Linda Z

When I was on staff, we were told it was challenging to be there, that we had to be strong. This was purportedly because our mission was so important that the devil was always trying to get in our way. In reality, it was challenging to be on staff because there were many people in positions of authority who had no business supervising anyone. My first department coordinator was great. He expected us to do the best work possible and meet deadlines--what any good boss expects--but he had a sense of humor and treated the people under him with respect and grace. That all changed when our department was handed over to the woman who's now at the head of the whole organization. Boy, did it ever change! Imagine being a grown man or woman and having your department "coordinator" require you to put your name on a sign-out sheet every time you needed to go to the bathroom, the snack shop, whatever. The smokescreen she put up for this little piece of legalism when we protested was (delivered in that fake-sweet Southern drawl most of us here are familiar with), "So if anyone calls for you, we know where you are." Oh, please. Like a caller couldn't wait 10 minutes and call back? Like the receptionist couldn't take a message so you could return a call if you were away from your desk for a few minutes? RFR had been a teacher before her meteoric rise through the TWI hierarchy, and apparently she thought she was back at the school, needing to control every moment of every day of every person in her department. I used to ask, "If what we're doing here is so important (and I believed then that it was), why can't we be treated as adults?" I never got a reasonable answer to that question. I discovered quickly after going on staff that VPW had a habit of putting some very strange people in charge of some very big responsibilities. When I questioned a cabinet member once about his judgment re: some of these people, I remember being told, "Well, you have to take people's shortcomings along with their strengths." That's true to an extent. Nobody's perfect, and I've rarely had a boss whose every action or decision I've liked. But at HQ that was an excuse for people being put in supervisory positions because they were good at kissing VPW's butt, not because they were good at motivating or coordinating anyone. Don't get me wrong. Not everyone on HQ staff was a jerk. There were many fabulously loving, diligent, good people there. Some of those good people were even lucky enough to have gracious, smart supervisors, but too many of them had bosses who treated them like children or worse and didn't have a clue about how to get the job done. I didn't mind working for relatively low wages (I wouldn't call them "slave wages" as some have; mine wasn't that bad). I had done that before when I was working for people who couldn't pay more but whose product or service I believed in. Just having graduated from the Corps a year before I went on staff, I had no debts and could afford to live on a pretty small salary. I certainly wasn't there for the money. I was there because I thought I was helping people by contributing to something important. However, when I got an up-close look at some of the people I'd seen from afar as "pillars of the church," and when I got a taste of the creeping legalism that was poisoning the place, I was floored. They're having trouble recruiting staff? No wonder. The person in charge may put out PR vibes about a "kinder, gentler" time in twi. I don't believe it for a second. Perhaps they've had to loosen the vice-grip of control over people to keep everyone from jumping ship, but trust me, there's little that's kind or gentle about the top dog of twi. When viewed from a distance she may seem like a sweet, rather odd old woman, but beneath that grey, curly perm there's a master manipulator. The very fact that Rosalie Fox Rivenbark was able to scoot all the way to the top of the twi ladder--and that she's stayed there for so long--speaks volumes and volumes to me. Her powers of manipulatoin and her love for legalism have been well known for decades now, and this is who the people have allowed to bully her way to the top of the pile? The fact that she's remained in a position of power for as long as she has tells me she out-Foxed them all! I know I proabably sound bitter. I'm really not anymore. I'm amazed that RFR hasn't managed to destroy what little is left of twi, but I'm not a bit surprised that they're having trouble recruiting staff. What's the incentive? The low wages? The endless string of mandatory meetings week after week? Being treated like you're 6 years old or mentally handicapped? What's not to love?!?!? Actually, I recommend going on staff for anyone who's on the fence about staying in twi or leaving. It can be a real eye opener. :B)

In the "TWI current numbers?" thread, OldSkool posted the following. I think it deserves its own thread. It just goes to show you that all the PR in the world (DVDs, RFR's fake smile on stage or her voice [eek, I can still hear that voice] on a tape, the TWI PR guy's BS, etc.) can't forever hide what it's really like to be on staff at HQ. The truth had to catch up with them eventually. I got my first clue about being on HQ staff in August of 1982 when Emogene Allen herded all new bookstore and Way Pub staff into the bookstore like first graders, had us sit on the floor, and proceeded to stand over us yelling about how HQ wasn't our mother and that we'd darn well better find and get settled into our housing over the weekend between Corps Week and ROA...and we were already working that weekend, I might add. (This was before everyone was forced to live in a trailer or dorm.) All incoming staff had been sent a letter about a month earlier asking questions like, "Do you want to live on grounds or off?" "Would you like to live with others or by yourself." "What kind of furniture do you need?" I forget the rest, but the letter gave the distinct impression that since we'd all be new to the area, someone would at least give us suggestions on where to find housing, etc. Then we got yelled at for thinking such a thing. It was bizarre, to say the least. I still remember the WTF looks one of my friends in the 9th Corps and I exchanged sitting there on the bookstore floor. What a welcome! If it was bizarre under EA's rule, that era was nothing compared to how it became when the regime of RFR began! I have to get to work now, but I'll have more to say later. I know there are a lot of ex-staff here. How was it for you?

OldSkool, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to start a new thread with your last post. Since the "current numbers" question comes up fairly often, some people might not read this thread and might miss your informative post. I think your recent, firsthand information about the HQ staff shortage is significant and shouldn't get buried here.

Speaking just for me, I never doubted your motives or your character David. I just thought that if I were in that girl's shoes, I might be a little intimidated. Perhaps I misread the amount of questioning that went on, and for that I apologize. I think you're swell. Whether you scared the bejeebers out of that young woman, I know not. I was just throwing in a woman's 2 cents on how she might have felt. If a "firestorm" ensued, I think I missed it, but I usually breeze through here briefly these days and perhaps something got deleted before I had a chance to read it. Looks to me like asking questions of anyone involved in CES/STFwhatever will be about as fruitful as my asking my elderly pooch why she pooped on the living room carpet. She just looks at me with a "Who me?" expression on her face, and I can't get much more out of her. LZ

MStar said: As a woman, if some big, tall guy followed me for 5 miles and then approached me the minute I parked and started firing a bunch of questions at me, about ANYTHING, it would be intimidating, at the very least. I'd be a bit stand-offish in that situation, too. From reading DMiller's posts for years. I'm confident that he meant no harm. But I don't think it was the right thing to do. That young woman had no way of knowing he meant her no harm, and I don't see why anyone would think she'd be obligated to answer his questions. If Billy D is correct, she's only marginally involved. So for all we know, it wasn't even her car or her bumper sticker. Maybe she was driving her dad's car.

This made me chuckle.

To JAL I say, with no animosity: Why not lose the business model that you learned from twi? Instead of thinking of people as your followers, and as your "contributors," why not think of them simply as fellow followers of Jesus Christ? Then, why not simply walk away from the drama and start fresh (but not with the same old business plan that you carried from twi into CES/STFI)? It's clearly not working, and people are being hurt as a result. There is great freedom in walking through life with your spiritual "eyes" watchful for ways to help others right where you are at any given moment. That would be a lot more satisfying and take a lot less energy than fighting over an organization that's been embroiled in power struggles for years. My suggestion to you would be to let it go. Just be you, go where you feel inspired to go, touch those people who cross your path, and let them see God's love and grace in you. You might be amazed at how much good you can do without an audience or an organization. Why not quit campaigning for followers? Isn't that how CES started? To the "contributors" of CES/STFI: Why not step back, take a breath, and ask yourself why you're involved in that group. Really, why? While you've been merrily "contributing," the people who run that outfit have been doing their level best to bite and devour each other. Over what? Political BS, looks like to me. Trust me, there is life for Christians without limiting yourself to one little group. If it were me, I wouldn't jump off the STFI bandwagon and onto the new JAL bandwagon. Step back. Take a breath. God is with you. You don't need any "leader" to show you what to do. This is my take on the whole mess in a nutshell: It's more important to be loving than to be right, or "accurate." Love, real love for God and your fellow humans, will always lead you to do the right thing and get you to the right place at the right time. A pseudo-academic obsession with being "right" or "accurate" will only lead to inflated egos and neverending verbal battles. Which path sounds more enjoyable? My suggestion for everyone involved in STFI, from its "leaders" to its "contributors," is this: Try getting off Accurate Avenue and take a ride on Freedom Freeway. Just try it. If you don't like it, if you feel you can't function without a "group" to lead or follow, then by all means start one or find one. But before you do that, why not give it a try?

I'll give ya a ride this time, ya little twit, but the first time you crap on my back, I'm droppin' you like a rock!

Penworks, in a thread from 2 years ago, someone said he was in touch with Jim J. He (Frank) still posts here, so maybe if you PM him he can give you an update.

The Highway said: I wasn't in the College Div., but in Family Corps V (we graduated with the 9th Corps), we had those same classes plus Keys to Research, Figures of Speech, the Book of Acts, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew (and some others I can't think of right now). I missed most of the Hebrew class because I was at LEAD, though. Most of the class instructors were excellent; a few were yawners. I did like the "block" curriculum model. I thought it was helpful to focus on one subject at a time rather than taking a bunch of classes at once in shorter sessions. Twinky, you got 4 hours of private study time every day?? I would have loved that! We worked 4 hours in the morning and had class in the afternoon (or vice versa), plus evening classes, Corps nights, SNS, Sunday a.m. fellowship., whatever. Add to that scullery duty, chair stringing, and the other chores around the campus, and free time was minimal. We did get some decent blocks of time our last in-rez year when we were working on our research papers, but not every day. I enjoyed that time immensely. LCM assigned your topic??? Good grief. When I was in, at least we got to pick our own topics. Mine was on "Overcoming Hardness of Heart in Leadership." My advisor said, "Why in the world did you choose that?" I said "Because I've seen too many hard-a$$es in the Corps." He sorta looked at me funny, but he didn't ask me to change it. It was one of my best times in residence except for the typing, which gave me carpal tunnel syndrome...lol. It was before the computer age had really hit...boy, what I would have given for one at that time!!!

Congrats, P-Mosh, Mrs. Mosh, and big sis!! That's great news.

That part of his/her listing would make it seem so, but that info might have been gleaned from various anti-twi sites on the Internet. The fact that he/she says VPW didn't believe in salvation and that once someone dies, that's it, makes me wonder if he/she was ever directly involved. Okay, will the real EBay seller please stand up if you're here. :)

Maybe looney isn't the right word. Maybe "lying" would be more accurate. This person implies that the little 30-page booklet is (a) worth $125 and (b) will certainly increase in value because of its rarity. Ha! That, combined with the off-the-wall description of TWI beliefs, is IMO merely a fabrication. Just because someone says something anti-TWI doesn't make it automatically legitimate. <_<

Geo, people might have called it that where you were while VPW was still alive, but it was not named the VPW Word Over the World Auditorium until after his death.

Check out this link: http://cgi.ebay.com/Fundamentals-of-Greek-Research-WJ-Cummins-The-Way-RARE_W0QQitemZ360184873557QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAntiquarian_Collectible?hash=item53dcb10255&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116 This is the little soft-cover collateral, a small booklet. If it would really go for this person's asking price, I'd take the trouble to dig mine out of the box in the attic. Fat chance, though.

Skyrider, the letter Kevlar rec'd wasn't about the auditorium. He was just comparing another letter that was pitching for donations. He can speak for himself if he comes back to this thread, but I think his 1972 date was correct. Note the groups on the albums that were sent out. Selah was long gone by 1982.

Wow, Kevlar, that's bizarre. I took PFAL after ROA in 1972, but I didn't get that letter or those albums. It reminds me of some goofy supposedly Christian organization that sends out little "prayer cloths" and asks for donations. It's ironic that VPW ragged on churches for holding bake sales and rummage sales to raise money, but he had no problem with guilting them into forking over the cash. Another double standard.

I was on staff when the auditorium was built and dedicated. Actually, it wasn't called the VPW WOW Auditorium when it went up; it was called the Word Over the World Auditorium. VPW was adamant that his name not be included in its name. It was changed after his death. I don't remember exactly when, but I'm sure it was after I left HQ, which was in the spring of 1986.

That's funny, George. Yes, it's obvious they are either reading from a script or that they have a macro set up so they just hit a key that generates the answer they think fits the question. What cracked me up was the first person telling me twice that I'd gotten their Internet chat support. I'm the one who accessed it, so I sorta already knew that. What was even funnier was that the online chat person and the second person I got on the phone told me they could help after I told them very specifically what I wanted help with. And then after long pauses and diddling around, both said, "Sorry, I can't help you with that." The particularly annoying thing was that the first time I called, one of the things on the voice mail menu was "Internet phone support." However, the interactive portion of the system was down, so I had to wait for a live person for 45 minutes anyway. Then the second time I called, when the interactive voice mail had been supposedly fixed, there was no option anywhere for phone problems. What a fiasco. I was annoyed and at the same time amused at the ridiculousness of it all. The good news is that I haven't found any difference between the quality of my phone service after the switch from AT&T to my cable provider, with unlimited long distance and the same features I had with AT&T, but for $40 less per month. I tried to get a better rate with AT&T before switching, but I got a worse runaround from them than from my cable company. The problem of poor customer service is pretty universal.

Every time I call customer service for my cable, my antivirus software, my computer--anything--the scenario is similar to the following. Today I wanted to find out how to set up the voice mail box on my new Internet phone. Installation took two attempts by the subhuman subcontractors sent on this mission by my cable company. That's another whole story that I won't bore you with. This first conversation below is a transcript of my online chat encounter with my Internet provider’s customer service department that was e-mailed to me. I used the online chat option because when I called the company's customer service department, its interactive voice mail system wasn't working ("but our engineers are aware of this problem and are working on it"). Here's the transcript: Konee: Hello! Thank you for choosing [our] Internet technical Chat. My name is Konee M. How may I assist you? Linda: Hi. I had your company install my Internet phone service this week, and the installer was out of instruction booklets. I need to find out how to set up my voice mail. Konee: You are connected to Internet technical Chat. Linda: I know that. Konee: I will definitely guide you in the right direction to get this issue resolved. Feel free to ask questions along the way. Konee: Before we begin, please provide the following three pieces of information to verify your account and to document this interaction for future reference: 1. The account holder's 10 digit telephone number. (xxx-xxx-xxxx). 2. The account holder's Full Name (First and Last) 3. Please tell us your name. Linda: xxx-xxx-xxxx Linda Zxxxxxx Linda Zxxxxx Konee: Thank you. I understand that you need to setup your voice mail. Linda: Yes Konee: You are connected to [our] Internet technical Chat. Linda: I know. Konee: Unfortunately, we do not have any information regarding phone service. (long pause) Konee: Linda, I wish I could assist you further. However I don't have the specific tools to resolve your issue. I can help you by providing the contact information for the appropriate department, who will assist you with your voice mail request. Linda: (thinking, “Oh, you mean the number where I’ll be placed on hold for an hour because their interactive menu thingy is kaplooey? THAT phone number?”) Okay, thank you. Konee: Please contact them at xxx-xxx-xxxx (the number I had called in the first place). Konee: They work 24 X 7. Konee: I have documented all the necessary notes that would help you in your next contact. Konee: I apologize as our session cannot conclude the resolution due to limited tools and information however please be assured that they will definitely assist you with your issue. Linda: Okay, thank you. Bye. So I call the phone number and (what a surprise!), I’m put on hold for 45 minutes. The person who finally answers is very nice, but gives me completely inaccurate instructions (“call your own number and use the last 4 digits of your SS# as the PIN). I do as instructed. I get a recording. “Your login was unsuccessful. Please try again.” I try again. Several times. Nada. I call customer service again and get voice mail message hell, but at least it's working now. I'm told: “Press 1 for support with cable TV. Press 2 for support with Internet access." I’m waiting for option 3, help with my Internet phone. That would be too easy. So I press “0.” I finally get another person, very pleasant, but for whom English is obviously a second language. George: How can I help you? Linda: I need instructions for setting up my Internet phone voice mail. I called earlier, but the instructions I was given didn’t work. George: I can help you with that. What is your phone number? Address? Name? Linda: xxx-xxx-xxxx, etc. George: You’re having trouble setting up your voice mail? Linda: Yes. Goerge: This is Internet support. Linda: Phone support wasn’t on your menu. George: I’m sorry. I will transfer you to the department that provides phone service support. Linda: (through clenched teeth) Okay, thank you. George: Have a wonderful day! Linda: (to myself) Yeah, yeah, wonderful day. Finally, I get someone who (a) speaks English and (b) gives me the correct info. “Dial this access number and follow the prompts.” Simple. It only took 2 hours of my Saturday to get it!! Isn’t outsourced customer service a beautiful thing??

I still enjoy watching the Leave It to Beaver reruns on TV Land. I think it's a pretty realistic glimpse into being a kid in the 50s. Not all of us had dads who wore suits and ties, but I'll bet most of us got ourselves into the same kinds of messes "the Beav" and his friends did. And Ward (the dad) was portrayed as not being perfect. He screwed up lots of times, but always admitted it. I don't think I ever saw June (the mom) do anything wrong, though.

Is it real, or is it Mammarex?

IMO, The Way Corps could have been a good thing, but it was poorly executed. Too much responsibility was delegated to too many people, too fast. Those people were too inexperienced and had too little training, education, and supervison. I think instead of letting the program grow slowly and naturally, VP et al saw it as a cash cow and pushed to get as many people signed up as possible. It was sold as a program for people with natural leadership ability who wanted to serve God and God's people. Instead it became a program for anyone who could "get their sponsorhip together," and it attracted many people who, under the self-delusion of "running to serve" were running to climb the twi ladder. There were plenty of people in the Corps who didn't have a thimbleful of leadership ability, natural or otherwise, and who were extremely immature, in years and in spiritual awareness. They went out "on the field" and ordered people around, broke up thriving fellowships, and made a general mess of things. I have a hunch that if VPW had allowed George Je$$, a quiet, humble, wise man, to continue to oversee the Corps program, it might have turned out a lot differently. Instead he put wet-behind-the ears LCM and other equally inexperienced, big-personality people in charge of the Corps and other twi programs. Why? Because they knew how to work a crowd. Or, in the case of Ms. Rivenbark, who couldn't work a crowd of starving people if she was throwing steaks and lobsters to them, she knew how to manipulate people who could work a crowd.

It's also true in corporations, in neighborhoods, in schools, in just about anything involving people. I believe they call it human nature. Isn't the idea of most religions to aspire to a higher nature? Yet every one of them has its hierarchy, in-fighting, and all the worst characteristics of humanity. Adherents of the various sects of the Muslim religion are killing each other daily and have been for centuries. The Palestinians and the Jews can't seem to figure it out. The Catholics and Protestants in Ireland don't have a great track record. Holy cow! (with apologies to anyone of the Hindu faith reading this). One of the first and best lessons my parents taught me was that I should never consider any other type/class/race/group of people inferior to me, to make myself feel superior. I like to think I learned that lesson well, and I try not to let that kind of thinking creep into my pea brain, but if I'm brutally honest with myself, I know that at times I've fallen prey to it, usually when I'm feeling insecure. Maybe that's the problem of religions. Perhaps they have collective inferiority complexes!