My Conclusion » Featured Posts

Free Hugs to Advertise Jesus

Dan — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:51:54 +0000

By Nala (General member), Iceland
We marched up and down Laugavegur (the main shopping street of Reykjavík) with signs proclaiming “Free Hugs”! I don’t even know how many people we hugged that day. I’m sure I personally hugged over 100! People’s reactions were very positive.
“This is just what I needed! You just saved my day!”
“We need more people like you guys!”
“Thank you. That’s so nice!”
Some people even stopped their cars and ran out to get a hug! Workers in a downtown bar came rushing out all at once to share the love and get a hug. To those who asked what we were advertising and how much it cost, we gladly answered, “We’re not advertising anything but love! And it’s free!” We made sure to advertise Jesus, the King of love, though, and distributed tracts to all we met. With free hugs and a loving message, we did our best to make our part of the world a better place, to brighten the day of strangers, and maybe save a life.

Here is another post with a video-slideshow from a similar event held in Argentina!
Here

“Classic Rock” article on Jeremy Spencer published in the March 2006 edition

Dan — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 17:28:13 +0000

MAC, MYTHS and MYSTERIES
Martin Celmins

Was Fleetwood Mac guitarist Jeremy Spencer really kidnapped mid-tour by a religious cult who shaved his head, brainwashed him and hid him from the band? Um, no. Classic Rock hears the true story.

It’s late February, 1971. A headline in UK music paper Sounds reads: `Jeremy Spencer “Lost in America?”‘. The NME also reports that early on in Fleetwood Mac’s lengthy tour their slide guitarist suddenly went missing in LA. The paper then ratchets up the story with hearsay that he’s joined `a strange religious cult’, is `walking around in a daze like a zombie’ and `just mumbles “Jesus loves you”‘. Apparently, `he’s with about 500 of these people and they’re just like vegetables’.

That `religious zombie’ story, it now turns out, is like the one about one¬time Mac mainman Peter Green flipping out and threatening his accountant with gun unless he takes back a fat royalty cheque: both are fabulous Fleetwood Mac myths, and too juicy to be upstaged by what really happened.

Download Full Article

One Year Later…

Dan — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 17:01:50 +0000

From Anita M. H.
There are some dates which will always stick in your mind, ones that you’ll remember for years, maybe even the rest of your life. January 11th will be that for me, because that’s the day I found out that a good friend of mine had died. That isn’t when it happened though. The actual event took place some time in the evening of January 8th. On that evening someone who meant very much to me, who saw me through some of the roughest years of my life, was brutally murdered. That is something I will never forget.
Until it happens to you, you can’t quite understand what it feels like to lose someone in such a way. Even though I was half way around the world when I heard the news I felt like I may have been right there, the emotions were so strong. Grief, intense grief, and a feeling of loss. Shock, shock not only because it was a murder, but because she was murdered by someone she knew well, someone I also knew. I can’t hardly think of anything more horrific. Anger, the anger was brief. How can you be angry with a dead person? He’d killed himself after commiting the murder, and is now in God’s hands. The woman herself would have forgiven him. I know that. She also would want me to.
Now that a year has passed I find myself remembering the way my friend lived rather than how she died. Her vibrant and warm personality drew others to her. She was loving and open. You always felt she was there for you and that she cared. I remember her eyes and her smile, her infectious laugher, the way she tried to cheer me up when I was feeling down or left out.
She wasn’t a saint. With so much wonderful words written about her it seems as though we’ve made her out to be. I also remember her faults and failings. She was human like the rest of us, but the love she shared is indelible and one day when I’m gone I’d want to be remembered in the same way. I’d want those wonderful qualities she had to be true of me as well. And maybe by trying to be a little more like her, and letting her traits live on in those of us who knew and loved her, she won’t mind if we canonize her a bit.
And now I want to touch on the darker side of the subject—the reason why she was killed. Though Angela had left our group a very embittered young man believed that killing her would bring him some justice for wrongs he’d supposedly suffered as a member of the same organization. Nothing could be further from the truth and you’d imagine anyone with sense could see that he was obviously more than a little crazy, and yet others of his kind have sought to vindicate the crime and hold him up as a victim.
He was a victim in a sense, but not in the way they wanted to portray it. He was a victim of lies and hatred—feelings, thoughts, and ideas fed to him by the very ones who would now seek to excuse his actions, and use this incident as fuel for their never ending attempt to tear down our group.
However, God can and does continue to use even the greatest of tragedies to work for His greater purpose. Now, one year and nearly 500 postings later, it is obvious to the most casual observer that this has done anything but that. A random browsing through the many articles written by numerous young people both in and out of our group will show that this has only strengthened our beliefs and brought about the realization that in the words of Gamaliel “if this work be of man it will come to naught, but if it be of God nothing can overthrow it.” No, this hasn’t brought the end. Rather it’s brought us all together, and confirmed that we’re still here, still going, still fighting for our cause. We’re still standing. And for that I know that Angela’s death was not in vain.

Jeannie Zerby Deyo Speaks Out!

Dan — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 04:51:01 +0000

(Sister to Karen Zerby a.k.a. Maria David, aunt to Ricky Rodriguez)

I met Angela Joy about six years ago. We called her Joy. Such an appropriate name for her. She was a joy to be around. She was undoubtedly one of the most unique people I had ever met. She was a ray of sunshine in our lives. When we had little hope, Joy gave us hope. When we had little faith, Joy gave us faith. With her optimism, and her sweet spirit, anything seemed possible. When she came to visit, the whole atmosphere became charged with her love. With her hugs and “I love you” and her willingness to do whatever was in her power to help and comfort, she transformed our home into a haven of peace and goodwill. The change was so remarkable that we commented on it time and time again. When she would leave, it was like a spark had burned out and only rekindled again when she returned.

I will give you a little background on myself, so you can understand why it is so important that you know why I feel as strongly as I do.

I was raised in a Christian home with three children. My folks were very godly people, and still are, and I have enormous respect for them. As the middle of three girls, I felt I was ganged up on by the other two. We certainly had our battles, and must have made life quite miserable for our parents. At times I was sure I hated my folks for the life they had brought me into, and if I had been able to, I would most assuredly have posted my dissatisfaction on the web. I felt that I couldn’t be like other kids, since I was expected to always set a good example. So I rebelled by doing anything I could to let them know how unhappy I was with my lot. My parents of course really loved us, and only wanted the best for us; they didn’t have any intention of hurting me. But because they were very religious, and they wanted to do their best to raise me in a protective environment, they were more strict than other parents, and so my natural tendency was to just rebel, as do many children against their parents.

When my sister joined the Children of God in the late 60’s I was very bitter toward her. She was my parents’ pride and joy. She had so much going for her. She had a good job, a college scholarship, and brains. Everything I didn’t have, and I was envious. And at the same time, I knew she was breaking my parents’ hearts. My mother cried for days. At the time I don’t think I was really aware of how much it affected them. I was actually happy I didn’t have to put up with her anymore.

Now I realize why she did what she did. She went to church every Sunday and to prayer meeting every Wednesday, but she wanted to do so much more. She wanted to spread the Gospel to people who would not go to a church building to worship.

It was thirty years until I would see my sister again. She had sent her two children to visit their grandparents about 3 years earlier. I will never forget how they called their mother a “saint”. You could tell that they both loved her dearly. I couldn’t quite imagine her to be a saint, but when I met her again after 30 years, all the bitterness I had against her when I was a teenager suddenly vanished and I understood why her children felt the way they did.

I didn’t know Ricky well, I just saw him for a few minutes, three or four times. But I liked him. He seemed sweet and generous. The people that knew him said he was a warm, kind, loving person. Where did that come from? Are we just born that way, or is it a result of our upbringing? Ricky had to get his gentle nature from somewhere. I know it came from his Family teachings. I have to wonder what happened to Ricky in those years after he first came to visit us. He would have been about 20 at the time. Why then 9 years later did he hate his mother so much? He didn’t leave the Family for another 5 years. That would have made him around 24 or 25.

I remember that, when I saw him a couple years after he left the Family and came to visit his grandparents, he was angry he hadn’t gotten the education that he wanted. From what I’ve seen and heard from Family members, I feel that if I had the opportunities that their children had, my own life would have been quite different. Home schooling in the Family doesn’t mean just giving them reading material then go off to work and hope they study while you’re gone. They work hands on with the children; and from what I’ve seen they have some of the smartest kids you’ll ever find.

For example, second generation Family members Darren and Clair and their children (third generation) came to visit and put on a program for our residents. They were amazingly talented, and so well behaved. One resident said that she had never seen such smart children, and she has a couple great grandchildren. So I have a hard time believing kids in the Family don’t get a proper education. I doubt very much that most of the children in the “real world” get anything to compare to it.

I am still in shock and disbelief how this happened. How could anyone in their right mind viciously wipe out such a beautiful life? But we know that Ricky was not in his right mind. His mind was filled with anger and hate. Hate which was applauded, encouraged and fed by other hateful people. He renounced the Lord and started associating himself with people who were bent on destroying the Family. Hate breeds hate. This wasn’t a crime of passion, this was a premeditated murder. Ricky had a choice. Ricky is not a victim, he is not a hero. Ricky is a murderer. I do not hate Ricky for what he did. I feel very, very sad that he was so angry and filled with hate. Those last hours in his life must have been hell. I cry for him. He was part of my family.

I am not disputing the fact that the Family made some mistakes early on. They are the first to admit it and change it. Haven’t we all made mistakes in our lives? I know I have, The Family has done so much good around the world, doing charity work and bringing millions of people to Jesus. Joy was involved in many of those very worthy causes. “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7).

Joy made us better people just by knowing her. We are grateful and blessed that we were able to have her with us if only for a short time. We grieve for her. But we know that she is happy and still hugging and saying “I love you” to everyone.

Jeannie Zerby Deyo

Mark Elder Speaks Out

Dan — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 17:03:01 +0000

(From a second-generation former member)

My name is Mark Elder and I’m 32, or was it 31. Oh well, I’m getting senile before my time. I guess I wanted to put my two cents in on what happened with David [Ricky Rodrigues].

A quick history: I left the Family when I was 19 and rejoined for a year when I was 28 and then left again and ended up spending another month in Sara and Alf’s home a few months later before finally moving on for good. Most people who knew me in the Family would say that I was a nice guy as well, and would probably have good things to say about me, aside from my leaving the Family.

I used to consider myself a good person too. But in the course of my life I’ve learned a lot about human nature, from others, and a great deal from myself. I know what it’s like to go from being the Family’s most ardent supporter, to feeling hate and bitterness towards the Family to the point of wanting to take action against it. And what was even more confusing to me when trying to interpret and figure out such a change of emotions, was that there was never any real basis for my growing bitterness and hate for the Family.

I was definitely never abused. Those I dealt with in the Family were always kind and loving and went out of their way to help me in any way they could. Where did this change come from? In the end it’s a simple formula.

First of all pride is a very real thing, and when it gets in the way it distorts everything. Combine a good dose of pride with a lot of negative input, i.e. I read and researched all that the detractors had said and made it my business to find out the truth of what really happened, and before long I was immersed in this negative input, so much so that that became my truth and what consumed my mind.

I know that If I had not broken that negative cycle, that I too could have brought myself to the point where I could have done harm to someone in some way through my actions. Maybe not murder, but we are all capable of murder if we let ourselves become consumed with hate and bitterness. It is literally like a poison, and if you don’t confront it and see it for what it is, it does you nothing but harm.

In a way I do know what David was going through, and how horrible the mental anguish can be when you are in that state of mind, especially when it involves people that you once loved and cared about. I don’t excuse what he did, but I know he is forgiven. And even more so due to the nature of the times we live in.

We are most definitely in the last stages of this world’s existence and for those of us who believe, we know that the final battle is at hand and it’s not going to be pretty. I can feel the spiritual intensity more then ever in my life and the lives of those I know. The devil is out for keeps now and there will be many more casualties before the war is won.

I don’t look forward to the horrible suffering that I know is coming to this world and to everyone in it. And I don’t believe we can even begin to comprehend how bad it will get. I used to think about the “end time” as an exciting time when all that I was taught would finally be fulfilled before my eyes. But now that I begin to understand the gravity of what awaits us, my heart is filled with sadness for the world and the suffering that awaits it. Many more situations like what happened with David are sure to come. And the old stay-close-to-the-Lord formula is all I can recommend.

And as far as my spiritual ups and downs go, I’ve definitely learned that Jesus is the only true rock in my life. His word and time with Him are the only things that keep me in the right frame of mind. When I stray and don’t spend time with Him, I don’t do well. And when I stay in the Word and close to Him, even though it sometimes seems harder, I know that it is the only choice that works for me.

As far as my attitude towards those that turn to the darkness and choose the path of negativity, well I honestly feel sorry for them. I know how tormenting it is to be in that frame of mind and my heart goes out to them. If I could say one thing to the Family on this subject, it is to remember that we are supposed to: bless them that curse us, and pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us. Pray for them, not against them, for they know not what they do. Always show love in your words and actions toward them, that is what we as Christians are supposed to do. I fall short all the time, but that is what Christianity is to me. It’s a lifetime of learning how to love. And it will probably take more than a lifetime for me, but at least I know what to strive for.

And as an American, I ask one more thing of you. Pray for America. Don’t pray for its destruction, pray for its salvation. There are so many lost and deceived people here, that have experienced a lifetime of lies and don’t know any better. This country especially is going to suffer in the days to come, and there are so many good-hearted people here that will need your prayers and love in the days to come.

God bless you all and keep going for God—in these dark days there really is no other option.

Love, Mark