Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
Chaos1952
()
Date: July 17, 2013 10:39AM
Mike S, like a lot of pastors, had to leave when the toxic level got too high and the worship of Marilyn became intollerable. It's still that way today, by the way. Intollerable.[/quote]
I think I have singled him out because I really liked him, I considered him a valued friend. Also, I was not out on the west coast or Shiloh enough to hear all of them saying that, I didn't know they were all denying Christ from the podium, but it does not surprise me. I am glad Mike left the Walk, I hope he found a true church and a strong revelation of Jesus Christ.
chaos
I think I have singled him out because I really liked him, I considered him a valued friend. Also, I was not out on the west coast or Shiloh enough to hear all of them saying that, I didn't know they were all denying Christ from the podium, but it does not surprise me. I am glad Mike left the Walk, I hope he found a true church and a strong revelation of Jesus Christ.
chaos
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
changedagain
()
Date: July 21, 2013 06:18AM
Quote
sierradawn
I don't know who you and your wife are, but yes, it is a solace to know that they will one day have to account for their actions against God.
My wife brought your Mom into this fellowship. Of course, she had no idea how toxic and spiritually hollow the church would become, and was very distraught to hear what your Mom was subjected to toward the end of her life...prior to eventually leaving and staying with those that unconditionally accepted her--real family.
Again, a very touching and insightful post.
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
Chaos1952
()
Date: July 21, 2013 10:24AM
Most of the people in my area of the country never thought of JRS as the return of Jesus nor of Moses or John the beloved, or John the Baptist, nor of Elijah or Elisha, I know that many on the west coast kept saying JOHN WE KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARRRE!!!!. I think he had a magnetism or a charisma that effected people that were around him in his "parousia" if you don't mind a little levity there. But anyway, it really did not surprise me that John Stevens did not rise on the third day and "at his coming" all of us didn't change like in the twinkle of the eye into the eternally alive sons of God. So then, I have a question for you all. WHAT do you think of the theory of RESURECTION LIFE and do you have a different belief on that that you might have heard taught under the leadership of the WALK in days gone by?
CHAOS
CHAOS
CAN THE SHEEP SURVIVE IN SPITE OF THE SHEPHERDS?
Posted by:
Chaos1952
()
Date: July 21, 2013 01:16PM
There is a separate thread on this board about the WALK that I actually intended to be a post here. In it I ask the question if the rumors about the WALK and about JOHN STEVENS are true or if they are accusations of cult hunters or persecution of the enemy as they were called in the WALK. I would like to really just get right down to it!! In the WALK everything was tongue in cheek. Even as far east as I was, there was still that pressure you could pick up on in the air when you accidently hinted anything could be wrong. I could tell at times that I was trying to hold my face just right so that nobody would know that I knew that something was wrong. It was like I wanted to hide what I was thinking. I think you all know that I mean. But now we are free, and maybe some people reading these posts are current members reading here to scoff or they may be some people reading here in secret, looking for an answer, curious to see if there is something to those secret feelings, those little "checks in their spirit" about things that are said or done in the WALK by the current leadership, and by their designated shepherds who are stepping a little farther and farther all the time trying to control their thoughts and actions. Well, let's get it out. Tell what you know...
chaos
chaos
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
sierradawn
()
Date: July 21, 2013 01:58PM
Quote
changedagainQuote
sierradawn
I don't know who you and your wife are, but yes, it is a solace to know that they will one day have to account for their actions against God.
My wife brought your Mom into this fellowship. Of course, she had no idea how toxic and spiritually hollow the church would become, and was very distraught to hear what your Mom was subjected to toward the end of her life...prior to eventually leaving and staying with those that unconditionally accepted her--real family.
Again, a very touching and insightful post.
I hope your wife doesn't feel any guilt, she really shouldn't. It was nearly nothing like then how it is now. Ann came from a very broken home and I know she was looking for love and stability for herself and young kids, so I definitely know she did her very best. She was a true mother and loved my brother and I with such a deep love that she even told me that she would gladly shelve the church if it meant keeping the relationship with us (after my husband and I left the church). I take great comfort in knowing that maintaining the relationships with her children had a higher priority than the church, which is not something a lot of parents in that church could say. My biggest grief is that she didn't really share with me what was going on towards the end and I didn't really find out until AFTER she died. I and the rest of her family would have helped her get out much sooner. We're just so thankful she did finally leave though.
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
sierradawn
()
Date: July 21, 2013 02:05PM
Quote
Invisible
For those who are or may be experiencing these things.
Today in 2013 - if you have a family member - who is a member of this church, and if you are not a member of this church - your family member who is in the church, whether they are your father, mother, or your children, you will find that they, as a member of this church - are unable to and do not really relate to you, as if you are their own real father, mother, son or daughter.
This is because they as members in this church have been taught to only relate openly with and to those who are members in good standing with in the church - as being their real family. They have been taught to believe that spiritual relationships with in the church - are the only relationships that they are to be involved in, or to honor and recognize as being their genuine family members.
If you were a former member of this church - If you have any kind of a relationship today - with a family member who is in this church , your relationship is probably not more - with them - than - a how's the weather kind of relationship.
From a family member who is this church , you may get a courtesy phone call on your birthday, on father's or mothers day or a special holiday. But outside of hearing from your loved one on special occasion days, there is probably no real connection or communication really taking place between you and your loved one - during the rest of the year. And they believe every thing is okay, because you pretend like every think is okay when you get a Happy Birthday phone call from your parent or child who is this church - You don't rock their boat by trying to get closer to them - so you can preserve the little time and minimal connection -you have with them in this life.
And you dare not try to tell them something is wrong with the kind of relationship that they have with you - nor try to explain what is wrong nor why it is wrong - especially in the light of God's Word , which is the remedy - for what is causing a separation to exist between you as a family, with your own family, the remedy - which is able to be found in the Holy Scriptures and in the very teachings and words spoken to all, by Jesus Christ Himself , preserved for all and any one - to be able to find what the truth is - concerning the distance and separation that exists between family members who are in and who are not in this church. .
You probably have tried every thing to talk to them but all has failed and you may have come to the conclusion that you now must keep silent and accept the shallow and limited kind of relationship they have with you or they may be told to avoid having any further relationship with you or they may be so caught up in the kind of thinking the church as a whole has about relationships - that they themselves ( your loved one may end - the little connection that they have or that they are being allowed by others , to have with you .
It probably is a rare occasion - if ever - that you will get a call from a loved one who is a member of this church, with them just wanting to visit with you because they love you or miss you, this is because there is not much of a connection between you and your loved one as being real family and they are unaware that something is lacking in the relationship they have with their own family members .
And you will most likely find that when you try to make more of a connection with your loved one - who is a member of this church - that you are unable to connect with them - because a father , a mother or a child out side of the church is related to by those in this church, as if they were not much more than a long time acquaintance - because all of their relationships have been dedicated by them as a whole - to relate to only church members, as being their real family.
At this time , I have come to the conclusion - that all one can to is love them and be there for them always and keep the connection and relationship you do have with them - even if it is not much more involved than a courtesy birthday phone call where they tell you they love you.
This is the truth - we love them and they love us - they are just not free yet to enjoy the freedom of relating to us in the way healthy families share in the joys of being a family.
Thankfully this was never the case with my parents. My brother left when he was 18 and I left when I was 26. My parents were heavily involved with church up until close to their deaths and they never once related to us any less than before we left. In all actuality they pursued us even more -- not to lure us back to church -- but simply to stay close to us. The above quoted may be true for a lot of other people though, and that's just sad. My parents fortunately had the complete freedom to relate to us like a healthy family would.
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
sierradawn
()
Date: July 21, 2013 02:16PM
Quote
larry bobo
Thank you Sierra for sharing your story. TLWF has obviously had a deep impact on your life and your overcoming is an encouragement to others. I knew your parents but was not close to them. Thanks also for your openness and honesty to share very personal areas of your life without the veil of a ficticous user name - I know many others will know your family and your story will have much more impact. Many who have once belonged to TLWF and suffered in silence have started to to reach out for help - they just don't want to do it in a public forum. I'm sure you will be a help to them - especially those your age. I so agree with you - " There's a LOT of great, amazing people in the Body, so let's pray the blinders are taken off and that they see things for what they are and become set free." I suspect the enemy is more observant of the call of God on many lives than most of us are. There are some real treasures caught in the spider web of TLWF and other groups like them.
Hi Larry,
Thank you for your words. To be really honest, I'm not quite sure why there's so much anonymity.....shouldn't we be exposing the church for what it is? I get that we don't want to hurt certain people and all but what are the anonymous people afraid of? What is the church going to do to you if you expose yourself? Maybe I'm being super naive, but speaking for myself, I have nothing to hide. I sense there's a lot I may not know, even now, but I also sense that there is still a lot of baseless fear in those who have left. Let's overcome those fears and I hope my story will help others to come forward and find some support and healing. My dad, Bill, always had great admiration for my fearlessness to just go out and pursue things. I suspect, on a subconscious level he wished he could do the same but probably felt confined by the lies of TLWF. That's probably why my parents were so incredibly supportive of my brother's and my endeavors, with no "submitting" to anyone....they probably wished they could have done the same on some deeper level.
Your name is definitely familiar to me....which city were you involved with? I want to say Shiloh? Anyway, I just want everyone to be free.....God is LOVE and He loves us JUST AS WE ARE.
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
Invisible
()
Date: July 22, 2013 06:55AM
Sierra Dawn Quote:
All she wanted to do was move closer to either me and my husband or her son and his wife. That's hardly a choice thinking twice about.
Sierradawn- Quote:
Because of some decisions she made that were against the advice of her designated relationships, Bruce and Gilee Larson, along with God knows who else, actually instructed people to STAY AWAY from my mom, even during her times of need: don't give her a ride to the ER when she needs it, stop calling/talking (relating) to her, etc.
Sierradawn- Quote :
I have all her journals. She's told me some things about the church. One of which she'd been wanting to leave the Body for as long as 15 years. She stayed in it because of my Dad, who never wanted to leave. He even told her not to blow out if he died. That was hard for her. Fortunately for her, she finally got smart and decided to leave San Diego last year and move up to Truckee to be near my brother, his wife and their son, along with continuing her chemo treatments there.
---------------------------------------------------------
Hi Sierra Dawn,
In reading the above 3 paragraphs in which you wrote. I would venture to say - from what you wrote, that
your Mom, as a member of the church , was not really free to relate her mind and heart, to her own grown children, who were no longer active members in the church. For 15 years she kept silent in such a way, that her children were not aware that for 15 years she wanted to leave the church. She kept silent until your Dad passed away.
And from what you wrote, your Mom, after your Dad passed away, she made a decision or decisions for herself in opposition to subjecting herself, to what others in the church - decided she should do. And after she made a decision or decisions for herself , over her own life - she was then cut off from being loved and cared for, by any one in the church. And any one who would have cared for her and helped her, who knew she was ill and might die, these were led to turn their hearts away from her, these who had a relationship with her, were told to not help her or to not relate or associate with her and they obeyed the instructions and the will of other people in the church.
At some point while your mother was an active members in the church, I believe your mother's silence may be a part of what helped keep her marriage and your family intact, as a family while your parents were in the church.
I am most glad for your Mother and for you and for your whole family , who were all rewarded when your mother chose to be with her family, who truly loved and cared for her - for the rest of her life.
All she wanted to do was move closer to either me and my husband or her son and his wife. That's hardly a choice thinking twice about.
Sierradawn- Quote:
Because of some decisions she made that were against the advice of her designated relationships, Bruce and Gilee Larson, along with God knows who else, actually instructed people to STAY AWAY from my mom, even during her times of need: don't give her a ride to the ER when she needs it, stop calling/talking (relating) to her, etc.
Sierradawn- Quote :
I have all her journals. She's told me some things about the church. One of which she'd been wanting to leave the Body for as long as 15 years. She stayed in it because of my Dad, who never wanted to leave. He even told her not to blow out if he died. That was hard for her. Fortunately for her, she finally got smart and decided to leave San Diego last year and move up to Truckee to be near my brother, his wife and their son, along with continuing her chemo treatments there.
---------------------------------------------------------
Hi Sierra Dawn,
In reading the above 3 paragraphs in which you wrote. I would venture to say - from what you wrote, that
your Mom, as a member of the church , was not really free to relate her mind and heart, to her own grown children, who were no longer active members in the church. For 15 years she kept silent in such a way, that her children were not aware that for 15 years she wanted to leave the church. She kept silent until your Dad passed away.
And from what you wrote, your Mom, after your Dad passed away, she made a decision or decisions for herself in opposition to subjecting herself, to what others in the church - decided she should do. And after she made a decision or decisions for herself , over her own life - she was then cut off from being loved and cared for, by any one in the church. And any one who would have cared for her and helped her, who knew she was ill and might die, these were led to turn their hearts away from her, these who had a relationship with her, were told to not help her or to not relate or associate with her and they obeyed the instructions and the will of other people in the church.
At some point while your mother was an active members in the church, I believe your mother's silence may be a part of what helped keep her marriage and your family intact, as a family while your parents were in the church.
I am most glad for your Mother and for you and for your whole family , who were all rewarded when your mother chose to be with her family, who truly loved and cared for her - for the rest of her life.
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
sierradawn
()
Date: July 22, 2013 11:22AM
Invisible,
What you said is pretty spot on. Whether my mother was aware of the possibility that her silence held her marriage and family together, I don't know. But if she did, she most likely valued us being together as a family over following her intuition. I do have to say that even though she left the church, she still boxed up, and kept, all the old This Weeks and super old tapes from JRS, along with some CDs in her car with Gary's "Words" on them. It doesn't appear she completely cut off the church from her heart, though she was probably going through the process of it, bit by bit. Who knows. I threw them all away. I think what I'm trying to say is that she may have felt that way for 15 years, but she was still very much bonded to the church on some level, even after leaving.
I agree, so happy she chose to be with family too, but then again, I know for a fact it would have never been any other way. She was devoted to us children and grandchildren.
What you said is pretty spot on. Whether my mother was aware of the possibility that her silence held her marriage and family together, I don't know. But if she did, she most likely valued us being together as a family over following her intuition. I do have to say that even though she left the church, she still boxed up, and kept, all the old This Weeks and super old tapes from JRS, along with some CDs in her car with Gary's "Words" on them. It doesn't appear she completely cut off the church from her heart, though she was probably going through the process of it, bit by bit. Who knows. I threw them all away. I think what I'm trying to say is that she may have felt that way for 15 years, but she was still very much bonded to the church on some level, even after leaving.
I agree, so happy she chose to be with family too, but then again, I know for a fact it would have never been any other way. She was devoted to us children and grandchildren.
Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
Invisible
()
Date: July 23, 2013 05:03AM
"Regarding Anonymity " - To be able to say what you wish to say with out any one knowing who you are.
I think there are probably many acceptable reasons why a person would choose to write anonymously in making a contribution - toward helping other people, who are coming to this thread. That whether a person writes using their own name or write anonymously - what is being written by both, has a value of it's own - that only the reader - should be determining for their own self the value or the worth of what is written.
John 5:59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself .....
One who hides their self , is not always hiding out of fear, a fear that needs to be over come.
Some fears we have in our life are God given.
When you see a toddler walking toward a busy street , you fear for their safety, which causes you to take action to remove them from harms way.
You are careful when using fire, having a healthy fear knowing the harm, that fire can do.. For good reason , you stay extra alert on the highway because you may if you are tired, fear falling asleep while driving.
There are authors who use Penn names, who write their novels and books, not making their identity known. Does any one read a best seller book, discounting the author as a person or their work because they did not let every one know it was them writing?
Many books of the Bible - no one knows for sure, who wrote some of these books - yet they continue to be published , are endeared by many , and they are kept and read.
I believe if one chooses to speak using their own name this is acceptable and if one chooses to write what they wish to say - anonymously, this is also acceptable.
I think there are probably many acceptable reasons why a person would choose to write anonymously in making a contribution - toward helping other people, who are coming to this thread. That whether a person writes using their own name or write anonymously - what is being written by both, has a value of it's own - that only the reader - should be determining for their own self the value or the worth of what is written.
John 5:59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself .....
One who hides their self , is not always hiding out of fear, a fear that needs to be over come.
Some fears we have in our life are God given.
When you see a toddler walking toward a busy street , you fear for their safety, which causes you to take action to remove them from harms way.
You are careful when using fire, having a healthy fear knowing the harm, that fire can do.. For good reason , you stay extra alert on the highway because you may if you are tired, fear falling asleep while driving.
There are authors who use Penn names, who write their novels and books, not making their identity known. Does any one read a best seller book, discounting the author as a person or their work because they did not let every one know it was them writing?
Many books of the Bible - no one knows for sure, who wrote some of these books - yet they continue to be published , are endeared by many , and they are kept and read.
I believe if one chooses to speak using their own name this is acceptable and if one chooses to write what they wish to say - anonymously, this is also acceptable.
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