True, Reep.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

What inspirational phrase would you never use in an attempt to cheer someone up? No need to explain why. I would have to go with 'It's a New Day.' (especially if they happened to be armed)
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Responding to an overture of 'reconciliation.' A few posts from late August 31, 2019: Posted by: changedagain Date: August 29, 2019 12:48PM I woke up wrote: There are now pastors wives posting on Shalom’s FB post. On one hand I believe they think they mean well and they believe what they say... on the other hand, I feel they did not post without first getting permission from t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Posted by: changedagain Date: February 15, 2018 12:16AM It's funny how the milking of the members through slave/servant labor wasn't even what offended me as much as the demeaning messages Gary would deliver to the fellowship. No matter how much people slaved, much to his personal benefit, it apparently was still not pleasing the heavenly father--according to "the word."
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

ThecalledmeJonah wrote: I was talking to Craig about a band that I was going to start playing with, and he said "Don't tell me you're gonna go out and become a fucking musician. That's not who you are." This really fucked with me. He obviously didn't want me spending time outside of Shiloh. I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with Pastor Craig's take,
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"Let me tell you how to think about..." Posted by: Saw enough Date: September 11, 2015 01:31PM The congregations were raised on a diet of being told what to think. Paul claimed to have the mind of Christ on many issues. Likewise, it was important for people in the Walk to strive to have John's thinking -- sometimes it may have been benign, as in looking at people with the s
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi LiamThomasusa, I don't have an answer to your question, but I'm sure someone who reads the forum does. Hopefully they will respond to you. Good luck :)
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

A sordid history of deception and power plays, indeed: Posted by: larry bobo Date: August 08, 2018 10:41AM My sister is married to Vere Thomas' son, Bruce. As a result, I've heard Vere's version of John's last days before he died. Vere also passed away a few years ago. Some posting here may know that John asked to see Vere many times in his last days, but G & M woul
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

puddington Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > A “new day” !!! Gimme a frickin’ break. Wasn't that line (It's a new day!) repeated often in Groundhog Day, too? Nevermind.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Posts by Aleutian and Reachingforward: Posted by: Aleutian Date: January 10, 2019 12:12PM I recently recalled a time I was volunteering working on ¨G and M´s¨ luxury home on Oahu in Hawaii. It was a hot summer day, and I didn´t bring any sunscreen. I had the nerve to ask for some. After all, I was working for free. Instead of them helping me, they called for their ¨handler¨ at the time
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

And then there is this from Saw Enough: Posted by: Saw enough Date: September 27, 2018 10:21PM In December 1972 Brother Stevens disappeared for an entire day and a few days later he went to the Valley Church and claimed that he'd been caught up in the spirit and taken 7 years into the future where he saw the Kingdom. As he explained his vision and his sense of losing all track of tim
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Posted by: fool me twice Date: June 28, 2019 05:32AM Changedagain posted: Date: June 28, 2019 12:20AM Walk history would have been radically different if John the Kingdom Apostle had simply owned up to being unfaithful to his wife and mistress--and admitted his being transported from Dec. 1972 to Dec 1979 to witness the coming Kingdom was a fabrication. Maybe the entire organization would
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Discussion group stats: Comments: 12,121 Page views: 3,102,921
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Reep wrote: Some days I wish that I could wake up from the nightmare that is TLWF and never have known any of them. Since that is not possible, I will keep speaking the true facts that I know. Good
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Posts by GSchaeff and Reep regarding JRS: Posted by: GSchaeff Date: October 29, 2018 02:32AM For any new visitors to this forum, one thought I'd like to dispel is that this type of abuse being uncovered is unique to R Holbrook, or that it has not been prevalent in TLW from the very beginning. If anything, R Holbrook had a textbook example of sexual exploitation in his stepfather, JRS
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Reep wrote: Actually, he answered the door in his underwear, which was bad enough. Bad enough is a good answer. I'm really not even interested to know whether "New Level" or "Free Apostle" was inscribed on his underwear. It's none of my business.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

My on-again, off-again infatuation with my dog. I noticed that whenever there was a dispute between us, 'Paleface' would immediately weigh in as an advocate for the dog. Example: Posted by: changedagain Date: November 12, 2014 04:43AM I love my dog. He's helped me get through a lot of things...mainly because he doesn't seem to give a sh*t about the pressures of the da
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

p.s. I was going to write something about The Apostle wearing no clothes, but I'll give it a rest.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thanks, Reep. I also read the Factnet forum for quite some time before I began participating in the wild west of cult discussion. It certainly wasn't easy taking that step--but no regrets. There was so much conditioning to shed, and it helped toward that end. Freedom is incremental, at least in my experience.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Typer wrote: I'm sorry I didn't break free much earlier. You and the other old time posters have provided courage for us new posters to help us find our voice, plus what Shalom has done for all of us. I am thankful for you. Leadership cloaked in so much darkness, we are now shining together to burn away the darkness. Glad I was able to be a part of helping others extricate themselve
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

A thread from November 8-10, 2019: Posted by: 40yearsin2016 Date: November 08, 2019 03:04PM Hey Onion, Glad you're here, and glad you're giving a little energy to speaking the truth to deception. It took me decades to speak the word "cult" out loud. I was walked out of LWF in 1984-5 (cannot remember exactly, those years were so traumatic). I didn't speak the
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Liamthomasusa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Tony was a stalker of young men and teens way back > in the days he was “overseeing the booth at > Shiloh. I could never understand why JRS and then > Hargrave covered and protected him. Unconscionable
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Blowout Wrote: > @changed: I have no doubt he also experienced the > atrocities of the cult, but he definitely made > himself a part of the problem, not the solution. > I hold no ill will, but yeah, he would’nt be > missed in my book. No, I had things turned around. I've decided to blame this blunder on a lack of coffee. Thanks for posting, Blowout.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Wow--I had it wrong. Thanks for the correction, Reep. Reepicheep Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Blowout, > > No, I haven't heard anything about Tony dying. If > you have any more info, could you please share or > PM me? There have been multiple reports of him > being a serial abuser, and of G&M and others > covering for h
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi Blowout, I haven't heard anything. I didn't know Tony, but was told by a few former members of TLWF that he had been through some dreadful things while in the fellowship. If he did pass, I wish him peace.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

From July of 2018: Posted by: seventies walker Date: July 09, 2018 08:03AM GoingRogue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Coercive persuasion was rampant in the early days > of the Walk and during the expansion of the > seventies and early eighties. JRS used "cold > reading" during weekly ministry services to wow > everyone with h
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Good to hear from you, seventies walker. Posted by: seventies walker Date: August 14, 2017 05:24PM First time I am posting. I have been reading and following some of the threads with interest off and on for years My name is David N. I left Frangipane's fellowship in Michigan in 1979.I had been there since 1973 when Gruenberg started the local church.I never spoke to Francis agai
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city. No, this is not taken from a speech, or a tweet, by our much maligned 45th president. It's actually Proverbs 16:32 in the Bible. I know, you're as surprised as I am. ;)
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Reep wrote: > I no longer participate in any church, so I'm not > the best person to give advice to those seeking a > church home. But I will say that the most telltale > sign of a cult is the level of control exercised > by the leaders. Here is a link that might help: > An excellent resource Potentially unsafe groups or leaders "come off very nice at fir
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Man sings 'Looking for a city' Note: I could not resist commenting on this clip.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families