Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Date: January 03, 2019 11:09AM
to queries addressed to me.
from my arrival to iowa in early june, 1972 until I left in December, 1972 to live in a brothers' house in Sepulveda,ca I mostly worked on enos' farm. I am sure I worked some on Shiloh but given I cannot recall how much it was likely minimal. upon my return to iowa in early spring, 1973 most of my work was at Shiloh. given that I had little carpentry skills, i was essentially a laborer - carrying boards, hammering nails into 1 x 10's, etc. sometime during that summer I secured employment at an iron works factory (crane?) and later at the calendar factory in Washington where bob Nicola was an executive. upon a seasonal layoff, I returned to Sepulveda and lived in the same brothers' house until early spring, 1974 whereupon I returned to iowa to resume my employment at the calendar factory. my participation at Shiloh construction was at that time minimal.
a humorous note - when I returned to iowa after skipping out those first 2 winters, which for a southern boy raised in the gulf coast of texas were brutal, bob Nicola from the pulpit in the lw church in Washington, ia announced to the congregation that spring had officially arrived b/c pretty boy was back in town. so should I apologize for having fond memories of my time in the walk? and i'll tell y'all why. for one, had it not been for my crossing paths with the LW it is highly unlikey I ever would have found my way to iowa and eventually to iowa city (where I have lived for over36 years). I love this state and I especially love this town, sometimes characterized as "the mecca of the Midwest" secondly, prior to my involvement with the LW I did not read the bible extensively although a young (as in years) professing Christian. after becoming a LW participant that all changed - I devoured scripture, old T and new T, and virtually cherished my American standard bible (not the new American standard, yuck, which many of the LW congregants preferred which I esteemed lacked the poetic nuance of its predecessor). yes I too devoured each new "this week" as well. if memory serves me well and I am so sure it does, I recall, whether at Shiloh, the Washington church or the sepulveda church scores of folks, young and old, 30 minutes before the service was to begin, reading their bibles, all of them. and at that time and even now, even now, even now (the repetition is with intent), because I have long since being a Christian or even a deist, that, to me, was a true measure of discipleship, a complete adoration of what one regarded as sacred texts.
I intend to post more this evening but I need to take a break. my next posts will address bitterness and anger (which I cannot deny are warranted) and the post by LW of sincere intent to investigate the issues raised (which I have to assume would not ever have occurred absent the brave and candid testimony of several individuals and the subsequent embraces of those who gathered about them.
respectfully and affectionately, wishing all many happy trails,
prettyboy