I'm stuck on something I can't find in my notes anywhere...
Can anyone elaborate on when LCM announced that the word was over the world and exactly what he said. I remember something about "the father revealed to me that the word is over the world" - but have nothing on it.
Hope: There was a tape from October of '95 where LCM announced that Rosalie would replace Don one year from then. On the same tape he said he recently (then) was walking from the auditorium to the way woods and God told him the word IS over the world and that God would have loved to have given the same revelation 13 yrs earlier but the household wasn't clean enough or something like that. That's the best I can recall.
One thing that really galled me in the late 90's was that we could not go on vacation or even visit relatives 2 hours away without giving a thesis on where we were going, why we were going there, address and phone number where we would be. Our TC even wanted directions on how to get there. I really hated doing that and felt like it had nothing to do with my walk with God.
It was supposed to be for our own good and safety but they could have just prayed for us if they knew we would be traveling. Or.........maybe trust that we knew how to pray to God and handle ourselves in believing. And if we felt like we really needed help we would ask for it.
That's it JohnUare! Thank you. I knew it was around the time something else was happening - just didn't recall what it was. I'm adding that to part 2 of my outline when I get a chance to get to it.
When he announced that, I remember thinking "Huh? He's got to be kidding!"
After leaving in 2000, I asked a lot of others who lived through that period what they thought when LCM announced that. They thought it was ridiculous as well. Amazing that no one ever expressed that at the time.
On a personal note: In October 1995 I had to take LCM’s “new” Advanced PFAL Class or I would no longer be considered an Advanced Class Grad. It was there that I finally decided that TWI was never going to get better and I wanted out!
During that class, Howard Allen came to visit and tell the story of his miracle healing that took place in the early 70’s. After he told the story, he continued to say how thrilled he was with Reverand Martindale’s leadership, how LCM was “cleaning house” and “getting rid of the weakness in the household”. In concluding, he said, “…and I’m proud to say that today The Way is no longer an open door ministry!” The whole audience stood up and cheered. I was dumbstruck – couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. If I had my own transportation, I would have headed home that day.
53rd Anniversary - October 1995 : it is announced that Donald E. Wierwille will step down and become the Vice President Emeritus in one year. Rosalie F. Rivenbark was chosen to serve as the new VP – the change will take place on the 54th Annversary in 1996.
At that time LCM announces that “the Father” had told him the Word was over the World!
I remember some kind of explanation about how there had been an opportunity to hear the accurate Word of God everywhere in the world and that now we had to "prevail". Would others please elaborate if you can.
1996: A big year with many new themes emphasized.
LCM begins his teachings on “the Remnant” and “Zion” – comparing the TWI “household” to the people of Israel in the OT.
“The Prevailing Word” becomes even more of a catch phrase. Terms like “prevailing household” and “prevail with the power of God” start cropping up in Way Magazine articles and teachings.
quote: “The Prevailing Word in the Promised Land of the Household, or Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household--I guess either way would work. That's been the way it's jelled in my soul in defining our overall vision, our goal. Like for years we worked with the Word Over the World concept in our thoughts and hearts, and it helped us make our decisions and prioritize our lives, and as we move into Generation II of The Way International Ministry of Research, Teaching, and Fellowship, there has to be ways to focus our thoughts and define it, both culturally and in language that communicates, as well as Biblically and spiritually.”
L. Craig Martindale, from “Staff Meeting at TWI HQ on 04/14/1996”
LCM also introduces the “standing in the gap” teachings – leaders are to stand in the gap between the adversary and the believers in the household. That pretty much eliminated Jesus Christ from the picture.
Discipleship is stressed. The theme announced at the 1996/1997 anniversary in October is “God’s Call To Discipleship”. Young people are urged to “go out Way Disciple” much like many of us were urged to "go out WOW".
"The Present Truth" becomes a big deal. PFAL and VPW's teachings are "old wine skins". Main article in the November/December 1995 issue of The Way Magazine is titled: "God's Call to Discipleship: ESTABLISHED IN THE PRESENT TRUTH via the Way of Abundance and Power".
In other words - LCM's class is "the present truth".
(Note: also in this issue is an ad for the "Athletes of the Spirit" video. Hmmm - that was over 10 years old by then, could it still be the "present truth"?)
The cover of the Jan/Feb 1997 Way Magazine has a photo of the Word Over the World Auditorium - with that title still in place over the entrance way. Beneath the photo it says: The prevailing Word moves out to the world via The Way of Abundance and Power".
All the believers are encouraged to be "disciples", or achieve "discipleship" status.
From the March/April 1997 Way Magazine: "God's Call to Discipleship: The Way of Abundance and Power" by LCM
quote:"Disciples don't walk in the way of people who live on borrowed money and worship three gods and pay homage to homosexuality and speak of the dead as if they were alive. We travel the highway of the prevailing word."
From another article titled "The Sweet Taste of Discipleship", by Brad Bailey -The Way Magazine, July/August 1997
quote: Abiding in the present truth is the main ingredient and the ever-present action of a disciple who wants to get to, and stay in , the spiritual land of milk and honey."
And in the “Our Times: Insight” article which is titled “Welcome to the Way Ministry, Second Generation” by LCM in the same issue he writes:
quote:” As I stand here I feel very much the same way I did two years ago when I had the privilege of telling our people what the father had revealed to me regarding the Word being over the world – that it was accomplished.. I compare this moment also to the occasion in March of 1994 when I had the green light to announce to the household that I would be taping the Foundation and Intermediate Classes for our ministry, which eventually became known as The Way of Abundance and Power.
“I feel that what the Father has indicated to me this morning regarding where we are in our ministry, our position spiritually – the plateau we have reached is that this is where Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille wanted our ministry to be in October of 1982, when I was installed in his place as President. With all of his heart and soul he did all he could to have our ministry at a spot where we could cross over into the ‘promised land’ of the prevailing Word. Yet for many reasons, that did not happen in October of ’82….
“It’s fifteen years later than what our father in the Word wonted, but with all my understanding of the revelation God has given me, we are finally there. I believe we are right now at the brink , on the very verge of the actual experiential reality of the prevailing Word. And we are at the point of bring into functional reality the seventh section of the book of Acts.”
“…. So put it this way, it’s time to cross the Jordan. All aboard the Mystery train! IT’s time to walk over the bridge experientially to the prevailing Word. (he then reads a poem that Dr. Wierwille liked about the bridge builder).
“So, welcome to The Way Ministry, second generation. Welcome to The Way Ministry II..”
Thanks Hope! That helps the timeline to make a little more sense. GEEZ. You can really see Craigbo's torturous use of language. His double speak is incredible. Not joking here, he is truly a master of saying nothing.
“The Prevailing Word in the Promised Land of the Household, or Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household--I guess either way would work."
??? --> That's surreal! It's like giving a new name to an old horse, parking it at the end of the track and saying "We won!". One day, everybody's putzing along dodee dodee doe. The next day - "We be prevailin' mo'fo!"
"and as we move into Generation II of The Way International Ministry of Research, Teaching, and Fellowship, there has to be ways to focus our thoughts and define it, both culturally and in language that communicates, as well as Biblically and spiritually.”
Doink! Define it biblically? Why bother? Just say "thus saith the Lord" and declare whatever drops out of your nose this week to be the Nectar of the Gods. He's struggling to manufacture a vision.
"leaders are to stand in the gap between the adversary and the believers in the household"
How? By kicking them out the second they have problems? Way to gap bro!
"I believe we are right now at the brink , on the very verge of the actual experiential reality of the prevailing Word. And we are at the point of bring into functional reality the seventh section of the book of Acts.”
Functional reality, a favorite phrase of his. What in GAWDS name does that mean? Actual experiential reality....it just goes on and on.
Some time after 1994 is when we were told that we had to pray to "God Almighty" or "Heavenly Father" only because these are the only 2 ways prayers are recorded in the Bible. (Good Lord! We were becoming JW and didn't even realize it. Next thing I would expect to hear is: Birthdays aren't celebrated in the Bible either, so we have to quit celebrating those)
We couldn't say "Jesus" without using "Christ" right behind it because there are devil spirits that answer to "Jesus". (BUT Jesus is referred to in the Bible as just plain Jesus. -->)
Thanks for taking the time to lay all these things out. It's pretty interesting to see how things unfolded in the 90's.
Gee, you'd think with "the Father" doing all that "revealing" to Craiggers, that He would have "revealed" to him that he would lose his "ministry" and his "position," if he didn't quit sleeping with other men's wives.
ex-10-- --> -->-- yea, one would have to conclude that God was playing fast and loose with the deck....NOT. Guess he might have had a spirit troubling him from some other place, maybe....
quote:After leaving in 2000, I asked a lot of others who lived through that period what they thought when LCM announced that. They thought it was ridiculous as well. Amazing that no one ever expressed that at the time.
When LCM announced that the Word was over the World, a family member told me about it and of course I thought it was idiotic. I said to myself "gee, and it's only 1 1/2 hours to the nearest fellowship." It seems TWI might have done alot better when the Word wasn't over the world, but fellowship was right around the corner.
I remember the whole "correct title for God when praying" thing. I generally called him "God" when praying out loud. I was reproved for that. For a while I purposely would use the longest "God title" I could think of (like 'You Who Bountifully Supply Our Every Need') to see if anyone would correct me.
Usually I would end my public prayers with "in the name of Christ Jesus". Our Branch Coordinator told me that it should be "Jesus Christ" and "instructed" me on how "Christ" was a title, and not Jesus' last name. I was wondering if he thought I was an idiot, and asked him what that had to do with what order I said the words "Jesus" and "Christ"? He reversed himself a week later.
What a great topic for a thread! I was in TWI I, II and III. Here are a few of my observations: In TWI I it seemed commonplace to see signs, miracles and wonders in people's lives. Things were very uncomplicated especially for the regular Believers. I heard stories about how the Illuminati were trying to take over the world and there were whispers of a time when Believers were asked to stockpile food. My only concern was that a few people worshiped the ground that VPW walked on. I just assumed that they were thankful to him for deliverance in their lives.
I was at the 1982 instillation of LCM and everything looked fine. There were lots of new people at fellowship and many were claiming deliverance in their lives.
During the "fog years" I moved to a new state. It was far from Ohio and leadership worked hard keep people focused on the bible and not rumors of wrongdoing. When POP happened I took a trip to Gartmore and I was not impressed by CG. After the loyalty letter a lot of experienced leadership left and most of the new limb coordinators looked like scared little kids.
However in our area there were a lot of active twigs. There was not much outreach, but the fellowship was sweet. As LCM came out of his shell I applauded this development. People were getting excited again.
At about 92 I noticed that there were a lot of directives from Ohio and leadership started demanding more of people. Instead of leading by example people were bullied into participation. A lot of the heart seemed missing and the bar was slowly raised. By 94 the homo and debt doctrines took on a life of their own. People were selling homes and then renting a new dwelling at a higher cost than their previous mortgage.
The level of commitment was getting insane. Our limb coordinator had continuous witnessing in our state while they were filming WAP. For some reason our twig always got the 2:00AM to 4:00Am time slot. This was sometimes on week nights! Do you know how hard it is to find legitimate places to witness at 3:00AM? I felt sorry for the parents with young children.
Then the micro-management of our lives started. It was unbearable. One gal had to ask permission to take a cake decorating class on a non twig night. One corp person was dropped from active corp because she needed to lose some weight. Corp were asked to get rid of long loved family pets because of the "pet policy". It seemed so arbitrary.
Do you know that old folk tale that if you try to put frogs in a pot of scalding water they will immediately jump out? However if you put them in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it they will remain in the caldron. I think this is the reason that I did not leave sooner. The changes came so slowly (at least in our area) that I did not see how stifling they were. With perfect 20/20 hindsight I should have left when they were filming WAP.
My last time in TWI was 1992. The witchhunt seemed to be going on even at that time. The sour looks, the suspicious nature. Corps brothers and sisters turning each other in for the most menial of offenses which in real life were not offenses at all. As an Advanced Class Grad and in the Corps at that time, I was forced to listen to the Galatians tapes in 1989 and the Advanced Class "Special" of 1992. I remember the peace being absent from this once hallowed ground, and a darkness, something forboding, something evil, I sensed at night during their teachings. It went from beautiful in 1980 to ugly in 1992. I decided to just fold up my bed, rise up and walk. I was a spiritual cripple. Only when I realized what the darkness really was, did I recognize light. It was then I walked out and saw the light outside, and for the first time in twelve years, I was not blind.
quote:Do you know that old folk tale that if you try to put frogs in a pot of scalding water they will immediately jump out? However if you put them in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it they will remain in the caldron.
The level of commitment was getting insane. Our limb coordinator had continuous witnessing in our state while they were filming WAP. For some reason our twig always got the 2:00AM to 4:00Am time slot. This was sometimes on week nights! Do you know how hard it is to find legitimate places to witness at 3:00AM? <BR><BR>EWB
24 hour witnessing??????
W--T--F???
Did you go to truck stops, midnight movies or street corners?
Insurgent's post about how crazy the use of words became reminded me about how crazy raising children became.
It was always confusing.
Bring them to Fellowship. Don't bring them to fellowship.
Spank the crap out of them--oops, that disrupts my pearl of a teaching on the recent LCM wayrag article. So, beat the crap out of them at home with pretend fellowships, so they can sit through my important teachings. (These are little kids, age 3 and under.)
It's okay to leave a marks on their skin. It's not okay to leave a mark.
Spank therm in public. Oh, no, don't spank them in public.
Provide boundaries, like play yards and gates. Don't provide boundaries like that--spank them!
Ugh. No matter what you did, you were wrong.
The best way to raise small children in the nineties was to keep them as far away from leadership as possible at all times. They did NOT like small children, unless they were cute enough to use in a witnessing situation. Children were nothing but a hindrance, requiring time, money and attention
In the original post on this thread, Hope R said something that makes a lot of sense. We were arguing (actually, politely discussing) on another thread WHEN TWI-2 really began, with some of us arguing the reading of POP while others saying about 1993. I think it makes a great deal of sense to say that TWI-2 was actually in between those two dates, and what started in 1993 was TWI-3. That makes a lot more sense to me.
Raf: I think those years are probably the best divisions possible. Some people may vary a little depending on where they lived. I know some parts of the country were a little ahead (or behind) the others.
Nandon: One witnesses in a 24 hour truck stop even if it takes a whole hour to get there; I also went to a few 24 hour grocery stores and a few highway gas stations.
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Hope R.
I'm stuck on something I can't find in my notes anywhere...
Can anyone elaborate on when LCM announced that the word was over the world and exactly what he said. I remember something about "the father revealed to me that the word is over the world" - but have nothing on it.
Radar? Oaks? Catcup?
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johniam
Hope: There was a tape from October of '95 where LCM announced that Rosalie would replace Don one year from then. On the same tape he said he recently (then) was walking from the auditorium to the way woods and God told him the word IS over the world and that God would have loved to have given the same revelation 13 yrs earlier but the household wasn't clean enough or something like that. That's the best I can recall.
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Shellon
Interestingly, John, the dude is walking from the stage when he made the commment about moving into the promised land on May 18, '97 as well.
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Radar OReilly
Hope,
JohnRus is correct. It was the anniversary tape/service in October 1995. I was sitting in a little brown cabin meeting kinda place in Jamestown NC.
Gosh...amazing how our memories work isn't it?
As an aside, I remember being told about when Don Wierwille first was "informed" that he was retiring and that RFR was going to be his replacement...
YOU'RE KIDDING????
LCM, RFR and Donna sure had a way of doing things.
ROR
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flabergasted3
One thing that really galled me in the late 90's was that we could not go on vacation or even visit relatives 2 hours away without giving a thesis on where we were going, why we were going there, address and phone number where we would be. Our TC even wanted directions on how to get there. I really hated doing that and felt like it had nothing to do with my walk with God.
It was supposed to be for our own good and safety but they could have just prayed for us if they knew we would be traveling. Or.........maybe trust that we knew how to pray to God and handle ourselves in believing. And if we felt like we really needed help we would ask for it.
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Hope R.
That's it JohnUare! Thank you. I knew it was around the time something else was happening - just didn't recall what it was. I'm adding that to part 2 of my outline when I get a chance to get to it.
When he announced that, I remember thinking "Huh? He's got to be kidding!"
After leaving in 2000, I asked a lot of others who lived through that period what they thought when LCM announced that. They thought it was ridiculous as well. Amazing that no one ever expressed that at the time.
-------more to come--------
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WordWolf
EVERYBODY got the loyalty letter in the mail.
I still HAVE mine, and I've posted it before.
For those of you unable to read PDF documents,
the main GSC page has an option to read it
with your web-browser, same as you read this
page.
If I recall correctly, the "it's over the world"
announcement was done at the last ROA, according
to posters here. That would have been 8/94,
I think.
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Hope R.
On a personal note: In October 1995 I had to take LCM’s “new” Advanced PFAL Class or I would no longer be considered an Advanced Class Grad. It was there that I finally decided that TWI was never going to get better and I wanted out!
During that class, Howard Allen came to visit and tell the story of his miracle healing that took place in the early 70’s. After he told the story, he continued to say how thrilled he was with Reverand Martindale’s leadership, how LCM was “cleaning house” and “getting rid of the weakness in the household”. In concluding, he said, “…and I’m proud to say that today The Way is no longer an open door ministry!” The whole audience stood up and cheered. I was dumbstruck – couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. If I had my own transportation, I would have headed home that day.
53rd Anniversary - October 1995 : it is announced that Donald E. Wierwille will step down and become the Vice President Emeritus in one year. Rosalie F. Rivenbark was chosen to serve as the new VP – the change will take place on the 54th Annversary in 1996.
At that time LCM announces that “the Father” had told him the Word was over the World!
I remember some kind of explanation about how there had been an opportunity to hear the accurate Word of God everywhere in the world and that now we had to "prevail". Would others please elaborate if you can.
1996: A big year with many new themes emphasized.
LCM begins his teachings on “the Remnant” and “Zion” – comparing the TWI “household” to the people of Israel in the OT.
“The Prevailing Word” becomes even more of a catch phrase. Terms like “prevailing household” and “prevail with the power of God” start cropping up in Way Magazine articles and teachings.
LCM also introduces the “standing in the gap” teachings – leaders are to stand in the gap between the adversary and the believers in the household. That pretty much eliminated Jesus Christ from the picture.
Discipleship is stressed. The theme announced at the 1996/1997 anniversary in October is “God’s Call To Discipleship”. Young people are urged to “go out Way Disciple” much like many of us were urged to "go out WOW".
"The Present Truth" becomes a big deal. PFAL and VPW's teachings are "old wine skins". Main article in the November/December 1995 issue of The Way Magazine is titled: "God's Call to Discipleship: ESTABLISHED IN THE PRESENT TRUTH via the Way of Abundance and Power".
In other words - LCM's class is "the present truth".
(Note: also in this issue is an ad for the "Athletes of the Spirit" video. Hmmm - that was over 10 years old by then, could it still be the "present truth"?)
The cover of the Jan/Feb 1997 Way Magazine has a photo of the Word Over the World Auditorium - with that title still in place over the entrance way. Beneath the photo it says: The prevailing Word moves out to the world via The Way of Abundance and Power".
All the believers are encouraged to be "disciples", or achieve "discipleship" status.
From the March/April 1997 Way Magazine: "God's Call to Discipleship: The Way of Abundance and Power" by LCM
From another article titled "The Sweet Taste of Discipleship", by Brad Bailey -The Way Magazine, July/August 1997
And in the “Our Times: Insight” article which is titled “Welcome to the Way Ministry, Second Generation” by LCM in the same issue he writes:
---------more to come--------------
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socks
Thanks Hope! That helps the timeline to make a little more sense. GEEZ. You can really see Craigbo's torturous use of language. His double speak is incredible. Not joking here, he is truly a master of saying nothing.
“The Prevailing Word in the Promised Land of the Household, or Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household--I guess either way would work."
???
--> That's surreal! It's like giving a new name to an old horse, parking it at the end of the track and saying "We won!". One day, everybody's putzing along dodee dodee doe. The next day - "We be prevailin' mo'fo!"
"and as we move into Generation II of The Way International Ministry of Research, Teaching, and Fellowship, there has to be ways to focus our thoughts and define it, both culturally and in language that communicates, as well as Biblically and spiritually.”
Doink! Define it biblically? Why bother? Just say "thus saith the Lord" and declare whatever drops out of your nose this week to be the Nectar of the Gods. He's struggling to manufacture a vision.
"leaders are to stand in the gap between the adversary and the believers in the household"
How? By kicking them out the second they have problems? Way to gap bro!
"I believe we are right now at the brink , on the very verge of the actual experiential reality of the prevailing Word. And we are at the point of bring into functional reality the seventh section of the book of Acts.”
Functional reality, a favorite phrase of his. What in GAWDS name does that mean? Actual experiential reality....it just goes on and on.
What a mess.
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insurgent
Some time after 1994 is when we were told that we had to pray to "God Almighty" or "Heavenly Father" only because these are the only 2 ways prayers are recorded in the Bible. (Good Lord! We were becoming JW and didn't even realize it. Next thing I would expect to hear is: Birthdays aren't celebrated in the Bible either, so we have to quit celebrating those)
We couldn't say "Jesus" without using "Christ" right behind it because there are devil spirits that answer to "Jesus". (BUT Jesus is referred to in the Bible as just plain Jesus.
-->)
We couldn't say "Catholic" it's "Roman Catholic".
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ex10
Hope
Thanks for taking the time to lay all these things out. It's pretty interesting to see how things unfolded in the 90's.
Gee, you'd think with "the Father" doing all that "revealing" to Craiggers, that He would have "revealed" to him that he would lose his "ministry" and his "position," if he didn't quit sleeping with other men's wives.
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alfakat
ex-10--
--> 
-->-- yea, one would have to conclude that God was playing fast and loose with the deck....NOT. Guess he might have had a spirit troubling him from some other place, maybe....
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oldiesman
When LCM announced that the Word was over the World, a family member told me about it and of course I thought it was idiotic. I said to myself "gee, and it's only 1 1/2 hours to the nearest fellowship." It seems TWI might have done alot better when the Word wasn't over the world, but fellowship was right around the corner.
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Oakspear
Insurgent:
I remember the whole "correct title for God when praying" thing. I generally called him "God" when praying out loud. I was reproved for that. For a while I purposely would use the longest "God title" I could think of (like 'You Who Bountifully Supply Our Every Need') to see if anyone would correct me.
Usually I would end my public prayers with "in the name of Christ Jesus". Our Branch Coordinator told me that it should be "Jesus Christ" and "instructed" me on how "Christ" was a title, and not Jesus' last name. I was wondering if he thought I was an idiot, and asked him what that had to do with what order I said the words "Jesus" and "Christ"? He reversed himself a week later.
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E. W. Bullinger
Dear Hope R:
What a great topic for a thread! I was in TWI I, II and III. Here are a few of my observations: In TWI I it seemed commonplace to see signs, miracles and wonders in people's lives. Things were very uncomplicated especially for the regular Believers. I heard stories about how the Illuminati were trying to take over the world and there were whispers of a time when Believers were asked to stockpile food. My only concern was that a few people worshiped the ground that VPW walked on. I just assumed that they were thankful to him for deliverance in their lives.
I was at the 1982 instillation of LCM and everything looked fine. There were lots of new people at fellowship and many were claiming deliverance in their lives.
During the "fog years" I moved to a new state. It was far from Ohio and leadership worked hard keep people focused on the bible and not rumors of wrongdoing. When POP happened I took a trip to Gartmore and I was not impressed by CG. After the loyalty letter a lot of experienced leadership left and most of the new limb coordinators looked like scared little kids.
However in our area there were a lot of active twigs. There was not much outreach, but the fellowship was sweet. As LCM came out of his shell I applauded this development. People were getting excited again.
At about 92 I noticed that there were a lot of directives from Ohio and leadership started demanding more of people. Instead of leading by example people were bullied into participation. A lot of the heart seemed missing and the bar was slowly raised. By 94 the homo and debt doctrines took on a life of their own. People were selling homes and then renting a new dwelling at a higher cost than their previous mortgage.
The level of commitment was getting insane. Our limb coordinator had continuous witnessing in our state while they were filming WAP. For some reason our twig always got the 2:00AM to 4:00Am time slot. This was sometimes on week nights! Do you know how hard it is to find legitimate places to witness at 3:00AM? I felt sorry for the parents with young children.
Then the micro-management of our lives started. It was unbearable. One gal had to ask permission to take a cake decorating class on a non twig night. One corp person was dropped from active corp because she needed to lose some weight. Corp were asked to get rid of long loved family pets because of the "pet policy". It seemed so arbitrary.
Do you know that old folk tale that if you try to put frogs in a pot of scalding water they will immediately jump out? However if you put them in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it they will remain in the caldron. I think this is the reason that I did not leave sooner. The changes came so slowly (at least in our area) that I did not see how stifling they were. With perfect 20/20 hindsight I should have left when they were filming WAP.
EWB
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Eagle
My last time in TWI was 1992. The witchhunt seemed to be going on even at that time. The sour looks, the suspicious nature. Corps brothers and sisters turning each other in for the most menial of offenses which in real life were not offenses at all. As an Advanced Class Grad and in the Corps at that time, I was forced to listen to the Galatians tapes in 1989 and the Advanced Class "Special" of 1992. I remember the peace being absent from this once hallowed ground, and a darkness, something forboding, something evil, I sensed at night during their teachings. It went from beautiful in 1980 to ugly in 1992. I decided to just fold up my bed, rise up and walk. I was a spiritual cripple. Only when I realized what the darkness really was, did I recognize light. It was then I walked out and saw the light outside, and for the first time in twelve years, I was not blind.
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Tom Strange
EWB said:
Excellent analogy!Link to comment
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A la prochaine
EWB,
Nice synopsis!
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Belle
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justloafing
Get rid of my pets. NO WAY!!!!!
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nandon
24 hour witnessing??????
W--T--F???
Did you go to truck stops, midnight movies or street corners?
This deserves a thread unto itself.
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Bramble
Insurgent's post about how crazy the use of words became reminded me about how crazy raising children became.
It was always confusing.
Bring them to Fellowship. Don't bring them to fellowship.
Spank the crap out of them--oops, that disrupts my pearl of a teaching on the recent LCM wayrag article. So, beat the crap out of them at home with pretend fellowships, so they can sit through my important teachings. (These are little kids, age 3 and under.)
It's okay to leave a marks on their skin. It's not okay to leave a mark.
Spank therm in public. Oh, no, don't spank them in public.
Provide boundaries, like play yards and gates. Don't provide boundaries like that--spank them!
Ugh. No matter what you did, you were wrong.
The best way to raise small children in the nineties was to keep them as far away from leadership as possible at all times. They did NOT like small children, unless they were cute enough to use in a witnessing situation. Children were nothing but a hindrance, requiring time, money and attention
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Raf
In the original post on this thread, Hope R said something that makes a lot of sense. We were arguing (actually, politely discussing) on another thread WHEN TWI-2 really began, with some of us arguing the reading of POP while others saying about 1993. I think it makes a great deal of sense to say that TWI-2 was actually in between those two dates, and what started in 1993 was TWI-3. That makes a lot more sense to me.
TWI-1 ends with the death of Wierwille
TWI-2 from Wierwille's death until 1993
TWI-3 from 1993 until The Brow's resignation
TWI-4 from RFR's installation to now.
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krys
Raf: I think those years are probably the best divisions possible. Some people may vary a little depending on where they lived. I know some parts of the country were a little ahead (or behind) the others.
Nandon: One witnesses in a 24 hour truck stop even if it takes a whole hour to get there; I also went to a few 24 hour grocery stores and a few highway gas stations.
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