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Living Church of God members are to not let twiggy ideas or personal agendas lead them astray

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Living Church of God has another Chicken Soup for the Soul Friday night message for their faithful in the church.

The problem with it all is that it is just another rehash of a tired and worn our record that has been skipping for 20 some years now. They have been preaching a message that they call the gospel, which is filled with doom, gloom and almost no hope at all for anyone, including their members.

LCG members are encouraged to be lights to the world, yet turn their backs on the world around them. When is the last time LCG, as a church, told its members to be lights by helping at homeless shelters, or to feed the hungry, or care for the orphans who are not church members?  When have their members made sandwiches or meals for the police or fire departments in their neignborhoods who have to work on holidays or during times of disasters or emergencies?  When has LCG ever shown their thanks like this?  What about cooking a warm meal for the prostitutes or drug addicts who have no hope in their lives?

God forbid if LCG members get caught up in such twiggy ideas or being peripheral agents of grace!  It is better to ignore them, or at least beat them up with the law.

Oh, and LCG members are to NEVER let "personal agenda's" ever overwhelm their lives, especially Headquarters employees, and leadership.  Has there ever been a COG HQ filled with more backstabbing than LCG?  Given the long history of members and employees spilling the beans on HQ shenanigans, we all know that "personal agenda's" is the game of the day, and the children of the dead leader and his relatives live in an alternate universe from the rest of the membership.

Living Church of God members are to NEVER sit around and complain about the hypocrisy at HQ and in the leadership.

Living Church of God members are to develop their minds to be just like Christ's.  As usual, LCG members have to be constantly doing something to please their God. Unless they continually are working and working and working and working to please their God, they bear the burden of stirring up it's wrath.  Living Church of God's continual denial of being true followers of Jesus leaves LCG members with no ultimate hope.  Constantly having to do things makes them feel good, but still leaves them distant and longing for the grace some sincerely seek, but never quite find.
Where Is Your Heart?
Jesus urged His disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). He said, “My food [My nourishment, what motivates Me] is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Jesus was a mission-oriented person who challenged His disciples to follow in His footsteps (Matthew 4:18-22). Truly dedicated Christians are committed to that same mission—preaching the Gospel, warning the world, feeding the flock and being real Christian lights and examples to those around them (Matthew 10:6-7; Mathew 24; 1 Timothy 4:12; 1 John 2:15-19). They cannot afford to get side-tracked on peripheral issues or twiggy ideas (2 Timothy 2:14-19). They don’t let personal agendas—economic, political or romantic—pull them off course (Matthew 13:18-23). They don’t listen to rumors, and they don’t stand around and complain—they focus on what is good and what is positive (Philippians 4:8). They don’t let interpersonal differences hinder their spiritual growth or their relationship with others (Romans 12:14-18). Their goal is to develop the mind of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5-11). The Sabbath is a good time to ponder the question—Where is Your Heart?
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

United Church of God Struggles To Understand Why People Who Attend With Them Choose Not To Be Baptized

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United Church of God continues to struggle to understand why they cannot seem to connect with their members and potential members.  They have dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars on failed campaigns and personal appearances that generate 0-1 new attendees.  Then, once they start attending, they see no need to get baptized.
A spontaneous discussion ensued about baptism. Why are more people who attend with us not baptized? We have people of all ages sitting in our midst who do not feel the compunction to obey the first command given to the Christian church: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Why don’t more people take “the plunge?” Do they not understand the importance of this most important decision in life? Do we in the ministry not point out how imperative this step is? Are people not wanting to be “held accountable” by being baptized?
So what is UCG to do?  Force them into Bible Studies?  Ruin a fun Feast by having Bible Studies for the wayward heathens?  Apparently so, as many of the people are filled with misunderstandings that UCG seeks to clear up.
In the discussion, various pastors commented about how to improve this situation without unnaturally forcing one to act before they are prepared. But, what can we do to make them “ready?” Elders gave various suggestions, including focused Bible studies for those not baptized to allow prospective members to think about this critical decision. This type of special Bible study could even be held at the Feast of Tabernacles. For some of those who are not yet baptized, there may be a misunderstanding about what is required to be baptized and a study of the subject could clear this up.
Then UCG  quotes Matthew 11:28-30 as if it is something that they do on a regular basis.  This verse is specifically for those that Christ has seen abused and mistreated by the law keepers and Pharisees. Grace brings that rest that they seek, but yet is always just beyond their reach because they refuse to believe they don't have to constantly be doing something.
Christ told the public: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). While we sacrifice to be a disciple of Christ, it is an easier road to travel than had we not made the decision to become a Christian.
His yoke is easy and the burden is light

Issue 199, The Journal: News of the Churches of God

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Issue 199 of The Journal is out.

Besides the shocking revelation that Dixon Cartwright is shutting down the Journal, it is filled with several interesting articles, both in a good way and a bad way.

One of the lead article sis by UCG's Don Hooser on "Is there ever an appropriate reason to leave the church?"

Hooser claims that for those who fall away and stop attending church fall into darkness and will have a hard time every finding the light again. He also goes on to say that for those that leave the church that the Holy Spirit automatically leaves you.  Utter bullshit!  UCG wonders why people don't want to be baptized, this kind of crap is why!
This straying away from the truth of God’s Word is dangerous, though, because it can eventually lead to a complete falling away from the Church. The farther you stray from the light, the greater the darkness and the difficulty in finding your way back.
To completely fall away means to lose the Holy Spirit: The “light goes out.” For you to leave the Church means the Holy Spirit has left you. 
Hooser's bullshit just keeps getting deeper.  Those who leave the COG immediately become degenerate sinners where they will find it is impossible to come to repentance.  Because of that, they crucify Christ over and over and over and over again.  The poor dude has died so many times on the high school gym or Masonic Lodge stage that it has to be exhausting for the guy to have to keep climbing back up on the cross!
According to Hebrews 6:4-6, to completely fall away means it is “impossible” to come to “repentance,” since the fallen away “crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”
This happens in conjunction with a complete hardening of the heart to “sin willfully” (Hebrews 10:26-31) 
There is an article about Spokesmen Club.  Men and women in the church either loved it or hated it with a passion.  Some claimed it helped them to overcome speaking fears, others got sick of the horrendous verbal and spiritual abuse dished out by abusive ministers and idiot members. 

There is the continuing series of flashback articles regarding the glory days of the church and the horrible result of the changes in the  mid-1990's.  As usual, they whitewash the story as if all of the people who now led the splinter groups are martyrs for the truth.  Ha Ha.

Alton Billingsley is back with his usual end of the world scenario.  With the horrific damage from hurricane Irma to the wildfires in California, the end is now here. Read it and weep.

Read issue 199 here.

Dixon Cartwright Shutting Down The Journal: News of the Churches of God

David C Pack: Listen to Your Heart, Not Him!

Living Church of God To Soon Start Additional Monitoring Of All LCG Families

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Give us all of your information!



Just received this from an LCG source:

We have just been informed that all LCG members will soon be receiving a call from their pastor, or his designated handler, to verify all family information.  this is being dine under the guise that LCG records are not up to date and they need to make sure their family and individual profiles are accurate.
The church has been having a huge issue over the last year or so with membership not attending services as regularly as they used to.  Many LCG members are frequently attending with other COG's now that Weston has assumed power.  So many are disgusted by the corruption in the church and the increased number of rules and legalistic demands that Weston has placed on members so that some have chosen to attend elsewhere at times and also to give tithe money to other groups occasionally, or to hold on to it.
Part of this "accuracy check" is also letting ministers determine if the members are still paying tithes.  When membership drops, income drops and the powers to be start scrambling to determine what is going on. LCG is also looking at information on how often members are attending church.
The Church of God has had a long history of using member checks to verify tithing income levels.  Pasadena WCG routinely went through tithing records of members and employees and used those records to determine job status and perceive income levels that they used to determine how much tithe money members should be sending in.  Dave Pack and Gerald Flurry have taken this spying on members to new levels and have used it as a tool to threaten salvation and membership status. Being disfellowshipped and publicly humiliated in the pulpit by public vilification frightens many people into toeing the line.

This appears to be one more tool in monitoring members and keeping them in line and compliant.  The good thing is that many LCG members are no longer toeing the company line and have started to think for themselves.






Did Peter and the Key-Man Principle Pass from Herbert Armstrong to Rod Meredith and then to Gerald Weston?

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Church of God News has a post up about how Living Church of God's Rod McNair claims the office of Peter passed from Herbert Armstrong to Meredith and then upon Meredith's death it passed on to Weston.

COGNews is correct in pointing out that Herbert Armstrong found great umbrage in Rod Meredith's actions and treatment of members.  Herbert Armstrong never passed on any authority to Rod Meredith and certainly never intended for him to start two different splinter churches.  HWA received countless reports about how Meredith was mistreating members and finally took action banishing him to Hawaii for a year.

But more importantly was the claim that Herbert Armstrong assumed he could bind and loose earthly things in heaven, particularly when it came to doctrine or church traditions.  The biggest example of this was the change in the date that the church kept Pentecost on.  In an instant, it went from Monday to Sunday.  The same could be said about other doctrines of the church, including the make-up doctrine. One minute it was on, and then the next off, and then on and then off again all bound and loosed in heaven, over and over again.

On September 8th a video by Rod McNair, ‘Peter and the Key-Man Principle’, was uploaded onto both the lcg.org and Facebook websites, and also YouTube. 
In an interview with Jeff Booth in 1980, Herbert Armstrong declared: 
“The title, and the keys, passed from chief apostle to chief apostle, from Peter to Peter. Each chief apostle was the new Peter. 
He said, ‘Now I am the chief apostle, and I am the Peter’.”
“Whatever I bind is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose is loosed in heaven.” “The Day of Pentecost is now on Sunday. But, since I had made the decision to observe Pentecost on Monday, for years the Day of Pentecost was actually on Monday.”
If Herbert Armstrong held the office of The Peter’, as he believed, did he pass it  to Roderick Meredith? Herbert Armstrong wrote to Roderick Meredith (later in 1980), rejecting him as a possible successor    
“Rod, in frankest candor, JESUS CHRIST will NEVER put any one at the head of His Work on earth who is competitive, covetous of power and status, and self-righteous. In brutal frankness, you lack the charisma to lead God's work. You do not attract - as I said before, you REPEL people. You are a harsh taskmaster over those under you. THAT IS YOUR RECORD!” 
How then can the ‘Peter Principle’ have passed ‘the title and the keys’ from Roderick Meredith to Gerald Weston giving him the power to bind and loosen biblical doctrine?
COG leaders who have started various splinter groups have all take this "binding and loosing" to themselves and who feel they are God's only vehicle to do this.  Dave Pack takes it as far as claiming that he is able to know whether God has forgiven people for their sins or not.
“…and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven…” Some will say that this verse gives men the power or authority to change what God has said in the Bible. This is absolutely not the case! No man can change what God has said! The true ministers of God have been given the authority to bind only that which is in agreement with God’s laws. That, then, would be backed up—bound—by God. When God’s ministers make a decision, it is based on Scripture—based on God’s will. But this in no way is giving ministers the power to forgive sin. Only God can and does that (Mark 2:7). God does give ministers the ability to discern when a person has repented of certain sins, thus concluding that God has forgiven them.
No Church of God minister has the qualifications to discern any such thing.  COG leaders have always placed themselves between their members and God.  COG leaders no longer have any control over members lives because not a single one of them received any authority from Peter that supposedly was held by Herbert Armstrong.  HWA could neither bind nor loose any doctrine or belief any more than any present-day COG leader can.  Whether it is Gerald Weston, Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry or Vic Kubik, none of these men have that power handed down to them from Peter.  It is an impossibility.



The McDonald Twins: Living Church of God Family

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You may have seen this story in the news lately.

New life, apart: Rare surgery to separate brothers conjoined at head

The parents say they are telling their story to honor the medical staff for taking care of them over the last several months -- and they hope their message can help other parents struggling with a sick child. "To let them know these things that are difficult," Christian says, "can be a blessing in disguise." 
Nicole, 31, worked as a pediatric physical therapist and has been helping the boys with their motor skills, preparing them for being separated. Her favorite thing now is sitting quietly in the living room, listening to them babble back and forth in their bedroom, as if they're talking to each other.  
For Nicole and Christian, life nowadays is a collision of fear and joy, of excitement and anxiety. There are so many unknowns about prognosis and survival the McDonalds have had to find comfort in uncertainty. Christian says they understand that "one or both twins can be neurologically challenged, or they can have a mental or physical handicap" as a result of the operation. 
"We know that is definitely a real possibility, but we're still going to love our boys," the 37-year-old father says. 

Formerly conjoined twins return home


Dixon Cartwright On Why he Is Shutting Down "The Journal"

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The Painful Truth blog reached out to Dixon Cartwright regarding the reason he has chosen to shut down The Journal in January of 2018.

One of the comments Dixon made in his letter to the PT was this:

My original intent for my newspaper was to help people maintain contact with other COG Christians across the boundaries of the various COG groups and also to provide a forum. We were kind of like a blog before there were blogs. We were different from In Transition in that John’s aim was to have two of his trusted friends check out articles before they were published in In Transition for correctness of doctrine. The friends were Ron Dart and Leon Walker. I did not share the view with John that that was an appropriate consideration for my newspaper. Rather, I welcomed creative essays, even those advocating unorthodox versions of doctrines, and did not feel the need to make sure they were correct or for me to agree with them. As a result, we printed many such opinion pieces — editorials, letters, essays — with many of them disagreeing with each other, frequently in the same issue of The Journal. My main consideration was that writers deal politely with each other in their doctrinal and political discussions, especially since people with different interpretations of Scripture can reasonably prove their varying doctrines from the Bible.
I think this is what made The Journal more widely accepted than some other venues.  As crazy as some of the ads and articles were, he gave them a place to share their viewpoints.  Armstrongism has had a horrible track record in doing everything its power in shutting people down over the decades.  The Internet has changed all of that and none of them have any control over the flow of information anymore.

I think the Ambassador Report was the forefront in starting all of the blogs, websites, and other venues that have popped up over the decades since the late 1980's.  Church members were hungry for information and news about the constant upheavals, whether over doctrine or administration problems, that they eagerly read anything they could get their hands on.  After Ambassador Report stopped being published, John Robinson started In Transition to document the ongoing issues in the Churches of God. The Journal filled a unique void in the church news sphere and was also instrumental in sharing the constant drama during all of the doctrinal changes in the Worldwide Church of God.

Read the entire letter here:  Dixon Cartwright. Why he is closing down the Journal

Does God Let People Deliberately Die In Order To Save Them From Future Calamities?

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Today a Lutheran pastor and a conservative has set off a firestorm after he wrote the following concerning the church shooting in Texas this past Sunday:

"For those with little understanding of and less regard for the Christian faith, there may be no greater image of prayer’s futility than Christians being gunned down mid-supplication. But for those familiar with the Bible’s promises concerning prayer and violence, nothing could be further from the truth. When those saints of First Baptist Church were murdered yesterday, God wasn’t ignoring their prayers. He was answering them.
We also pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God’s will be done. Sometimes, his will is done by allowing temporal evil to be the means through which he delivers us from eternal evil. Despite the best (or, more accurately, the worst) intentions of the wicked against his children, God hoists them on their own petard by using their wickedness to give those children his victory, even as the wicked often mock the prayers of their prey."
"We also pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God’s will be done. Sometimes, his will is done by allowing temporal evil to be the means through which he delivers us from eternal evil. Despite the best (or, more accurately, the worst) intentions of the wicked against his children, God hoists them on their own petard by using their wickedness to give those children his victory, even as the wicked often mock the prayers of their prey. "
"So when a madman with a rifle sought to persecute the faithful at First Baptist Church on Sunday morning, he failed. Just like those who put Christ to death, and just like those who have brought violence to believers in every generation, this man only succeeded in being the means through which God delivered his children from this evil world into an eternity of righteousness and peace."
“We do not need to fear the day of persecution that’s coming to the church, because God said it’s going to come. He warned us over 2,000 years ago the day was coming. And rather than fear it, He said just endure it. Now ‘endure it’ is a hard word. ‘Endure it’ doesn’t mean that they might take your ice cream away today. ‘Endure it’ means it may be a rough day. It may be a rough few years. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.”   See:  When The Saints Of First Baptist Church Were Murdered, God Was Answering Their Prayers
The above quotes from the Lutheran pastor are by no means unique to him.  This has always been a common theme in the Church of God.  I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have heard ministers and members say that when a person has died from either a horrible accident or in their sleep, that God was saving them from the soon coming tribulation.  They had fought the good fight and God was saving them a little early.

Even when small babies or children have died, callous ministers and members have said the same thing.  God took their lives so that they might have a better life later.  Who in the hell wants to hear that shit when they are grieving?

While the Christian hope certainly is in a better life to come, God certainly is not letting unborn babies or 98-year-old women be murdered in church just to save them for something better.  This kind of thinking is just one more piece of rotten fruit lobed into the already putrid basket of legalism.
 

"Wormwood" Has Been Identified and is a Church of God Member!

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Forget everything you ever heard Herbert Armstrong tell you about "wormwood" from the Book of Revelation.  He was wrong!  Wormwood is alive today!  He has been identified and is a Church of God member!  Who knew??????
The THIRD TRUMPET ANGEL sounded on September 5, 2004 when Mrs. Barbara Flurry died. But someone may ask, Why would the death of Mrs. Flurry be connected with this “great star” in verse 10? Remember that the HEART is a symbol for the PCG ministry and someone specific from that ministry is being described in this prophecy as “a great star from heaven” who is being identified by God to be the root cause of the spiritual congestive heart failure of the PCG.
Who is this “great star from heaven”? We know that a “star” signifies a “member.” So this is referring to a MEMBER of the ministry in God’s Church. Who is this minister from the PCG being mentioned here?
And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. (Revelation 8:11)
What is “Wormwood” in the Bible?
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; (Deuteronomy 29:18)
The introduction of paganism in God’s Church is “Wormwood” in God’s eyes.
But God is giving the name “Wormwood” to a minister in God’s Church in this last end. But why give the name Wormwood?
From The Philadelphia Trumpet, November 1995, Simon Magus History—Prophecy for Today
Here is what The New Concise Bible Dictionary states about Simon Magus: “In Acts 8:9 a pagan wonder-worker who had amazed the local Samaritans. He claimed to be a manifestation of God (v. 10)…when he saw Philip’s signs and wonders, and the Holy Spirit given when Peter and John laid hands on the converts, he offered cash in return for the gift (vv. 17ff.)… he was obsessed with the idea of power” (p. 517, 1989).
There is another type in this last end who was so obsessed with the idea of power. He is this Wormwood being prophesied in Revelation chapter 8. 
This last end Wormwood also thought to become a GREAT ONE just like his first century predecessor, Simon Magus. That’s why this spiritual Wormwood is being described by God as “a great star from heaven” or “a great member of the PCG ministry.”
That future is pertaining to this last end we are living in today. So another type of Simon Magus has infiltrated God’s Church whose influence far transcends his local region. This is the how paganism such as Mother’s Day, Irish Dance and Cremation was introduced to the PCG, because of this minister’s influence.
Who is this minister? 
Here is the 2017 version of "wormwood." We all knew that the Philadelphia Church of God was evil to its core and now it has been confirmed!



John McDonald is "wormwood!" This evil man is satan personified and has brought in such appalling evil as Irish Dance, Mother's Day observance and cremation!  Shocking!  Just shocking!

McDonald is also combining forces with Satan's other agent, Stephen Flurry.


Stephen Flurry and Brad Macdonald is already seeing their spiritual SICKNESS in the context of the Edstone work wherein it added nothing to the work of the PCG. At first when they went there, they thought that they would be able to acquire the Stone of Destiny in Scotland for themselves but God did not bless their efforts. So what have they done to save face or avoid humiliation? They concocted a plan to replace the real “Jacob’s pillar stone” in the minds of the PCG membership and came up with a very bright idea of making Mr. Armstrong’s supposed “Prayer Rock” as the new Stone of Destiny. Then to perfectly implement their plan, Stephen persuaded his father to give a sermon last January 2017 that made Mr. Armstrong a type of Jacob or Israel, while his father would claim the throne of the current physical royal household in Britain for himself, thus becoming its new king until Christ’s return.

You can read the full story of Wormy McDonald here:  THE SEVENTH SEAL: The History and Prophecy of the Philadelphia Church of God

"Get Over it!"

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Printed with enthusiastic permission!


Getting over "Get over it"


I belong to a wonderful private Facebook group. What makes this group part of my daily social networking addiction is what we all share in common. We are all former members of a fundamentalist Christian cult.
We share our stories, really bad jokes, get brutally and often profanely honest, connect with old friends, and generally support one another as we all work through what growing up in a very controlled and toxic environment has done to us. Personally, it has helped me finally have a place to share with those who truly understand what my past was really like, something I’ve not been able to do completely until I found this crazy cavalcade of cult survivors.
Every so often someone joins our group, and is dismayed by the raw and painful emotions they encounter there. They don’t quite understand the anger and the pain displayed, often by people who escaped the cult years ago. And so they usually end up offering the same advice: Get over it.
I really hate that platitude.
How does one “get over” discovering that everything they’d been taught about God and religion since childhood was a lie? How does one get over needless deaths or prolonged illnesses brought on by church teachings? How does one get over being inculcated into a “religion” that fostered rape, child abuse, spousal abuse, forced divorce, abandonment of every sort—that created and insisted upon poverty?
How does one “get over” losing family members who will no longer have anything to do with you, because you walked away from “God’s True Church”?
How does one “get over” all the things, and all the ways, that have nearly broken us, when patching and sewing back together all the cracks, rends, and damage done to us is such an agonizingly slow process?
While it is true that time can soften the memories and ease the pain of past traumas, “getting over it” is an impossibility. Life-altering events forever change us—even positive ones. But it seems to be the negative events that we have such a hard time with. Maybe it’s because we suppress the emotions they bring up in us, and don’t share our stories, because we’ve encountered too many “get over it” responses. Maybe it’s because our culture and our churches tell us that we must forgive, must be strong, must move on, must stop “living in the past.”
So we try to do those things, by hiding our anger and anguish. Which only leaves us feeling fragile, stuck and alone.
Everyone wants to feel like they belong, even just a little bit, that they matter, that they are understood, that they are cared for who they are right now, where they are, how they are. Everyone needs compassion—or its more personal sister, empathy.
I sometimes wonder if being empathetic is becoming a lost art. Other people’s pains and struggles can make us feel uncomfortable, yes. And hearing of the pain of another can also make us prideful, insofar as we make the terrible mistake of assuming that we know what they really should be feeling and doing.
When that happens, the other person—the person who only needs to be heard and maybe even a little respected—finds themselves dismissed. Declared (however subtly) lacking and weak, they turn away, feeling just as bad, if not a good deal worse, than they did before they reached out.
Empathy does the opposite. Empathy doesn’t cower at the brutal honesty of pain. It doesn’t write off the sufferer as immature just because they fail to take pre-formulated steps to wellness.
Empathy embraces the person and the pain they are wracked with. It lets the sufferer have freedom to heal in their own way and time: it does not rush them, or immediately formulate a solution for them. It allows him or her emote, to vent, to feel like someone finally gives a damn about them.
People who are empathetic—empaths—often understand suffering up close and personal. They are coming from a place that is true to Jesus’ ancient and beautiful teaching of “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” They know how to do that. They know what that means.
All of us need empaths in our lives. They are, to me, a divine blessing, tools in the hands of a loving God, gifted to us so that we can feel less alone, less afraid, less misunderstood, less like giving up. Their examples of kindness and patience, and their capacity for loving so beautifully, are something that I strive to emulate.
I want to show others the love that I have been shown. If you would join me in this nurturing and passing along of empathy, maybe together we can bring a little bit of healing into the world.

Sylvie King Parris is an admin on the Unfundamentalist Facebook page.She blogs at It’s a Mis-fit.

UCG's Mixed Messages To Its Youth Concerning Winter Family Weekend

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United Church of God claims it is all for its youth and is concerned that they learn true messages when it comes to being a UCG Christian.  However, UCG continues to send so many mixed message to its youth that they are left confused.  One thing teenagers and youth quickly can see is when adults tell them one thing and practice another.  They see through the crap that adults blissfully accept as "that is the way it always been so why argue over it anymore."

Case in point, UCG's Winter Family Weekend.  The WFW was actually started by Jim O'Brien and the arrogant boys in Cincinnati did not appreciate him doing something that they had not thought of first.  O'Brien was called on the carpet by UCG and eventually terminated.

UCG was none too happy that non-UCG youth were invited to attend the WFW.  Whether they were from outside UCG in another COG or not even members, they found this wrong.  This upset many who rightfully wanted to know why it was happening.  Apparently, none of them ever thought what better role roll model could a non-COG youth have than to spend several days in a safe Christian environment where UCG members and youth could set an example for them.


There are many family weekend events during the year, but by far the largest gatherings are at the WFW over Christmas – this year December 22-26. 
The 21st Lexington Winter Family Weekend, sponsored by the Cincinnati and Lexington churches, will be held at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort in Lexington, Kentucky. The event is open to everyone.
Its Facebook page says, The Winter Family Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky has helped change the culture of the Church of God. Twenty years ago God blessed us with an event without borders. People quickly learned that it is what you believe -- not the name on the church door that makes the difference. It’s an environment where friends can meet as equals to worship together and celebrate the Faith that is common to us all.
In 1997 these two churches were independent corporations affiliated with the United Church of God. By 2004 attendance had increased to 2000, up to 20% of whom were members of other ex-WCG groups. 
At that time UCG’s governance was a strict hierarchy, and the Home Office did not look kindly on large scale local events not being under its control, or including non-members. Furthermore, any form of congregational authority, such as local boards and advisory councils, was regarded as contrary to its founding principles.
The local pastor, Jim O'Brien, was suspended for comments he made during Sabbath announcements at Lexington on 13th March 2004, and was summoned to the Home Office, where he was interrogated about the WFW and his difference of philosophies with UCG, by members of Ministerial Services. After breaking a demand not to discuss these matters, even with fellow ministers, his employment was terminated. The Lexington church voted to leave the UCG, while the Cincinnati church was split.  COGNews
Part of the problem UCG has always faced is that they are doing this weekend during one of the most widely observed Christian festivals of the year.  Beautiful bright lights, joyous songs filling the air, warm and wonderful smelling food, and so much more fill the entire complex that the WFW setting is in. Talk about sending a mixed message to its youth!
You are to hate Christmas, but ignore the fact we booked a hotel filled the glorious and beautiful Christmas decorations.  Just put your ear plugs in and blinders on your eyes.  Don't look at Satan or the pretty lights and above all don't eat any Christmas cookies.  Its all pagan, after all.  Look at all of the poor deceived people surrounding you who are being blinded by Satan and feel sorry that they don't know what fun it is to play games down the hallway while they could listen to Dwight Armstrong hymns being played.  After all, it is a foretaste of the Kingdom to come! 
Even with this mixed message being sent to the youth, there is an even bigger problem that UCG parents got upset about last year.  Apparently, there were people not in UCG attending the weekend with them!  Ghastly days!  God forbid if they were set an example for these people that might impress them so much they would want to join UCG.  Oh no, we can't have that!   Even worse, these vile cretins were playing games on Friday night!  OH, NOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But seriously, it is another mixed message being sent to the youth.  It is OK for the "outsiders" to play games on Friday night, but not you.  You have to sit in your hotel room and play The Talent Game and read Mystery of the Ages while they are all having real fun.  Just remember, handwriting out the Book of Deuteronomy as a Bible Study is more important that having real fun!


All was not well for some at the 2016 event, one UCG Parent commenting:
“My family and I participated at winter family weekend this year in Ohio and was very disappointed when we found out that apparently people who are not in our church can participate in the sporting events, and these are people who are playing on Friday nights and are not even members or even go to UCG - they just show up for the perks!! This is very frustrating, because we try to raise our kids up that its not OK to play sports on Friday nights!! Our church is supporting people who do those things. I remember back in the WOU days, if you werent a regular church member, you didnt play!”   COGNews

Didache Teachings Concerning True Prophets and Apostles

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Most members of the Church of God were never exposed to the Didache, one of the oldest Christian documents from the 1st-century that was supposedly an amalgamation of the teachings of the 12 Apostles and was written as a "handbook" for new Christians. This was written sometime within 50-60 years after the death of Christ and was a tool for new converts to understand what was expected of them.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 11 concerning apostles and prophets in the church.  As you can see not a single COG self-appointed prophet or apostle follows these standards.  The implications laid out below for apostles and prophets is a life of poverty and simplicity where a man was regarded as a false prophet if they asked for money.  Also, if these prophets and apostles stayed in one place longer than 1 day they were to be considered false teachers. This presents a huge issue for James Malm, Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, and other COG prophets and apostles.


CHAPTER XI.
WHOEVER then cometh and teacheth you 1all these things, spoken above, receive him; but if the teacher himself, 2being misled, teaches another teaching, so as to overthrow this, do not hear him; but 3if he teach so as to advance righteousness and the knowledge of the Lord, receive him as the Lord. But as regards the 4apostles and prophets, according to 5the decree of the gospel, so do ye. And every apostle who cometh to you, let him be received as the Lord; but 6he shall not remain more than one day; if, however, there be need, then the next day; but if he remain three days, he is a false prophet. But when the apostle departs, let him take nothing except bread enough to last him till he reach his resting-place for the night; but if he ask for money, “7he is a false prophet. And every prophet 8who speaks in the Spirit, 9ye shall not try nor test; for eve- ry sin shall be forgiven, but 10this sin shall not be forgiven. But not every one who speaks in the Spirit is a prophet, 11but only if he have the ways of the Lord. So from their ways shall the false prophet and the prophet be recognised. And 12no prophet who, in the Spirit, orders a Love-Feast, eateth himself of it, unless, indeed, he is a false prophet; and every prophet who teacheth the truth, if he practise not that which he teacheth, is a false prophet. And 13every approved genuine prophet, who summons assemblies for the purpose of showing an earthly mystery, but who does not teach others to do all that he himself doeth, shall not be judged by you; for his judgment is in the hands of God; for so did the ancient prophets also. But whoever, in the Spirit, says: 14Give me money, or anything else, ye shall not listen to him; 15but if for others in need he bids you give, let no one judge him. 



Deep Time: Making the 6000 Year Plan of God Moot

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The "6000 Year Plan of God" is a hallmark of the Churches of God.  Wow...6000 whole  years!  Aside from the fact that Gobekli Tepi in Turkey was abandoned 12,000 years ago shortly after the Ice Age and "modern humans" are currently and actually 100 thousand plus years old, and the plus is probably pretty large. The amazing 6000 year old plan of God persists as an error ridden and simplistic explanation of scientific reality that needs to be relegated to the dust bin of church history.  

 It is based baselessly on the concept of  "each day is to God as a thousand years..." and the thousand year Millennium Rest in Revelation.  Six thousand years for man  (LOL) and a one thousand year rest makes the sum total of God's plan.   

Seven Thousand years is .0000015556 % of  Deep Time.  In short, less than nothing.   The Seven Thousand year plan of God is also 0. 04375% of real human history.  What the Churches of God think they mean is that agricultural and city dwelling man has been around 6000 years, which is also inaccurate by a lot.  

There is no 6000 year plan of God.  That is a poetic construct at best based on the ignorance of reality and the limited knowledge of just about everything portrayed in scripture and what the authors had no idea was actually so.  The Churches of God not only make scripture mean what it was never meant to mean but cannot and does not mean.  

There is no mere 6000 year plan of God for mankind.  If there is a God, the "Plan" is much bigger and is not remotely defined by an insignificant cultic god worshipped by an insignificant cultic people living in an insignificant location on an insignificant planet in an insignificant solar system in an insignificant galaxy which is one of trillions.   





My personal  9 lb reminder the Solar System is 4.5 Billion years old.
Campo Del Cielo (Field of Heaven) Meteorite.  Found in Argentina in 1517 after lying around for 5-6 thousand years. 


I water jet cut it to reveal the iron/nickel nature of the meteorite.  Iron meteorites originate the last few minutes in the core of exploding stars and then spewing it into the universe where it regroups in the cores of planets which then are torn apart along the way. 


Hand polishing reveals the pure iron inside the brown fusion crust which formed when hitting earth's atmosphere at 40,000 mph. 


Not to mention....


9,000-9,500 years old. The cranium of Kennewick Man was discovered in the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, in late July of 1996 by Thomas and Deacy, two men who had gone to the river to watch a boat race. With the assistance of Dr. James Chatters, a local paleontologist and archaeologist who was serving as forensic anthropologist at the time, much of the skeleton was found. A stone spearpoint embedded in the right ilium of the associated skeleton is a Cascade Point, a representative of the Old Cordilleran Culture, which spread from the Washington coast to the interior Columbia Plateau shortly after 9000 years ago. Researchers estimate the individual to have been between 5' 7" and 5' 9", 160 pounds and approximately 40 years old at the time of his death. Morphological analysis at the time suggested the skull exhibited features similar to Polynesian or Ainu peoples. However in 2015, DNA analysis suggests close affiliation with Northern Native American groups, particularly the Colville, Ojibwa, and Algonquin. As a result of this analysis, the remains of Kennewick Man were repatriated to these groups in compliance with NAGRPA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) in February 2017. 



30,000 to 32,000 YA. This Cro-Magnon skull was discovered by L. Lartet and H. Christy on a cliff in 1868 (during the construction of railway lines in Les-Eyzies, France). Cro-Magnon, meaning "big cliff," represents the earliest modern humans from Western Europe. Classic modern human features include a large brain capacity (over 1600 cc), shortened face with rectangular eye sockets, a high forehead, hollowed cheekbones, and noticeable chin. Many feel Cro-Magnon is more similar in appearance to modern Africans than modern Europeans, suggesting that this population came from Africa or Asia. 


Gerald Flurry to Soon Transport Herbert's Prayer Rock to Petra Where He Will be Made King to the House of Judah

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Armstrongism has always produced men who have had extreme beliefs that are on the far fringes of the movement, from what sounds logical at first glance to outright silly beliefs and actions.  None has been more silly and outrageous as Gerald Flurry wandering the backwoods of Oregon looking for a rock that Herbert Armstrong supposedly knelt at.  The sheer idolatry is astounding.



Gerald Flurry has no proof that Herbert actually knelt at this very rock, even so, he has declared this to be the holy stone that Herbert knelt at when he conversed with his god.  When you realize that at least half of the stone was buried in the dirt, it left very little for Herbert to kneel at and rest his arms on or to conveniently use as support for his bible or other materials.  None of that mattered to Flurry though, he dug it up and transported it all the way to Edmund, Oklahoma, where it was originally enshrined in an outdoor garden.


The myths that Flurry has created around this dirty rock is mind-boggling at the sheer stupidity that has evolved around it.

Here is what was said earlier this year in regards to this holy rock:

Herbert at his rock
Not long ago, Pastor General Gerald Flurry revealed exciting revelation about Herbert W. Armstrong’s prayer rock. God built up the Philadelphia era of His Church through the prayers of Mr. Armstrong. That rock represents the beginning of the great Elijah work, which we continue today. It shows the mind-boggling success that comes from a fervent prayer life!
The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong mentions prayer about 240 times—an average of once every three to four pages! That book gives many examples and lessons on how to pray. Mr. Armstrong knew how to get an answer every time he prayed. What power! His formula for prayer was tremendously successful. You can have that kind of success too—if you follow that formula. 
“But if small, it started with a burst of energy and inspiration. First, it started with intensive and earnest private prayer. To the rear of the Fisher farm home was a fair-sized hill. Running over this hilltop for exercise I discovered a rock about 14 inches high. It was in a secluded spot. It came to mind how Jesus had dismissed the multitudes, and gone up into a mountain ‘apart’ to pray—alone with God. I dropped to my knees before this rock, which seemed just the right height to kneel before, and began praying earnestly for the success of the meetings. It became sort of a daily pilgrimage, during my stay at Fishers’, to this, which became my ‘prayer rock.’ I’m sure that I drank in much energy, spiritual strength and inspiration at that prayer rock.” 
That was the beginning of God’s Work—and it started with these prayers at the prayer rock!
Here we see an important part of the formula: This was “intensive and earnest” prayer. It wasn’t routine, drowsy, mumbly, careless, apathetic prayer. Mr. Armstrong put his heart into it! He was sincerely determined to get through to God! 
In 1930, before those “prayer-rock prayers” that changed world history, Mr. Armstrong faced the most serious situation of his life to that point. God used this to begin teaching him how to pray through his trials and tests. It all started at a rock
That is mild as to what Gerald Flurry also claims about this rock.  In their vainglorious idea that they were going to head off to Scotland and gain possession of The Stone of Scone, which they believe Scotland will willfully give to them when the times of trial start, they bought a mansion in England to allow closer access to the stone and to Hill Tara where they expect to dig up the Ark of the Covenant where they believe Jeremiah buried it when he took his daughters of a trip to Ireland many centuries earlier.

That vision apparently hit a big snag when Scotland did not willfully hand it over to them.  this set Gerald Flurry's mind into a tailspin.  What was he to do? Never fear, the holy stone of Herb called out his name.  This holy stone was also a symbol of royalty.  This would be the new stone that Christ would return to when he is crowned King of Kings. Philadelphia Church of God members were told that they are royalty by the very fact they are PCG members.
If you are part of God’s Church, then you are royalty. This is a biblical fact. The Church is called a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Its converted members are called kings and priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:10)—and they are soon to fill those positions in a world-ruling government after Jesus Christ’s return. Even its youth are called “princes in all the earth” (Psalm 45:16), and its daughters are “honorable” princesses (verse 9).
PCG members are being taught to look upon Gerald Flurry as their "king."
For as long as all our teens have been alive, we have taught that the office of God’s end-time apostle and prophet—pastor general of the Philadelphia Church of God—was synonymous with that of a king, based on two verses in Micah (Micah 2:13; 4:9).
Because Gerald is now King, the symbol of authority has now been moved from the Stone of Scone to Herb's prayer rock:
That understanding was taken to a new level in 2017. Throughout the first half of the year, God revealed in message after message from the pastor general that He had moved the symbol of David’s throne—and even the throne itself—to the Philadelphia Church of God. 
The craziness only gets worse:
For this new truth—in addition to proving God’s existence, the validity of His Word, and the location of His one true Church—there are two other major prerequisites. 
The first prerequisite is understanding the spiritual office that Gerald Flurry fills as the pcg’s pastor general. The fruits bear it out to be the office of an apostle—the highest human rank in the true Church of God. Prophecies about God’s end-time Work also show that his office fills that of specific prophet to come on the scene just before the coming of the Messiah. 
With the purchase of the estate in England, this allows Flurry to transport Herb's rock on PCG's new jet and locate it in England when the time of Christ's return is close at hand.  There no longer is a need for the Stone of Scone.
The other prerequisite is understanding the material contained in Herbert W. Armstrong’s book The United States and Britain in Prophecy—proving the United States and Britain to be the modern descendants of biblical Israel. What is significant about this is that it proves how David’s dynasty survived until modern times—being overturned three times (Ezekiel 21:27). These overturns were from Judah to Ireland, then to Scotland, and finally to Britain. Knowing where David’s throne went, and knowing about the symbol of that throne (the stone of destiny, or Jacob’s pillar stone), is vital to understanding the new truth that has recently been revealed to God’s Church.
God’s revelation that Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock was the new stone of destiny had far-reaching consequences—as Mr. Flurry indicated it would in that sermon. As he continued to explain, the stone of destiny had been the object God used to represent the throne of David. Therefore, a new stone also meant a new throne was being established. This was further emphasized in a sermon just 14 days later. Mr. Flurry referenced the prophecy in Hosea 3:4 that foretells Israel being without the throne of David. He went to the verse in Micah 2:13 that shows how God rules His end-time Church through a human king and how that verse is about the Church fleeing to a place of safety just before Christ’s return. God reveals to the Church about this king just before the Church flees to the place of safety. 
Until 2017, the Church supposed that Jacob’s pillar stone would be present in the place of safety in order to establish the throne of David. But new revelation about the new stone of destiny clarified this verse for God’s Church. With the prayer rock as the coronation stone, the apostle’s office would now stand as that of king—not just symbolically or spiritually as a human leader of God’s “kings and priests”—but as the literal king on this new throne of David. 
 Understand: This throne is still the throne “of David,” as it is still occupied by a physical descendant of David: Mr. Flurry’s lineage traces back to an Irish king. Even Herbert W. Armstrong was a descendant of the Davidic house through the line of England’s King Edward I. And this throne is the same throne of David on which Christ will soon sit.
Can Armstrongism get any crazier?  Oh, just wait...

Gerald Flurry will soon the "father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah" and would be the "lawgiver." Please tell me why the COG needs more laws enforced upon it?
As 2017 progressed, God continued to pour out deeper understanding about the various verses and implications of this new revelation in sermons and lectures from the pastor general.  
Most of these messages were written and compiled to be published in one issue of the Royal Visionmagazine, serving as nearly the entirety of the July-August 2017 issue. The issue shows ample scriptural evidence and basic logic regarding this specific end-time revelation about David’s throne.  
One of those passages is found in Isaiah 22, beginning in verse 20, which discusses an end-time Eliakim. For years now, the Church has applied these verses to the office of God’s last-hour apostle, who would be “A father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah” (verse 21), and upon whose shoulder God would lay “the key of the house of David” (verse 22).
Another verse that springs to life is found in Genesis 49. Verse 1 of this chapter shows that what is contained in this passage is prophecy for “the last days.” Verse 10 contains this prophecy about the house of Judah: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet [meaning, he would be a Jewish descendant], until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Shiloh refers to Christ, and the verse would be better translated: until He comes to whom it belongs. David’s throne really belongs to Christ. 
This shows conditions just before the time when Christ returns. A man who represents the scepter just before that time would also be a lawgiver. 
As other Bible translations make clear, the two offices—the lawgiver and the one representing the scepter—are combined into one in the last days. This reinforces what Isaiah 16 prophesied about the throne in the place of safety: The one on it would be known for “seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness” (verse 5), which only would be possible if the throne were at last working in conjunction with God’s law. 
 And it gets crazier still:
The new revelation even tied back to a significant period in pcg history. From 1997—2003, the Church was involved in a legal battle over the rights to print Mr. Armstrong’s seminal work Mystery of the Ages, as well as 18 other pieces of literature once published by him. What started that court battle was the pcg’s decision in November 1996 to print Mystery of the Ages
Back to the connection with the court case. Keep in mind that it was in late summer 2002 that Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock arrived at God’s headquarters campus. That fall, God revealed some new truth about Habakkuk 2:11, which reads: “For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.” What was revealed was that Habakkuk (which discusses God delivering His people from injustice in the courts) talks about the “beam”—representing the literary centerpiece of the end-time message: Mystery of the Ages. Thus, the Church would win the rights to Mr. Armstrong’s literature—and all litigation did in fact come to an end on the following January 16 in 2003. 
But in 2017, 14 years later, God revealed more about the “stone” in Habakkuk 2:11. Though the “stone” there represents Jesus Christ, He had given His Church a physical symbol—a stone, in fact—that connected to the Church’s fight for Mr. Armstrong’s literature! This further explains the “double wonder” that Habakkuk 1:5 discusses: This new stone, which symbolizes the new throne, is the first wonder of the double wonder—which the pcg acquired in the final year of its court battle. Victory in this legal war gave the pcg Mystery of the Ages—the second wonder of this double wonder.
How in the world can PCG members sit there and listen to this crap and believe it?  What is wrong with them?
That throne is on this Earth today, under the stewardship of God’s true Church. It is David’s throne. Rulership has transferred to a different son of David. 
Christ’s coming and His overtaking of Earth’s throne is fittingly depicted in a prophecy found in Daniel 2. In a dream that depicted the succession of world-ruling kingdoms, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar saw an imposing image. This figure, as the Prophet Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar, outlined the empires to rule the age of man. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw the statue destroyed by none other than a stone. The stone represents the King of the Kingdom—Jesus Christ. 
This is the Rock upon which the Church of God was founded. This is the Stone shepherding the pcgtoday. This is the power behind the Work of God’s one true Church. And this is the Stone that becomes a mountain and fills the Earth. This stone and throne represent salvation for the entire world!  Just What Do You Mean … New Throne?
The Church of God is rotten to the core.  Eighty years of abominable doctrines and outright heresies have produced the climate that allows spiritual degenerate men like Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack, Bob Thiel, James Malm and others who willfully bastardize scripture to fit their own sick purposes.  These men are sick and no more speak for God than Herbert Armstrong did.  Great will be the day when these men are dead and buried and the Armstrongite version of the Church of God movement is no more.




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The Dark Side of Tithing

The Dark Side of Dave Pack "Ending Your Financial Worries"

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Never forget


 "I want to make a statement about...me...now, if I became deceived, I will never tell you what I'm going to tell you now...I am telling you  if I go off into strange ideas,  misconduct, rebellion, you name it, don't follow me. I want to tell you that now,because if I start doing that I'm gonna try to get you to follow me! I'm gonna come to you and tell you it doesn't apply, it doesn't mean me, no, no, no, no, no, no, it's OK to follow me because ABCD and XY and Z. Do you understand what I'm saying? Listen to me now, when I tell you don't follow me if I go off into weird ideas, or if I get off into other things that are total absolutely unscriptural conduct, because if I do I'm gonna paint it with a different face and try to get you to follow me. Do you understand what I'm saying brethren? Please remember that, because I promise you that if I become deceived, I'll forget it, and I'll want you to forget it...And  I hope you'll remember it well enough to quote it right back to me...But I'll tell you what, I'm not going anywhere."
David C Pack
December 12, 1998

Can Do!!!


 "Now let's talk about Wills. Naming the Restored Church of God in your Will sometimes might cause an individual to think they're doing the right thing. That's good, that's wonderful. But they feel comfortable that they've done their part. Think about it. How much faith does that require? The Church gets everything when you die and you don't need it anymore? Where did you sacrifice anything?? Now again, that's a nice thought. But all you're saying is since you're dead you don't need anymore financial security. No faith. Get it now— When it requires faith. When you're dead you don't need it. We have people who have hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars— some even millions— they're telling us they're going to give us in Wills. We're kind of put in a funny position when you think this through. Do we pray that people die so we can get it? We can't do that! I'm going to get an inheritance from my uncle some day. I don't pray that he dies— I can't do that...Don't put God in the position where you have to die, where He must say "I need that money" and you won't turn loose of it now. If you named us in your Will, it could take months or years, particularly if there's litigation before we have it. Think it through..." [talks about the natural "cycle of death" bringing funds to the church]
"We live in a strange, different, final generation—final generation. Don't look for excuses to hold on to your treasure! We don't have the luxury of waiting years...Today, leaving everything in your Will doesn't work!"
"The wives in the faith will say give everything you can...We don't have the luxury of waiting years...today, leaving everything in your will simply doesn't work"


" I've talked about using a Home Equity Line that I've used many times. And there are ways to do this. This is not something that's pie in the sky. Home Equity Line is for people who have a lot of equity in their home, or maybe have their home paid off. It's a great way to advance funds to the Work. You can also leave enough in the Equity Line, which could, in affect, for years – make your payment for you – so you literally don't feel it. For instance, you can get 20, 30, 40, 50 thousand dollars— or much more— and never feel a payment for years because you're also making your payments out of the Equity Line. I have done that. It allowed me to give a lot and never feel it. It takes faith..."

"The worst that can happen, and I'm prepared for this— is that you run it all the way up, and then you have to amortize it in a term loan after 10 or 20 years. It requires some faith, but not a lot. Now you just have a second mortgage instead of an Equity Line. It's converted into a term loan, paid over a period of 10 or 20 years, starting in 10 or 20 years. It's what I've done. I'm prepared to do it. And then, frankly, we flee before most of it ever comes due. That's just the way it is."

(Don't tell your mortgage lender)

"If you hold those riches, I'm telling you, you trust in them"


"Go get a big chunk out of your home. And put your money where your mouth is and send it here. And I'm not talking about one, two, three thousand either. How about ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, or one hundred thousand dollars? Go do it."


"Wives, you can be independent in this. You have 1/2 the worth of whatever you have in your house.


I'm officially telling you this...Wives, legally you have the 1/2 the funds. What are you going to do about it?...Husbands...'well, my wife is not in the church'...tell her...'you don't have a voice woman"

"Go get those assets and get them here"


"Don't sit on vast resources that we can use now"


"We are not a splinter"


"I do not covet your silver or gold...the gold and silver is God's and He will get it someway"


"We do not have the funds...plans...bookstores...We need to redesign our web site...We need many hundreds of thousands of dollars to arrive at God's headquarters soon...the timing is now"

"This is different...ask Him for the faith to liquidate certain assets and give it to the work"

"I'll say it again, we are talking about liquidating existing assets...it all belongs to God and the brethren"

"We have a lot of plans so big going on in this office it would cause just this room to to rock and gyrate if you knew what was going on. We just need a lot of money and we need it post haste...I would give more if I had it"

"Herbert Armstrong wrote an article...'Prepare to greatly reduce your standard of living'...What he wrote by far, is more for us now than it was then... its all going to be taken away from us anyway brethren"

"There will be follow-up sermons. Time to bring in related points"


"Every year, believe it or not, a significant number of people either skip or forget one, two, even three or four of their holy day offerings. Now how is that possible? I might ask such people— and maybe this is you— who are you kidding? How can you possibly believe that you're going to sit on a throne beside Jesus Christ and be given power over the nations if you disobey a fundamental command like that, and particularly one attached directly to whether or not and how you feel you've been blessed? Who are you kidding? Go find a different church!! You simply don't believe God, and this one does."
"Some people adopt their own standard and frequency of when they'll pay God's tithes. If it isn't convenient, they'll simply "skip" months. They'll simply skip paying tithes. "Oh, it didn't add up this month," so they skip it. We see it every single month, there are people that profess to believe that tithes belong to God, and they just skip them..."
" If members do not take care of their fellow brethren through additional second tithe that they did not spend, and I'm saying "Follow my example," there are people who get to go to God's Feast— quite a few of them every single year— because I choose not to spend my excess second tithe, which I'm allowed to keep. [Starts yelling] And others, who are not allowed to keep it, don't send it in, and people can't go to the Feast! And that's wrong! That's wrong! We have people that make huge sums of money— where's the extra 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 thousand dollars in second tithe that they aren't sending in?? I'll tell you where it is— They're stealing it and pretending they're going to be in the Kingdom of God! And they're keeping others from going to the Feast. I know there's a certain latitude— you can spend it up to a certain reasonable limit. You need tires to get to the Feast, or an extra suit; you can do that sometimes. But people play games, sort of "It's mine and I can spend it. I'm using it to go to the Feast and I'm going to need my new laptop for the Feast. That's stealing! With tires or multiple suits, or get a new car, lots of clothes for the family, buy all the kids fall school clothes— I'm trying to use examples of what people do, who couldn't possibly use all their second tithe for the Feast. They just couldn't possibly do it. So they're stealing from other people and stealing from God because that money comes from God and it's keeping other people from going.
" There are others who don't pay third tithe. The church is not obligated to spend third tithe caring for the brethren that we do not receive. You are required— it is a command to you— every third and sixth year in a seven-year cycle, to send third tithe in and care for your brethren..."

"Let us know how much you plan to send and when you plan to send it...You must be willing to communicate... If you do need to counsel, please do that...If you are not ready to distribute what you have...you don't believe the flow of prophecy"


"This is announcing the last blast, the clarion call as it were, to finish the work...Whether it is 4,5,7, 9 years to go, God knows...This is liquidating assets...I have the authority to tell you to do it... I have the moral and spiritual, and ecclesiastical authority to tell you to do what I have also done"


"Get it now when it requires faith... when you are dead you don't need it... if you named us in your wills, it can take us months or years to get it"


"The wives in the faith will say give everything you can...We don't have the luxury of waiting years...today, leaving everything in your will simply doesn't work"


"Now you just have a second mortgage... and frankly we flee before most of it ever becomes due"


"...some may think that they want to tap their 401k--maybe you want to let us know that... why would you want to tell us? We are starting to prepare a budget now, the needs are now...it would be nice to know now"

"Think big...Pull big triggers"

"There is only two positions you can take regarding all that I have mentioned, only two, there is no middle ground. You're either going to yield, to submit and to follow, the clarion call that the time is now or you're not. And postponing a decision is deciding not to do it...It's saying I'm going to wait until it gets closer because it is not there yet...Don't say that I'm going to wait until it gets closer, when I can see...The decision is that my treasure stays on earth or I goes to heaven. Period. I will not lay up for times to come or I will. And this is the real test of Laodicea... either hold on to your assets... or give it... God is in this decision, no question. Testing the church's faith"

"We live in the most materialistic age in the history of the world. People trust in physical things. They trust in bank accounts...If you have excess and don't need it, those verses mean you...That's the Laodicean attitude...Put your money where your mouth is...Empty your assets"

"There is only one place He works...Where the...work is...that's where God is working...one elder commented here at headquarters, if people can't be motivated by a clarion call to finish the work such as this, why will those same people somehow believe the internal signal given to the church of the 1335? Why would they believe it?"

"This is the Laodicean age..."Be careful that you don't tell us how to spend your assets... It belongs to God.. You don't tell God or His servants how to spend it"

"Your faith is being tested. Think about that"

"We will all fast on November 17th...I have to...ask you for a very special financial sacrifice for God's work"

"The purposes of the fast...(a). To fast for God's intervention...(b).Fast for personal faith and courage to follow what I am asking you to do...(c). Fast for personal strength...(d)...Fast for faith and courage in others with more than you to give...Go get a big chunk out of your house...their assets, IRAs, and pension funds...(e). Ask God to move specific properties...that they have told us they want to sell. Pray that these properties move...that is part of what this fast is about"
David C Pack-The Clarion Call-November 3, 2007



Yes...for you and your family if you join the Restored Church of God


 Being a Delusional Pastor lying to the members



Absolutely and preferably with your feet

Ok..Let me take charge of your finances!
  "Be careful that you don't tell us how to spend your assets... It belongs to God.. You don't tell God or His servants how to spend it"




200 Million Horseman And Lying COG False Prophets

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When various COG ministers run off at the mouth about their take on prophecy they never seem to engage their brains with reality.  Check out Ron Weinland's take on the army of 200 million horsemen.

Conald Weinfraud has NO idea what he is saying.. and has to completely avoid the Bible to say anything at all. There is NO way Europe produces the army he says it will, what an total moron! 
Revelation 9 states that an army of 200 MILLION horsemen riding fire breathing horses will be running around right before Christ returns. So that means there HAS to be 200 MILLION horses being gathered and prepped for this event. And this is supposed to happen before June 9, 2019? LMAO! 
1. A single horse drink about 7 gallons a day on average. 
2. That is 1.4 BILLION gallons of water a DAY these horses will have to consume to stay alive. 
3. If we just measure the number of days between now and June 9, 2018… that’s over 302 point 4 BILLION gallons of water necessary to keep them alive!!
4. Where is this water coming from Ron? 1.4 BILLION gallons of water will be around on that SINGLE day you stupid false prophecy will occur?ronweinland.info 







Gerald West Squelches Living University Accreditation Process

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There is one thing you can say about the Church of God with confidence, everything they do seems to be an imitation of their harlot mother, the Worldwide Church of God.

Decades ago Ambassador College entered into the accreditation process in order to grant degrees that had validity and worth.  Herbert Armstrong claimed to never have been part of the discussion and threw a royal hissy-fit and stopped the accreditation process of Ambassador College in order to preserve what he perceived was its theological integrity.  At that time, Michael Germano was apart of the process and later in the Big Sandy process. In one swift sweep of his strong arm, Herb invalidated the process and threw the college and student body into turmoil once they found out their degrees were essentially worthless again.

Today in 2017, that same scenario has played out once again in the Living Church of God with their "university." Once again Germano was part of the process and once again the accreditation process has been squelched.

The Church of God has always believed that their educational institutions were the best in the world and gave their students a well-rounded education that made them highly desirable to the world and to fellow church brethren.

Living Church of God still carries the same belief that WCG had with Ambassador College:

“Should I take a Living University course even though I am enrolled in another university?” 
Answer: Yes! This is a great idea! You will learn a great deal through your coursework from other universities. However, what is one area that you will be missing? Biblical understanding or theology. Consider taking a Living University course, even just once a year, to balance out your other university coursework. Living University can provide you with the important “missing dimension in knowledge” that is lacking in a typical education. It will also help you build a more solid foundation and grounding in God’s truth.
“What if I plan to go to college elsewhere? Wouldn’t Living University be a waste of my time?”
Answer: Great question! The short answer is that building your spiritual foundation and decreasing your likelihood of being deceived can never be a waste of your time. In addition, in this age of high unemployment, where many college graduates and other young people are competing against those with real-life experience, taking a year or two to attend LU will help you develop that much more emotional and spiritual maturity. It will also help you develop more confidence, and even enrich your public speaking and interpersonal skills—which all employers desire, but that most are seeing less and less of. By adding a year or two of Living University maturity and skills to your resume, you will make yourself that much more marketable to future employers. 
That "missing dimension" was a big crock of theological crap.  Its theological education was based upon the 6-month study of a man in a public library and endless hours spent kneeling at a dirty rock in the Oregon woods, all while never providing for his family because he could not hold a steady job due to his flippant arrogance.  Just like Joseph Smith of Mormondom, Herb's god revealed exclusive knowledge that was supposed to be earth-shattering, even though the theological stances of both men are easily discredited as pure hokum.

Living University thought so highly of its self that they thought they needed to be accredited.  Once again they found out that if they went that route they would have to deeply examine their teachings and research practices on everything they taught.  Having to deeply examine, with integrity, their beliefs and to teach real biblical hermeneutics, exegesis, and biblical criticism was too much for the organization to do.  After all, it is much easier to imitate and use everything from Herbert than it is moving forward into the 21st century.

Therefore, Gerald Weston has made a decree to stop the accreditation process in order to preserve LCG's theological integrity.

Dear Brethren, 
We concluded a very encouraging series of Council of Elders meetings this past week in which we affirmed the need to hold onto the biblically based traditions of the Church. However, regarding Living University, we recognize that we are at a crossroads. The current situation is that individuals in at least 20 states are not able to take online courses in Living University due to changing state laws. It is apparent that its existing structure is not able to meet the educational needs of the youth and members of the Living Church of God. 
The Council of Elders has reviewed the situation, and in keeping with the clearly stated wishes of Dr. Meredith, the Council has advised that accreditation efforts be dropped, in favor of developing a more flexible, less restrictive, and more effective program to support the development of future ministers, to serve our youth, and to serve our general membership. 
This has not been an easy decision as much effort has been put into Living University. Many of you have supported these efforts through your prayers and financial donations. For this we are ever grateful. However, as evidenced by the recent limitations placed on licensed universities, restrictions on conducting online classes in an increasing number of states limit our ability to serve our ministers and members. 
I believe there are exciting opportunities before us regarding a variety of educational programs and I will be forming a committee next week to begin restructuring our Living Church of God educational programs to serve our ministry, our youth, and our general membership. In the meantime, classes as currently configured will continue to operate for the time being. The decision as to how we restructure will be announced in the near future. I am looking forward to explaining more about this in the weeks ahead. 
Sincerely, 
In Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston

Living University has been a boondoggle since its inception, draining off money in order to stroke the egos of a few men who should have retired years ago or at least gotten real jobs.
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