For me, getting thrown out of Greater Grace World Outreach and their youth "ministry" was such a relief, it felt like a hundred pound weight being lifted off my back more than anything else. While being in GGWO and their youth "ministry", it was becoming more and more of a frequent occurance to have to choose between obeying the pastors or youth leaders and obeying God and doing what God would think was best for the youth. GGWO was so controlling over their youth workers, that they even put a gag order on me not to tell the kids anything contrary to Carl Steven's teaching even if I ran into any of the kids on my own time anywhere in the world. Nobody could say or do anything outside of what Carl Stevens and John Love (the youth ministry leader) would want. No dissenting viewpoints or independant thought was tolerated. The environment was one of complete bondage towards serving and worshipping the leaders.

It became necessary to obey God rather than man on more and more occasions as time went on. Eventually that got me in big trouble with the GGWO leadership. They could not stand for anyone not fully believing in Carl's false teachings or for anyone not living out those teachings in their personal lives. In the end, John Love and my affiliate pastor had my youth leader call me up to throw me out of the church for not living out those Carl Stevens teachings in my own personal life. They thought I would infect the kids and others with the truth I guess. Well, I happily did that for years before they even found out anything was going on! Their ousting me was no surprise to me either as the youth leader and the pastor told one too many people they were going to oust me and he told me all about it. I went on to tell the kids what was coming too. Then the ousting happened, and I've never been back since. I still ministered to those kids for years afterwards the way God wanted with no more GG style pastoral meddling, no gag orders, no more abusive environments, and no more bondages to men that didn't care. It was my own Indendance Day. Free at last! Forever would I be independant of the tyranny of Carl Stevens, John Love and others loyal to them. No more having to choose between them and my own conscience along with God's direction. It was true freedom in Christ. It was a beautiful experience of liberty and relief. Like having a big weight taken off my back, it was true independance from man made tyranny as God intended it!

Sidethorn, in respect to the suffering you have endured.

If GOD gave you the opportunity to live your life over, without any memory of it.

What would you say? YES or NO ?

One word answer=_________

STFU Donny.

KMA Donny 300!

sarcasm to you --two--

Thanks for sharing that Sidethorn.

Oh and if I had to do it over again asked the same kind of question.....I would have never kept going to the GG church I attended. Should have gotten out right away and gone up the road. How I lament that we did not get out rather compounding it all by our pilgrimage to "home base" and so forth.

Seems we all saw some wierd things here and there but they were always explained away. As my hubby says, we all took the batteries out of our smoke detectors when we started seeing things that did not seem quite right and explained them away (either in our own thoughts not wanting to believe something bad about the church or people... or sometimes listened and believed when others to explained them away). We would have left and gone on to a different church if we had l"left the batteries in". So my answer would have to be NO NO NO and I would have gone on to another "someplace else" along time ago. I am thankful to God for our exodus out of that place!!

There are so many healthy opportunities to serve God elsewhere in healthy Bible believing ministries. Wish we'd had the light go back on and battery changed sooner.

Antiguest's Wife

Had nothing to do with any of those posts.

Yes it did ...If I were asked the same thing I would NOT redo my time there. I would say No to GG.

It would have been well spent in a legit ministry. If you don't think it is related that I commented on that I really don't give a crap.

I am sure many of us has thought about what if I could redo this minus "Greater Disgrace". What if we left sooner. I know we have thought this and many others have thought they would have been better off in a legitimate ministry where people who love God don't get treated as if they have no value to God or the body.

Take that thought captive.

What I wonder more is what people are doing with their lives who have left GG.

Many people moved out of Maryland to all parts of the country. They had to make a

new start right in the middle of their lives. They had to get new jobs...make new

friends...transplant their families. They had to find another church. A lot of

people were financially hurting. I just wonder how people managed to get on with

the rest of their lives.

For my question!!!!!-------------Did not intend to stir up strife.

I often ask this question to myself, and was looking for an insightful answer.

People in my world of reality, look at me strangely and tend to answer with a doctrinal covering that does not exhibit freedom of thought.

Answering the Question for me is life or death in this world.

I realize it is difficult to answer because of the intertwining thought among us.

I trust any answer would be independent of saving our own necks.

Most times the answer is already there, I only missed it.

Many thanks for anyone answering.