so that you can take the opposite view. Yeah, right.

Never went there; looks a seriously ugly place. And unkempt now, though doubtless it was immaculate when TWI owned it. Thanks for sharing.

By all means, drink mullein tea in reasonable (not excessive) quantities. I doubt it's effective against covid. Do get a vaccine as well. As for that daft bunch in Ohio: do they want to "believe God" to keep them safe? I think they'd recommend a vaccine course. And I'm certain the head honchos would get vaccinated. But either way: I just don't care what they say, think or do. Their opinion on anything is completely irrelevant to me.

D'yall want me to start a thread on this?

Oh, and while I was leading this team, the overall coordinator visited the team, spent time with each family, and then spent time with me to discuss team activities etc. He used to stay with my family to begin with, but later rented a nearby motel room. Asked me to visit him there, as my household was so busy. He did this two or three times. It seems he was after a different sort of teamwork, the sort that needs only two people and a bed. Tough. Unlucky in that.

I can't imagine how awful and completely bewildering that was for you all. I hope you all didn't get blamed for your lack of believing, that left him vulnerable.