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cherenuff1

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zeuszor
Yes, and I've been abused by other people at TFI too. It is a spiritually unhealthy place. When he found out that I was speaking to the Duncans, he squeezed me out of my job and my place to live, using BS excuses. That's for starters. He said that I had to move because the fact that I had savings, was not broke, and that my room above The Lair was "meet need only", meaning that it was reserved for the indigent. Well, he knew I wasn't broke when he hired me in the first place, so why is it a problem that I have money all of a sudden when I start associating with people that he doesn't want me to know? Why did he let me move up there in the first place? Robert Fox had a job and lived in that very same room for like two years. It must have been because his mother was Ole's secretary. So that excuse about I had to move because I had money was a lie. I wound up basically homeless over this. How come every time I would express that I disagreed with or did not understand something he taught, he would tell me that I have the mind of a brute beast and needed to repent? You'd never hear that in the edited, prerecorded Bible studies, huh?

I have a couple of problems with this. First, why are you angry about being 'kicked out' if you think Trinity is a cult. I'd figure you would be happy that a cult wanted you gone? Also, if Trinity was a cult, wouldn't Ole try to appease you and take your savings before making you leave? From what I understand and please let me know if I am wrong about this because I really don't know very much about your situation here.

You came because you were interested in Trinity's involvement in exposing cults and you needed a place to stay for awhile. Did you pay rent? Did you pay for any meals at the Lair? Did you pay for electricity, water, etc? If not, then a group of people took you in, let you stay in a warm place without rent and fed you three meals a day. The room is for the indigent and those that need a place to stay while they ACTIVELY search for something else. You admitted that you smoked weed while you were there. Frankly, you were given a home from a church yet smoked pot when they preach against it. From what I understand you were asked to find another place to live BEFORE you spoke to the Duncans. Your earlier posts back this up. Remember...you were pro-Trinity when you left and posted as such but met the Duncans for dinner AFTER you left Trinity and they 'opened your eyes' so to speak.

Maybe I'm confused about the timeline but when I read your very 1st few posts it certainly seems to me that you left Trinity, was pro-Trinity for a bit THEN met the Duncans, read the book and now are anti-Trinity.

Robert was working for Trinity when he lived there and was fine just being the chef for the Lair. As for his mother..LOL.. his mother wasn't Ole's secretary as far as I know. She's actually living in another city and we all keep in touch with her still.

I was hired to do a job. I was not "taken in". I laid the groundwork by phone from Chicago before I ever came to Dallas. I was working with JPUSA up there and was not satisfied so called TFI and asked Pete if I could visit their community. I was not broke nor homeless and deliberately came to TFI...like I said, I was hired to do a job on my second day there by Ole himself. I had thousands of dollars in the bank and could have done anything I wanted, could have gotten a job, an apartment, all that, and what I wanted to do was live in community and do Christian service work. I was assigned to be Pete's assistant. The terms and benefits of my employment were were clearly explained to me and I agreed to it. My room and board, plus the $80 weekly were part of the terms in exchange for my services. I was not "taken in". Now, I abused my freedom and betrayed their confidence. I made this clear and outed myself in front of the whole world here on this message board. Give me some credit. I am not proud of this, in fact I am ashamed of myself. Did I pay rent? Did I pay for meals? Did I pay the bills? Well, it was explained to me that my room and board, as well as $80 a week (minus $25 for meals, meaning I cleared $55 dollars a week) were what I'd recieve as an employyee of TFI, a Levite. I was told that I was at that point in the "Levite corps". So, yes, these things were a part of what Ole and I agreed to when he hired me. I EARNED EVERY MEAL I ATE AND EVERY CUP OF COFFEE I DRANK AND EVERY SHOWER I TOOK. These were the benefits of my employment there. Remember, I was an employee, not a volunteer. I was moved into that room and it was explained to me that I'd be living there indefinitely. Nobody put the squeeze on me to move until after it became known that I'd met with the Duncans. So that's not true, Ole wanting me out before I'd met them. If that's what he told you, he lied. (Ole lie? No way!) Everything was trucking along fine until I met them to hear their side of the story. I used to call the Duncans from inside the dining room in the Lair after I ate dinner, fully in everybody's presence. I thought to myself, "well, if I get in trouble or something for talking to them, there's my proof that this is a cult." And get in trouble I did. Do you think that raised some eyebrows? Hell yes! Shoot, I liked my job. I watched TBN all day. Do you have any idea how tripped out it is to watch Benny Hinn and the Crouches after smoking some kind bud? :lol: My earlier posts do not back up the idea that they wanted me to move out before I met the Duncans. Hell, the first time I met them, I did not let anybody know what I was doing. I kept it a secret until after the fact. So Ole comes up with some BS excuse about I can't live there because he didn't realize that I was not broke before he hired me. They had some interns and that guy Jeff and before I knew it they were doing my job and I felt the squeeze. I first met the Duncans in June and moved out in August, for Pete's sake. I met the Duncans well before I moved. Again, if that's what Ole said he lied to you. Doug and Wendy will testify to this. The new information that they introduced me to was very very confusing and alarming at the time. They'll testify to that too. The cognitive dissonace was so strong that at one point I tried to have myself committed at the VA! I thought I was going crazy, I couldn't sleep or eat and barricaded myself in my room for days at a time. You must understand my recent exit from Iraq before arriving there, so there was some PTSD going on too. Why do you think I deliberately wanted to live in community in the first place? TFI was making me sick and I praise God for bringing the Duncans into my life.

I wrote the community several private emails explaining that I'd lied about the herb, expressing regret and asking for their forgiveness, long before I outed myself here. I wrote JB an email detailing exactly where my bongs were hidden in there. Nobody ever wrote me back, except JB. And he was understandably pissed. Nobody ever acknowledged that I said I was sorry, much less expressed forgiveness. Pete called me one night and told me told leave him alone and said "Have a nice life." Not very gracious, huh?

No...I never ever talked to Ole about you or actually talked to anyone else about you so I never knew how you came to be there until just now. I know that Trinity has a very low tolerance for drug abusers but to tell the truth, I don't know very much about your situation. No one here talks about you...at least not to me. I just assumed from the timeline of your earlier posts and what you had written in the beginning of this particular thread.

I don't understand why YOU were asked to leave just for speaking to the Duncans. People know that I've emailed Doug and have corresponded with you yet not one single person has said anything negative to me about it. They personally don't really care. I also know some people that still keep in touch with some ex-members but they are still here so there must have been something else that made them think that you were not a good fit for the job position. It's hard to believe that you were 'squeezed out' of here just because of your involvement and communication with the Duncans when I've had the same communication yet I haven't been shunned?

Don't know and I can't speculate. There are always two sides to the story. Your side and Trinity's. I'm sure both of you are right and both are wrong, depending on how you see it. I'm sorry if you feel hurt though. I truly hope you have found a spiritual home that you feel comfortable in now and pray that you are well and safe.

I always liked you. You were always nice to me.

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cherenuff1
I don't understand why YOU were asked to leave just for speaking to the Duncans. People know that I've emailed Doug and have corresponded with you yet not one single person has said anything negative to me about it. They personally don't really care. I also know some people that still keep in touch with some ex-members but they are still here so there must have been something else that made them think that you were not a good fit for the job position. It's hard to believe that you were 'squeezed out' of here just because of your involvement and communication with the Duncans when I've had the same communication yet I haven't been shunned?

Well, you are not a Levite. You are not an employee of TFI. You and your family live there on the Block, and are sort of on the periphery, that's why. I mean, with all respect. I lived in the Lair and went to those stupid 7:30 "Bible studies" every day. I saw Ole every day. You barely ever go to Big Group or any of the twice a week Bible studies. At least, while I was there I rarely saw you in Bible studies or any of that, only in the Lair for lunch. And toward the end you never came there any more either. I remember wondering where you went. You're just not that involved there, involved like an employee, a Levite, would be. One time I told Ole I wanted to be his friend and he just sneered in disgust. "Oh, Ole, I want to be your friiiieeend" He said in this singsongy voice. The a**hole.

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zeuszor
I always liked you. You were always nice to me.

I like myself too... :lol: You're a nice guy but sometimes when you were here I wondered if you didn't say what you actually felt at times. I could see that you had problems with some of the doctrine but I think you tried too hard to be too nice...if that makes sense.

Perhaps it was because you were using drugs that made things more distorted in your view. Dont' know. I hope you have put that behind you though because I truly believe that you can't hear God through drugs, but that's my opinion. I'll pray that you find a spiritual home and peace in your life.

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cherenuff1

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zeuszor
I always liked you. You were always nice to me.

I like myself too... :lol: You're a nice guy but sometimes when you were here I wondered if you didn't say what you actually felt at times. I could see that you had problems with some of the doctrine but I think you tried too hard to be too nice...if that makes sense.

Perhaps it was because you were using drugs that made things more distorted in your view. Dont' know. I hope you have put that behind you though because I truly believe that you can't hear God through drugs, but that's my opinion. I'll pray that you find a spiritual home and peace in your life.

I wasn't "doing drugs". I was smoking ganja. At least it's not crack. I'm not saying I did the right thing, either.

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zeuszor

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cherenuff1
I don't understand why YOU were asked to leave just for speaking to the Duncans. People know that I've emailed Doug and have corresponded with you yet not one single person has said anything negative to me about it. They personally don't really care. I also know some people that still keep in touch with some ex-members but they are still here so there must have been something else that made them think that you were not a good fit for the job position. It's hard to believe that you were 'squeezed out' of here just because of your involvement and communication with the Duncans when I've had the same communication yet I haven't been shunned?

Well, you are not a Levite. You are not an employee of TFI. You and your family live there on the Block, and are sort of on the periphery, that's why. I mean, with all respect. I lived in the Lair and went to those stupid 7:30 "Bible studies" every day. I saw Ole every day. You barely ever go to Big Group or any of the twice a week Bible studies. At least, while I was there I rarely saw you in Bible studies or any of that, only in the Lair for lunch. And toward the end you never came there any more either. I remember wondering where you went. You're just not that involved there, involved like an employee, a Levite, would be. One time I told Ole I wanted to be his freind and he just sneered in disgust. "Oh, Ole, I want to be your friiiieeend" He said in this singsongy voice. The a**hole.

Actually...I volunteer for Trinity with the Door. I use to go every night to Bible Studies and helped out in the Lair. But what you said struck something in me though...IF Trinity was a cult, WHY would they tolerate me and my family just being on the 'edge' and for almost 7 years (When we came back from Kansas)? We don't tithe (long story there) and now we have more repsonsibility in our family life that I just don't feel like going all the time. Remember..you were there for what...a few months? I've been here for 15 some odd years and it is only the last year that I've stopped going alot. I am on the Passover Skit committee and feel very involved with the group.

Mike went to morning Bible study EVERY DAY. He WAS a Levite for a bit. Hell, I DON'T want to be a Levite. It's just not for me so I just volunteer when I can concerning the Magazine. We also went to different Bible Studies than you and I stopped going to Big Group on Sundays because my children had to be in bed by 8:30 with their baths all taken care of because of school. As for stopping the Lair. I found it easier to feed Bella at home and we prefer our food Organic.

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cherenuff1

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zeuszor

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cherenuff1
I don't understand why YOU were asked to leave just for speaking to the Duncans. People know that I've emailed Doug and have corresponded with you yet not one single person has said anything negative to me about it. They personally don't really care. I also know some people that still keep in touch with some ex-members but they are still here so there must have been something else that made them think that you were not a good fit for the job position. It's hard to believe that you were 'squeezed out' of here just because of your involvement and communication with the Duncans when I've had the same communication yet I haven't been shunned?

Well, you are not a Levite. You are not an employee of TFI. You and your family live there on the Block, and are sort of on the periphery, that's why. I mean, with all respect. I lived in the Lair and went to those stupid 7:30 "Bible studies" every day. I saw Ole every day. You barely ever go to Big Group or any of the twice a week Bible studies. At least, while I was there I rarely saw you in Bible studies or any of that, only in the Lair for lunch. And toward the end you never came there any more either. I remember wondering where you went. You're just not that involved there, involved like an employee, a Levite, would be. One time I told Ole I wanted to be his freind and he just sneered in disgust. "Oh, Ole, I want to be your friiiieeend" He said in this singsongy voice. The a**hole.

Actually...I volunteer for Trinity with the Door. I use to go every night to Bible Studies and helped out in the Lair. But what you said struck something in me though...IF Trinity was a cult, WHY would they tolerate me and my family just being on the 'edge' and for almost 7 years (When we came back from Kansas)? We don't tithe (long story there) and now we have more repsonsibility in our family life that I just don't feel like going all the time. Remember..you were there for what...a few months? I've been here for 15 some odd years and it is only the last year that I've stopped going alot. I am on the Passover Skit committee and feel very involved with the group.

Mike went to morning Bible study EVERY DAY. He WAS a Levite for a bit. Hell, I DON'T want to be a Levite. It's just not for me so I just volunteer when I can concerning the Magazine. We also went to different Bible Studies than you and I stopped going to Big Group on Sundays because my children had to be in bed by 8:30 with their baths all taken care of because of school. As for stopping the Lair. I found it easier to feed Bella at home and we prefer our food Organic.

That's cool. All I said was that for a while there, I barely ever saw you all.

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zeuszor

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cherenuff1

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zeuszor
I always liked you. You were always nice to me.

I like myself too... :lol: You're a nice guy but sometimes when you were here I wondered if you didn't say what you actually felt at times. I could see that you had problems with some of the doctrine but I think you tried too hard to be too nice...if that makes sense.

Perhaps it was because you were using drugs that made things more distorted in your view. Dont' know. I hope you have put that behind you though because I truly believe that you can't hear God through drugs, but that's my opinion. I'll pray that you find a spiritual home and peace in your life.

I wasn't "doing drugs". I was smoking ganja. At least it's not crack. I'm not saying I did the right thing, either.

Sorry...Ganja, pot, weed, skunk or however else you want to say it...is drugs. My opinion and due to extremely personal reasons, HATE it with a passion.