Oakspear

Radar: Disagreeing is good...I know you and I can do so without being rude to each other and maintaining respect. One of the reasons why I believe that, at least on the local level, there appeared to be love of God and "moving the Word" in TWI-70's, was that the control mechanisms were not keeping up with the rapid numerical growth. When I left New York in August 1980 there were nine or ten full size branches operating in what was known as Area (later Territory) One, which was Long Island, including Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. There was a huge number of people, and the only Way Corps for all these people were J*ff & D**n* T*ler, the Area Coordinators. Every branch coordinator was non Way Corps, many of the twig leaders were not even advanced class grads. People did what they thought God wanted them to do, not because that was the policy of TWI, but because TWI didn't know what they were doing. The mass exoduses of the late 80's made it easier for the top to control the bottom, not because the policies had changed, but because the ratio of leaders to non-leaders had shifted. I think that it's evident that the intent to control was always there, but it took a while for the means to do so caught up.

wwjla: check! bow: thanks, I'll bring a few of my CD's, including one by Billy Falcon's daughter

Was there a difference between TWI-1 and TWI-2? Even using those terms assumes a major difference between one era and another in the history of The Way International. Most advocates of a "bad" TWI-2 and a "good" TWI-1 point to Martindale's unfitness as a leader and the negative changes that he brought to "the ministry". I say that the only differences were that Martindale was more open about his position, and may have actually believed that he was the "Man of God", yet was incredibly inept. Wierwille on the other hand was a master at working a crowd, and had a benign, fatherly public persona that he kept in the forefront, while his meaner, more controlling attributes stayed in the background. Did Martindale ask, rather demand, for the Way Corps to pledge their loyalty to him? Didn't Wierwille expect the same, but was too smart to foolishly put it in writing? Did Martindale run off those who disagreed with him? Didn't Wierwille dissolve the original Board of Directors in the fifties because they weren't a rubber-stamp committee, instead setting up the Board of Trustees, consisting of his brother and his buddy Ermal? Everything that Martindale did, he learned from his teacher, Wierwille. Many of you claim that there were good times during what you call TWI-1, while there are others, from that same period who were getting ready to run for the hills because it had already gotten so bad, even in the mid seventies. On the other hand, you can find people from the "evil" nineties who thought things were pretty good then. Memories of "good times", while true, exist amidst an ignorance of the rot that had always been there.

Is anybody bringing a CD player?

TWO (although I'm leaving tomorrow)

THREE

Well, he did ask what your opinion of VPW was, or do you know anybody else being discussed on this site with the initials VPW?, or maybe you have a problem with initials in general. Or perhaps he didn't "respectfully" put the "doctor" in there. Yippee! We have another drive by prophet! By the way, WordWolf showed plenty of respect in his reply to you, more than you have showed to him in your last post. Wait! I thought you said that WordWolf didn't rate an answer --> I lovingly and respectfully disagree - you were nasty.

Hey Radar, don't lump Martindale in with us heathens! ;)--> Makes us look bad :D-->

Oh, and I just noticed on their home page it says "Fellowships throughout the United States...didn't they used to claim it was in all fifty states?

Didn't Karen Martin edit her mom's book?

Martindale started using "prevailing" in the nineties, it's true, but that decade was called something else, "The Decade of Victory" maybe, I forget, but the current decade was dubbed "The Decade of Prevailing" just before the dumbfoot was ousted. "Building Biblical Understanding"? What a joke

Rascal: Check your private topics please dmiller: It's not to late to be a weenie bro' :D-->

Okey dokey...we'll meet at Sudo & Oak's at the inn and go from there :D-->

Purty close. ;)--> It's _conducive_. Back off miller, you're not a weenie :D-->

maybe we should use your cabin as the hang out...as long as your gonna be awake. :D--> it may be more condusive (is that spelled right?) to the opening festivities. That is if you're gonna be there early too. Watcha think? Sudo & I will still provide the eats (and coffee)

chaos - ya gotta love it...and it beats stringing chairs

We did some checking: Sudo and I will be in the inn, not a cabin. We both plan on having the means to keep the stew hot. I guess everyone can check at the inn for us when you get there - maybe we can leave a message at the desk. Herbal, on one of the other threads you mentioned arriving by 3 as well, where are you staying? Can you all sound off on who is staying where? Rascal, you're at the campsite, right? Rascal & tribe: campground Oakspear & Sudo: da inn Herbal: ? WWJLA BOWTWI & princess maybe Krysilis - Rascal - I'm still taking care of palsticware, including plates, cups, bowls, spoons, forks, trash bags etc, as well as a roaster full of sausage and peppers & onions

Did we take ourselves too seriously? - During one of the score of classes I was in we developed a small problem with the audio tape; I foget exactly what it was, but the class coordinator decided that we needed to switch tapes. At that time we always kept a backup tape running in sync with the main tape, so we had one ready to go. The head honcho decided that he could not wait until the end of the segment, a mere five minutes away, nor did he want to just pop the tape out and switch 'em. Noooo...the tape was running on a small tape player plugged into the main sound system, and the backup was running on a similar tape player. What he decided to do was have two of us crawl under the table where the tape player was located - one of us poised to yank out the original player, and the other ready to immediately plug the second in...all of this to happen on an extended VP dramatic pause that Mr. Spiritual knew was coming up (he'd taken PFAL quite a few times) Amazingly enough, it worked perfectly, and no one knew what had happened! But looking back I marvel at how we took a simple procedure and turned it into the Allied landings on D-Day.

ONE WEEK When Sudo & I figure out exactly where we are you all will be the first to know ;)-->

Rascal: Believe it or not, I recognized your hubby last year, even though I had only met him once ort twice back in 1981, that Nebraska-ness just doesn't wash off! :D--> My WOWmobile, aka "Big Woody" should be easy to spot, it's a 17 year old fake wood sided brown(ish) station wagon with Nebraska plates. Sudo - we're in a cabin or the inn?

Krys: We're not being evasive about distance, but we're at a different park than last year. Did you say brownies? :D-->

You know you're a Weenie at heart Krys! ;)--> Come to the Roast :D-->

Nine

Oh yeah...it's important to know the laws too. A good resource is the Home School Legal Defense Association http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1 which provides legal advice and representation to members for a reasonable annual retainer (it used to be $100) In many areas even local school districts are unaware of the law and will insist on sending "observers" or truant officers into your home, even though it's illegal in most jurisdictions. School districts will pass regulations that they say are legal but are not. In some areas nosey neighbors will sic the cops or child protective services on you if they see your kids home on a school day. I know of people who kept HSLDA's phone number right by the phone...they'd hand the phone to the cop or social worker before letting them in the house.

My children were mostly home schooled. We mainly did it because the two oldest didn't seem to be learning anything in public school. Four of my six never went to public school. For some weird reason, when most people express a negative opinion about home schooling, they point to the supposed "lack of socialization", which is a myth IMHO. Another thing: if you home school, do things at the pace that works best for you and your kids. Who says that what the local school curriculum says a 9 year-old should know is really what your child needs to know? One of the great benefits is flexibility, don't get tied down to the same schedule as the local schools if that's not what you want to do. That being said, if your going to home school, it's a COMMITTMENT. While there's nothing that says that you have to be hitting the books from 8 - 3 every day, or that you can't take a day off, there has to be consistancy, it can't just be something that you do "when you have time". My ex-wife did most of the teaching of the kids since she was home and I worked outside the home. It went well for quite a few years, but problems in our marriage and with TWI leadership caused her to neglect her teaching after a while. One of the things that I would do upon coming home from work was to ask the kids about what they learned, to give them a chance to "release" and to reinforce the lessons. I would come home at 6:00 in the evening to discover that their mom had slept in until noon and no school work had been done...day after day. In my situation, I regret having started the home schooling, although in principle I think it's a good idea if you can stick with it day after day.