Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by:
changedagain
()
Date: November 16, 2016 07:52AM
lily rose Wrote:
> Ditto. The thing with my mom was in her last years
> her memory faded (though she always knew who I
> was) and she stopped being mad at me and our
> relationship was restored. I am thankful for that.
> This is really a biggie and I don't care what Gary
> or the other leaders say, folks in TLWF should
> think about this.... how they will feel when the
> ones you've shunned pass away and you never
> reached out to make amends.
That was a significant, good decision I made while still in TLWF--to get involved, against my shepherd's will, with both of my parents (divorced) as I saw their health failing. They both died in the same year ('97)--ten months apart, separate locations. There was a peace in our relationship when they passed, since we had hashed things out--so that is one burden I don't carry with me. However, one of my closest relationships in the fellowship I lost because I went with the company line (shunning) when this person took a stand against the G & M directive to continue praying for John after he died. He and his wife wrote separate letters to Apco detailing their objection to this focus, and Gary basically said good riddance. Our families happened to be intertwined at the time, and since they wer no longer on good terms with Apco...based on my the misguided belief that if we didn't do so, we would be 'bonding with unbelievers", and therefore be at odds with God's will (manifesting through G & M). Everyone here should remember the potency of that b*llshit teaching, repeated ad infinitum from the pulpit, about not being bonded with "unbelievers"--right? Anyway, I happened to see this old friend at a gas station, of all places, perhaps five years after the split. He saw me, called out my name, and at first I didn't recognize him. He was thin and gaunt--obviously very ill. We engaged in a brief, but warm & friendly conversation, not bringing up the obvious health issue--and it was readily apparent neither one of us had ill feelings toward the other. Once we went our separate ways I was surprised by how open/gracious he had been toward me. Anyway, some months after our chance meeting, I found out somehow that he had died (brain cancer). The news completely shook me. Later, I took some comfort in knowing that there was no issues we had toward each other when he passed, but it didn't compensate for knowing what the loss would mean for his family (wife and six kids), and the fact that I had allowed dogma destroy a meaningful relationship. Devastating. I subsequently wrote to his wife apologizing for my behavior, and she was gracious and understanding. Of course, I should have left the fellowship then. But I stuck with it for seven more years. Getting free from the shackles of that pernicious culture was not easy. I finally left in '98, and have not experienced one day since that I've regretted this decision.
BTW, this person I'm referring to was the lead shepherd in an outlying church ('80-'83). We worked together in the church, and socialized outside of it. He was really too decent and compassionate to thrive long-term in TLWF.