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The Way. It Was.

Posted by John Lynn on October 17, 2008 at 12:17pm

The Way. It was.By John A. LynnIn the interest of truth, both small “t” (the facts about The Way International) and capital “T” (the Word of God it taught), I am compelled to propose why I think The Way International was (past tense), from a certain perspective, one of the most significant movements in the history of the Christian Church. I do so for the benefit of any graduate of the “Power For Abundant Living” class who still wants to live for the Lord and who may have been unduly discouraged, either by his/her own experience in The Way or by the ensuing barrage of negatives from other ex-Way saints about what was wrong with The Way.Given that I was one of the top ministry leaders from 1967-1987, I speak with experiential knowledge. Furthermore, I have spent the past 21 years continuing to dig into the Word of God along with knowledgeable Christians, and, in the process, re-evaluating everything we were taught. I speak with great thankfulness for the truth I heard in The Way (hereinafter TWI), with no doubt that God led me to it, and then away from it. And though I left with some wounds, I also took with me the resources I had been given that enabled me to be healed from those wounds and help others do likewise.I speak so that you can know “the rest of the story,” as opposed to all the disparaging things that have been said about The Way through the years by the media (much of that false), other Christians (much of that false), and disgruntled former followers (much of that true, some of it false). My purpose is to set forth a much more redemptive view of The Way than what I have thus far read from others with “ex-Way vision.” In some ways, this is a sequel to my March, 1988 letter in which I blew the whistle about what was then going on in TWI. (http://www.swiftlynx.com/beyondTheWayInternational/)Yes, there was more doctrinal error than I ever realized while I was in TWI, and there was corresponding practical error that became more evil than most of us involved ever imagined. Yes, many precious people were terribly abused. Yes, there was dishonesty about Scripture, there was plagiarism, and there was rampant sexual sin, all of which contributed to many people choosing to turn away from God and His Word. And as I realized these things, I did speak out about them, both publicly and privately, from 1987 until about 2000, after which TWI had marginalized itself in Christendom.Perhaps worst of all, a golden opportunity to make known the Word of God, as it had not been known since the first century, was squandered. I will elaborate upon why that is true from a doctrinal standpoint, but when else in the history of the Christian Church has there ever been such a cadre of thousands of young, energetic, enthused, biblically knowledgeable, logistically equipped, organizationally backed, diverse, multi-lingual, mobile, available, and committed-to-“It-is-written” men and women with leadership qualities who were willing to go anywhere and spread the Word? Certainly not often in the past 2000 years. Thank God that many of these students of the Word became teachers themselves, and were thus able to recognize the errors that crept into TWI.The Way. It was. What was it? First and foremost, it was, from about 1955-1987, the only place I know of where anyone could hear the amount of truth of the Word of God that we heard. Why? In large part because God led Victor Paul Wierwille to the work of E.W. Bullinger, whose approach to Scripture was virtually unique. That is what allowed Wierwille, and thus TWI to an even greater degree, thanks to the quality men and women with research ability whom it attracted, to put the Word together like it had not been known since the first century Church.The sad thing was that I, and many others, became too proud of our knowledge, and failed to couple it with enough of a humble, heartfelt desire to obey God and become like Jesus Christ. We became too arrogant toward other Christians, thinking that our study of truth somehow made us more “approved before God” than they. To a degree, we became more like hearers of the Word than doers, and often deceived our selves. BUT, the antidote to that is not to throw out the baby with the bathwater, because without knowledge of truth there can be little practice of it.Why did God have a need for The Way International? Actually, He didn’t. But He did have a need for any group of people who would make known what, or close to what, the Apostle Paul taught once the whole of what we now read in the Church Epistles had been unfolded to him. Why was there such a need? Because true Christian doctrine had all but disappeared from the spectrum of Church history by the 4th century. It was then that the Roman Catholic Church began based upon a bunch of fables mixed with Christian verbiage, established a monolithic ecclesiastical hierarchy, and for more than a thousand years dominated the European religious landscape, killing countless dissenters and for the most part silencing the rest.When Martin Luther came along (1517 was when he nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenburg), thank God he did recognize justification by faith rather than by works, but what we today refer to as the “Reformation” of the Roman Catholic Church was very limited in scope. Much of the Roman Catholic doctrine was assimilated into Protestantism and is still being passed along as Christian groups continue to split off from one another. In a nutshell, that is why even the independent church in your neighborhood today most probably believes that there is a Trinity, dead people are alive, God is in control of everything that happens, the Four Gospels are written to Christians, water baptism is relevant, and maybe even that the Bible is not absolute truth.I don’t know where else we could have heard the “package” of biblical truth we heard in TWI. Admittedly, most of the major doctrinal components of that package were being taught by some Christians, with varying degrees of accuracy, but none that I know of put together as many into a package as TWI did. Let’s begin with what I mentioned about E.W. Bullinger’s contribution to TWI, which was HUGE, because his basic approach to Scripture is what facilitates one being able to discover its inherent keys and utilize them to derive the Author’s originally intended meaning.TWI taught us to approach the Word with the “It is written” conviction that it is what it says it is, and that it cannot contradict itself. That alone is enough to at least identify error about the Bible, and the keys to the Word’s interpretation we were taught enabled us to understand it, take its truth into our hearts, and apply it on a daily basis.Given that the identity of Jesus Christ is the world’s biggest deal, I would have to say that chief among the wonderful biblical truths we heard in TWI was that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (not God), the Man who mediates between God and men, and that the Trinity is a pagan fable. Some ex-Way saints now say this distinction is not that important, but I assert that God thinks differently, given what He says in His Word (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:3 and 4). Yes, TWI failed to teach us that we can have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, but there were not too many other places where we could have heard that Jesus is not the “eternally begotten” Second Person of the Trinity.I’d have to say that the next most important biblical truth we heard in TWI was what we then called the “Mystery,” and, correspondingly, what parts of Scripture are written to Jews, to Gentiles, or to Christians regarding either the past, the present, or the future. For the record, we have since learned that “Sacred Secret” is a more accurate way of rendering the Greek, musterion.Ephesians is the apex of the Church Epistles (the primary curriculum for Christian living), and it clearly shows that the Body of Christ (the “one new man” of Chapter 2, verse 15) is the most unique group of people who have ever lived, chiefly because of the permanence of our salvation and our holy spirit equipping. 1 Corinthians 2:8 chimes in with the monumental (and generally overlooked) truth that had Satan known the Sacred Secret, he would not have crucified Jesus!In terms of biblical error that is practically debilitating to one’s quality of life, I see nothing more important than knowing what Scripture is written to whom, when, and in particular what is written to us as Christians today. The Church’s failure to understand this central truth has led to its trying to live in accordance with directives pertaining to other people at other times. It is only in the Church Epistles that a Christian finds his true identity “in Christ,” as well as his true Hope. Simply put, the Word of God will never fit together without contradiction if one does not understand the “administrations” therein, and in particular this current “administration of the Sacred Secret” (Eph. 3:9).Yes, there are quite a few Christians who have a “Dispensational” view of Scripture, but the vast majority of them fail to grasp that Jesus is not God and that he did not know the Sacred Secret. Most think that parts of the Four Gospels and the book of Revelation speak of the Christian Church, but that is not the case. The Gospels record the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ’s first coming to the earth to Israel (his suffering), and Revelation records the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about his second coming to the earth to Israel (his glory).Another major truth we learned in TWI, which is unknown to most Christians, is that of the Giver and the gift, and, correspondingly, that speaking in tongues is available to all Christians because it is a manifestation of holy spirit, not a gift. We also learned the indispensable truth that speaking in tongues is the only absolute proof that one is saved. How many tens of thousands of people did those truths alone set free?TWI also taught us that death is, in fact, the end of life, and that our true Hope for new life in the coming age is to be raised from the dead and meet the Lord Jesus in the air prior to the Tribulation (the “time of Jacob’s trouble” – Jer.30:7). What percentage of Christians do you think know this? Although TWI failed to teach us that Paradise (the new earth), not heaven, will be our everlasting home, thank God we learned that resurrection is much more than an incorporeal “soul” once again getting a body.And TWI pointed us toward an understanding of the figures of speech in the Bible (thanks to Bullinger), of which little is known in theological circles. This included the figurative language in the Old Testament that helped us see that God is not responsible for evil or suffering, nor is He in control of everything that happens.Like I, you may know of some ministries that do teach some of these truths, but I submit that until 1987 there was nowhere other than TWI to find all of them taught as accurately as they were there. That is why The Way International stands out on the spectrum of Church history as an amazingly significant Christian movement.As far as I can see, TWI was also about the most disparate dichotomy of good and evil in the history of Christianity. Like the wheat and the tares growing up together, tremendous truth and egregious evil shared the ministry platform. Many people look back on their TWI experience with nothing but thankfulness, while others rue their free will choice to stay involved as long as they did because of the abuse they suffered. Some have been stymied by self-condemnation due to the abuses they themselves committed. No doubt there are also many who recognize that they heard the Word like they never had, who have allowed the Lord Jesus to heal any wounds they suffered in TWI, and who have since experienced spiritual growth far beyond what they ever imagined back in “the good old days.”I hope you are in that last category, and if you’re not, you can be. Even if people badly abused and disappointed you, you can turn to the Lord Jesus, he who is The Way to wholeness in all categories of heart and life. His love and truth will heal your heart and help you forgive and move forward with him toward the same goal you once had. You have a ministry in the Body of Christ, and he who is the Head longs to help you fulfill that calling. It was neither your heavenly Father nor your Lord who hurt you, nor does whatever happened to you change anything the Word says. God’s promises are still true, and they are yours for the believing.The Way, we were. If you once sat through PFAL, you heard the Word of God taught more accurately than the vast majority of Christians who have ever drawn breath. As a fellow PFAL grad, I identify with you, and have an affinity for you and a desire to encourage you to take advantage of the truth you once heard, if you are not already doing so. Along with me, you will one day stand before our precious Lord Jesus Christ, who will reward you according to how you have lived your life as a Christian. In essence, he will ask each of us something like this: “What did you do with what you knew?”[For a detailed list of biblical subjects I think TWI mishandled, see the following link: http://www.christianeducational.org/25diffTWI.htmIf you would like to discuss with me about what I have written, please contact me at jalces@aol.com]

Baby, bathwater, bathtub, shower curtain...

Posted by Michael Schiano on June 26, 2008 at 6:19am

from what i've read poking around here, it seems like most people here have retained at least some of their christian belief system. i'm wondering how many have not. my experience was, once i allowed myself to ask any of the questions i'd been suppressing for all those years, it wasn't long before i found myself pretty much back where i started. in fact, i was amazed at how quickly so much of what i'd been stuffing into my head and heart just fell away.i'm not looking for a fight here. i'm just curious. any other ex-christians out there?

“The Rapture or the Return of Jesus Christ: Articulating My Position"

Posted by Lonnell Johnson on January 1, 2008 at 4:51pm

What follows is a paper written after I was asked to discuss my position regarding the Rapture or the Return of Christ. It is a bit lengthy, but I trust it will be stimulating in that my views have changed since I first took the Foundational Class on Power for Abundant Living forty years ago.

"The Rapture or the Return of Christ: Articulating My Position"

Whether referred to as “the Rapture” or “the Gathering Together,” or somewhat irreverently called “the Big Snatch,” Christ’s Return has been a passion of my heart for more than 40 years, and lately this “enduring flame” seems to be burning even more brilliantly, since I have participated in or officiated at numerous funerals during that time. Sometime ago the question was raised as to where I stood with regard to the Return (Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, or Post-Trib). I was asked if I believed that the Christ’s Return would occur before the Great Tribulation or during the Great Tribulation or after the Great Tribulation had begun. This question caused me to assess my position and motivated me to respond more fully to the question as to where I stand regarding this issue.

Without question I believe that the Return of Christ is imminent. This bright hope is one of the threads woven through my most recent collection of poetry Stone upon Stone: Psalms of Remembrance. In the title poem I build an altar of twelve stones of great significance in my life. The twelfth stone is described this way:

Final stone of hope, capstone to complete my life,

standing on tip-toe, awaiting the golden note,

blessed hope of Christ’s appearing in my lifetime.

Such a belief indicates that I would be categorized as a “Pre-Trib” believer, that is, I believe that Christ will return before The Great Tribulation period. After considerable deliberation, however, I must admit that “I am Pre-Trib with modification.” Allow me to elaborate.

In 1998 I sensed that Christ was going to return during the Feast of Pentecost, based on my reading of the Scriptures and a series of Biblical teachings by Marilyn Agee. Although I have continued to look for Christ to return with eager anticipation, I have tempered my desire to know precisely when the Rapture will take place. The poem “If the Lord tarries. . .” reveals a change in attitude following a number of times when the Return of Christ did not occur when I had thought it would.

“If the Lord tarries” and “If the Lord will”:

May these phrases ever be my preface.

With each decision may I learn to be still

And never presume to know your desire.

Though I may read your Word and apply

It diligently to my heart to do

All you ask of me, some secrets are not

Mine to know. Once more you tell me to watch,

To prepare my heart and to look above.

Whether I understand or misconstrue,

I cannot deny I have tasted of your love.

God is still faithful and His Word is true.

In my heart the hope continues to burn,

As yearn even more for Christ’s return.

Clearly “no man knows the day nor the hour”; however, following the description of the Gathering Together in Chapter 4:13-18, the Fifth Chapter of I Thessalonians begins with a reminder:

But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write you.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say, “Peace and safety;” then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Ye are all children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night nor of darkness.

Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober.

We are also exhorted “to watch” “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”(I Thessalonians 1:10) In Luke 21:29-36, Jesus said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

In our emphasis upon what has been characterized as a “new season”, we must remember that the Return of Christ could actually usher in the fullness of that “new season.” In my mind this is “the finish” toward which we are all striving. In his teaching series on “The Rapture of the Church”, Dr. David Jeremiah made the statement that in Bible times before the arrival of a king, ambassadors were sent to prepare the way and announce his arrival. In a similar manner we have been sent as “Ambassadors for Christ” to herald the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will gather us together in Him to reign on high forevermore.

Herein lies one of the modifications of my “Pre-Trib” belief. Without question, I believe that Christ will return to gather “his bride.” But in a similar way that Eve, the first bride, was taken from the body of the “First Adam,” so the “Second Eve,” the “Bride of Christ” will be taken from the Body of Christ, the “Second Adam.”

Incidentally Eve was taken out of Adam on the evening of the last day, the 30^th, of the month of Elul. During this month the trumpet (shofar) is sounded every day to warn the people to return to God in repentance except on the last day. On that day there is silence in anticipation of the coming Feast of Trumpets which commences the following day, Rosh Hashana, which marks the New Year, both the civil year and the religious year in Jewish culture. Psalm 81:3 refers to this time:

Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

When Jesus said, “No man knows the day or the hour” in Matthew 24:36, to the Western mind, this saying is said to mean no one knows when Messiah will return. To the Jewish mind, however, this phrase was an idiom referring to Rosh Hashana, meaning that Christ will return at some future Rosh Hashana. Sometimes called Yom HaKeseh, which means the Day of Hiding or the Hidden Day, Rosh Hashana is derived from the Hebrew root “kacah” which means to conceal, cover or hide.

So what I’m saying is that there will be “two raptures,” one of which is spoken of in terms of Noah, who represents a type of rapture that is mentioned in Matthew 24:37-39:

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The extraction of the Bride, this “falling away” from the Body represents God’s judgment on the Church. As I Peter 4:17 declares, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” This judgment will be a wake-up call to the Church to repent and to change to become what God intended for her to be. In order not to be left behind when Christ returns again, the Church will correct herself and align herself to be in God’s will.

The taking away of the bride of Christ will actually stimulate great growth and development. In a similar way that pruning a tree produces more abundant fruit, so will the purging be comparable to that which Jesus spoke of in John 15:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

In a sense, those gathered from the Body of Christ could represent “a kind of firstfruits,” (James 1:18) spoken of in I Corinthians 15:20-23:

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

If part of the Body of Christ is raptured with the first appearing of Jesus Christ, what about those who remain? Is there another phase to the Rapture or will those who remain have to endure the Tribulation in its entirety? Jesus speaks of this time before his coming in terms of Lot as well as Noah. The extraction of Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah is another type of rapture, the Pre-wrath Rapture.

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

Remember Lot's wife. (Luke 17:28-32)

The second part of the Return of Christ involves what has been described as the Pre-Wrath Rapture, which will occur on “The Day of God” or “The Millennial Day of the Lord.” This event is referred to in Revelation 16:14 which says, “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” There is a reference to Gog’s army of Ezekiel 38 and that the Lord will fight for Israel. This time frame is also mentioned in II Peter 3:12: “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” The Pre-Wrath Rapture precedes the Day of the Lord “in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heart, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (Revelation 8:8-10 and Zephaniah 2:3-5 speak of the asteroid that will impact the earth as a demonstration of God’s wrath on this day)

One of the most revealing parables regarding the Rapture or the Return is that of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), five of whom were wise and five of whom were foolish. Sometime ago I read a fascinating discussion of this parable in Be the Bride: Volume 3, a wonderful treatise by Daniel Rydsted on the Rapture or the Return from the perspective of individuals in the Body of Christ preparing themselves for the Return of the Bridegroom for his beloved. It was one of those life-changing works that challenged and charged the reader literally to strive to fulfill the title of the book and “Be the Bride.”

There are countless facets to the Return of Christ. One of the fascinating connections centers on Moses and Elijah, both of whom appear with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration along with Peter, James and John. That appearing can be viewed as a foreshadow of the gathering together, in that the encounter involves both an individual who died, Moses, as well as one who was “caught up to heaven” while he was alive, Elijah. I am, thus, in the process of closely examining the records of the Transfiguration from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and I am attempting to connect those accounts with the Rapture of the Church.

I have by no means offered a full discussion of the Rapture or the Return of Christ and its various facets, but I have attempted to generate a discussion of some of my views on the subject. In actuality I have not even begun to scratch the surface. I am grateful to have been inspired to think more deeply about the subject and to attempt to express my views that I am still in the process of clarifying. God’s Word ever exhorts us to patiently wait for Christ’s Return, and I close on that hopeful note:

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Now the just shall live by faith. . . (Hebrews 10:35-38)

Lonnell E. Johnson

Columbus, Ohio

January 1, 2008

Dream, dream, dream...

Posted by Joe Kriston on January 15, 2009 at 8:51pm

Okay, I decided to do a blog post on this here, Way Corps site, not particularly because something is heavy on my heart, for that may surely scare people away---but, maybe moreso because I'm amped on some late evening caffiene and feel the need to write down some of my long-term repercussions of having been an in-residence Way Corps trainee...As my profile states, I'm a member of the 9th corps, meaning that I graduated in 1981,...or more than 27 years ago...I was 24 when I received that blessed Associate of Theology Degree...So, now, what about dreaming?...I'm thinking of the kind of dreaming you do when you sleep,...where you are in a strange but familiar world, where you are not in total control of your thoughts and emotions, where a most confusing compilation of persons, places and things talk to your inner,sleeping self,...causing you to wake up and wonder just what the heck that dream was all about...Just where is a good interpreter of dreams when you need 'em, anyhow?...Okay, so in the 27 years since I graduated the Way Corps, I've had that occasional (be it monthly, quarterly or annually) dream that I am back in residence in the way corps...No, I'm not 24 again...I am who I am today with an odd mixture of people in an odder place, taking part in an even odder activity---all while being back in-residence Way Corps...The other day I had one of these dreams of being back in-residence...It seemed like everybody whom I had ever known my entire life was there as well...I don't remember the place---but it was huge...Bigger than the BRC, bigger than top floor Wierwille---maybe even bigger than the main Rock of Ages tent...Everybody was there, and there must have been some kind of a teaching going on...There where lots and lots of people sitting in front of me as well as behind me...I seemed to know them all, or at least, remember them all...I'm not sure what was being taught, or shared, and who was orating, in fact, I was chattering and goofing off with those sitting near me...Then, at a given moment in my dream, out of all that crowd of people, I was asked to read a little section from the book I had in my lap...At first, I wasn't sure if it was the Bible and I was asked to read a verse of scripture, but in a few moments the sound of thousands of turning pages became a dead silence with the exception of me frantically flipping through my book, desperately trying to find the citation I was asked to read...How come everybody else knows where this is, but me?...It must have been a book of the Bible---an easy one to find, like Genesis or Psalms---you know, the one in the middle of your Bible...There was total silence---no snickering or murmuring or throat-clearing or coughing...What could I do?...Why doesn't somebody else say something---change the subject---move on?....Help out an old alter boy,here...I stood up, asked the few rows of people behind me if they could at least tell me what page the citation was on...Several people responded with several different page numbers because we all had different editions of the Book...I sat down and started turning pages again in stoned silence...But my pages weren't numbered, they were lettered---and not in alphabetical order...I had no idea where to find what I'm looking for...Still, everybody, including the teacher waited...and waited...Now, I forgot what it was I was supposed to read...This is getting re-e-eal embarrassing...Do I now stand up and say, "I'm sorry, folks, it seems that I've forgotten the order of the Books of the Bible"...Dammit, I shoulda faked that I had laryngitus so I could have avoided this...So now, everybody in the world whom I ever met is in-residence in the Way Corps and here I am the only person who doesn't know the books of the Bible....I've been outed...They're onto me...What a dirty trick...I'm not gonna hang around and drink coffee and mingle when this is over...Wait a minute....When is this gonna be over?...I'm thinking about all of this and they're all still waiting for me to read a verse of scripture out of the Bible...Gawd, these people are patient...This is never going to end....They're not going to let me off the hook...They're all stubborn and I'm getting more humiliated by the minute...Screw this...I'm waking my ass up and going to work...

The Spiritual "Cold Shoulder"

Posted by John Richeson on July 12, 2009 at 3:00pm

Most of us have experienced it to one degree or another. It could be from a buddy, an old friend or a family member. You talk to them on the phone or see them in the grocery store or chat with them online. The response is cold and short. "See you at the gathering", "Where do you go to church now?", "Who do you fellowship with?", "What are you doing with the Word?", "I don't read anything on the Internet", "Where is THAT in the Word!?" are some of the signs of a freeze coming on fast. It hurts. Especially when coming from a friend or family member. You feel rejected. What have you done to desereve this treatment? In the pre-Internet era it was harder. I respect some of you who went through this back then. Some found themselves suddenly alone and isolated. They lost all contact with their friends, their lifestyle, their fellowship and in extreme cases their spouse or children. It was tough. It was hard to live through. Most learned a lot about themselves and ultimately became stronger and better as a result. Others took years to cope. Some still do. It hurt. Religion can be cruel when misused. This behavior is nothing new. It has been going on for thousands of years look no further than our own home grown religions in America for for examples. Still, it hurts when you are the recipient of the spiritual cold shoulder. What would Jesus do? I am not sure but I have a feeling he would hug you and welcome you to sit down with him for a while. He would show special interest in you and your family. He would say "See you later, bro!" "Facebook me, man," And when you walked away you would feel warm. You would in fact see him later. He and you would both make sure of it. Isn't that the way we want to treat our brothers and sisters and our fellow man? It's about forgiveness, understanding and letting go. It's about humanity. Enjoy one of my favorite skits which puts this kind of behavior in comedy perspective. The next time someone gives you the spiritual cold shoulder just close your eyes and think of Dana Carvey and laugh.

Laughs, Jokes, Humour - Whatever Gives a Chuckle!!

Posted by Sarah Wilkinson on October 4, 2009 at 8:35pm

I do enjoy a jolly good laugh, don't you? So this blog is for whatever has tickled your funny-bone - a joke, a video, a song, comments, cartoons... Maybe someone else will get a cackle from it too!"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." - Woody Allen"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." - Yiddish Proverb"If every word I said could make you laugh, I’d talk for ever." - not sure who said that, but one site mentioned the Beach Boys...Anyway, here's an old video clip, that I like:

...well, what made you laugh today?

Are We All Racist Now?

Posted by Billy Britt on September 19, 2009 at 4:26am

John Stuart Mill, in 1859, wrote, “We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.”President Barack Obama said in a recent television interview, “The truth of the matter is that there has been, I think, a coarsening of our political dialogue.”I would challenge the President’s assertion that political dialogue is coarsening and suggest that those who disagree with what is being said almost always deem political dialogue course.If by that he means that the voices of disagreement are rough or primitive, unrefined or unpolished, then I would say, well, that is the American way.The spirit of descent has always been a part of the American character, and those who wish to stifle contrary ideas are those who would choose conformity over freedom. In a county where each citizen has the right to make a fool of him or herself, censorship of speech is an anathema.Yet, our politicians, and even the public at large, are herded into the slaughterhouse of social, political and spiritual correctness.The President further stated, “I will also say that in the era of 24-hour cable news cycles, that the loudest, shrillest voices get the most attention. And so one of the things that I’m trying to figure out is: How can we make sure that civility is interesting?”Civility might be made interesting by the Harvard debate club, but then again the United States Declaration of Independence may have seemed civil unless you were the King of England.Reflecting on the monarchy, Joe Wilson, the South Carolina congressman who said, “You lie,” during the President’s recent address to Congress forgot that a subject is never to speak ill directly to the sovereign.To the detriment of the nation, Americans have, from the beginning, shown an empirical awe toward the Presidency, a reverence which has given far too much power to an office that is suppose be just one of three co-equal branches of government.Naturally, Maureen Dowd of the New York Times has weighed in on Mr. Wilson’s comments and has concluded that Wilson is not just a braying fool but a racist, as well.She writes, “Surrounded by middle-aged white guys—a sepia snapshot of the days when such pols ran Washington like their own men’s club—Joe Wilson yelled ‘You lie!’ at a president who didn’t. But, fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!”While it is not given protocol to speak out during a presidential address in the House of Representatives, Mr. Wilson’s two words were far from a racist outburst.This charge of racism is serious stuff and one of the things I have feared. The pattern continues to emerge that any criticism of Mr. Obama—real or imagined—is shouted down by the word racism. This is a divisive tool that threatens the very fabric of our society. Criticism and differing opinions do not threaten a free state, rather it is those that repress the coarse voice that embrace despotic rule.Of course populist tyranny in the form of political correctness binds the tongues and endangers liberty for everyone. America’s growing victim culture has given rise to a climate where any disagreement is met with calls for words and thoughts to be censored for the good of those who may be offended.Let me say, that I am offended at your offense in so much that I offend myself by not offending.When Serena Williams repeatedly cursed a line judge at last week’s U.S. Open I did not see racism. No, it was just a tantrum by a narcissistic athlete who was losing a tennis match. The judge may have made a bad call but William’s berating the official with multiple profanities, threats and finger pointing was over the top even by John McEnroe standards.Unsportsmanlike, yes, racist no.When hip-hop singer Kanye West took the microphone away from country singer Taylor Swift and reduced her to tears at the VMA show saying that Beyoncé should have won the award just presented to Miss Swift, I did not see a racist, no, just another famous clown.And I suspect Wilson is at best an inarticulate etiquette apostate with a propensity to put his foot in his mouth, even when right, but not a racist.While I question their actions, I defend their right to make idiots of themselves.The scriptures teaches us that, “A fool utters all his mind: but a wise man keeps it in till afterwards.”So let the fool and the wise-one use the weapon of words to win the war of ideas.Of course, Kierkegaard said, “People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”Kind of makes you wonder, eh?

May 20th, 2010 is 25 years since Dr. Wierwille fell asleep

Posted by Michael Kasiak on May 19, 2010 at 10:00am

May 20th, 2010 is 25 years since Dr. Wierwille fell asleep. I still miss him, and am thankful for his
life and what he meant to me. He loved and believed in me and accepted me when no one else did.

He taught me to love and respect God, Jesus Christ, my parents, my country, fellow believers, and fellow men and women. Above all, he taught me to read the Bible and walk on it, realizing Jesus Christ was the only one who walked perfectly.

Dr. had as many flaws as the rest of us; after all he was human and needed a savior, too. I had the honor of him yelling at me once--but he had a way of making me feel good about it. Wasn't that "tough love"?

He also made me laugh, cry, and feel the joy of living. At a time when I was so hardened I couldn't feel any emotion whatsoever, his teaching and love reached down and cracked through the rock and made me able to feel once again.

I still appreciate the "Family of God" he tried to get us to be a part of and live in. He got us to work together, play together, laugh together, cry together, and boy oh boy did we EAT together!! I am abundantly thankful for all of those--many of YOU here on this site--who helped me along the way. I know you because of him!

My life is infinitely better because of Dr. Wierwille. His ministry reached me when no one else's did.

If anyone would like to share an incident or story where Dr. Wierwille helped or enhanced your life, please feel free to post it here. I'd appreciate it, and others might, too!

First Century Church in the Twenty First, “No Thanks”

Posted by Karl Edwards on October 25, 2010 at 3:30pm

Lots of Christians talk about getting back to the first century church, by which they mean somewhere between Pentecost and Pauls imprisonment. That period is perceived to be a time of great excitement when believers were “doing the word”, when revelation was in abundance and signs miracles and wonders were constantly evident in their lives, aka “all nine all the time”. With a belief in most evangelical Pentecostal type churches that believers should do the same things today, the cry of “back to the first century church”, has become a staple mantra and a personal objective for many individuals, however all efforts always lead to abject failure.

There are those who reluctantly accept this, blaming themselves for their inability to live up to the first century standard, others live in hope that someday they will be able to “hear clearly” from God and perform a miracle, but worse off are those who live with the delusion that they are operating “power from on high” and the fact that they have never managed to heal even a headache never seems to deter them. These are those who “hear from God” on a regular basis and instruct people in Gods will from their own imagination, often causing unnecessary hurt, both physically and mentally to the body of Christ.

The present day church will never get “back to the first century church” or “back to Pentecost” and I for one am quite happy about that. Mostly because the Pentecostal era was a part of the Old Testament program concerned with ushering in the kingdom of God on earth. Those who were endowed with the power from on high were the same people who were promised this outpouring in the OT scriptures, see Ezekiel 36:25-27, Isaiah 44:3-5, Isaiah 32:15 and of course Joel 2:28,29, they, the nation of Israel, were the focus of the Acts period. This comes as a surprise to most Christians who believe that Pentecost was the beginning of the church that they belong to, but gentiles in the Acts period were no different to gentiles in the OT, only now they were saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, so as always, they were blessed through Israel; however their status was still inferior to believing Jews, being only a graft into the fatness of the olive tree of Israel. (Rom 11:17,18).

During the Acts period there was no heavenly calling, no “seated in the heavenlies”, no “far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion”, no “joint heirs, no joint body and no joint partakers in the promises”. This came after Israel was set aside at Acts 28:28, taking their place as one of the nations. Romans 11:18 and Ephesians 3:6 ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE, if one is true, the other cannot be, therefore during the Acts period Israel was still under the law and with the law came both blessing and judgments.

Those who stood for the Lord during the Acts were truly blessed, with the power they manifested and the signs, miracles and wonders that they witnessed, but they also knew what they were in for.

Mark 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

This was the Acts period, Peter and John were beaten James and Stephen exemplified the true meaning of witness (martyr), as did most of the apostles later in their lives. This was part and parcel of living for God during the Acts as was the judgement on Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit, plus the judgment on believers who failed to discern the Lords body becoming sick and in some cases, dying. James 5:15,16 (an Acts period epistle written to believing Jews) shows how sin lead to sickness and 1 John 5:16 shows that there was a sin unto death which, no doubt, some of the Corinthian believers had commited and which there was no point in praying for.

Back to the first century church, no thanks, I am happy to live in the “age of grace”, where God chooses to tie the hand of judgement behind his back and where we are forgiven for Christ's sake.

God bless

Wherefore the Box?

Posted by Billy Britt on April 7, 2009 at 3:30am

The phrase “think outside the box,” is a long-used maxim that is in dire need of retirement. A leftover of the 70s and 80s pop-business seminars, it is a slogan so logically flawed it is the intellectual equivalent of suggesting your brother-in-law open a Pontiac automobile dealership.Of course, the saying was intended to encourage people to think differently in order to find a new perspective.But do we really want everyone doing this? I mean the box is there for a reason!Do we really want the guy driving the school bus to be thinking about anything other than driving the bus? We don’t want them thinking about nuclear fusion in a mayonnaise jar.Do we want armed police officers acting in a manner inconsistent with procedure?René Descartes, whose writings became the foundation of Western philosophy said, “Cogito, ergo sum” (English: “I think, therefore I am”).While the nuance of Descartes’ meaning is much deeper than this context, (I cannot resist using Latin whenever possible, because I want to think I am thinking).However, most people only think they think, what they are really doing is parroting the thinking of others, and this, by itself, is not necessarily harmful, as long as it is not granted the weight of personal reasoning.Ergo, the box.If one lacks the ability to think within the box we certainly should caution them from wondering beyond their existing bounds.The fundamental reason that the box was invented is so that there is a method to the madness. Only those who have mastered the fundamentals need worry about much else.What are the fundamentals?They are the basics of classical education, not what is the Similac-laced brain rot that passes for academics in today’s public schools.They are the Trivium, which are, grammar, logic and rhetoric.Educator Sister Miriam Joseph explained, “The function of the Trivium is the training of the mind for the study of matter and spirit, which together constitute the sum of reality.”Simply put, grammar is the use and workings of language, logic is the organizing of thought and analysis and rhetoric is using language to instruct and persuade.Sister Miriam Joseph described the three parts as follows, “Logic is the art of thinking; grammar, the art of inventing symbols and combining them to express thought; and rhetoric, the art of communicating thought from one mind to another, the adaptation of language to circumstance.”Now, a person does not need a PhD to learn to think, (many times the PhD hurts more than it helps). However, it is a learning process, something that requires work.Many times people mistake reaction for thought; the two are very different actions with very little in common.Reaction is easy it is hardwired in the brain, thinking on the other hand is messy and requires a discipline process.People on the whole tend to be either reactionary or reasonable. Our species may be taking a step backwards because we no longer consider reason and logic above pure emotion. (Take a look at TV, and the Internet.) While we in the mean are better informed we are yet taking less time to evaluate the data placed before us. Basically, we have entered the Age of Unenlightenment. We have knowledge but lack wisdom to truly process.I know a mind can be like a bad neighborhood; you don't really want to go in there alone. Yet, I want to think, so, I go heavily armed.Thinking, let’s face it, it is difficult, time consuming and extremely chaotic. This is why most people avoid it like a dental drill, they wait until it has decayed and then want someone else to fix it.So, the next time someone suggest an out of the box thinking experience decide if they may really be looking to open a Pontiac dealership.Love

Gay Clergy

Posted by Matt Miller on August 24, 2009 at 5:33pm

A week ago a tornado hit downtown Minneapolis.A freak storm it came out of no where.It's target was the convention center downtown where the Lutheran Church ELCA was having it's national convention/The ELCA is the largest of the Lutheran Synods - a Synod - simply means " an association of believers agreeing to move together".The symbol of the ELCA is the large Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis.My father (a renowned Lutheran minister) preached there last year.The Central Lutheran Church is a massive church.The tornado tore the steeple off - and bending the cross so it pointed downward.Why the tornado?The Lutheran Church at the moment of the attack of the tornado which tore up the large white tents outside of the convention center and the Central Lutheran Church where thousands were meeting in their annual convention was debating on whether to allow Gay Clergymen in Committed Gay Relationships to be ministers in Lutheran Churches.Gay Clergymen were already permitted as long as they remained celibate but the debate was to allow gay clergymen who were not CELIBATE.This is a letter I recieved from a dear friend that was actually at the convention. His name is Ken and his wife Miriam and I have known each other since childhood.I invite any comments.Greetings from Minneapolis!Tornado.What an remarkable year I have been having in such a variety of stunning locations--Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, 18 U.S. states, and now my hometown!Today, Minnesota Public Radio reported that a tornado "came up out of nowhere."Today, that same tornado hit downtown Minneapolis, including the convention center building where I was located, tearing off part of the roof.Today, the tornado also knocked over the only cross on the outside of Central Lutheran Church, the symbolic center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the Twin Cities (where my seminary graduation ceremonies were held), bending the steeple over so that the cross hung upside down.Today, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly (CWA) approved a social statement on human sexuality by a one-vote margin with precisely the 66.6 % required to adopt.I have had the opportunity this week to be a visitor to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly (ELCA CWA), the biennial national conference of my denomination. Each ELCA CWA is held in a different city--this one conveniently taking place in downtown Minneapolis just a few short blocks from where I spent my first seven years of life.This particular ELCA CWA has been making news because of the decisions put before the voting delegates (of whom I am not one). These decisions have revolved around human sexuality and whether or not to ordain gays and lesbians living in publicly accountable, committed relationships. The first issue was addressed in the social statement on human sexuality, the second by a proposal (to be voted on Friday) to change the guidelines entitled "Visions and Expectations" so that it no longer requires pastors and church leaders who are homosexual in their self-understanding to remain celibate.It has been fascinating to overhear conversations between people from opposing sides of these issues.Some people said that it is illegitimate to base the denomination' s standard of clergy behavior on a social statement created and approved by a committee and a convention instead of on the Bible. They wondered if, when a church social statement approves of a behavior that is disapproved of by God's Word, if the social statement does not become, by definition, an idol--a man-made creation honored more highly than God's own revealed logic and communication. They pointed out that in both the Old Testament and New Testament, in lists of condemned actions as well as descriptions of the behavior of those who turn away from God, the Bible repeatedly denounces homosexual activities. This side seemed to presuppose that the Bible is actually the enduring disclosure of an involved and loving yet unchanging God.On the other side, people pointed out that lots of things that people do today do not fit with what the Bible says, so why should gays and lesbians be singled out for exclusion or, worse yet, condemnation and attack? This point is highlighted by the increasing number of people who identify themselves as gay and lesbian. Perhaps God is doing something new, perhaps God is making more people gay and lesbian in this day and age--something that the people who wrote the Bible could not have foreseen. Furthermore, given the changes in our culture and the movement of the Holy Spirit, it is time for the church to, at last, catch up with the advances in our society. This side seemed to presuppose that the Bible is not a record of God's speech but is instead a product of a community of believers--a record if you will, of people's engagement with the divine at different times and different places.One side said that the Gospel and its freedom can only be experienced after one has been crushed by the convicting power of the law and repented--the marvelous reality of being free from our brokenness and bondage to that which harms us can only be truly known after we have given up trying to justify ourselves before God or prove that we should be accepted as we are. For this group, it appears that the Gospel is valuable and real precisely because it is the way in which people can hear Jesus' invitation to receive cleansing from all our sin, respond to it, and to live forever.On the other side, people said that the Gospel is that which lies at the heart of the Bible; it is the power which demands inclusion of the excluded. The world has done enough excluding of gays and lesbians, they experience with harassment and discrimination every day, and therefore do not need to have the Law.On one side, there were people arguing that the American church needed to listen to the calls from bishops, pastors, and lay people from around the world--Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America--asking the ELCA to refrain from approving a social statement endorsing homosexual activity. They pointed out what they saw as ironically racist tendencies in the ELCA (whose members are 97% white)--American moral superiority and neo-colonial attitudes showing up under the guise of "inclusion"- -acceptance of gays and lesbians but not of the leadership of the church in the 2/3 world.On the other side, there were people saying that "the African church will have to catch up" to the more progressive American church and culture eventually.Some said that blanket statements such as "As a gay man, if I were to go to Tanzania, they would kill me," were simply racist. Others defended such statements as being simply true.On one side, people decried the way in which the language of inclusion and diversity was proclaimed in word but immigrant voices dismissed in deed. They pointed out that African immigrant congregations had been publicly praised during the Assembly by ELCA leaders who support the gay and lesbian cause. Yet these same congregations consist of people who had been fasting and praying for weeks asking God to miraculously stop the ELCA from formally approving of gay and lesbian sexuality and ordination.On the other side, people questioned whether the immigrant church leaders were fully informed on the issue and the ELCA documents under consideration. They wondered if those opposing gay and lesbian leadership were not doing so out of fear. To that point, they pointed out that no congregation will be required to accept a pastor that they find unacceptable- -immigrant congregations will not be forced to issue a pastoral call to a gay or lesbian pastor in a publicly accountable, committed relationship unless they want to. The ELCA, in that way, is truly inclusive of a whole variety of people. Immigrant churches have specialized ministries for people from their communities who are not comfortable worshiping with a pastor who cannot empathize with, likewise gays and lesbians should be able to have congregations in which their pastors can empathize with them.It was during such a conversation that the tornado rolled through. Amazingly, I never even heard it, saw signs of it, or even was alerted by sirens as the twister passed. Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt. Thankfully, I was able to go outside and see the damage. Surprise, surprise, I managed to take some pictures as well. ;)In the attached picture, you can see through the glass of the convention center, on to one of the main walls of Central Lutheran, and the cross hanging upside down from its steeple.

Cat's in the Cradle

Posted by Joe Kriston on June 1, 2009 at 8:42pm

First of all, I should say, that I'm not really a cat person...I neither love cats nor detest them; they touch my being about as much as Dutch food does...Somehow, through no fault of my own and via circumstances I have never been able to recollect, I became the owner of a jet black cat that was dubbed "Sketchy" before her ever having set foot in my house...It seems that a couple of years ago, while minding my own business, I somehow ended up, either through one of the kids moving away, or a nephew or maybe some humane neighbor, with a litter box, a cat water bowl and food dish, a bag of Meow Mix and some verbal instructions on how to care for Sketchy, and of course,... Sketchy...Sketchy and I get along rather well, really...Sometimes we play little games or have little contests, like who can ignore the other the longest...Usually, I win, and when she's had enough of being ignored, she'll jump onto my lap, or on top of the computer keyboard or the newspaper and purr around for awhile---demanding my full attention...I'll accomodate her for awhile, until she starts rubbing her nose somewhere on me...I don't know why she has such a wet nose, and it's probably just some harmless cat juice on the end of it, but it still feels like snot to me and I really don't care to have it anywhere on my skin...So, I'll shoo her away, she'll turn and look at me like if she could, she'd give me the finger,and we'll both go back to whatever it was we were doing, which included ignoring eachother...Sunday night, while I was relaxing with the newspaper crossword in my lap and the baseball game of the week on the telly, there was a knock on the front door...I opened the door to a clean-cut looking young man who said he just wanted to let me know that his wife was in my garage rescuing her cat that ran away the day before...I said 'fine' and went to the garage to help out...When I got there, the wife was trying to crawl under my car and he asked me if I would close the garage door so her cat wouldn't get away...When I went over and pressed the button, the door went down about a foot, then stopped, and the wife yelled "she's getting away!", and flash!, I saw Sketchy go darting past her...I cleared my throat and said something like " umm, I ahh, like, err, I, I think that's MY cat"...The wife, nearing tears, gave me a look that said 'You don't own a cat! You probably steal all your neighbor's cats and feed them to your pet boa constrictor!'....Then she said, "I know that's my cat...I've had her for 11 years,...since I was little...She has seizures!...She's an epileptic...So now what?...Two minutes ago, life was good, baseball was on the tube and I was solving one of life's great mysteries, or at least the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, and now here I am facing this near hysterical young woman who wants to take my cat away from me...Do I now play King Soloman, and propose that we cut Sketchy in half so we both can have her?..I thought it best that she clear up any doubt whether Sketchy was in fact her cat or not...I pointed out Sketchy's crooked tail, which was broken when she was a kitten after somebody shut the door on it...That didn't convince the young woman...She looked at sketchy's ears and her belly and said " I know that's my cat"...Now, I'm feeling pretty dumb because I don't even know my own cat...But then again, who really studies all the features of their cat, and can describe them---especially a black cat?...I made a joking reference to the 'Meet the Parents" movie and Ben Stiller painting Robert DiNiro's cat...The woman decided to call her mother, who lived down the street and whose house her cat ran away from, to help her identify her cat...Then I start thinking, wait a minute---this girl is pretty dumb---after printing 'lost cat' flyers and having a cat for 11 years she still thinks the wrong cat is her cat?...Shortly, mom and dad pull up, confer with daughter and son-in-law while I'm standing at my front door wondering how I went from enjoying a carefree baseball game to feeling so defensive...Meantime, Sketchy is now relaxing on my living room floor like she owns the place, and since mom seems the most knowledgeable about the lost cat, I invite her in to examine Sketchy to clarify if in fact, my cat is the one that ran away from her house...The mother looked at Sketchy for less than a minute and determined that her daughter's cat was much bigger---but the resemblance was remarkable...Of course, I'm thinking all cats look alike, but I imagine Sketchy probably also gave the mother a look that said "I'm not going anywhere with you people----I'm staying right here"...They got back in their cars and left, apologizing for inconveniencing me and thanking me for my cooperation....I almost apologized to the young woman for owning a black cat and falsely getting her hopes up...And now Sketchy is getting bored with ignoring me and me ignoring her while I write this boring story, and is wanting attention, so here she is hopping up on my keyboard in front of my computer screen,blocking my view and ......jkfuiowyrw74h474gr647eh39d^^&F*7789*&taq2367F5r590()jhUI(9*)((*(*&G*^ff788p7p.....Meeeeoooowwww

Spark in the Dark, Billy Falcon

Posted by Steven Budlong on April 13, 2010 at 8:30am

Dear Way Corps,

I often get questions about Billy Falcon. He was active, along with his wife Myla, in the mid-eighties in Manhattan when Terry and I were Territory Coordinators.

He was at a hard place in his life and career when I first got to know him. We were walking once from a fellowship we had conducted in Harlem. I asked him then, "what do you need to do right now with your career?" He said, "I miss the studio, I need to record." About ten of us put together an investment plan to produce a tape on his behalf. The arrangement honored "artist rights" and paid the musicians. It further stated that once all investors were paid in full the ownership and copyrights would be relinquished to the artist, Billy Falcon. We did that. In 1987, following the Rock of Ages, we broke even and dissolved the partnership.

Last summer I spent some time with Billy in Nashville. He has flourished as a song writer, working primarily on his own material and with Jon Bon Jovi, both as a credited and uncredited song writer. I would encourage you (just for fun) to go back through the last decade of Bon Jovi's material and see if you can find Billy. I did that several years ago and was right and wrong half the time... interesting though.

Our ministry taught us to dream big when it came to "Word and Culture." Billy did that and his testament is his music, recorded in part in "Spark in the Dark" and more recently in the material you will hear on his web site, billyfalcon.com. I encourage you to go there and listen. Great stuff. You will be inspired and refreshed. I also have to put in a plug for his daughter Rose. She has done amazing work as a songwriter, artist and performer. She had her own album about six years ago which did incredibly well. I also think Billy is on to something, something he calls "The Sowing Circle." You have to go to his website to get a glimpse of that.

Finally, Billy and I agreed to produce a limited number of "Spark in the Dark" CDs last year. We redid the cover art (thanks to Kellie O'Malley), and with Gerry Comito (the original sound engineer) remixed the tracks and added two songs that were not a part of the first release. I am pretty thrilled with it. If you want a copy hit this link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BILLY-FALCON-Spark-in-the-Dark-NEW-RE-RELEASE-Bonus_W0QQitemZ390074757785QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_CDs?hash=item5ad2447299

On top of that, I have often asked myself "what if" The Way had not demanded the publishing and performance copyrights of their musicians and artists? Look around you at the musicians and artists you loved and respected, and ask yourself this question, "are they not entitled to the fruits of their labor?" Well, according to The Way International, they are not. That attitude is horribly, grossly and pathetically sad. It is evil and ugly. There is no greater violation in life than being lied to, stolen from or raped. That is what The Way did to its artists.

So the next time you hear someone from Pressed Down, Joyful Noise, Branded, Selah or any of the other bands you remember singing a song that changed your life. Go thank them, knowing that in their youth they gave away a most precious piece of their life.

Truly Yours,

Steven Budlong
12th Way Corps (and proud of it)

The Sky is Falling! Or "Mal-Pak" Remnants for Sale?

Posted by John Richeson on July 4, 2012 at 11:30am

Our recent community garage sale sent me to my attic to ask myself again "Why do I still have that?" I have always used garage sales to purge stuff I no longer need.

This year I saw something in the corner of my attic that I put together some 30 years ago. It was my Mal-Pak survival kit. Around 1982 we were led to believe the end of our country was near. There was going to be an inevitable collapse of everything. The best plan was to head to the wilderness and live off the land when (not if) things collapsed. This was before the internet and cell phones. The advice was to become expert at survival techniques, move out to some remote area and fend for yourself if not defend yourself. What's not shown in the picture are my gun and bullets.

It was a scary time, not because of the condition of our country. It was scary because of what we were being told was coming.

The months and years rolled by and so did everyday life. Nothing happened. In fact our country experienced great prosperity and economic growth unlike we have seen since. Meanwhile my Mal Pak collected dust in the attic.

Turns out the best advice would have been to invest in America and buy stocks of little known or smaller companies at the time like Wal Mart, McDonalds, Apple and Microsoft among dozens of others. (Glad I did later.) The more conspiratorial among us could have even hoarded gold and not done too bad.

I feel we are at another turning point in this great country and that good times are ahead. Though some may disagree and say to "head for the hills", I am looking forward to seeing what God will do for us in the next 30 years.

Don't Know Much About History?

Posted by Billy Britt on February 10, 2009 at 12:07pm

It has been said that debt is only a substitute for the chains and whip of the slave master. So why is it that our new president and the Democrat Congress want to borrow massive amounts of money from China to give a $500.00 check to people who do not pay taxes so they can go to a big box store and buy produces made in China?For all our new presidents intellect there seems to be a lack of history in his most recent decisions.Should Mr. Obama’s educational stimulus package include a provision promoting Chinese as America’s second language so our children will be able to speak with their landlords?It is astounding that the American taxpayer has been betrayed by its government into slavish debt to Red China, a state that is neither a friend nor ally but a savvy adversary.It has been known for millennia that, “A small debt produces a debtor; a large one, an enemy,” Publilius Syrus, (Roman author, 1st century B.C.)One has to wonder what they are smoking in the Rose Garden, everyone (except Washington economist) know you cannot borrow your way out of debt.Thomas Jefferson said, “…to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.”What is most troubling however is there seems to be a willful ignorance as to the moral implications of borrowing and lending. Our nation’s hunger for instant gratification is the root cause of this financial crisis and a thorough cleansing of our national soul is surely needed.Credit, after all, is based on the trustworthiness of a borrower. If the lender fears he will not be repaid then the lender has reason to not lend. Moreover, if the lender expects to be repaid with his own tax dollars the lender has every incentive to not lend because this is little more than government redistribution of wealth.January saw U.S. employers eliminate 598,000 jobs, the most since the end of 1974. Yet the majority of the so-call stimulus package does little to address job creation.However, the proper solution to job creation is an infusion of capital into the markets. A wonderful side-effect of failing businesses is that many times it opens an opportunity for smaller start-up to take their place thus infusing the economy with jobs created by entrepreneurs and innovators who find new solutions to new problems and bring them to market.To encourage capital investment the Obama administration should lower the risk of investment by cutting capital-gains taxes or even eliminate them for the next four years. This one act would bring stimulus, hope and change into the economy.Is this not what Obama promised? Yet, all we hear out of Washington is the congressional equivalent of Chicken Little, “The sky is falling!”The trillion-dollar stimulus in its current form seems to be predicated on big government, give-a-ways and a lack of moral judgment.“Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and the mightiest to undermine governments and corrupt the people” or so said, Wendell Phillips.

Youth in America ( as opposed to euthanasia )

Posted by Joe Kriston on August 23, 2009 at 3:06pm

No, I am not proposing that we euthanize the youth in America, although, the thought has on occasion crossed my mind...I am currently working on a study about our young folks---college age or so---that I would appreciate any input any of you would care to give regarding crossing the threshhold from youth into adulthood...I don't have any specific postion(s) or agendas I wish to promote---I would rather hear unbiased points, counter-points, tools, advise, anecdotes, tips or whatever, on leaving the nest, so to speak....Many of us here at this sight spent the years I'm referring to in residence in the way corps---in some respects, we jumped from one nest to another nest...Good or bad, joining the Way Corps today is not an option for most young people...yet, it is my only reference point back to my leaving the nest years...I have no idea how I would have spent my early twenties if the Way Corps wasn't available, and I really don't care, but I sense a certain lack of focus, and maybe some apprehension among the younger generation in growing into adulthood...Hopefully, this blog won't follow the trend of all the deleted blogs :)...I'm really more interested in being of help rather than being some old curmudgeon complaning about "the kids of today"...Any of your thoughts would be appreciated...Thanks...

Hobbies

Posted by Joe Kriston on November 21, 2009 at 8:45pm

A short while ago, when I was in one of my more perturbed snits, I stood in the doorway of one of my grown sons' room, where he, his older brother and some of their friends were sitting, eyes glued to the big-screen television, controllers in hands, playing some crazy shoot-'em-up video game that looked more graphic and lifelike than anything I had ever seen...As this had become a habit of theirs, after a minute or two I snapped "Is that all you guys do, sit around playing video games?"...One of them, without taking his eyes off of the screen or missing a shot on the controller answered "There's nuthin' else to do"...."Well, why don't you guys go get a hobby?" I barked...They all turned and looked at me like I just suggested they shave their heads and go sell flowers at the airport..."That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard" was my older son's response....Okay, it was just a suggestion...Anyway, it got me to thinking about hobbies, my own hobbies in fact, and what and if any purpose they serve...Seems like when you're a kid, your whole life is spent on a hobby or a series of hobbies, that is, doing whatever the heck brings you pleasure or amusement, unless, of course, school, homework, chores or church interrupt them...And I guess when one get's older, one is supposed to put away those childish things, like the Bible says, unless one doesn't, and then maybe they become hobbies...Naturally, as adults, a good deal of our time is consumed with our "have tos", so maybe one qualification of a hobby is a "want to"...As a kid, my main interest, or thing, was baseball...I played it, watched it, read about it, argued about it, dreamt it and fantasized about it...Even though I became somewhat disattached to it as I grew into adulthood, I would still sneak into Anderson Library at the Emporia Campus after supper and read the sports page of the Emporia Gazette and keep up with the pennant races and other vital baseball news...To this day, I still spend a fair amount of time watching baseball...Of course, I happen to have the misfortune of being a Chicago Cubs fan...If you're a baseball fan, and maybe even if you're not, you probably know that the Cubs haven't really won a championship in,like, a hundred years or something...So I spend a good amount of my amusement and pleasure time, hollering at the television, at the left fielder for missing the cut-off man, at the batter for swinging at a 3-0 pitch in the dirt, or the eight million dollar a year pitcher who just walked the bases loaded...One of my other pastimes, or hobbies, is tinkering with old vehicles...A while back, I made up my mind that I was going to learn to sew and redo my own interiors on a couple of my old projects...I bought a portable industrial sewing machine and started practicing my stitching...The bobbin would get jammed and I'd yank it out of the machine and fling it across the room...The machine zigged when I thought it should have zagged and I'd curse the manufacturer...The door panels that I spent about thirty hours making were too thick and the doors wouldn't latch properly on the truck after I put them on...Sure, I like to do things with my hands, but why do I spend my free time on things that frustrate me so?...I've even gotten mad at whoever the guy is that makes the crossword puzzle when I can't figure it out....Then I go to my "have to" on Monday morning and I back my truck over a bucket of tar, getting it all over the truck and driveway, and say "oops---No, prob....I'll just clean it up"...Maybe I've used up all of my anger on things that don't really matter---and nobody got hurt...

JUNIOR CORPS STORIES (What Really Happend) !!!

Posted by Joe Purpura (aka Joe Hanson) on January 31, 2009 at 9:03pm

Being the first one here, I thought I should keep it fairly tame!Well, Here it is...When I look back on those days at Rome City and those ever wild Corps Week and R.O.A. extravaganzas, I can certainly say that we had some great times!(But let's face it, we went through a fair amount of crap too, which ultimately lead to most of us rebelling, ANY WHICH WAY WE COULD!)We all came into the ministry as young, naive and very impressionable children and as we grew up, I believe we all began to see the bull that was creeping in around us…This I believe is what ultimately lead us all to rebel!(that and the fact that through it all, we were just kids being kids!)THERE WERE SO MANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS!Here are a few that come to mind…I remember the time I climbed Rome City’s Bell Tower - how I made it all the way to the top and actually had the gall (or perhaps the stupidity) of actually ringing the bell (twice).Of course I wasn’t aware then of the fact that the Bell Tower was architecturally unstable!(What on earth was I actually thinking? Actually, come to think of it, I was only 13 years old!)I remember how Bob, Greg and Cindy were all ready to ship my ass back to Kansas (where my family was finishing out their interim year).(Summer of Family 4 and Family 6 - 1980)Remember how we (us Junior Corps) nearly drove Greg Bernardini into utter madness!(But I must admit, I really felt bad how we all treated him (even to this day), to which I apologized to both him and Cindy some years later)…I remember how Greg was trying to teach us the Advanced Class (the entire class and how it seemed like he was trying to get it all done in one sitting, keeping us in those Fireplace Room seats for 3 STRAIT HOURS EACH AND EVERY NIGHT!)(Now let’s remember, we were just kids at that time and it was starting to drive us all crazy!)I remember how he gave us all a set of Advanced Class Retemory Cards and told us…“That if we were to loose them, to forget about showing up!”(Of course, Ron, Ben and I just had to toss our retemories in the trash, thus preventing us from being able to attend!)I will never forget the night that the 3 of us waited for all our parents to get in the Chapel for Corps Night (so that we could get out of dodge for a little while)…(This was of course the absolute worst night of the week to do what we were about to do!)We then headed for the lake on the southern edge of the property…And yes, we were spotted by Bless Patrol, who contacted Bob, who actually cut the Corps Night telephone connection, got up on stage and actually instructed our fathers to meet us outside the front entrance of the building. He also sent the Bless Patrol vehicle into town to retrieve us (but we never intended to go that far)…BOY WAS BOB PISSED THAT NIGHT!(and we each got an earful from him!)(Family 5 and 7’s year at Rome City, 1980-81)And let’s not forget those 2 weeks in Ohio every August…I wonder if Doctor knew that by way of those “pizza and beer” nights during the Corps Weeks, that he was introducing alcohol to a whole lot of Way Corps kids that were ready and waiting for the chance to let loose and rebel...Basically driving the Bless Patrol and those “Rent a Cops” INTO A STATE OF PANIC!…Remember “The Party Pavilion” ??? (I know Johnny and his 3 companions do!)How we put the tent up in the middle of the open field (so not to keep other campers awake at night) and how those “Rent a Cop's” van kept driving around us all night?How about “Fantasies International” ???(Founded at R.O.A. 1986)Including..President Steve HuffmanVice President Linus MathisSecretary/Treasurer Joe HansonI still can’t believe how Craig actually had the nerve to contact each of our parents, asking them if we had actually lost our minds (that is after everyone got a copy of Steve's letter)!(He couldn’t seem to get the joke!)And let’s not forget those insane parties (30+ people strong) at the Best Western in Botkins!(And the legend of John Smith and the bathtub soap dish – I still have the photo's!)(Boy, John must have gotten into a world of touble!)Who ever thought you could actually get that many people in a small motel room at one time...(and how we tried to get everyone in the bathroom for a picture – a photo that I also still have.)YES, THOSE WERE SOME TIMES !!!*** THIS AND ALL FUTURE JUNIOR CORPS STORIES WILL BE WORKED INTO MY BOOK..."Vision - Life through the Eye of the Second, First Generation" ***AND NOW, A BIT OF PERSPECTIVE...Although I (and perhaps you) chose to "disconnect" from The Way Ministry, I do still remember all the good we got out of it.I truly do believe that Doctor meant well (especially in the early years – and he did actually help a lot of people), but somewhere in there, things just went wrong.But it’s all water under the bridge at this point!The basic principles taught in PFAL still ring true today as is done back then. Despite all the subsequent crap, I still believe I am much better off today having been part of it all!I know that many are still hurting from everything that happened with the ministry…Well, all I can say that all of my life’s experiences and lessons gives me an inner strength and peace that I doubt I would have attained if I wasn’t raised in the ministry...(Especially if I remained that short, chubby kid growing up in Brooklyn!)(not to mention my WOW year – can you still believe that my WOW brother’s and sister’s, all 5 of us, still pretty much keeps in touch today – this after almost 25 years!)Needless to say…I WOULD NOT TRADE ANY OF MY LIFE’S EXPERIENCES FOR ANYTHING !!!It is my hope and prayer that perhaps someday, all those who feel that the ministry had done them wrong…(And still are having a hard time with it)Can ultimately come to terms with it and that we all can move forward…Together…As the family that we were all truly meant to be!(Call me the eternal pragmatist)This is what I believe Doctor was really after all along!(And I do believe that this Way Corps website is definitely a step in the right direction!)MORE STORIES TO COME !!!

Good debt and bad debt

Posted by John Richeson on June 16, 2011 at 3:57am

So the authentic advice is, live within your means, except when it's smart to borrow. "Live within your means' is a good suggestion but it has no economic foundation," says Lusardi. "Maybe this advice is what it takes for people to do the right thing. But let's not be judgmental about what people do."

Laura Lusardi is author of the book "Money & Happiness" and blog of the same name.

Wise advice. Regardless of what we were taught (OWE NO MAN ANYTHING!!!, THE BORROWER IS SLAVE TO THE LENDER!!, ETC., ETC.), I have believed for years that there is no adequate "one size fits all" policy concerning debt. Now that I am debt free I can speak from experience on both sides of the issue. I had plenty of debt when I was in a growning stage but it was manageable. For example when I owned multiple rental houses,it was a wise use of leverage to have those mortgages which turned out to be profitable later on. Rent paid the debt even if the houses never escalated in value (which they did). Renters paid off those houses for me, thank you very much. If I was forced to pay cash I would have never been able to expand.

The same could be true of a college student who might borrow so she can get an education that will benefit her down the road. And there are lifes emergencies that come up unexpectedley in which borrowing may be the best course of action at that time.

Generally I believe most consumer debt is not good or necessary. And yes, I believe most people need to live within their income level period. But to make a doctrine out of it and condemn or punish anyone who borrows is shallow thinking. I believe the better course of action is to teach financial responsibility and trust people to make their own decisions and stay out of their business.

Critique of the Critics

Posted by John Richeson on May 15, 2008 at 7:30pm

Someone sent me a link today which moved me and made sense based on my experiences in the last 8 years since being out of The Way in 2000. It is an ex-Scientology member who disagrees with Scientology but also disagrees with the methodology of the anti-scientology movement and critics of which he was previously involved. The next day I saw an article which helped me understand the cowardice behind some anonymous Internet postings and describes the reason why I thought it best to use real names on The Way corps site..Check these out: A Critical Look at the Critics Cruelty Hides in Shadows of Cyberspace Quote: "My main contention with the anti-Scientology movement is the tendency of its "members" to reproduce and mirror the same kind of cultic aspects they blame on Scientology; the exaggerations and myths creating a phobic reaction; the dangers it poses to civil liberties; the personal attacks against dissenters; etc. These are fairly well documented on this web site." Quote: "This is the vexing problem with the Internet. Although a fascinating forum for the coherent exchange of views, offering everyone a chance to express themselves, it is also an undisciplined venue for the bigoted, the small-minded, the malevolent among us to hide in the shadows of cyberspace to vent their bile." In my opinion this appears to be true in the interactive forums of some groups in which I have been involved in regarding critics of other ministries, religions, cults, whatever the label. Some, NOT ALL, members of the critical groups themselves begin to take on characteristics of the abuse they suffered while in the group. Is it possible that those who have been "spiritually abused" can tend to become spiritual abusers? In fact I know of many members of anti-? or ex-? groups who have been mistreated by SOME of the very group members themselves, most of whom remain anonymous. It is a fact that can not be denied. It helps me to understand a little bit more about why I have been criticized for starting this Way Corps social networking site. I was amazed to see the backlash against me for starting it! For example look at some of these actual quotes about me written on another forum: Quote: "I think that Richeson should be ashamed of himself for doing this sick thing..." Quote: "PATOOIE! You're all a bunch of fakes...how dare you socialize with all your warm feelings and hugs and kisses...when in reality, you were a part of an insideous cult that destroyed people's lives!!! ...but Richeson doesn't want a "gripe site"?" Quote: "Heck...why would anyone object to a waycorps website?...I mean, all you have to do is ignore the fact that this ragtag bunch ruined people's lives by the score...destroyed marriages, turned people into dysfuntional "cult heads", drove some to suicide...taught lies, manipulated and used people... ...but who wants to focus on the "negatives"...let's all get together and "reconnect" with our old cult pals and remember the "good times" (in spite of destroying people's lives, they still had a really good time!)... I wonder if the Youth for Hitler have their own reunion site. Maybe John R. can pick up a few pointers..." At first I was angry and began to react in a similar manner as my accusers. But I understand a little better now and I hold no animosity towards them. In fact the above web links helped me to better understand. I am glad I have had a chance to broaden my perspective beyond my previously held thinking. Unless we treat each other with dignity and kindness and fairness we will have anti-anti-anti-anti groups ad infinitum. Will we ever get beyond the "us and them" mentality? Life is so much bigger than that!

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