waysider

Beet greens make some mighty fine eatin'!

Another time, our fearless FLO leader announced at morning fellowship that it didn't matter if we were only getting 4 or 5 hours sleep/night because, if we were speaking in tongues as much as we were supposed to and got our believing up, we could go on virtually no sleep at all. Guess who overslept through 5:30 fellowship the next day-- :P

One of my fellow laborer brothers had what started out as a fairly minor, treatable medical condition. Because of the nature of our program and the expectations that were placed on us, he tried to "believe" for healing. Long story made short, he got septicemia, spent a week in the hospital and darn near lost an appendage, not to mention, his life. Another guy I knew from those days moved on to a position on staff at HQ. He developed a very serious, acute medical condition that can be treated if addressed in the early stages. He was ridiculed because he couldn't get his believing up.He died. That's the kind of "crazy" stuff I'm talking about.

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Garden. (Two of the finest people to ever escape the fellow laborer experience)

"Whether or not a cult is destructive is determined by the morality of the cult leader and the nature of the leader's charismatic dream, said Dr. Cath."

Ok---there ya go. (The doves are on the back side---You just can't see them.)

What's the craziest thing you ever tried to "believe for"? Now, first off, I know that some of these might be quite painful or embarrassing. So,it's okay to generalize. In fact, My own experiences involved interpersonal relationships and jobs that, by all common sense and logic, were headed down the crapper. But crazy me. I figured I would could "fix" everything with SIT and "Release From Your Prisons" type magical believing Just gotta get that camera in focus and stare at it, don'tcha know?

I had a very similar experience that year. One of my family members, who was a new grad, came out to the parking area and found a bumper sticker on the painted area of the trunk of a brand new car. The ROA had one less "happy camper" that year.

Sir! Present and accounted for. Sir!

You might want to consider a "chicken tractor". http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html

La-La Means I love You <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

If you asked me were I lived or where I was working at the time, I could tell you. But, honestly, I don't remember being aware of the event as it actually happened.

No. It just means they have a product that is no longer wanted or needed. Now, of course, if their product was both wanted AND needed------

The buggy whip market has tanked.

There I was on a July morning---I was looking for love.

Only awards I ever got from TWI were The Green Wiener and The Purple Nurpple.

By "that", do you mean hand out awards or stick around after the foundational?

You guys got celery sticks?? I think I was short changed!.

Ya know, this is another good reason anonymity can be a good thing. Now that the kid has "outed" himself by revealing his real name, it must be terribly difficult to come back here and offer any kind of response without hearing from his leadership. Of course, I suppose it would have been a bit difficult to conceal his identity in view of the fact that there were only 4 graduates. (assuming he was really who he said he was, not someone else using his name as a shill)

Held against their will. For anyone who may have missed it, here is the link to Through the Fog http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/radio/episodes/the-road-to-the-letter-to-the-board-of-trustees-1987.html Additionally, would "Momentus"-like sessions fall into this category? You know---The ones where the exit doors were "guarded" and people were forbidden to leave.

Much of this parallels what happened in The Way. Substitute MOG for "chosen one". Substitute Motorcoach for Alamo's "special" bedroom arrangement. Substitute Harley's for"ponies in the backyard". Substitute babes in the word for "baby Christians". Note that followers were expected to live on minimal subsistence while the leader lived like a king. Note that they had their own special language and were expected to maintain an attitude of submission. And so on. 1.Holding people against their will Most of this was of a psychological nature. When you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no money or transportation, it can feel like you are being held. Add that to the "hedge of protection" concept that basically states you can never really leave "the household" without leaving yourself open to an attack from the boogie man. And, as was pointed out, there is a documented incident on the front page of this very website, that details the house arrest, at gun point, of a former Way leader. (Through the fog) 2. Withholding food. Yes. In fellow laborers, we had a food co-op. If you didn't make your weekly payment, you had to sit at meals with the group but were not allowed to eat. It was not permitted for anyone to offer you part of their share or offer to make a payment on your behalf. (We found ways around this one.) 3. Beaten with boards I never personally witnessed anyone being physically beaten. Many of our posters who spent their childhood in The Way, though, have posted first hand accounts of severe corporal punishment for misbehavior and non-compliance. One poster has stated that she and her husband were admonished, by leadership, to discipline their child with a 2x4. Armed guards walked the various Way properties and functions. One poster here has stated it was part of his responsibility, as a HQ staffer, to maintain the evesdropping "bugs" in the BRC. So I would have to conclude that MANY similar things happened in The Way.

I'm sure the terminology and implications have evolved over the years. However, I can remember him being called "our father in The Word" and "The man of God for the World" and "The man of God for our time" in the early 1970's.

I wonder if they had "night owls" and "pajama parties" like their predecessors. :o

Not just his. Wasn't part of "the empire" built with Kipp spoils, as well?

I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised at this. VPW, our role model "numero uno", built a lifelong career based on leaching off the good fortune of others.