waysider

Dorothy Moore

WW When got involved in '71 or '72 (I don't know why I can never remember which), twigs were held in homes, in parks, in cars or wherever. But, it was not as chaotic as it sounds. Part of what we were taught to do was direct the attention away from the mechanics of organization. Things were supposed to appear spontaneous and low key. There was even a written manual that went into great detail about organizing and conducting a branch-sized meeting. If you were setting up chairs or running extension cords, you were supposed to do it in a nonchalant manner that would not cause attention to be directed to the work you were doing. There was some sort of theory that if you looked like you were working, the students would feel guilty. I still find myself doing this at company Christmas parties and such. I casually rearrange tables and chairs, haul away trash, etc. all within plain sight but without calling attention to myself. Suddenly, the room can transform without anyone giving it a thought. It's pretty good stuff as far as theatrical productions go but what are its limits in a fellowship setting? Dunno. BTW--- One of my favorite lines from the manual was the admonition, "Don't pick your seat." Pinky swear---That's exactly what it said. Well, of course, it meant you weren't supposed to sit in the middle of row three with all your pals and have a good time. You were supposed to sit near the back of the room where you would be free to get up at a moment's notice and do whatever needed to be done. Still, I always get a chuckle out of the ambiguity with which it was written.

Yikes! It's all Greek Aramaic to me .

excie, I agree we you this a great song. And, even though I know it's really Janis' song, I can never get past this amazing cover by Joan Baez: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvRK7XY2yB0 When it came out on vinyl in the mid seventies (Diamonds and Rust album) I used to keep putting the needle back and listening to it time after time after time. I hope it speaks to you in the way it spoke to me. (That probably made no sense.) I guess in a way, I kinda wished that I was Jesse and somebody actually cared enough to want me to come home. I better stop there.

Polly wanna cracker!!

How about some Rory Gallagher? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_3Yerm9V7U

Happy Birthday, Howie You'll always be one of "the good guys" in my book.

Could be a spoonful of water Save you from the desert sand Spoonful of lead from my .45 Gonna save you from another man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TwEYuues6Y

I'm not disgruntled----or angry. I'm just deeply disappointed that something I believed in so fully turned out to be a sham. On the other hand, I feel a sense of relief in learning I wasn't turning my back on God when I left. What I turned my back on was just another run-of-the-mill cult. Not even a very good one, despite our claims that we were "The Best".

If, indeed, a dedicated thread should evolve from this, I suggest it would not be complete without the inclusion of Watered Garden's bone chilling testimony.

This is a perfect example of how, at times I would see various activities that I knew or suspected were wrong, but had no idea they were anything more than localized anomalies. That's where GSC comes into the picture. It enables you to see the scope of activities that happened on a ministry wide scale. It's a place where I often find myself having an "Aha!, So that's what that was about!" moment.

Hello, David Welcome to The Cafe. Have you been to the homepage yet? Strap on your headphones and make sure you're sitting down. First "cuppa Joe" is on me.

One for the squirrel

One day at a time, Raf. That's how I did it 25 years ago and broke a 2 pack a day habit. You're not quitting forever, you're only quitting for today. You can even break that down further into 1/2 or 1/4 days. The other side of the coin is if you "fall off the wagon", you have missed your goal for that day but not forever. Tomorrow is a whole new chance.

Don't beat yourself up too badly, Lucy. I, myself, didn't know much about the sordid details until I stumbled in here about two years ago. Believe it or not, I found this place while searching for a replacement for my PFAL book which had gone "missing in action". I was still lending out my collaterals and "witnessing" to people.( though I rarely sent anyone to a twig again after my rather unpleasant experiences in Fellow Laborers.)

I read the book. I had a hard time putting it down. Nuff said?

Lucy I know you weren't speaking to me but the time frame would have been about 1974 or 1975 to the best of my recollections.

Free Post!!!---Free Post!!!

I don't think she'll be getting an Oscar anytime soon. She obviously had been tipped off. (like with a "surprise" birthday party)

Maybe this is off topic, maybe not. People say the tone here (or whatever you want to call it) has changed. I've gone back to look at older threads and definitely concur. But there's more to the story. People have changed, the internet has changed, internet conversational styles have changed. I also visit a musicians site. I have only been going there for about 2 years but they have archives that go back to 1992. Holy Catz! If you look at some of the posts there from 1992 and then compare them to yesterday's posts it would astound you. Change is normal. You have to expect it. That's all I'm trying to say.

Here it is, lucy. http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/radio/...ng-the-way.html http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/radio/...ng-the-way.html

2x post

Lucy First let me say how very sorry I am for what you have endured. It takes a lot of courage to come forth and offer first hand testimony to such a traumatic experience. There are probably some people in this world who would say to you, "Well, you should have told a teacher, a Sunday School teacher, a neighbor etc." But, I think, in your own mind, you know why that was not possible. For what it's worth, I never saw any of this activity either but it certainly confirms many suspicions I had through the years. Don't forget, we were never supposed to talk about things we suspected. We were supposed to "renew our minds". Predators have an uncanny ability to sense who will be an easy prey. They must have sensed that you would not. Have you spoken to anyone who is professionally trained to help with these things? Perhaps you might consider it. TWI I, TWI II, TWI III refers to the time frame you are referencing. TWI I, for example, refers to the years when VPW was at the helm. Mark----That comment was spoken to a poster here at VPW's memorial service

It's no secret. The man announced it in front of many people, with no stated expectation of secrecy. In fact, I believe it was his intent that it would be repeated amongst a select audience and thus lay the groundwork for practical doctrine. How in the world can you establish practical doctrine by keeping it a secret? So then what benefit can come of speaking out on the World Wide Web? Exposure. Plain and simple. People have a right to know they were deceived by a man that was not the man he pretended to be.