This past weekend I visited my mother in North Myrtle Beach, SC. It was a weekend full of celebrations, meeting new friends and enjoying life. My Mom, Darlene Eichler has published a new book, “Satan’s Best Friend” (copyright ©2011 Darlene Eichler, Published by Bookstand Publishing, ISBN 978-1-589209-914-2). She held a book signing this past Saturday at her church, St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in North Myrtle Beach, SC. The book signing was in conjunction with a fund raiser for North Strand Helping Hand, a group that provides food to the needy of the surrounding area. In addition to selling books, the event raised around $500 for North Strand Helping Hand. This was great considering the time of year and competing events in town. I met several new people and spent time with friends made during previous visits. It was good to be among those interested in helping others.

    One man I spent time talking with was Curtis. He is 96 and a native from SC. He grew up on a mill village. His life’s work was in furniture manufacturing. Over the years, he has been in his words “blessed” beyond what he could imagine. He is retired and enjoys spending time with his friend, Alice. I have known Alice for some time now. She is always pleasant and cheerful. She is several years younger than Curtis, but they enjoy each other’s company, which counts for a lot. Curtis put together a short autobiography of sorts which I have read and enjoyed tremendously. He came from poverty and worked his way to a much better lifestyle. Here is a picture of the car Curtis drives- at 96!

  

  

  Sunday was a very full day as well. Between services at St Stephen’s, Father Merchant allowed me to speak to a group of about forty members about my life inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). It had been several years since I had done any regular public speaking. Honestly, I was a bit nervous and had to wade through some emotions to get started. But, as I considered the course of the last few years, I was convinced that people needed to know about groups like WOFF. For about forty minutes I told of my life in WOFF. The people were attentive and considerate as I reviewed some of the highlights of life in WOFF. I covered a little about the background of WOFF and the Greenville church, and then proceeded to share about moving to Spindale, NC and what I learned about life inside WOFF. Some points were very serious and of course some were humorous. I was so grateful for the gentleness and considerate attitude of everyone in the room. Towards the end of my time, I opened the floor for questions. Several questions were asked and I hope I was able to answer them adequately. My purpose was not to impugn or degrade, but, simply to tell my experiences and some of what I have learned since leaving WOFF in July of 2008. The session ended with Father Merchant offering a prayer for those involved in WOFF and other controlling groups. He made special petitions for the children who were in these groups; praying that God would miraculously speak to them and lead them to Truth in their walk toward Him. It was very moving to see the sincerity and concern that those who had never met me before or had only known me for a little while, showed for my life and the lives of others they had never met.

    Later on Sunday, my Mom, step-father and I went to visit a friend in Myrtle Beach. The friend was a lady named, Edith. She was 96 and her mind was very sharp which complimented her gentle loving nature. I had known Edith for several months but, had never been in her residence. As we walked in her sitting room, I immediately noticed a chair against the wall to the left. It caught my attention and at first, I did not know why. It proved to be a distraction until I figured out why the chair bothered me so. It was either an exact duplicate or so nearly one to the chairs around the dining room table of the WOFF household where I lived for six years! That was why I could not stop staring at it! I had sat in a chair like that one during my time at WOFF! Oh, the memories surrounding from many meals at that table… some were good and some were not good. I was awash in a rolling sea of emotions. Finally, I mentioned it to Edith in order to explain my seeming disinterest in parts of the continual conversation happening around me. It did not seem to make a difference to the folks in the room – except me. Here is a picture of the chair.

I got the same emotional awareness a few months ago when I walked into a church which had the same lighting fixtures as were in the main WOFF sanctuary. That was strange I know, but, it was true anyway. It just made me aware of how deep the emotions surrounding life at WOFF were in me. Can any others relate to those experiences? 

   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.

     Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

       (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 310.