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1989-1998 Timeline: Insanity on Steroids


skyrider
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More Background:   Let me back up on this one and fill in the blanks: 

Another girl phoned........who was signed up for foundational way-class.  I had personally witnessed to her and signed her up.

  • Now what?  I was m/a and she called to ask me what to do.
  • She was conflicted (obviously)....
  • A week later, she came to talk with me face-to-face (she parked her car around the corner, down the street)
  • She, too, was growing paranoid of what to think.  She wanted info of class.....but saw wreckage floating around.

I was driving on Northwest Expressway around 4pm one day (mid-June) and I had this thought (small, still voice..??).....go to Mardel's Christian Bookstore.  I had only been there ONE time, but passed by it often.  So, I turned around and.....mostly out of curiosity -- just to see.....once there, parked my car.  I stepped inside and said to myself, "Now what?"  Again, I had this inner peace and an inner "voice" said....."the bible aisle, someone is searching."  Okay, now I'm really interested and thinking to myself....."If this is of God....I will be amazed."

In the bookstore aisle was this woman talking to a sales clerk asking about different types of bibles.  I watched for about a minute and then, stepped toward her and said that I really liked the king james version rather than some of the other paraphrased versions.  We had a 5-6 minute conversation on this....and then, I told her about home fellowships and "blah, blah, blah."  Anyways.......the rest of the story is she came to 3-4 fellowships and signed up for the class to check it out.

So.....this woman was deeply conflicted six weeks later when I, "the state leader" was blacklisted.  She had NO idea of twi-jargon, but had this unique personal involvement with me on that day and I'd seen her nearly every week.  We had this "connection" because of that day at Mardel's.

Note:  Before, during and after twi................I've had a couple dozen of these unique experiences.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Paranoia  Through the years, I've seen varying aspects of paranoia regarding the cult and I'm sure most of you have too.  Not to belabor the point.....here are four examples that come to mind.......again, on different points of a continuum:

  • I was sitting with wierwille on his motor coach as we worked thru my 36-pages of captivity report (1981).  Of those three-day afternoon sessions, this happened on the second day.  Back and forth, wierwille asked me questions about this-or-that.....and would scratch thru whole sentences of my report and/or reword them to his liking for those "By The Way" articles for the St. Marys Evening Leader.  On the second afternoon, while we were deep into this......the motor coach doors whisked open and Chris Geer briskly headed toward us at the table.  Wierwille lifted his head and they made eye contact. With intensity of focus and brevity of words.....Geer said, "They're here. On grounds."  Wierwille shot to his feet and the two walked out, got in Geer's car and drove away.  I was the only one who witnessed this....no one else was in the motor coach.  Stunned by it all, I sat there for another two minutes and then left the coach.  Never did figure it out, but it sure got wierwille's attention in a hurry.

~~~~~

  • Outside of OKC, I spent much of my time and effort in Tulsa to help strengthen outreach efforts.  Several corps had come and gone thru the years, but this one night.......I found myself trying to help craig's sister breath thru a multitude of factors that will remain confidential.  It was well past midnight and took nearly three hours to untangle the growing intensity of anxiety and fear. We went for a short walk to help break its momentum. The paranoia was real, coming from several directions and by 3:45am her thinking and heart settled.  During my one-hour drive home to OKC, I pondered the sequence of how something like that could escalate.

~~~~~

  • The advanced class grad who wanted out of twi, after we were m/a ...(mentioned before).  It was surreal to watch paranoia mount its charge.  As I said before, we had two secret meetings....one in the middle of the day, another late at night.  The fear that someone in twi might see her with us was palpable. Her short bursts of speech had a tinge of shortness of breath.  She was deeply conflicted and disturbed.  Trying to process it all, the only thing that made sense to her was space.  She needed time and space.....and moving out of the duplex, away from her roommate, was the first step.  The stigma of m/a that twi had thumped on our chests made no sense.  The convergence of the m/a stigma and Lally's damage control methods ushered in critical thought.  And, paranoia dissipated.

~~~~~

  • In 2002, four years after we'd left the cult.....my family took a four-day trip to Canada.  We wanted to take our growing boys to Niagara Falls and head over to London, Ontario to show my oldest son the city and hospital where he was born.  Also, we had five people that we wanted to visit from years gone by.  On this Saturday morning, we met up with this couple, she had been a godsend to help with all the cult's bookstore functions and her husband was invaluable to me as we handled the financial ledger and accounting.  [In Canada.....we did ALL the financial reports, yearly self-imposed audit, etc......in states, limb work never had to do any of this, it went to hq].  Anyways......a phone call was made, because we thought it'd be nice to see Goldie, a wonderful adv class grad who was on the executive committee during my tenure.  We agreed to meet at a food court in a local mall. When he arrived......the paranoia in his eyes was striking.  He kept glancing over his shoulder to see if any believers might see him there with us.  Here, a 72-year old businessman gripped by cult-fear was a memory I will never forget.

~~~~~~~~~~

Depths of Understanding  About the time, I think that I understand something.....I find that I really didn't understand it at all or that more understanding would be gained over the next ridge.  This could not be more apparent to me than the process of writing this book.  I am not the same person I was on December 15th.....when I began this journey.  I'm exploring caverns and crevices that I told myself not to venture.  Memories of anguish that haunted my soul....I forbade to trespass.  I cordoned off those areas of my life for years.  Nor did I want others to see them either.

All those years in a cult and I'm still breaking free from the corral. And now, in less than one month, I have changed even more.  My perceptions are different.  My thinking is different. What is beyond the next ridge?  What lies beyond the horizon?

This catharsis journey has changed my life. What differing perceptions are gained throughout the day as the sunlight brightens our understanding and then, leaves us with deep-red hues of splendor.  Insert:  The sunlight of one's youth does NOT "brighten one's understanding".......but rather, it is the deep-red hues of splendor of REFLECTION [and wisdom of experience.....ie, hindshight] that give that rich glow of meaningful understanding.

Or, what a difference the years make.......after exiting a cult. The stark contrast of understanding this journey could not be more apparent than where I was some 35 years ago.   What a chasm I had/have crossed.........

 

~~~~~~~~~~

GSC is an Oasis  This place is a pleasant contrast to life's challenges and schedules.......but I need to get to work.

  • If the girls weren't so cute and the drinks so refreshing......I'd stop coming here altogether.
  • Cheers!.........I gotta go.....for now.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

........this story was a work in progress since the days of Waydale

........I still remember starting that thread Bravehearts Unite! and DWBH, Paul (ex-twi) and I had lots of laughs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ghost Ryders In The Sky

My Escape from Cult-Hell

 

  • Part I     We Thought We Were Free
  • Part II    BOOM:  Everything Changed
  • Part III   1997: Fury Unleashed
  • Part IV   1998:  The Money Iceberg
  •                      The First Bookend
  • Part V     The Music Played On
  • Part VI    The Price We Paid
  • Part VII   Sprinting Thru The Finish
  • Part VIII  The Two Bookends
  • Part IX    Fresh Air77

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks and Praise:   Pawtucket

(others in no particular order).....DWBH, Rocky, WordWolf, waysider, penworks, krys, Twinky, .......(and many more)

(pictures on the GSC wall)..........Groucho, Catcup, Belle, Oakspear, RottieGrrrl, excathedra,...........(and many more)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 2:44 AM, DontWorryBeHappy said:

Skyrider:

TY again for your intense effort to put together an extremely emotional and insightful "book" for all of us here and the thousands who will eventually read it here. Your thanks to Pawtucket is echoed by every one of us who have been here and the 10s of thousands of people his faithful, dogged work keeping the Spot open and relevant to every stage and iteration of that destructive, fundamentalist "Christian" cult, TWIt.

Sky.....you've been a stalwart truth teller here since WayDale. Your efforts here have not been in vain. The purity of your heart to walk with and serve Jesus Christ has been evident throughout all these years. I am so thankful you got out in time to save your family and your mind and your dignity. And, that you have told your story so wonderfully and kindly here at the greatest internet Cafe we know of. 

I bid you and your's Godspeed and.......peace brother.

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On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 7:56 AM, skyrider said:

More Info / Reflections      Filling in some details........

  • Abduction Altered  .....I believe the abduction went to Plan B.........during that van ride to Wichita, KS......disgruntle thug-conversation led me to believe that this whole abduction process was originally supposed to take place the night before (after supper with folks).  Thus, traveling thru night would have made it easier for them and less conspicuous (hiding the abduction from fellow-travelers).  Maybe....I wouldn't have been blind-folded in cargo van.

~~~~~

  • Separation Gap  .........This whole thing could have been diffused with better communication with folks.  The damn phone switchboard set-up at Emporia Campus and HQ were (perhaps, at hq ----- still are) ASININE.  The whole frickin' gatekeeper-to-cultperson only heightened by parents' concerns that THEY had us enclosed and under their "spell."

~~~~~

  • HQ-Sexcapade at 1998 Adv Class ...........Maybe, someday....someone will come forward to give more details, but it might be too much exposure to those trying to rebuild.  That's the thing about all this.....those who experienced such things and saw the cult's fangs........don't WANT to tell their stories.  Too much time was ALREADY lost.......and rebuilding life, career, family, etc is of utmost importance.

~~~~~

  • TWI's Needs-Basis Doctrine  ...............1) An absolute joke, 2) Use/abuse of people, 3) Short-term use of people.....Long-term advantage to twi, 4) Wierwille's temp agency.......No Investment In People, 5) Anti-Family........because of $$$$$, 6) Children were shelved/ignored.......again, $$$$......to have children involved multiple layers of involvement/investment (.....ie. braces, school activities, cars, higher education......hell, having one's OWN family traditions)....but I digress....

~~~~~

  • HQ-Bureaucracy is a FARCE  ...........in late-September of 1998  (a month after we exited).......... I received in the mail another "invite" to attend the November 1998 Advanced Class Special.......................to AGAIN..............be Mrs. Wierwille's escort.

~~~~~

  • :jump:

 

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On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 0:54 PM, Twinky said:

That would have been hilarious, Skyrider, had you (and all those devil spirits that you were possessed by) had the nerve to rock up as Mrs W's escort.

I hope you did something really enjoyable and family fun filled, instead.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 4:19 PM, skyrider said:

......in late-September of 1998  (a month after we exited).......... I received in the mail another "invite" to attend the November 1998 Advanced Class Special.......................to AGAIN..............be Mrs. Wierwille's escort.

~~~~~~~

Yeah, Twinky.........just picture it........"Hi. Mrs. Wierwille, I hope you don't mind if my spirit-friends accompany us today,..... Mr. Necromancer and Ms. Lust...."

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On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 5:09 PM, Twinky said:

Hey, you forgot their special friends, Homo, Debtbuilder, Bitterness, and Corrosive Evil.  Weren't you going to take them too?

Wouldn't they enjoy meeting up with their old buddies Lying, Deceit, Greed and Arrogance? :evildenk:

 

(just funning around, not saying you have or ever had any such companions!!) :spy:

 

~~~~~~~~~~

T-Bone added this.......:eusa_clap::eusa_clap:

Welcome to a Special Advanced Class...as soon as our ushers have seated the nice young lady they will escort you all to your assigned seats.

cracking-the-demon-o-the-exorcist-1973-5

 

 

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On ‎1‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 0:30 AM, chockfull said:

Thanks for an awesome online account skyrider.   I've been on business travel just got to look at it.  Best to your family and best wishes. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks again.......for giving me this space to tell my story. 

All of the GSC posters, past and present, have my deepest admiration.  These postings are helping to chip away at the twi-cult.......the wierwille mystique, the corps indoctrination, the unfathomable fraud, deception and destruction of individuals........and the despicable cult-underpinnings that allow it to hoard away its properties and growing investment accounts.  At present, that figure is $64 MILLION.

After exiting this cult in August 1998, we stayed in OKC for nearly another two years while our two sons finished up their school years......respectively, junior high and middle school.  During this time, I started working in management.....working long hours to support my family.

Month after month, I continued to receive phone calls from advanced class grads and a few corps alumni who wanted to know why we were stigmatized with m/a.  Several in Canada and Indiana had heard the news and called us as well.   The rippling of this injustice helped a lot of people exit this cult.

When we moved back to Indiana.....some of the advanced class grads we knew 8 years earlier were NOW notched up in cult-loyalty and attitude.  Even though they hadn't gone corps, they were WARNED by Michael Fort to stay away and/or amped up to confront us.  A few years later and Mr. Fort did NOT want to stay the course on cult-payroll........he stepped down from his limb position and got SECULAR WORK.

See the pattern?  :biglaugh:   Here Howard Allen's son-in-law, michael fort, does NOT have the balls to confront it........but slithers away.

We moved back to Indiana in June 2000.  It was during this time that martindale was "staring down the barrel of two lawsuits" and trying to salvage his status and petitioned Rosalie Rivenbark to bestow upon him as Head Guy of the Research Department.  And, it was ONLY the twi-lawyers that stepped forward to advise against it.  Martindale went down in flames two months later [August 2000].........and LOTS of region guys [Lallys, Lich-t, Mosqu3da, Sailor, Panarello, etc.], like rats, started making plans to jump ship.  The cult could NOT protect those yes-men........those who had the same "stripes" as martindale/wierwille. 

Paul Allen via Waydale broke the cult stranglehold.

Waydale/GSC.........one story at a time. 

.

Edited by skyrider
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Insert:   Anyone who was/is on the outskirts of twi.....or simply took a couple of classes......has NO IDEA about this cult.  Extrication is so intricately interwoven into every fabric of one's heart, soul, emotions, relationships, memories, fiber of being, approval before God......that to get out is an arduous process.  Wierwille AND martindale strictly taught that to leave twi........was to leave God

Sure, it's laughable now......but to those who exit AND those still in.................it is very real.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is why I've so often said that it's not about doctrinal issues, such as 4 crucified or cry of triumph or figures of speech or whatever else we focused on. It was about a crazy lifestyle we lived that sometimes escaped the attention of those fortunate people who only remained involved at a local level. 

Edited by waysider
missing a word.
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7 hours ago, waysider said:

Insert:   Anyone who was/is on the outskirts of twi.....or simply took a couple of classes......has NO IDEA about this cult.  Extrication is so intricately interwoven into every fabric of one's heart, soul, emotions, relationships, memories, fiber of being, approval before God......that to get out is an arduous process.  Wierwille AND martindale strictly taught that to leave twi........was to leave God

Sure, it's laughable now......but to those who exit AND those still in.................it is very real.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is why I've so often said that it's not about doctrinal issues, such as 4 crucified or cry of triumph or figures of speech or whatever else we focused on. It was about a crazy lifestyle we lived that sometimes escaped the attention of those fortunate people only remained involved at a local level. 

great points !!!!!!!

i agree - the "distinctive" doctrinal stuff - even Jesus Christ is Not God book were a way of showing TWI was different from the rest...unique...no-one-else-knows-what-we-know-and-we-know-it-all kind of a thing...because we know him who knows it all...vp.

and getting more involved and taking on more responsibility got you further entangled in so many aspects - emotionally, intellectually, socially...I and my cult are one - - yikes !!!!!

 

Edited by T-Bone
playing beat the server clock
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It appears, Skyrider, that the moderators (at least one of them) honored your request to delete the weirdly formatted comment that was pretty much unreadable. I'm hoping your subsequent comments included all of what you tried to say in the one with the formatting problem.

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6 hours ago, Rocky said:

It appears, Skyrider, that the moderators (at least one of them) honored your request to delete the weirdly formatted comment that was pretty much unreadable. I'm hoping your subsequent comments included all of what you tried to say in the one with the formatting problem.

Yeah Rocky........I might add a few more comments, but that deleted post was just too long.

But......I gotta add the song that triggered the title of my little cyber-book, Ghost Ryders In The Sky.......

~~~~~~~~~

 

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20 hours ago, waysider said:

This is why I've so often said that it's not about doctrinal issues, such as 4 crucified or cry of triumph or figures of speech or whatever else we focused on. It was about a crazy lifestyle we lived that sometimes escaped the attention of those fortunate people who only remained involved at a local level. 

Waysider.........the Fellow-Laborers program was quite the little indoctrination experience wasn't it?  Someday, maybe you should start a thread and give us a point-by-point accounting of it all.  It has many of the hallmarks of an isolated cult compound.

NOW.........looking back at my corps experience and thought processes, I see why my mind was jolted the first month of that corps in-residence program in Emporia.  It wasn't the classes or the work program........it was the isolation, immersion, indoctrination, demeaning of individual worth, haughty arrogance of spiritual leadership, groupthink loyalty, stripping of self, use/abuse of followers, anal detail to mowing the grass, etc.

Everything about the Emporia campus screamed "cult conformity".........and my gut instinct was to leave.  At the time, our monthly spending budget was $20.......and we turned over our budget books to be monitored at the end of each month.  Even though we were allowed to go "off-campus" Saturday afternoon........what was there to do with that $5 "extra in your budget" except buy a couple of beers or cigarettes?  The constraints of that monthly budget constricted choice and freedom.......it served as more leverage to the cult.

This was all very foreign to me........I had several thousand dollars in my bank account and a car in the parking lot.

.

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1 hour ago, skyrider said:

Waysider.........the Fellow-Laborers program was quite the little indoctrination experience wasn't it?  Someday, maybe you should start a thread and give us a point-by-point accounting of it all.  It has many of the hallmarks of an isolated cult compound.

NOW.........looking back at my corps experience and thought processes, I see why my mind was jolted the first month of that corps in-residence program in Emporia.  It wasn't the classes or the work program........it was the isolation, immersion, indoctrination, demeaning of individual worth, haughty arrogance of spiritual leadership, groupthink loyalty, stripping of self, use/abuse of followers, anal detail to mowing the grass, etc.

 

and sleep deprivation...

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22 minutes ago, Rocky said:

and sleep deprivation...

.....and the fire drills at 3am........when corps came out in pajamas and/or robes, hair messed all up and hall monitors taking roll call.  Then, if someone wanted to stay in bed or if some girl was in the bathroom fixing her hair......we'd get a 40-minute lecture at breakfast.

.....and after sunday lunch meal.....corps would be given their "brownbag supper-meal" and stand outside along the walkway and exchange one item for another.   Oftentimes, some of the girls would not want some of it OR felt sorry for some of the big men......and give them a sandwich or gorp, whatever it was called. 

It was the human element that I remember the most about in-residence corps.........not the classes, not the research.

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On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 11:51 PM, Rocky said:

It appears, Skyrider, that the moderators (at least one of them) honored your request to delete the weirdly formatted comment that was pretty much unreadable. I'm hoping your subsequent comments included all of what you tried to say in the one with the formatting problem.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Rocky........you were right. 

One post that was NOT included from thread Ghost Ryders.....

 

On ‎1‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 9:57 PM, skyrider said:

THANKS........you're the man, Rocky! :eusa_clap:

You know.......when all those memories about my parents surface........it cuts me like a knife!

And.................when I have all those memories fighting for my bride......it brings the tears.

And.................when my little boys got hurt...... IT ROYALLY PI$$ED and Pi$$ES me off.

BUT.................I have NO PROBLEM..............talking about THEM, the CULT.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lallys came into OKC and tried kicking over every stone to find something/anything on us........NOTHING.

Of course, they called the corps in Tulsa, too.........and the corps rolled into OKC for 2-3 hr mtg........

  • The Lallys, then, held private mtgs with every corps/ac grad in OKC & Tulsa......trying to find dirt on us.
  • This was eye-to-eye "what can YOU tell us" private-type mtgs.
  • They wanted SOMETHING/ANYTHING.......to feed the narrative for martindale's slander on us.
  • That's why..........when lcm did corps mtg......it was "so vague"..........he had NO DIRT.

We were blasted for "turning our backs on God AND the corps commitment."  THAT.....was the vague slander!!  Gawd.......after I'd put in 24 years in twi and my wife had put in 28 years in twi !!!!!!!!!

The best slander lally/lcm railed on (we later heard)..........we were putting our KIDS above God.

  • The INSANITY of that statement. 
  • And........corps people swallowed that bile.
  • And........corps, some who've since called us AND visited us (years later) in Indiana.....are STILL in Twi    !!!!!!!!!!!!

And........martindale, at corps mtg (we later heard)......we were "worldly" and being turned over to Satan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

ANYONE OUT THERE.........lurking..........TWI IS A FvCKING CULT !!!

 

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On 2/6/2017 at 10:28 AM, skyrider said:

.....and the fire drills at 3am........when corps came out in pajamas and/or robes, hair messed all up and hall monitors taking roll call.  Then, if someone wanted to stay in bed or if some girl was in the bathroom fixing her hair......we'd get a 40-minute lecture at breakfast.

 

 

Or moving from one "house" to another on a moment's notice with no advance warning.

Because, ya know, who knows when the Illuminati might sweep in and try to grab us all. We have to maintain a state of preparedness.

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1 hour ago, waysider said:

Or moving from one "house" to another on a moment's notice with no advance warning.

Because, ya know, who knows when the Illuminati might sweep in and try to grab us all. We have to maintain a state of preparedness.

yes i remember living under that constant threat....i remember it like it was yesterday....

the lights would go out...

the shriek of a woman's voice "somebody just grabbed me!"

then the voice of vp's motor coach driver "musta been that darn Illuminati again"

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3 hours ago, T-Bone said:

...<snip>......then the voice of vp's motor coach driver "musta been that darn Illuminati again"

:biglaugh:........thanks T-Bone.

Yeah.....if it wasn't the Illuminati......you might get grabbed by deprogrammers.

.............or the threat of a red-dawn gov't overthrow.....so triple-check your mal-pack.

.............or if you don't stay in constant "fellowship"........debbil spurts will jump you.

Your ONLY safety is in the arms of the cult.......rock-a-bye-bye-baby.

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On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 9:36 AM, skyrider said:

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Rocky........you were right. 

One post that was NOT included from thread Ghost Ryders.....

 

Skyrider, you said the only thing the Lallys could get on you was putting your children first.  The Lallys didn't like children.  At a branch meeting Barb said, regarding a new mother, "I don't want her not showing up for things because of that damn baby."  And an interim corps woman got pregnant by her WOW brother and they wanted to get married.  But NO!  That was SO wrong.  Getting an abortion and going back in residence was RIGHT!
 

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To be fair......and upfront, I want to add more clarity to this "housing allowance."

I came across some old forms in my files that showed we were given $875 per month to this "housing allowance"........of which, some of it was stripped away as twi continued to purge aspects of "our lifestyle".....ie cable tv, rent insurance, etc.

In following the math, this added $10,500 per year......MINUS the $2,760 pay-cut........$35,340 per year (household income for family of 4).

 

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 9:50 AM, skyrider said:

The Price We Paid

When the "Emergency Expense Cutting Measures" policy arrived in the mail, my wife and I read it together. 

  • "These necessary measures are a benefit spiritually as well as financially for the entire household."

Every time twi enacts policy mandates, or program objectives, they stand on their podium and laud the spiritual benefits.  Where are those elusive "spiritual benefits" going to come from if they claw back 10% of our salary?  At the time, I believe our bi-monthly paycheck was $1,150.......$2,300 per month and came to the grand total of $27,600 per year (household income).  Sure, there was petty cash reimbursement for gas, food, and motel expense IF those expenditures were "ministry related."  The "housing allowance" category remains a grey-area in my mind, but to me.....it was hardly relevant.  The limb home was a buzz of weekly activity with my office, meetings, classes etc.....hardly "a home."   But still.......$115 from our paycheck, twice a month, was unsettling.  I knew we could cut some grocery expense from the budget, but by no means were we splurging or eating steak every week. 

The cost-cutting was not the problem for me, it was the principle of the thing.....and what got us to this point! 

~~~~~~~~~~

At the limb, it was common for me to work 12-14 hours a day.  Most every weekend involved classes, seminars, events, meetings, etc..........and a realistic work week, for me, [7-days] was like 90 hours.  Add my wife's work schedule....and it would easily be safe to say.....each of us were paid approximately $6.00 an hour.

1998 minimum wage = $5.15

So.......when others wonder about the use/abuse of corps and staffers........exploitation and expendable are at the top of the list.

 

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Oh man.........just remembered another thing.

As martindale began the 1998 cost-cutting measures.......he started SHAMING corps couples who had two cars.

You don't *really* NEED two cars, do you?  You can coordinate with each other and get down to one vehicle, can't you?  That would save money......car maintenance, insurance, registration, etc......right?  Some of you are just too selfish or lack the spiritual resolve to get honest, get truly committed.

Money, money, money..........anything and everything to keep those precious dollars at hq.....YET, no sensible "investment" to the field corps. 

OMG......what a box of confinement that would have been!

  • All the hundreds of times my wife and I needed two cars to get stuff done.
  • Having two kids.........school activities, ministry events, grocery shopping, etc.
  • The frickking trunk/region guys were gutless in standing against martindale's verbal onslaughts.
  • Lallys, Panarellos, Moneyhands, Licht, Thorpe, Fort, etc.......and then, years later.....many hit the exit door.

~~~~~~~~~

And........it's been the same deal with every splinter group that I've seen......Geer Franchises, CES/STFI, CFF.

Just go to their websites.....and the same generic crap, same gig, same cult-manipulation.

Money, money, money........all centrally located "activity" and an outreach mask.    Ppffffffttttttt.

Edited by skyrider
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You make interesting points about the ft corps timeline.  Twas shortly after they kicked me out, with max ignominy. But if I'd been there,  there would have been both me and my fiance to support as ft corps. That would have meant 6 FT corps to, what, 20 committed wayfers. Be kind... 40 wayfers.  Unsupportable in so many ways. Get rid of me, my fiance also goes, hey presto, 2/3 the bill goes.

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But Sky, you know you had to go about in pairs, 2 x 2, you and your wife together.  You know you aren't capable of doing things alone. So why did you need two cars? /sarc/

Maybe they wanted y'all to use those pedal cars that kids play with. That'd save loads on gas, regardless,  tires, etc. Hey, good idea!

 

What a load of bullocks. 

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  • 1 month later...

Four Months Ago.......I Started This Thread

There is not a day goes by that I am SO THANKFUL to have walked away from the twit-cult.

Twi is deeply, irreversibly poisoned with wierwille clichés, clap-trap, and chicanery. 

  • People are used and exploited......and discarded at the first sign of dissent.
  • Going on twi-payroll...........is a financial red hole that is hard to climb out.
  • What does it say about a "ministry" (cough, cough) when clergy/corps do NOT want to be on staff?
  • Every aspect of the field staff was monitored.........the cult does NOT trust the corps to lead or serve.

**********************

THEN, we moved back to Indiana in 2000........and, a couple years later, saw SPLINTER GROUPS doing the same crap [badgering people to give up their weekend and work cleaning up the CES camp, sign up for momentus, personal prophecies, nose-spiders.......EGADS!!]

  • Some of our "friends" were in Geer-group, CFF, CES, Finnygan, and then....Panarell0 splinter.
  • Was at a wedding reception where "friends" associated with four different groups.  Crazy.
  • Most still held wierwille on this pronounced pedestal......embedded with a pfal-allegiance chip.
  • Thankfully, I was able to convince two people to NOT sign up for momentus.
  • No Jason Bournes to be found.......few wanted to talk in-depth to see behind the cult-splinter curtains.

 

Just seems like this cult stuff is going to be part-n-parcel to the rest of my life.  Once you see the telltale signs of cults its inescapable to not recognize it all around........indoctrination, buzzwords, mystique, spirituality-climbing, charismatic leader, deception, etc. etc. etc.

 

Greasespot Café is a special place........special patrons.

 

 

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