Hopefull

Thank you everyone for your kind responses. I have been blessed with 2 girlfriends in particular who have been helping me but of course there is no way not to "go through". and my father flew in from AZ to help and left a few days ago. It is such a -I hate to use the word comfort but I cannot think of a better one at the moment- to have GS friends there no matter what your level of participation has been or will be. Thanks also for your prayers and good thoughts -it really does make you feel that you are not alone. Hope

Hi, please read in memoriam. My husband George had ex way friends that come here and this is better than a newspaper obit as he had little family. Thanks for all the replies. I will be more active here I am sure. Love you ex twi gs folks, Hope

If Daryl were straight, he would have made a pass at me during our wow year. (at least, I like to think so...)

yeah and the song what a friend we have in Jesus- what was that all about?

Steve, great post- yet I think us ex-twi are lower than never-twi slime-of-the-slime, cream-of-the-crAp category, non-standing non-members. HCW the only "jesus" spoken of (after you renigades who didn't choose loy boy were shown the door that hit you on the butt on the way out) was the devil spirit you hooked up with if you tried to talk to Him. (although there was that nice man we sang about- jesus jesus jesus sweetest name I know- however we never spoke of him without a "christ" on the end)

I have posted this before- however tomorrow will be 7 years to the day that I was kicked out. My then fianc?as called on the phone right before Tues fellowship and told not come- he was no longer welcome at fellowship. The reason he was given for being kicked out was that he was "illusive" about his past and because he missed a meeting. I called my fellowship coordinator (who were paid WC) and was given an ultimatum- either ostracize him for 6 months and then perhaps reconcile (if it's of gawd doncha know- and maybe marry after taking the advanced class together) or continue to see him and suffer the same fate. I needed a good swift kick towards the exit door. It hurt like hell but within weeks I was ever so glad.

Nevermind

Oldies, I didn't hear anyone say that Don was incompetent or inadequate- twi was VP's passion and it did not have to be the passion of his children. Hypothetically, I have have no interest in going into my father vocation/ business but if I did out of obligation I would be competent but it would not be my "bliss". Is is not God who gives a calling and the anointing and grace to the individual? And do we not all have different strengths and weaknesses? Don always struck me as a kind man (which is more than I can say for you right now) and I don't see that it matters one whit if being "commited to the ministry of the word" was his thing or not.

HCW- that post was lovely to read and brought to my remembrance many of the reasons I became involved in twi (1977) and the good feelings from way back when. Oh to be young again and to have true friendships, camaraderie, a purpose and closeness to God- I had a minuteman summer like that. God knows that most people are complex and have many sides to them- as you are a photographer you seem to have a good way of seeing the whole picture. Thanks, welcome to GS and please keep writing.

Going back to twi = putting new wine into old wineskins

I would love to re-connect with them. If anyone could pass this on- Hope, my email is onefullahope@yahoo.com. Thanks.

Daryl!! Thanks for your story- that took guts. It's unfortunate that I won't be at the very happy occasion of Steve and Cindy's wedding because it would be wonderful to see you again. Love always, Hope (your fellow ex-way ex-wow who never left Long Island)

I saw it with my parents last Oct. in Tucson. Thank God it was a matinee, we all thought it was boooooooring *yawn* definately style over substance.

I have been a bit of a hermit lately but had to come out and wish my friend her Wackyness a Very Happy Birthday! I hope you did something that you really enjoyed. I wish many more happy birthdays for you and I hope ALL your dreams come true. "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

Socks, after that post I am fighting off an insane desire to flirt with you... "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

Last joke I remember from Craig- ROA 1995 Q. what's green and skates? A. Peggy phlegm "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

Holy Cow Jonny, that was messed up. At least the few times I got hit on (by men) it was a flat out pass and not all that sickening sexual innuendo. Thanks for your story. "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

I agree with excath not to wish him any ill will. I am more concerned with if li'l ole me is going to heaven- in that respect, I hope he is going there cuz then it means there is hope for me also. It is up to God to both judge and vindicate. "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

Wonderful post, Linda. I used to say, taking pfal was one of the best decisions I ever made. I still say that. It was something that the 17 year old, scared and lost me needed. Although I never met vpw, I respected him and called him Dr. my 21 years in. Then along came Waydale. WHAM!! I was up for two days reading without any sleep. Many of the questions I always had were answered and lots of missed pieces fell into place. I was incredulous at the sexual abuse. I never had a clue, not one freaking clue that any of that stuff was going on. Sure I had a few BC's that tried to get into my pants but I just thought that was their personal issue, I didn't know it was part of a bigger picture that I was blessedly unaware of. It has taken several years and lots of reading to understand and appreciate the pain many women went through and the manipulation and coercion by vpw and craig. It was easier to believe about craig because he was more recent and he had put me through pain by ruining twi with his rigid and hateful policies and the extortion of a percentage of my paycheck. I always thought he was an a$$hole. But vpw? Could it be that the sexual revolution makes his actions more understandable? Or that there were woman that offered sex to him? Years later I know that it doesn't matter, there is no excuse for betraying the trust of a young gullible beautiful young lady who just wants to be her best for God. If vpw considered himself to be the 'father in the word' then it was not just sexual abuse it was incest and he ruined the innocence of young ladies for his own gratification. I have many good memories of my time in twi, especially the years in which vpw was still alive and running the show. Amazing that so much good could come through a human being as flawed as vpw. What makes me bristle is when I read challenges to these "testimonials." If someone is really interested in the truth, they will just keep reading and absorbing and make up their own mind. Thanks for that great post, Linda. "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

Wordwolf, this is several pages late, but THANK-YOU and God Bless You for those cliff notes. I have no problem with any poster who has fond memories of vpw or with a poster who thinks he was evil incarnate- like one's own personal "professor Moriarty." That being said, how could anyone wade through these threads and these personal firsthand experiences and continue to call vpw "Doctor"? And to elevate his writings to the extent that the bible becomes a minor collateral for the writings of the mog- well that is so beyond logic and into the twilight zone that it is frightening- and then to be the modern internet version of John the Baptist showing us the way to THE ONE who has salvation, the writings of the dead mog?? Mike is THE ONE showing us the way to THE ONE. I think schizophrenic with delusions of grandeur come to mind. I don't know what happened to Mike when he had his OLG epiphany but it reminds me of when you are dreaming and you wake suddenly thinking you have found the key to the universe and you write it down and in the morning you read what you scribbled at 3 am and it says something like, "eat more ice cream and play blackjack for a living." Mike, I think you are either coo-coo in the cabeza or you are a player and either way cannot be taken seriously. By all means keep things interesting around here but I wouldn't take your suggestion for a good movie to see much less be enraptured by your plan for my life via vpw. "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good." [This message was edited by Hopefull on December 29, 2003 at 19:06.] [This message was edited by Hopefull on December 29, 2003 at 19:08.]

This weekend was the marathon of one and two on Starz- I don't know if I will be able to wait 9 days to see it! "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

I told my husband WEEKS ago that on New Years Eve we are going to see this movie. Since we don't have any plans, I can't think of a finer way to ring in the New Year. Sounds good, he said. "If The Way hates it, it has to be Good."

Twi became Anti-Christ. "If you pray to Jesus you are praying to a devil spirit." As someone who has tried it both ways, I can say with certainty that praying to Jesus is a Very Good Thing. Another reason for my motto-"if The Way hates it, it has to be good".

Jesus also said, Father forgive them for they know not what they do...there are a few people in Twi that knew what they were doing but most did not. Anyone in twi that hurt me I figure it was done out of stupidity as most people wanted to do the right thing even if what was right got all screwed up. I don?t hold a grudge, I don?t know if I have forgiven or if my forgiveness is necessary- I just don't care that much anymore. I think that if someone has been out of twi for years and years and are still as angry and hurt as they were way back when- then maybe it would be beneficial to pray for those who have hurt you. I would not tell anyone how he or she should heal- but it is not good to carry a chip on one's shoulder for so long a time. For if the entity that hurt you is no longer in your life it makes no difference to that entity how you feel about it. I am sure that those people that kicked me out, reprimanded me for no reason, tried to mess my head up with waybrained stuff, and people like ole craiggers don't give a hoot how I feel- those that tried to mess me up had lots of problems too if they thought they were doing the right thing. What about those that were abusive and sadistic, you ask? Can you imagine how screwed up you would have to be to be that way? Joyce Meyers was sexually abused by her dad for years and it totally damaged her- and as an adult, she forgave and her kindness got him to repent and get born again. That is a ideal worth striving for IMHO.

Kit, that was lovely. I now wear a cross because of 3 reasons: (in order of importance) 1. Acknowledgment that I am a Christian 2. Anything the way hated has to be good 3. They are in fashion and many are cool looking In etymology class in high school, I learned that the root word crux, meaning cross, is also where the word excruciating comes from-- that death on the cross is the most excruciating method of capital punishment. Jesus paid for my forgiveness by his death unto the cross and that kind of love seems beyond human comprehension. The longer I am out of twi the more I see who Jesus was and is.