JoyfulSoul

Thank you for the response, Waysider. I don't have a hidden agenda, I just want to kick it around with somebody. Oh man, where to start? I mean, I've been on message boards and somebody will post some hilarious stage show of Christian entertainment. Goofy...looks like it's Mormon or something. Nnnnnaaahhh, I know exactly who those people are... That one woman's name is Trudy ... If I wasn't cultured I'd say it looks gay AF, but I'm cultured so I won't say it. No doubt, I can recount my own drama with the Way back then. Just, how many can acknowledge experiencing something good as well? I mean, aspects of it were the real deal. I was high as a kite those two weeks I mentioned. Probably got some deliverance without anyone praying specifically about that. I mean, what about these churches!? Anyone get caught up in the IHOPKC drama? I've got stories about that, too. Morningstar Fellowship in the Carolinas... I went to some John Lynn Conferences as well. Zionism? Gaza? I know that's the body of Christ but I find most Evangelicals repugnant. So, here I am, lone wolf Christian, member of the body of Christ. Everybody I met last week was cool. You know, I gingerly want to see what they're about.

First, my apologies, I haven't investigated recent conversations on the board. I just want to talk about the Way today. Also, I never got in too deep and I'm not resentful or bitter. My ROA experiences in '87 and '88 were actually highlights in my Christian walk. Sometimes I swing by New Knoxville on my way from Michigan to the Carolinas. Last week I walked into the OSB to see if it was cool if I walked the grounds. Met some really nice, happy people. It felt like the Way of old (in my limited experience). Jerry Martinez in security gave me a guided tour. Grounds were amazing. The smells, the blossoms. I found them willing to talk about mistakes in the past. I'm thinking about going to the ROA this year. Anyone else have a sense of revitalization and resurgence? A special shout out to John S and his wife in Family Corps. Also Andrew. They exude joy and the love of God. So different from "churches".

This won't be popular... I went to the ROA in '87 and '88. To this day that's what I think about as loving Christian community. Nothing else has been close. I hadn't been exposed to all the corruption I later heard about. For a new person it was just the most loving, uplifting environment. I was sky high. A friend came back from WOW totally blown away by God. My brother went to ROA that second year and he was lit up. I later brought my nephew in 1993 and all the fizz was gone. The immaculate grounds were no longer immaculate. It just sucked. I didn't go WOW. I didn't go Corps. TWI was a major stepping stone for me leaving college atheism and licentiousness and eventually linking arms with mainstream Christianity. Sorry for all who were hurt. Really sorry for anyone still harboring bitterness.