Watered Garden

Thanks, don't worry be happy, all is fabulous! I'm actually really retired and enjoying it. DogLover, that is what the branch coordinator said. I think by the mid-90's a lot of the creme de la creme were more interested in Word of LCM than Word of God anyway. I used to have nightmares about it all but now, in the words of that wise of philosopher, B. A. Barakas, "Ah pity the fool!"

BlueCord, I seldom post any more. Let me tell you a bit about myself. I took the PFAL foundational class in 1973, was a WOW in 1974-75 and went through a program in Ohio similar to the Way Corps after that. My husband and I left in 1996 for a variety of reasons. One reason was our rebellious child, and another was that two years earlier, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I'm giving you this background for a reason: I was devastated, convinced I would die because our branch coordinator had stated that at the moment someone turned their back on the "Household of Holiness" that instant the spirit within them would die, and shortly thereafter their physical body would die also, because it is impossible to exist outside the household of the way. That was over 20 years ago, and we are happy and healthy. I'm still diabetic, but I handle it pretty well. My husband has a dream job. Our son has two sons of his own. There is a great life outside TWI than you ever imagined! Those people do NOT have a patent on holiness, not by a damn sight! Our relationship with God is better than it's ever been. We attended several churches before finding one that's a perfect fit. The one we attend teaches the Bible without legalism or hypercalvinism. If you want to PM me I'll tell what brand. God bless you great bunches as you and your family begin a journey to real freedom.

I was never WC or ordained, and was just a mere humble peon of a believer. However, I was always told that someone who was ordained was ordained because God revealed to the powers that be that the ordainee had a gift ministry.

Thanks, Allen, I'll look into it.

I can only speak of my own experiences. In the early 1970's I remember hearing a girl with a rip-roaring, coughing, hacking, feverish lousy stinking cold. Another believer said to her "Well! Where's YOUR believing." In Jacksonville, FL, some red-headed guy, a WC grad, had an adorable little girl about three years old, who also had a horrible, coughing, hacking, bronchial cough. He was sitting on the floor next to me at a Branch Meeting, and I heard him threaten to take the obviously ill child out of the room and whip her butt if she didn't believe God to stop coughing. I would have been taking her to a pediatrician or even the nearest ER. I thought she might have pneumonia, but then I'm not a WC grad, so I just don't have that in-depth spiritual perception and awareness. Just common sense and a little bit of knowledge, which hasn't destroyed me in case anyone asks. In 1993 we were in the Family Way Corps. We received $30/month each and $20/month for our son. Medical assistance was rendered when necessary in the form of a bottle of goo called Bentonite, which one purchased from the bookstore. This supposedly pulled all the poisons out of one's liver, and healed everything from an ingrown toenail to Stage V cancer. In late October/early November of that year, I came down with a god-awful flu/cold, who knows what. I was horribly sick and was given the aforementioned Bentonite, to no avail. I stayed sick as hell for about three weeks. (Let me interject a little something here. I have an auto-immune disease. For those who don't know, a mystery infection, manifested by symptoms or even asymptomatic, is the starter of an AI disease. The immune system fights off the infection, but then turns on the body itself, finding some type of cell that resembles the initial cause of the infection. In my case, apparently my immune system thought the islet cells in my pancreas were bad guys and slowly killed them. Islet cells make insulin. I wasn't making any after a few months.) So, to make a short story long, in August, 1994, when we crept back to the ROA, I was sick as hell. I'd lost 30 pounds in six weeks. I had no energy and I could not eat, only drink a gallon or two of water a day. I couldn't see; my vision was a blur. Eventually my husband hauled me off to third aid and they looked at me and recommended the emergency room. There, I was quickly diagnosed with type 1, insulin dependent diabetes. Blood glucose 702, not compatible with life. I got things more or less under control, gained back weight, and went from there. I thought maybe I could use my experience to help others, but was quickly told by the powers that be that I should be ashamed, and never never must speak of my condition. A few years later, we left TWI and moved back to Ohio. We continued to receive the Sunday tapes until we got one upon which Martindale, in his portentous, "straight from the mouth of God" way, stated (and I remember this word for word) "If you have a chronic disease in your life, it is because YOU have chronic SIN in your life!" Imagine my horror! I searched the Scriptures and did not find this quotation. I'm certainly not without sin; I can find quite a few things to repent of on a daily basis. But the idea that Almighty God is up there with lightning bolts, waiting to smite someone with sickness and disease? Nope, don't think so. I realize this is somewhat off topic, but it had been mentioned. I will say this: If I had family or loved ones stil involved, I would love them into leaving.

There's this great poem by Edgar A. Guest that starts out: "I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day". I work as a product demonstrator in a large membership warehouse store. People from all over the world live in the city where I work and come there to shop, eat free samples, or just hang out for a while. I am still a Christian but have been dissociated from TWI for many years now. I give them samples, love, smile at their babies, speak gently, give them more samples, and try to brighten their day. I've had babies throw up in front of me; I've comforted widows, prayed with those in stress, and just generally tried to BE instead of SAY or DO. Many of the members are not Christian, but are Hindus or Muslims. I try to be sure I know what ingredients they would wish to avoid and warn them if necessary. Is this going to get some of them saved? I dunno. I'm just trying to scatter some seeds of Christ's love. WWJD is not a bad question to ask yourself now and then, in my opinion.

Well, I don't recall my BL doing it at all. She was WC and above all of us nincompoops.

When I was a WOW, our BL put a little table out on the lawn in front of our apartment. Everyone gathered around in a circle, then she would assign some hapless soul to climb up on the table blindfolded. The group circled the table like sharks around a rowboat and then the one standing on the table was to throw him/herself without warning backward off the table. The purpose of this exercise was to teach us to trust one another. I got to have the joy of being blindfolded and standing on the table, thinking "I don't trust these suckers one damn bit." Sure as God made little green apples, I pretty much hit the ground when I fell backward. I think it was someone else's idea other than the BL, but she fell for it (no pun intended).

Do we have an extradition arrangement with Brazil? I sure hope so. Oh, and if he was doing his dirty deeds in Brazil, they probably aren't as nice as America. I say, Gal. 5:12 for him. And put him in a cell with Big Bad Bubba, who lost his honey to early parole and is lonely.

I hope you are being healed from that feeling of not being good enough. You are worth everything to God. We love you too, you know. (Mr. Garden and I).

Actually, Broken Arrow, you stated that very well. An unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your point of view) side effect of the infallibility of the leader is the decimation of the organization upon the death or resignation of the leader. Witness the recent dissolution of Mars Hill Church in Seattle upon the resignation of their leader, who was the imperial grand high poobah in all areas. Witness the fact that although VPW put his designated #2 leader in place before his death, a partial dissolution of TWI occurred anyway and with the ousting of LCM, TWI has essentially dissolved into smaller fellowships that may echo the former "glory" of TWI, but will probably never achieve it for themselves.

During our brief time in residence in FWC Martindale was spewing some sort of twisted history lesson about the Civil War (War Between the States if you're from the South) was not about slavery or preserving the Union but something about the cotton trade or rum-slave-cotton trade or some such crap. During that time I was assigned some cleaning, clearing out whatever job and remarked to the 19th WC supervisor, someone whose last name may have been Smith and who was a dear close personal friend of LCM, that we would go through the task like Sherman through Georgia. Holy dang! Did I not listen attentively with undivided attention to the sacred words of the MOG about the real causes, true history, et cetera. I had, but I was something of a Civil War buff, had lived in South Carolina for eight years, and wasn't impressed with the LCM version. I did survive, but that guy watched me like a hawk ever after. I had committed the REAL unforgivable sin; I didn't swallow the words of the MOG hook, line and sinker. And I had the unmitigated audacity to think for myself. And everything Waysider said about FLO is accurate.

Fortunately, I never graduated from the WC so I didn't have to live by their rules. I've always lived a much more than abundant life, but not by The Way's definition. "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." If you believe your needs include wealth and material riches, and you don't have a 6-7 figure income, you will feel poor. If you're thankful for every need being met and you trust in the Lord, not in an organization or an authority figure or a false prophet, you will be wealthy indeed.

I was diagnosed with type I diabetes, and under great suspicion from that moment on. Had problems with an adolescent son and that was it. We were out.

What totally annoyed me about the no-home-ownership situation was that in the city where we lived at the time, the snooty young MOGLET kicked out a couple who wished to keep their home, even though the payment was more than reasonable compared to the relatively high rental rates. Then, one of guitar-playing buddies, a fellow WC grad, who owned a home, came to him with a plan to pay off his house in two years. HE was allowed to stay faithfully by the MOGLET'S side, a happy homeowner even though others had been told sell or get out. What a hypocrite! I would be there were many others in the same situation. And my thought exactly when I heard the pronouncement: "You never owned a home in your life, you SOB! You always have your living arrangements paid for by someone else!"

Here's a news flash: LIFE has a 100% fatality rate! That said, all the condemnation and criticism is bunk, designed to engender guilt and self-condemnation, making the hapless sufferer even more vulnerable to control by the source of all this spewing garbage. On another note, during our unhappy three months in Rome City, we divided into two groups. One group spent the morning hours cleaning and the afternoon hours in class. The other group reversed the schedule. I was morning work crew. Remember the big open staircase at Rome City that led down into a reception area? Several mornings the cleaning crew spent washing the wood with Murphy's Oil Soap, drying it, and polishing it with some wax or other. I was also amazed coming downstairs in the afternoon to our meager evening meal to find the afternoon cleaning crew had done the same time. So completely meaningless! What a waste of time, money, and manpower.

When I was diagnosed in 1994 with Type I diabetes, the kind that requires insulin full time, we had been kicked out of FWC the year before, 1993. During that three months in residence, I got very very sick indeed, like the worst cold/flu/whatever ever experienced. I was offered bentonite and allowed to rest for an hour or two. This was undoubtedly the initial infection with the mystery virus that eventually caused my body to kill off my islet cells (type 1 is an auto-immune disorder but that's not the point). Fast forward to ROA 1994. I had been exhausted for about four months, unable to eat or do much of anything. I'd gone from 140 lb to 111 lb in six weeks without diet or exercise. The morons who were our fellowship leaders were no help. We went to the ROA 1994 and I was completely unable to move or much of anything and ended up in the hospital with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and a blood glucose of 702. We got me straightened out and on medication and back in Washington. I went out to lunch with M&ry Somebody, who is Donna M's sister. I probably still looked like death warmed over. The first thing out of her mouth was "Do you understand what it is THAT YOU DID that caused this to happen to you?" I was floored. I had never once considered that God had given me this disorder (HE didn't!) I had never once considered that it was my fault. This was the prevalent attitude then. If you were sick you had done something to deserve it. I went through holy screaming hell until we left. The crowning joy was when we got a SNS tape from LCM which opened with him stating, in a very portentous tone. "If you have a chronic disease in your life, it is because YOU have chronic sin in your life." I think we were already out and back home when we got that. I was only too happy to write a letter to HQ saying I didn't any more tapes, magazines or other BS from them. I've struggled with this concept for years. It's not exclusive to TWI; the Mars Hill church plant we attended also teaches illness is the result of an unknown and therefore unconfessed sin and that all sickness and disease come from God to punish believers. It's sad the crap people teach in God's Name. I don't think He likes it much, either.

When I was in FLO I had a day off work for some holiday or other and someone came to see me from I think JW. God bless her heart, I was snoozing when she rang the doorbell and when I opened the door my sleepy eyes told my brain she was Mrs. Wierwille. I soon discovered my mistake, but not until after I had invited her in. So off we went and I knew more Bible than she did! Whatever the point she couldn't respond to I don't recall, but I politely declined her offer to find an elder or whatever. Interestingly, she had brought up something we had recently been lectured upon and it was fresh in my tiny little mind. I don't mean to brag though I probably am anyway. I felt somewhat badly afterward.

The luxurious limb home to which I referred was in North Carolina. We lived in NC 1990-1993. The same home was used by the Greenes and then the Moynihans. I do recall that it may have been a rental, but it was huge for two people to be rattling around in. They had a guest room with a register set up and were quite proud to show the guests where the register had been signed by LCM.

Shortly before our exit, LCM carried the "needs basis" one step further by deciding that no one "needed" to own a home. WC (as I understand it, never having reached that exalted position) were told to sell their homes or get de-WC'd. LCM stated on a Sunday night teaching that he had never owned a home in his life and it hadn't hurt him a bit. Of course, he went from his parents to the jock dorm at UK to WC to king of the hill so it didn't matter. I was always a bit shocked when granted the privilege of visiting a limb coordinator's home. They lived in mansions compared to us. But I guess there was some justification or other that they "needed" a fabulous place to live in order to host events or something.

Hey, BA, I'm a former English teacher, English major, reader and writer and I never questioned it until I left. Go figure. anyways, Happy Easter. Service was great this morning.

How ridiculous is that? It was y'all's money and y'all's time. You should have been able to spend both however you wished, though perhaps short of getting stinking drunk on Georgio Jessio wine reserved for the Moglet's use. In fact, even that wouldn't have warranted too much of hissy fit unless there was hurt involved. Good grief.

Wasn't that weird? One time when there was a youth advance and I was forbidden to go because I was over 30, Mr. Garden and I took off on a day trip to Athens and Hocking Counties. He decided not to go because I wouldn't be there, bless him, and we had a blast. I felt like I was playing hookey from life! He drove my little Toyota up and down hills and around curves at what seemed like breakneck speeds, we ate out in a real restaurant, and stayed out late. Such fun!

Mr. Garden once did a teaching on speaking in tongues that his branch coordinator thought was the best she'd ever heard and should be taught to the WC. The limb coordinator, later coordinator of the FWC, told her, "To TEACH the WC, you have BE WC." That was that.

Well, I don't post much any more but I had to get in on this one. The TWI "dating" policy was absolutely absurd. I can't imagine a lousier way to show the love of Christ to someone than telling them they have to take a Bible class to go out for coffee or whatever. Just...I can't really think of anything specific to say. And the Spouse Corps thing? Had a former in-law go through that and instantly develop a "WE, the Way Corps" attitude that made me want to smack her in the mouth. I know some wonderful people who are FLO and WC grads and I thank God for their lives. But the program (FLO) itself...sheesh, there were good times, but I am pleased to say I never took a whole lotta organic fertilizer off anyone. And the best thing I got out of FLO? Why, Mr. Garden, of course! Sorry for the rambling. A little tired today.