YOUR Present Determines Your Future ~ Not Your Past

While your Past circumstances or choices may have contributed to or led to your present, it is what you do with your present that will contribute or lead to your future.

Time, chance and circumstance happen to everyone. Your choices have consequences.Others may contribute positively or negatively to your life and situation but its your choices that determine your outcome.

Someone else’s good fortune is NOT the reason for your misfortune and jealousy or envy only leads to strife and excuses that cause resentments.

At some point in everyone’s life they have to take responsibility for their own present life.You cant blame your parents,your boss, your friends,your enemies for your actions. You alone choose your path whether or not to take the easy way out or take the initiative or exercise the perseverance needed to improve or change your path in life.

Imagining & using excuses or dwelling in the past to wallow in your present will make your future dim. Working within your own personal limitations no matter what they are there is always a way to change your path.. You just have to decide if you will remain a victim of your perceived circumstances or plan and execute ways to go in a new direction.

So what if you are a nationality you may not like or if you have freckles,or are bald, or fat, or scarred or are thin or dont like how you look or dont like where you live or dont like another’s view points or feel cheated in some way or another or missed opportunities in the past.

You can always seek to work towards another opportunity and take it when it arises You can always clean yourself up if needed to improve your self image and mindset.
No one is perfect or the sole standard for all to be like.

It doesnt matter what my ancestors did, were or were viewed like. Whether my grandfathers were kings, slaves, cavemen, warriors,  heroes, scientists, chimney sweeps, farmhands,, politicians doctors, waiters, servants  or cowards means nothing to where I am at now or where I can choose to be in the future.

It is up to me and my perceptions as to what I shall become and how I am remembered,  as anyone can rise above their circumstances or sink to levels that benefit no one, especially themselves.

Its okay to ask for help when needed but also right to help someone in need.

Everyone is both a giver and a taker at some points in their lives. Its never alright to take when you are not willing to give to or to demand from others what you will not do for yourself or others.

We are only entitled to life and to participate in it with others as we all inter-depend on one another in whichever society we live in.

You must be willing to contribute to your own life, as well as to the lives of others, if you think others should in some way contribute to your life.

If you live a life where your lot is profitable, it is still partly because of others in your life . Never should you get ahead by pushing someone else behind you. LEND A HAND.pay it  forward!

There will always be a line in mankind, those up front and those behind- those with wealth and those without. No matter where you stand in that line, know there is always someone less fortunate as well as those more fortunate.

Wherever you see your place in that line of life, play by the right rules set forth by your Creator and humbly do everything with gratitude and by making right choices. Persevere, move forward, live each day to its fullest potential.

Do your best at whatever task is before you.Don’t wallow  in your  failures, but pick yourself up and start over again and again as necessary. Make  changes as you figure out better ways  to do  something. Never stop  learning. NO ONE knows it all.

Live life with faith in God, dignity, honesty, generosity but most of all live it with godly LOVE for others. God is love.

Any religion filled with hate, murder, allowing  theft, encouraging lying and more negative agendas to their theology where their  ‘god’ that is otherwise called  be assured that is not ‘god’ but a devil.

Do not follow a devil as a god.The devil is a liar and father of lies and will seek to manipulate and  deceive and provide justifications for wrong doing.

God does not lie. JESUS is the example to follow – He is the Way, the Truth and the Life as well as the Resurrection and thru Him you can attain eternal life or reject it.

He said all others are liars and they will be separated in eternity to go to the place of darkness away from God that is called hell or the lake of fire.

God doesn’t make people go there.They go there as the consequence of their choices demonstrated by their rejection of God and His ways during their lives.

Dont make or accept wrong, negative unrighteous or underhanded choices .

Stand up for mankind, fight for the right, reject the wrong.

Walk in another’s shoes without being judgmental. Let God be their judge.
Live peacefully, strive to maintain peace, strive for peace but do not surrender to wrong or to tyrants or to any evil.

Seek to be free and not to be enslaved by anyone. Separate yourselves from evildoers.

Pray for those who despitefully use you. Avoid troublemakers.

Help those in need to get on the right path. Oppress no one.

When you move on always move  forward.

Consider the past as lessons  learned,  to help avoid the pitfalls that may lay ahead.

Remain hopeful, do not despair, give life your best effort. YOU WILL SUCCEED.

More C.O.B.U. cult abuse….from another former member…

JEFF ALGE’S STORY

Here is a little more of my story . Use it on your site if you like.

I became convinced that C.O.B.U. was a cult in 96. In fact the then members themselves had been calling it a cult as did Stewart (very shrewd) .

Before then I believed it was the only place I could be truly faithful . I had lived in “Fellowship ” from 76 to about 84 and had been on my own without any contact with C.O.B.U. for 12 years .

During those 12 years I worked with my two brothers as a recording engineer in New York and LA making records in the music business. I worked with a lot of big stars and made Grammy Awarded and Platinum Records .

I always thought one day I would return to C.O.B.U and the Church would be flourishing and members would welcome me back. I had an idealized idea of how things would be if I returned . I finally got enough courage to call. No one seemed to care .

I sent faxes everyday for a month or so begging a brother to call me or write or anything. I was expecting them to be happy to hear from me and to reach out . Finally Stewart got a hold of a fax I had written and told Kevin Brown to call me . I went to NY from LA to visit my family .

While I was there I spent a couple weeks working with Kevin Brown at Olde Good Things while it was in its infancy. I had hoped that ” maybe I could help rebuild the Church and get it back on track.

Kevin had me set up a website for Olde Good Things and Stewart seemed interested in having me work with him in a Nagra rental business because after I left I became a very well known recording engineer in NY and LA ( Nagras are a special tape recorded used in film production that Stewart collects). After a couple of weeks I was asked to attend a meeting with Stewart and a group of brothers at the first ” Christian Fellowship Meeting” about rebuilding the Church and escaping the cult.

After I spoke to Stewart on the phone about some things that went on between myself and Kevin Brown . Kevin had said he didnt trust me . I told him ” what was there not to trust “?. I came on my own ticket and worked for nothing . I used my own money to pay for my needs and drove a truck for the business for about 2 weeks . I also did a ton of manual labor ( about 16 hours a day for 2 weeks ) . All the usual C.O.B.U. stuff. It was a gift to him and the rest .

I viewed Kevin as being ungrateful and manipulative . He never acted kindly toward me . The rest of the members were like zombies. Painfully unkind to one another . After that I returned home to LA. I had had enough .

I received what seemed like a hundred phone calls from the brothers who had been chosen to be in “The Christian Fellowship” badgering me to move in or return to Jesus once I got home. I just stopped answering them. I had been talking to my family the whole time.

My mom is a believer and she knew I needed to go through this . I just couldnt handle the unkindness and unrealness anymore. I did suffer a lot of guilt about not “Helping rebuild the Church” as Stewart had put it .

I began drinking and using drugs and fell into a deep depression which lasted a couple of years during which I gave up my career and moved to Jackson Hole Wyoming to live with my sister. I began to be a hopeless alchoholic and one morning decided I didnt want to continue living. I got a phone call from my sister and told her I was going to kill myself. She introduced me to a friend who got me into A.A.

I have been clean and sober for seven and a half years now . During that time I have studied Stewart and C.O.B.U. looking for answers to what happen to me. I found out about Stewart and his half wife relationships . I found I.R.S. statements that contradicted what I know to be fact .

I found a very troubling court document about an auto accident Gayle had in the islands and some insurance scam . I found a lot of solicitations for donations of aircraft mechanics time and services. I found the stories of Jim Enright who I lived with for a while , and much of the other info available on the web.

It all has lead me to believe what I already knew but didn’t want to except. The group is a naively deluded bunch of followers of a sick and deluded man .

Living in the Jackson Hole area I have a unique insight into this type of group. I live in an area that until recently was almost entirely Mormon.

While investigating C.O.B.U. I found a lot out about this group . Many of my neighbors are members. It is the largest cult in america . It is scary how they naively follow the “prophet Joseph Smith ” without even a shred of evidence to support his claims of having been delivered another testament to Jesus . I understand though. They believe they are the only true Church with a restored gospel . It all is strangely familiiar to me .

All of this said , I have found it very helpful to speak openly about my experience with C. O.B.U. If you think it would be helpful please use this e-mail on your website or forward it to others who you think might find it usefull.

You can also use and distribute my e-mail address .

I only hope you and I can get past all our anger at what has happened to us as a result of C.O.B.U. and invest our God given talents wisely and fruitfully. As for Stewart , He is going to get exactly what he deserves very soon

I do not think much can be done for current members until each member gets sick and tired of being sick and tired and used by Stewart . But once they leave having some resources available like a site with the stories of ex members is very valuable .

My hope for all ex and current COBUs is that we can find true peace and be free of the oppressive and unnecessary guilt and shame .

I believe Jesus is quoted as having said something like ” I did not come to condemn the world , but to save it ”

Love to all , Jeff Alge
jta@tetontel.com

Forever Family…. became COBU…then turned to a cult..:(

Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 07:10:35 -0000 
       

When I met the Forever Family, it was through Barbara. She began to
work at my company and noticed I was reading a bible at lunch. She
offered to share bible study with me and invited me to her fellowship
near the Staten Island Ferry.
I was already saved but struggling to get my former fiancé saved, before our
upcoming, planned already marriage.
Once evening after work, I accompanied her to their meager
fellowship, was given a folding chair, [one of the only ones they had]
as they all sat around on the floor exchanging ‘nuggies’ and waiting
to go out witnessing for the evening. I was impressed by their fervor
and dedication to Jesus. They did not invite or persuade me to move
in. They were just into witnessing and bible studies. Everything else
was insignificant.

They spoke of ‘center meetings’ on weekends and that they had
a ‘center leader’ named Dave Rizetto, who knew allot of the bible.
They invited me to a meeting and I went.

At the center meeting, several groups of people arrived, notably
young and all got together to pray in the spirit and fellowship,
mostly in the word. This too impressed me and was sincere. Then they
got together and had some group bible study, still very good and
wholesome. When the fellowships were like this, they were GOOD…each
fellowship was independently ‘owned and operated’…

People were getting saved. They did not push you/me to move in, just
emphasized allot that I should come over more for bible studies and
to go out witnessing. This was great. I wanted to learn how to
witness better. I used to just give out tracts and bibles and invite
people to come to church. I wanted to get a ‘copy of a sinners
prayer’ and try to lead some one to Jesus.  I went over to the
fellowship more and more frequently.

Then one day, Barbara came to work with the bad news! Some one who
didn’t like the group of communers- set the fellowship on fire while
they were out witnessing! I was horrified and invited them to move
into my house.  My house was actually too small, but they told me
that they found a big house and since they had no furniture etc, that
perhaps I would consider moving in with them…  was supposed to be 
getting married the following month, so I thought why not. I wanted to
get my boyfriend saved and perhaps, by moving there, he would get
saved.

I moved in with them. My boyfriend came around daily. He did get
saved but wanted me to leave the fellowship. By that time I learned
that it still wouldn’t be right to just marry him as a newly saved. I
was told he needed to learn more about Jesus so that it would be
better to put off the wedding. He became angry with me and
threatened to beat up the fellowship leader, John Bevilaqua. This
didn’t happen but came close. I agreed to move to the Wilmington
Delaware fellowship to distance myself from my boyfriend. I was told
that if it were meant to be that Jesus would bring us together at the
right time.  I started to consider that perhaps it wasn’t meant to be,
so I focused on the Forever family and learning to please Jesus.

At about that time, Stewart had broken up with Shirley. Changes began
to take place. Each house still paid it’s own bills through full or
part-time jobs we each got and we gave a donation to the Center leader
who in turn gave it to Stewart.

We still handled our own money and gave in a donation for the house
bills, usually around $35- $50- per week
each. Each person paid for his or her own food. Sharing was discouraged as
some new people would join and not look for work. If you don’t work
you don’t eat, was the way it was. This bothered me, as I noticed that
if you were visiting a fellowship and had no money or food with you,
no one usually would even offer! When I asked about it, at a few
different fellowships, I was told that the physical food wasn’t the
big deal and that I should ‘get off my mother trip’. They made fun of
me frequently for worrying whether everyone ate or not.

This gradually changed, beginning in Wilmington. I would buy extra
food and I started making meals and offering to whom ever wanted it.
Others started to share too. Ernie Bencak was the leader and a truly
nice guy.

The food stinginess at early fellowships was the only fault I found
with the Forever Family! This changed though as when I began to
share, slowly others did too. After a while it became common to share
but I was still accused of being on a “Mother Trip”. I didn’t mind,
I just was a ‘literal Christian’ when I joined and felt the physical
was important too, as they were mostly into what they perceived to be
the spiritual, and ready to surrender all!
**********************************************************************

At this point in time, there were communes all over. The early FF’ers
were known to ‘rescue’ some from the COG’s and Moonies, and try to
rescue HareKrshna’s too, along with runaway kids and homeless. The
fellowships grew because many left their, then sinful lifestyles,
and moved right in.  Some were hippies or on the fringe of being
hippies. Others just wanted to opt-out of their sinful worldly
lifestyle into a pure sin free environment. And it was just that, for
a time.
Gradually as it grew, more elements were added, a biggy was, the
kiddies were growing up…urges..relationships developing…remaining
sin free…remaining celibate…co-ed sleeping in rooms, was heading
towards a problem, which didn’t occur!

I have never heard of a pregnancy started in the FF/Cobu out of wedlock. That made them
better than the Cog’s or Moonies! Frequently moving around from one
fellowship to another meant unemployment issues. Stewart was a vac
repairman and sold rebuilts at flee markets. He taught some of the
center leaders to do the same. They in turn taught some of the guys
to do it too. Girls often worked office jobs, waitresses, house
cleaners, baby sitters, and so on so we all just chipped in and paid
the bills.

As the fellowships got bigger. The centers grew. Stewart originally
was dragging his entire family around in the beginning to do bible
studies every so many weeks or month.

Then we started to rent larger
places and have Big Meetings. the bigger we got the further he had to
drive.

So, it was no surprise that we started giving Stewart more and
more money and then small plane to get around in and then his wife
would stay home with the kids.

Then after Debbie Tobias left,
different girls used to help with writing out the file cards. Stewart
was using a mini tape recorder to save all the ideas he was getting.

And then came along Gayle- no father and young, 18-19. She babysat for
the Traills sometimes and now got promoted to secretary for Stewart.
The rest of that is history. That is also where some think Stewart SOLD OUT TO
THE DEVIL! AND began the larger scale exploitation of the willing!
“Do it for Jesus!” [the death of a fellowship!] The taking into
captivity! Many left….God help those who remained!!!!
**********************************************************************

To realize the truth of the CobuCult, it took me 5 years to stop
defending it! We were programmed and the good was there to justify
the bad! The good was allowed there to cover up the bad! The good
were there as a front for the workings of Satan through Stewart and
his few henchmen! Stewart needed to lure and entice a certain amount
of True Believers to pull off his scam!!! We, who loved Jesus, were
being used to make Cobu look noble and worthwhile! We breathed the
life into that monster…

If that wasn’t bad enough, we were abused continually by Stewart and
his assigned henchmen and ‘punished’ for loving Jesus and
subconsciously Stewart was embedding the blame on Jesus in our
minds, so he could finish destroying us even after we left the cult!!!

Stewart had help from heavy hitting ‘demons’ to accomplish so
dastardly a deed! I hate watching WW2 movies about Hitler. Hitler
had demons too!

So did the late Saddam Hussein, and many who place little or
no value on human life as long as they could extract gain for
themselves and power! They all possess a ‘spirit of antichrist’.

***********************************************************************

He mixed the members according to the concept  of ‘sheep with the goats’ and started to bring all/us in small groups to the slaughterhouse.  Then he mixed in pigs and
horses and fed us all slops! Then he had different’ lords over us’-
little  loyal members who were ‘like lions’ to nip and bit and cull out the ‘unconverted ones’.

The ‘converts’ Stewart wanted were thosee mindless enough, who ate what he
offered them not knowing he is/was only poisoning the ones who were
bringing himdelf more  gain, planning on replacing as they/we/us wore out or
left!…

He only pretend/s/ed to be a Christian brothers fellowship! Although many of us  are physically free from being there- we still have little mental time bombs planted in side and/or around   us that need to be deactivated!   Those parting shots from Stewart / or those he delegated to deliver the messages of doom to anyone who leaves the cult.
Those parting  shots to give us to self destruct! Those time bombs are demonic oppression that hits us each in similar /or different ways, some are; Spirits of:
depression, suicidal, anger, fatigue, confusion, mental disorders,
infirmities, bitterness, religious spirits, frustration, contempt,
hatred, pride, lying, stealing, homosexuality, promiscuity, Eve,
Jezebel, bitterness, envy, treachery, mocking, witchcraft
unforgiveness, jealousy, strife, self-mutilation,
self-gratification, even spirits of murder, if only in our hearts!

Stewart is still succeeding in robbing the joy of loving Jesus out of
our lives if any of these demonic forces have any victory in and
around our lives.

I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, if any of you are suffering and search your hearts for any of the feelings associated with any of the above mentioned, do not be
deceived!

Pray, get help both spiritual and mental health, to have some one pray with you!

Surrender it all to Jesus and remember again your creator as in the days of your
youth!

God is not mocked, but wants to heal and hold any and all of us that
have any bondage in any of those areas, he will deliver! All who call
upon the name of the Lord will be saved… ********************************************************************
My indignation remains over the ones who left and could not attain a
right relationship with Jesus due to the distortion of the truth
injected into their minds by the cobu/via Stewarts teaching and the
way he had his henchmen apply those teachings to the receivers.
The pain he has caused, and the ones he has  turned away from God as
a result! I pray for those who haven’t found their way back to Jesus
yet and that Jesus carries them back into his sheepfold!God bless you all!Ave