The program, “InterventionTM” is described on their website as follows:
“Intervention™ is a powerful and gripping television series in which people confront their darkest demons and seek a route to redemption. The Intervention Television series profiles people whose dependencies on drugs and alcohol or other compulsive behavior has brought them to a point of personal crisis and estranged them from their friends and loved ones.”
The link is here to learn more… http://www.aetv.com/intervention/index.jsp
Since leaving Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), a group led by Jane Whaley; I have had an interest in people in crisis; what gets them there, how do they get out of crisis and how are others in their life affected? This show depicts people in crisis and how their friends and relatives struggle to help them accept help. Jeff VanVonderen is listed on the website for this show as one of the Interventionists. The link with his bio is here… http://www.aetv.com/intervention/interventionists/ . One evening, I turned to this program and he was helping a family with a member who had an addiction of some type. It surprised me because I had read his book “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse” years ago. I do not remember what happened to that book. I read it somewhere around 1991. It is now on my purchase list as well as the newer version which was printed in 2005. When I first found the show, I watched Mr. VanVonderen skillfully and forcefully deal with an individual who had an addiction. This person decided to get help and left for a treatment center immediately. There was an update about the individual, but I can’t remember if they stayed with the program.
On occasion, I have watched other episodes as families are torn apart by a member in some sort of chemical addiction. It is not always young folks or always single individuals. Some people affected by addictions are ones with responsibilities for children that go unmet. It is truly sad to see how others can and are affected by these addictions.
Recently, I tuned in to an episode that was almost over. The scene showed a family reading their letters to the person in their family who had the addiction. These letters told how the addiction had affected them personally. The brother of the person addicted was reading his letter. This is not a quote, but it is close to what was said, — your addiction has kept you from being with me and my family as we share our special family moments. We cannot have you around because of your behavior when you are drinking. (it may have been drugs…) We have missed so many special times when you were to have been a part. Please, accept help so we can begin having the family times as we were meant to have.
I stopped when I heard that plea and was very aware that my brother could have been reading that letter to me during my years at WOFF. Let me explain. The longer I was in the Greenville church and later at WOFF and the more rules I took on and especially when Jane “heard” that holidays were not to be celebrated; the less time I spent with my family and the less contact I had with them. Only my immediate family, wife and children were a part of WOFF. None of my other family members came to be a part of WOFF. So, in order not to “partake of the demons table” as taught by Jane Whaley and in order to not miss seminars and in order to fully live the WOFF-life and all that included, time with family who were not in WOFF, dwindled to almost nothing. If there was an occasion to see them, it was hard to manage and “get ahold of with Jane” or leadership. I had to “check it out with authority” in order to see relatives.
My Dad and step-mom did come to see us in the WOFF household in December of 2007. That was the first and only time they visited us in that house. It was awkward for them, I know, but I am so glad they came. My Mom, step-dad, my sister and her family came to a graduation in June of 2008. They pressed through the awkwardness then and I am so glad they did. My Mom made another trip in 2001(?) to see us in Greenville. Other than that, we would meet my relatives other places and rarely go to their homes during the years of WOFF-life. I went for years without seeing or speaking to my brother. The WOFFness I lived made it unbearable for him and now, I know why. In an earlier post, I share along these lines… “What is Common Ground?” http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=2356
So, what am I saying? Is living at WOFF similar to an addiction? To that, I must say- yes. For a person to stay at WOFF they must go all the way in WOFFness or they will soon be asked to leave. If your close family members and relatives are in WOFF with you, you will see more of them. That is unless one of you is “not in your place”. If that happens, you could be barred from seeing them until they let God deal with them and find a place of repentance. Translated: come back and confess they were wrong and Jane was right and agree to live in WOFF-ways. WOFF members do not celebrate any holidays so counting on seeing your relatives outside of WOFF during those times in doubtful at best- for regular members. So, the saga continues.
Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.
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(Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. ) Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 181.