Planes, Mystery-Trains and 18 Wheelers

[skyrider]

In its heyday, twi was ON THE MOVE with planes(2), motor coaches(2), Harleys, and an 18 wheeler.

IIRC....the 18 wheeler was purchased in 1980 and was an amazing rolling billboard: The Way International On The Move. This was during the era of the big Limb Homes and major swaths of corps leadership were moving to assigned areas. An 8th Corps grad, Jeff, was the designated driver of the big rig and twi's Transportation Department kept him rolling down the highway.

Howard Allen was the trustee overseer of the Transportation Department and I remember the day he announced that twi's 18 wheeler was in a crash.......and basically, totaled. A couple of days later, when I was in Don B-urke's office, there were the pictures of the mangled tractor-trailer. No one was killed, [at least not to my knowledge]......but I don't ever remember seeing Jeff at hq again. Was he fired? I never heard about it. All I remember was.......silence.

Why didn't twi replace it? Didn't they have insurance on the 18 wheeler?

One accident.......and that's it? They no longer NEED it?

See.....that's the amazing thing about those twi-memories. So often, when something happened.....we were given the "don't ask any questions, if we want you to know anything....we'll tell you." And, perhaps.....others who came along years later didn't even know that twi had one time had its own 18 wheeler rolling down the highways of America.

Twi is a shell of its former self. Today, its like a small-time, country church with its little congregation and sanctified cemetery nearby. If you're faithful to the church, then you get to be buried by the church with some dignity intact.

Rosalie is like a little quiet church mouse compared to the roaring Harleys of wierwille's twi.

My, oh my......how the "mighty" have fallen.

:)

[WordWolf]

I'm sure it went from

"It's God's Will for us to use an 18-wheeler!"

to "The revelation has changed."

[skyrider]

Yeah, now.....its God's will for twi to have $57 MILLION in assets/investments

tucked away for the security....er, more abundant life.....er,

"moving the word" and all that jazz.

The fleecing of people will go on until the deception is exposed in full.

For some.....even looking at an oz behind the curtain may not be enough.

[chockfull]

Knowing sh1t Howard Allen used to say about insurance like "God is my insurance" and stuff like that I would bet they probably didn't want to pay comprehensive collision on that big rig.

[WordWolf]

Knowing sh1t Howard Allen used to say about insurance like "God is my insurance" and stuff like that I would bet they probably didn't want to pay comprehensive collision on that big rig.

twi used to badmouth insurance as a CONCEPT.

They said it was based on bad things happening.

Instead of being seen as a hedge against disaster and a sensible precaution

(whether or not it's seen as excessive precaution)

it was seen as AN IMPEDIMENT TO POSITIVE BELIEVING

and A SIGN YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ENOUGH.

We were supposed to keep from buying insurance,

because POSITIVE BELIEVING was supposed to be our insurance.

It wasn't seen as "tempting God" or anything.

It all began in Session 1, when vpw talked about the imaginary

traveling salesman he'd met and spoken to who had never had any

kind of crash, fender-bender, etc, partly because he now understood

about POSITIVE BELIEVING.

It was supposed to be a coincidence that this meant we had

more cash available and could increase tithing, abundant sharing, plurality giving...

[waysider]

As a concept, lack of insurance was pervasive in the early 1970's. It was a sign that your believing was "weak". Who wants that? As WW pointed out, the reality was that it meant you had more money to give to The Way. At that time, Ohio did not have a "proof of insurance" requirement for vehicle registration so very few of us had car insurance. Most of us were young and didn't give much thought to health insurance.

[Twinky]

:offtopic:/>

As a concept, lack of insurance was pervasive in the early 1970's. It was a sign that your believing was "weak". Who wants that? As WW pointed out, the reality was that it meant you had more money to give to The Way. At that time, Ohio did not have a "proof of insurance" requirement for vehicle registration so very few of us had car insurance. Most of us were young and didn't give much thought to health insurance.

You're surely not telling me that in litigious ole USA people were not required to have at least third party vehicle insurance? What happened if someone had a vehicle accident where a victim was seriously injured? Does the vehicle driver sell his house, wife and kids to pay the medical bills, or just declare bankruptcy?

Or are you talking about comprehensive insurance, which covers third parties and also one's own vehicle? Actually, at least in the UK, that's (perversely) often cheaper than TP-only insurance.

What a false economy - not to get insurance.

[waysider]

:offtopic:/>/>

You're surely not telling me that in litigious ole USA people were not required to have at least third party vehicle insurance? What happened if someone had a vehicle accident where a victim was seriously injured? Does the vehicle driver sell his house, wife and kids to pay the medical bills, or just declare bankruptcy?

Or are you talking about comprehensive insurance, which covers third parties and also one's own vehicle? Actually, at least in the UK, that's (perversely) often cheaper than TP-only insurance.

What a false economy - not to get insurance.

It should be noted I'm referring to a time frame that is more than 40 years ago.

[Rocky]

Controlling the flow of information is a long-known, longstanding group (small and large) manipulation strategy.

See 935 Lies, a book written by investigative journalist Charles Lewis, recently publiished and available on amazon.com

We recognize it looking back on twi, but it was by no means unique to our cult.

[waysider]

As the old saying goes, "We were like mushrooms...They kept us in the dark and fed us horse poop."

[waysider]

They could have learned a thing or two from THESE guys.

[Broken Arrow]

They could have learned a thing or two from THESE guys.

Say what you will, but that just looks like a helluva lotta fun!

[Broken Arrow]

:offtopic:/>/>

You're surely not telling me that in litigious ole USA people were not required to have at least third party vehicle insurance? What happened if someone had a vehicle accident where a victim was seriously injured? Does the vehicle driver sell his house, wife and kids to pay the medical bills, or just declare bankruptcy?

Or are you talking about comprehensive insurance, which covers third parties and also one's own vehicle? Actually, at least in the UK, that's (perversely) often cheaper than TP-only insurance.

What a false economy - not to get insurance.

The litigiousness of the U.S. is fairly recent. But, yeah, back in the day the government wasn't as diligent about making sure you had insurance. Even now things can fall through the cracks, at least in Ohio. You can buy insurance against being hit by an uninsured motorist. There are penalties if you don't have at least liability insurance, but as they say, "You can't squeeze blood from a turnip". They can take your license away but if you're not inclined to obey the law, there's nothing to stop you from getting behind a wheel and smacking into someone else. You might go to jail for 30 days, you may get your credit trashed, but if you don't care about those things...

In its heyday, twi was ON THE MOVE with planes(2), motor coaches(2), Harleys, and an 18 wheeler.

IIRC....the 18 wheeler was purchased in 1980 and was an amazing rolling billboard: The Way International On The Move. This was during the era of the big Limb Homes and major swaths of corps leadership were moving to assigned areas. An 8th Corps grad, Jeff, was the designated driver of the big rig and twi's Transportation Department kept him rolling down the highway.

Howard Allen was the trustee overseer of the Transportation Department and I remember the day he announced that twi's 18 wheeler was in a crash.......and basically, totaled. A couple of days later, when I was in Don B-urke's office, there were the pictures of the mangled tractor-trailer. No one was killed, [at least not to my knowledge]......but I don't ever remember seeing Jeff at hq again. Was he fired? I never heard about it. All I remember was.......silence.

:)/>

Do you remember what year that was? By the way, I've been meaning to ask, what does "IIRC" mean?

[Twinky]

IIRC is "If I Remember Correctly"

Google is a wonderful thing. I wondered that, too.

[krys]

I know about insurance vs believing...however......IIRC in the early 80's there was a time when they did have insurance...at ROA. I know this as a friend of mine, who was Family Corps took a bad misstep coming out of her RV and broke her ankle. It was repaired during a short hospitalization and she remained in a wheelchair and/or on crutches for quite some time.

When she returned home she had to hire help for numerous things among them house cleaning. Whatever was needed to repair the ankle and take care of her in general including this house cleaning and other general chores was covered by insurance which they purchased. It was excellent "top of the line" insurance.

I know what they say about insurance....but I can't imagine that that is what they practice. I understand that it costs money to purchase it but if they don't have it, and someone sues them, they leave themselves open to lose so much. I can't believe that they don't have some stop-gap measure in there as a hedge against that.

[waysider]

Well, sure, it was OK for THEM to have insurance. It was paid for with the money we would have spent on our own insurance, had we not given it to them, instead.

[skyrider]

Twi's rolling billboard......the 18 wheeler, ie The Way International On The Move

was advertising what? A biblical research ministry that pointed the way toward the more

abundant life.

What are the TWO main takeaways from pfal: 1)the "law of believing" and 2)the manifestations

of the holy spirit field. Supposedly, these two converged at points in time to give the believer

*power for abundant living.* Power to believe, power to manifest to the world around us that we

were unique and special vessels on this earth. Yet, EVERY ASPECT from the trustees down thru the

leadership ranks was marketing material abundance.....planes, harleys, big rigs and the

"biggest tent on earth p.t. barnum's roa."

All that emphasis on speaking in tongues is perfect prayer to God, etc. was twig talk.

You know, good for the little people going to twig and singing those child-songs.

In contrast, the big boys hung out in wierwille's clubhouse and drank Drambuie....and talked

about power and shiny-material abundance.

Behind the mask, the double-standard was smirking.

Somewhere, it seemed, like the elites had taken enough left turns that they were simply driving

around the block of the devil's enticed world. Wanting to be seen of others; wanting a Harley;

wanting to hang with the in-crowd; wanting to be in wierwille's inner circle.

Was the trustee's believing SO SMALL that one accident, the 18 wheeler, shattered their little world?

If it was okay to own it before, then why wasn't it replaced? Surely, it wasn't the money....after all,

at that time, money was flowing into twi's coffers like crazy.

Yeah.....by 1981, twi was rolling down the road of life alright.

Just on back country roads, that's all.

[excathedra]

Twi is a shell of its former self

i'm sorry - to me it was a shell in its former self

love,ex

[Rocky]

Twi's rolling billboard......the 18 wheeler, ie The Way International On The Move

was advertising what? A biblical research ministry that pointed the way toward the more

abundant life.

What are the TWO main takeaways from pfal: 1)the "law of believing" and 2)the manifestations

of the holy spirit field. Supposedly, these two converged at points in time to give the believer

*power for abundant living.* Power to believe, power to manifest to the world around us that we

were unique and special vessels on this earth. Yet, EVERY ASPECT from the trustees down thru the

leadership ranks was marketing material abundance.....planes, harleys, big rigs and the

"biggest tent on earth p.t. barnum's roa."

All that emphasis on speaking in tongues is perfect prayer to God, etc. was twig talk.

You know, good for the little people going to twig and singing those child-songs.

In contrast, the big boys hung out in wierwille's clubhouse and drank Drambuie....and talked

about power and shiny-material abundance.

Behind the mask, the double-standard was smirking.

Somewhere, it seemed, like the elites had taken enough left turns that they were simply driving

around the block of the devil's enticed world. Wanting to be seen of others; wanting a Harley;

wanting to hang with the in-crowd; wanting to be in wierwille's inner circle.

Was the trustee's believing SO SMALL that one accident, the 18 wheeler, shattered their little world?

If it was okay to own it before, then why wasn't it replaced? Surely, it wasn't the money....after all,

at that time, money was flowing into twi's coffers like crazy.

Yeah.....by 1981, twi was rolling down the road of life alright.

Just on back country roads, that's all.

THE main takeaway from the PLAF class was that the ONLY way to know the will of God was to listen to (glorify, worship, etc.) Wierwille.

It took decades to figure that out, because the secret of their (his) success is (was) the secrecy of their (his) tactics.

[skyrider]

Wierwille's Mystery Train.....ALL ABOARD

Remember the album and promotion? When was that....1977?

"The mystery train" promotion and analogy was similar to "the way tree"......

BOTH WERE UNBIBLICAL. Why was wierwille depicted as the engineer of the train?

If anything.....it could at least been depicted as "the way train" and we were

being railroaded at the discretion of a man, wierwille.

Why not "The Christian Tree"......with branches for Judeans and Gentiles?

Rooted in the soil of the grace and redemption of God's love and full payment:

Jesus Christ.....

See....when you step back and THINK about twi's promotions and portrayals,

you begin to see how twi was filled with pompous, private interpretation

that was TOTALLY UNWORTHY of carrying any banner titled *biblical research.*

[DogLover]

There must have been some 18-wheeler owned by the Way as recent as 1984 (and probably beyond) because one such truck moved all the goods that went from HQ to Gunnison and back again and transported all the Way Corps's luggage they chose to box up and send on those trucks, as well as any Way Corps's bicycles they chose to send.

Edited July 22, 2014 by DogLover

[skyrider]

There must have been some 18-wheeler owned by the Way as recent as 1984 (and probably beyond) because one such truck moved all the goods that went from HQ to Gunnison and back again and transported all the Way Corps's luggage they chose to box up and send on those trucks, as well as any Way Corps's bicycles they chose to send.

I do seem to remember that twi leased a tractor-trailer for a couple of years....

mismatched and bland compared to the big rig they once had.

The splash of what twi once had.....was GONE.

[DogLover]

Skyrider,

Thanks for cleaning that up. I do remember seeing the semi, and it was in no way as glamorous and decked out as was described earlier. Just a bland serviceable vehicle.