Onion Wrote:
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> Christmas truck said a very gooey sayonara
> tonight. Thank God.
>
> Most of these events that included so many young
> people were an opportunity for fame on the backs
> of the people doing all the hard work and an
> opportunity to survey the prey herd. There were
> of course a lot of sincere and loving people but
> the birth of the truck was not just accompliseHed
> by Rick and was used by him like everything else.

I wonder if anyone has personally broken the news to Denzel? I sure wouldn't want to do it.

I just received a private message from someone informing me that Denzel moved from his home 25 years ago. I restrained myself from asking whether it had anything to do with the Christmas truck.
#briefnaturechange #willitlast #probablynot

private message:
>Didn't want to call you out publicly. We still live in that area and know so many >store owners and home owners that enjoy the whole spectacular parade; more than >just the" truck."

I hear you. Many people were genuinely spreading joy, doing it for the right reasons. They looked forward to participating in this event. And as you said, many in the community will miss it. All valid points.
This has been a dramatic year (understatement).

Now for something completely different. My wife dropping off our hound at the pet sitters:

Thank you CHANGEDAGAIN for supplying much-needed humor in a time of great sorrow. We are going to have to look for moments of levity in the dark hours still ahead.

kBOY Wrote:
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> Thank you CHANGEDAGAIN for supplying
> much-needed humor in a time of great sorrow. We
> are going to have to look for moments of levity in
> the dark hours still ahead.

Yes

My husband and I were in TLWF for over 25 years, and have been out and away from it now for many years. We dearly loved the “sheep” and were part of the leadership in various churches. We left due to various leadership issues that are finally surfacing and being made known to all. I hope it continues. I did not know about the hideous sexual abuse going on, that part has been shocking. The rest not so much. So sad that we gave our lives for decades and suffered and tolerated all kinds of emotional abuse.

I have read so many of these posts over the years. It has been helpful to know that we were not alone in all we went through. I am posting now because I want to thank the different ones (Mike, Mary, Larry, etc)that have stayed in this forum throughout the years. I believe it has been very important for the many people whose lives were torn apart on so many levels, and especially for those coming out about the sexual abuses. I hope the truth and transparency will actually continue. It is definitely a very happy sad time we are in.

Praying and hoping that justice will be served. And as Onion said, follow the money!! I cannot help but wonder if there has been a plan B all along and the “Hargrave ministries” has already been prepared for this day. Time will tell. I really hope not. Praying for everyone involved. May God’s grace prevail and His justice be done according to what is right and true. The days ahead will tough but necessary. True Change never comes easy unfortunately. What a shame this all had to happen. Ugh.

It used to be that googling Hargrave or LW or any of it--that the cult education website came up in the first few links. And now go look.

All these developments with TLWF reminded me of something written elsewhere about seven years ago:

“A Word to the Living Word Fellowship,” [letterfromamos.org]

When my wife and I left back in the nineties, around the time South Gate imploded, we wrote letters to G&M and others warning them about issues then and the consequences if they did nothing. My wife reminded me that in one of those letters I warned them that sooner or later if things didn’t change all the authority they had would be taken away. We never heard a peep from them, the church went under, and were treated like pariahs the few times we visited the Valley church afterwards.

It’s hard even now to consider that all those in leadership that we used to admire have never been able to hear the truth about themselves. It’s shocking when one reads all the posts about experiences that go way beyond anything I could have imagined. I was part of that thing since 1971, just out of High School, and had life changing experiences there. Good ones — that is. Until I left I was convinced that we were the best thing God had to offer the world.

There are things I miss about it, but I definitely don’t miss all the strange ideas that permeated the organization that put some on pedestals as if they were untouchable by mere mortals. Even though I am not associated with it any longer and haven’t been for years, it’s hard to watch something that I gave the best years of my life to blown away like chaff.