THE WAR
Teen Mania had a bit of a crisis half-way through my undergraduate year. 9/11 had occurred, and numbers were down. Parents were hesitant to send their kids overseas on mission trips. Youth groups were backing out of ATF. The Aug. class of 2003 was shaping into an embarrassingly small one. TM wasn’t making enough money.
This was spiritual warfare, we were told. I remember we were all gathered into the auditorium. There were American flags everywhere, and battle music playing. Ron showed up on stage in fatigues and there were pyrotechnics and everything as he declared “WAR” on Satan, and worked us all up into a battle-hungry frenzy. Classes would be suspended until further notice, to make room for longer work-days. A make-shift call center was set up in the auditorium. Anybody who worked on the phones were required to work 10-12 hour days, Mon-Fri., and they were also required to work on Saturdays. My workload didn’t change at all, because I was on K-crew, but many of my core-mates worked in the call center, and it looked like Hell. They were burned out and exhausted all the time. They were berated when numbers weren’t satisfactory. They barely had time to eat. Whenever they got particularly discouraged, they would be reminded that we were in a WAR, that to give up was to let the devil win. The blood of America’s youth, and the blood of the nations they are supposed to reach, would be on your hands if you didn’t continue to fight. I see now that it was terribly manipulative. I wonder if the parents would have sent their kids to the HA if they knew their kids were used as slave labor.
Although this was a one-time event, it isn’t an isolated case. Alumni from other years can attest to moments of crisis within TM history wherein all the intellectual and spiritual aspects of the program are put on hold so the interns could be turned into work horses. The Honor Academy is marketed as a place of intensive discipleship and leadership training, so their recruiting material demonstrates a lack of integrity. There should be something in the brochure about the possibility of being turned into a soldier if the ministry runs into trouble. If interns know from the beginning that they are signing up for a year of slavery, that’s one thing, but they sign up expecting to be poured INTO, not poured OUT.
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING
Around election time, Dave Hasz began to talk about politics a lot in World View class. He spoke about our responsibility as God’s people to be politically active in our government in order to preserve the godly ideals our country was founded on, etc. His friend, John Graves, who was running for local office, even came to speak in class one day. Today, I feel that it was really a campaign rally in disguise. Dave did not come right out and endorse the Republican Party, but he made it VERY clear that he was conservative and that he thought anyone who disagreed with him was deceived. We interns were carefully trained to revere Dave and eat up everything he fed us, and regarded most things he said as having been delivered straight from the mouth of God, so most of us did not dare think anything that would contradict his opinions. Anyone who DID express a different opinion in class was shamed and humiliated.
Dave announced that all interns would be required to spend a certain number of hours campaigning for a candidate of our choice. If an intern chose to campaign for Mr. Graves, they could meet at Dave’s house at a specific time and transportation and direction would be provided. If you wanted to campaign for anyone else, you had to look them up on your own and work it out with them. This was difficult for many interns who’s schedules were full, or for interns who didn’t have transportation, or weren’t aware of any other candidates. Most of us ended up campaigning for John Graves for the sake of convenience alone. I don’t think many knew who the other candidates were, or what Mr. Graves’ platform even was.
ESOAL AND OTHER RETREATS
I won’t go into much detail about ESOAL, as it has been covered extensively by other recovering interns. I do want to mention that I participated, with much initial enthusiasm. I rang out before the event was over, and IMMEDIATELY began to second-guess myself. Did I REALLY push myself as far as I could? Could I have stayed until the end? During debriefing, I cried and cried because all those who FINISHED finished were being honored, and I wanted to so badly to have be one of them. I knew that I just didn’t have what it takes, that it was further proof that I was a failure in life. I sank into a depression that lasted for a couple of months. I knew that I had blown it, ESOAL occurred only once a year, and I wouldn’t get a second chance.
ELITISM
There was a clear hierarchy among the interns during the time I was there. Those who were obviously talented, attractive, charismatic, driven, or outwardly spiritual won coveted ministry placements, recognition, popularity, awards, and power. Those at the bottom of the totem pole were ignored, or hidden away in less glamorous ministry placements as servants to the TM aristocracy. There was a boy in my brother core who, while brilliant, had a form of high-functioning autism and therefore was a bit socially awkward. His mind was amazing–he knew the names of all 600 interns, which dorm each person lived in, and who their CA was, not because he spend time memorizing these things but because he just naturally retained the info. The ministry could have utilized him in so many different ways. Instead, they stuck him in custodial. I will never forget the day I had gone to the dorm for some reason during work hours and found him in the bathroom, emptying the boxes full of used tampons in the bathroom. It made me think that there has to be a better way of doing things. What if interns all rotated through custodial, or shared custodial duties with responsibilities divided out to every core?
Further, what if the HA stopped giving out awards and started making EVERYONE feel valuable? What if the ministry quit implementing things like status levels and elitism? Jesus never divided his disciples up into gold, bronze, and silver status levels according to how many meaningless DEEDS they performed; but Dave sees no problem with doing this. He makes up arbitrary programs with arbitrary requisites and if an intern is somehow able to perform perfectly, he is held up as “the elite”. This sort of rhetoric is RAMPANT within the ministry, but it is very counter to Christ’s example and message. It is counter to real Christianity, and very damaging to the souls of people who are being taught to miss the point–who are being taught to pursue cheap honor bestowed and recognized only by men rather than true honor that can only be found in obedience to and humility toward God.
CONFRONTATION
One of the very first things Dave talked to us about during gauntlet was confrontation. Confrontation is a very big thing at the Honor Academy, and it makes sense: there were 600+ interns living on campus when I was there, and not nearly enough staff members to keep order. If you empower the people to police everyone else, the interns basically keep themselves in line. I wish that he would have put less emphasis on confrontation, something that is sort of mentioned once or twice in the old testament, and put much more emphasis on LOVE, which is the theme of the whole Bible. There were a lot of people I barely knew, or didn’t know at all, “confronting” me about ridiculous things (usually something the person confronting perceived to be possibly questionable), and very few people trying to get to know me and earn my trust in order to gain the right to speak into my life. Perhaps the staff at the Honor Academy has good intentions with the emphasis on confrontation, but the end result if a lot of people making snap judgments about others–with whom they have merely a shallow relationship–and feeling validated and superior in the process. I was part of this. I, too, was guilty of sticking my nose where it didn’t belong, assuming I knew a person’s heart better than they did, trying to change their behavior, all in the name of “loving correction”. I really thought I was doing the right thing, as do most interns, I believe, but it only served to foster an environment of suspicion and judgement rather than one of acceptance and brother(sister)hood.
MINISTRY TEAM SUMMER
After my undergraduate year, I became a member of the ministry team. I knew what to expect: I would be worked like a dog in a very stressful, unpredictable environment, and I would be misunderstood by everybody back on campus. These things are not the fault of Teen Mania, but rather the nature of being involved in a travelling production of that scale. In the years since I was involved with ATF, I have gained some perspective and can in no way endorse that ministry, but while I was a part of it I was treated fairly well, especially in comparison to my intern year. My team was pretty functional. I honestly don’t remember much from my time on the ministry team because I was so tired all the time. But back on campus, the conditions were terrible. During the summer we were mostly forgotten about. They kept us there to work in ministry placements, but there were no focus groups, or core meetings, or classes, or anything. No one was pouring into us. I had to live in a broken-down trailer hidden back in the woods. There were no lights along the path to the trailer, so at night we had to stumble through the darkness of the woods to get to it. The conditions of the trailer were HORRIFIC. It was infested with mice, ants, roaches, spiders, and there was mold and mildew everywhere. There was a hole in the side of the building. The carpets and furniture were filthy with mold and years of grime that could never be cleaned out. If the place were sitting on a city block, it would have been condemned. There were about ten of us crammed into it, but not a single one of us even thought to complain to leadership. It was so ingrained in us to just make the most of what we had, to not state the obvious, to be willing to make sacrifices. At the end of the year, we spent hours cleaning that trailer, but we couldn’t get it to pass inspection, so our advisor wouldn’t let us leave. There were several moms trying to help us at that point–they were totally appalled at the conditions we were living under.
CONCLUSION
Though there are many who have brought their stories to this site that wish to God they’d never set foot in Garden Valley, I must be honest and say that I wouldn’t trade the time I spent at TM for anything, in spite of hurtful things that happened to me, or of the dangerous doctrine that had to be unlearned, and in spite of the fact that I am still discovering the ways in which those things have negatively impacted my life and my emotional/spiritual health. I met so many beautiful people there, and have quite a few wonderful memories with those people. My life is richer for having known them. But the classes, retreats, LTEs, chapels, core meetings, focus groups, accountability cards, spiritual evaluations, accountability partners, legalism, military rhetoric, confrontation, silly secret ceremonies, FIREV, week of the ring, etc., have NOTHING to do with any of the good things I took away with me from the Honor Academy.
30 comments:
Future Cult Leader said…
I love you Jamie. Everything you said was brilliant. I was there during your time and I wonder if I know you. I worked in Global Strategies as a GI and Staff Associate. I do agree with you that although I do have some positive memories – they are only of the people I met there and nothing to do with Teen Mania or the programs themselves.November 11, 2010 9:13 AM
Natalie Haskell said…
Great story Jaymes! Thanks!
This is just so perfect. I agree, I wouldn’t trade my time at teen mania for anything, as I wouldn’t trade any moment that I ever got to learn and be with my Creator. I learned so much about who He is –DESPITE– the cult and I’m grateful for every breath.
Your story blessed me so much. You did a great job explaining the H.A. and what it is like. I find it SHOCKING that they have been doing the same routines for YEARS. I was there in 2007 when they went under and stopped all classes and we had to work over time instead. I don’t remember how long it went on. Maybe a few weeks.
That is horrific about the trailer too. And I can definitely see why no one would complain. it was for Jesus. And truly, if you wanted Him to be glorified, He was. He cares for our hearts not our outward appearance. Even though Dave and Ron dropped the ball big time (hundreds of times) by lying to us and trying to keep us under control, our hearts are still Gods. I thank Him for His mercy.November 11, 2010 9:16 AM
soul healing said…
So inspiring..
I hope to see and meet more and more great people like you.November 11, 2010 9:34 AM
Micheal McComber said…
We interns were carefully trained to revere Dave and eat up everything he fed us, and regarded most things he said as having been delivered straight from the mouth of God
and there is one more of the many many many problems thereNovember 11, 2010 10:26 AM
Anonymous said…
Dave sounds like a big Man-child…if you don’t agree with him he’ll throw a tantrum for not playing by his rules.November 11, 2010 11:43 AM
Anonymous said…
no that was ron.
dave will just manipulate the rest of the internship to hate you.November 11, 2010 12:34 PM
kymberlydawn said…
Very well written Jamie – loved reading your account these 4 days. Thanks for bringing up “The War” and Campaigning. I remember these events vividly and yet all in a blur because it was the height of being overworked and brainwashed. Both completely crossed the line and destroyed any purpose of the internship. I remember Dave being called out about the campaigning and so he backtracked to make sure we knew we could campaign for anyone – but to me it was too late. TM should have been investigated and lost their 501(c)(3) status at that point.November 11, 2010 12:42 PM
Moriah said…
Jamie,
Your story was extensive and well-written. Thanks for covering so many points. I think what you said is extremely valuable and very clearly and accurately portrayed.
I am so happy you are and others like you are on the way to freedom from psychological, spiritual, and political manipulation.
The only point I differ is trading my time with Teen Mania. I wish with all my heart I could erase and rewind. All five mission trips. All year long. All that money. All that energy for a cause that is so empty and blind-sighted. I wish to God I had never even heard of them.
Then again, part of living life is moving on and trying to retain the positive, as you have done. As I have been trying to do for many many years, and as many others will do in the future. Hopefully our stories and discussion will aid future refugees in their search for higher, safer, cleaner ground.
Love,
MoriahNovember 11, 2010 1:36 PM
Candor said…
Great story, Jamie. Thanks for sharing. I hope you decide to write about your 3rd year. I’m really interested in hearing about it.
“Dave sounds like a big Man-child…if you don’t agree with him he’ll throw a tantrum for not playing by his rules.”
“no that was ron.
dave will just manipulate the rest of the internship to hate you.”
Those comments are HILARIOUS!!! Because it’s TRUE.November 11, 2010 3:28 PM
heartsfire said…
Jamie thank you for sharing your story! I too want to hear your story of your 3rd year. I agree with Moriah thought I think if I had the whole thing to do over again I would absolutely run screaming and save the several thousands of dollars that my family and I contributed to that horrible organization. Be blessed hon.November 11, 2010 4:14 PM
Anon 12 said…
Jamie,
I kind of understand where you are coming from not trading those years for anything. Those genuinely good relationships are priceless. I guess there’s still apart of me that doesn’t want to think any part of my life has been wasted. It hurts me more to think that every missions trip or my time at the HA was no good at all.
I wonder if we would recognize spiritual abuse like we do now, if we hadn’t been a part of the HA? So many people in my life are oblivious or clueless to it, including pastors. I realize it goes so much further than the HA and DH. Spiritual abuse has made it’s way into many avenues of Christianity (other religions also).
I’m glad that I don’t have to be trapped by that kind of abuse any longer. I do think I could’ve done without the pain. Those thousands of dollars would’ve come in handy throughout the years also. lol.
I think it can be hard to learn how to make a clear slice to seperate the “healty” relationships from the “not healthy.” I can understand someone wanting to just “throw it all out with the bath water.” I have felt that way in the past few months. I just don’t know how to start over from scratch. That’s why healing is so important to me. The person I’ve become has been to many places (in my heart) to clear it all out now. I want to know what it’s like to be Healed of these things without forgetting what I’ve been through. For me, that will be the only way I will recognize I have the Victory. Is that possible?November 11, 2010 5:05 PM
Anonymous said…
Anon 12, you have the victory right now. You are still standing, you are still seeking, you are still fighting. You are victorious. And, yes, full healing is possible.
I didn’t go to Teen Mania but I did go to a similar, spiritually abusive missions organization that targets young people. There were good parts, sure, but there was also a whole lot of bad. For me, the biggest thing I needed to do to heal my heart was learn to forgive myself. I beat myself up for so long for being stupid enough to go there and be deceived. It wasn’t until I learned to give myself the benefit of the doubt, to recognize that I was young, inexperienced, and preyed upon by people who knew how to skillfully manipulate earnest young people just like me, that I was able to think about my experience without feeling nauseous. Maybe this will resonate with you or maybe the work you have to do is different, but I thought I’d share just in case it helps.November 11, 2010 11:17 PM
Kimberly said…
I was there when the planes hit the towers. I remember it like it was yesterday. We had just come back from Pike’s peak. It’s so crazy how we can get so caught up in the mission becoming over zealous that we forget about people. It’s like what the Apostle Paul said without love it doesn’t mean anything.November 12, 2010 2:37 AM
Anon 12 said…
Thank you Anonymous 11:17.
YOu are right when you said,
“For me, the biggest thing I needed to do to heal my heart was learn to forgive myself. I beat myself up for so long for being stupid enough to go there and be deceived.”
I have been going back and forth these days with this. Truly, I do feel stupid for going to the HA. To deal with that feeling, I try to pull out anything remotely good about my experience there but all the excuses I can come up with for the HA are ridiculous.
So, I am left with trying to deal with the fact that a big part of my early adult life was wasted. And that unleashes all sorts of emotions (we’ll save that for another day). haha.
Thanks for your encouragement. I was having one of those “I don’t know” moments yesterday. I wasn’t trying to hop on the “let’s focus on the good” party wagon. Really, I just want to pretend none of this ever happened. But it did. After 10 years, I am finally coming to grips with it and trying to make some sense about how I’ve lived my life up to this point. It gets tricky and painful.
Especially because the HA really does affect our lives deeply. I don’t know how anyone can go there and think they won’t carry something from it for the rest of their lives. It makes me really think about what I allow in my life from this point on.November 12, 2010 9:24 AM
Anonymous said…
(It’s 11:17 again. I used to be able to post as “J2” by doing name/url and typing in my email but I can’t get it to work that way now for some reason.)
I am married with two kids and am slowly working my way through college now, dealing with how much harder it is to study and do well when there so many other obligations in my life. I totally understand the “early adult life wasted” lament!
What worked for me, and I may have shared this before, was sitting down and telling someone my story. I lucked out and got free services with someone working on her licensed professional counseling internship. This was through a local agency. Maybe you can find one near you. What I had felt I needed for a long time was to get it all out, every single detail, in an environment where I knew I wouldn’t be judged and where I knew I never had to see the person ever again if I did end up feeling awkward about them knowing so much! So counseling was perfect for me.
Seriously, all I did was talk for 10 sessions. But the wonderful thing was that my counselor would stop me when I said something like how I was stupid and say, “Were you really?” And she’d make me explore that until I got to the heart of it and realized that I really, truly was a big-hearted young woman who desperately wanted to make a Big Difference in the world, who put her trust in something that everyone around her told her was trustworthy, who later discovered that the trust was misplaced, and who moved on. She listened without an agenda of telling me how I needed to feel, or making excuses for the ministry, or making sure that I didn’t mix up God with man, or whatever other things you often hear from apologists who mean well but can end up making you feel worse for having those feelings.
I learned how to turn my anger away from myself and where it belonged- towards the people who deceived me, and how to acknowledge that anger but not let it consume me.
Wow. When I type that up it sounds huge and hard but for me it really was as simple as just telling my entire story and finally feeling HEARD.
It’s not like everything is magically wonderful now. I still have a degree to finish. I still sometimes hear the old thought processes. But now I can recognize it and shut it down quickly. And instead of thinking of my ministry time and spiraling into a bunch of self-flaggelating thoughts, I think of it more like the way I imagine the Flock of Seagulls guys might think about their 80’s hair now, “Wow! What were we all thinking! hahaha.”
You learned how to “really think about what [you] allow into your life from now on.” That’s huge. Really. That’s discernment and it’s a valuable skill for a person and it’s something often described as a spiritual gift. Be proud of that.
I hope you can find something that works for you, so that you can let go and forgive yourself.November 12, 2010 5:22 PM
Anon 12 said…
Thank you J2.
I am looking into counselors now. I really appreciate your encouragement.November 13, 2010 11:17 PM
Anonymous said…
Jamie,
I was an intern in 01 I remember Dave brining in Graves for the politics campaign, I also remember him bringing in the other runners up. Interns were allowed to ask all of the candidates questions. I do not remember dave telling people to go out and campaign. If he did my ADD was kicking in because I don’t remember him having us do that and I certainly did not campaign.
ESOAL, should people not be honored for completing a goal they set themselves to achieve? ESOAL is something extremely hard for people. For some people it is the hardest thing they will ever face in their lives. The hardest thing I have thinking about ESOAL is for those who quit because they say “God told me to lay down my pride”. For me ESOAL wasn’t the end of the world. If you quit, fine. But be honest why you quit. ESOAL is not worth spraining your ankle or getting hypothermia. It is an event. But I do not understand why you were frustrated because those who accomplished their goal were honored?
On confrontation, Jesus confronted many face to face on issues. But the confrontation should be out of love. Not obligation.
your portion of elitism was interesting to say the least. Some I agreed with, others I did not.
I agree that there were people who were more popular and what not. Generally people who could do music and drama. For me none of this mattered to me because I’m extremely independent. I will not go to say I was an outcast but I was by no means popular. I simply focused on my task as to why God had me there.
However, you have brought up a very dangerous idea that America has been implementing into schools and little league sporting event that I think are blatantly wrong. The idea that everyone deserves a trophy or award. Then what is the point of trying? Now in little league events they don’t keep score so everyone can feel like a winner?!? That does nothing but demean the side who won. Then people lose motivation to succeed. Look at the no child left behind program in school, it is failing.
I do like the have people change ministry idea though. It would break up the monotony.December 28, 2010 2:45 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
Anon – I couldn’t disagree more. You’ve confused the world’s system of success and effort with the Kingdom of God. In His Kingdom, everyone DOES get a trophy!! Remember the parable of the workers in the vineyard? They all got the same pay whether they worked all day or just came at the last minute. God doesn’t reward us based on our superior efforts, but on grace.December 29, 2010 10:04 PM
Anonymous said…
RA, he does give awards. But their is an award system. Just like their ARE various degrees of judgement. Why would God give someone an award for something in their life if that individual was not strong in that spiritual area? Would God do it so it wouldn’t hurt their feelings? After all God does describe various degrees of judgement on peoples lives. Their are also different gifts in peoples lives. We will be rewarded for the gifts we use that we are given. In the parable where Jesus discusses 3 people were given so much money. 2 went out and made an effort to do better with it. The third hid it under the rug, the third was not rewarded for doing nothing.
If God does not reward on superior efforts why does Paul describe various levels of Heaven? God loves us all the same but it is up to us to strengthen our relationship with him. As well as use the gifts He has provided us with.January 1, 2011 10:43 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
Anon – Great question. Let me answer from another angle. Even IF rewards for spiritual performance were acceptable (and thats a big if) how can mere humans know who does and does not deserve the rewards? They can only base on external behaviors – they cannot judge the heart. God is a just judge because he not only knows our heart, but he also knows our limitations, our experiences, our knowledge, etc. God will reward us according to our behavior – but that happens in heaven, not here. Do you see a difference? Nowhere in the Bible (that I can think of) does it ever say Christian leaders should dole out spiritual awards in this life. Why? Because they don’t have the right, the authority or the ability to judge accurately.January 1, 2011 1:25 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
A couple more thoughts…A system of spiritual rewards and elite labels breeds legalism, a desire to perform to be seen by others, etc. If someone really is “deserving” of a reward, they don’t need it. Christ is their reward. So, then what is the point anyway?January 1, 2011 1:27 PM
Anonymous said…
In regards to who will know who will receive the rewards is up to God. If God judges us on our behavior wouldn’t he reward us on our behavior, this is after all a part of judgement? If everyones behavior is different than why would everyone receive the same type/same amount of awards? Why should an organization be criticized for rewarding people on earth? There is a verse that describes the concept of receiving awards on earth or in heaven. Not sure of scripture reference. But if they take the reward on earth then basically they won’t receive it in heaven. But is there anything scripturally wrong with this idea? Or do you just disagree with it?
I have already mentioned their is a problem with clicks there. But show me one organization that doesn’t have them. They are everywhere. A huge part of clicks is that it is natural instinct for followers (sheeple) to gravitate to the more popular or talented people. In the case of clicks do you blame the popular people or the sheeple?January 1, 2011 8:04 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
I don’t believe God judges us only on our behavior, but primarily on our motive. I Corinthians 13 says you can give all you have to the poor, but if you don’t have love, it means nothing. Thats a darn good deed and God says its not worth crap. So, how could we possibly know whats in someone’s heart? I prefer to leave that to God.January 1, 2011 10:32 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
BTW, the Scripture you are referencing is in Matthew 6. Jesus is telling people not to do their good deeds so that they will receive the earthly reward of being honored by others. His exact words are, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.”
Case closed?January 1, 2011 10:34 PM
Anonymous said…
RA I think you are right regarding motive. Love is an action and a choice. Love is not as much as a feeling as people place it. When you do things out of love then your heart and motives are pure and you will be rewarded as such.
Was God wrong when he granted Solomon earthly rewards? God offered Solomon anything and Solomon said he wanted wisdom. Yet out of Solomon’s answer God granted (rewarded) him more on EARTH. Proverbs 11:18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. Who are we to say if the rewards are only in Heaven?
1 Corinthians 12-14
12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward.
this clearly describes rewards that are different from one another as well as how much effort we put into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Revelation 22:12 Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is.
Also was not Joseph rewarded over Egypt from God on Earth? Yet another reward on earth. I do not think receiving rewards on this earth are bad. I think your heart and humility behind it is bad.
There is nothing wrong with competition on earth nor is their anything wrong with being rewarded for your hard work. In Matthew 6, Jesus was talking about how the pharisees were acting in the manner to strictly be rewarded on earth and yet showing how they were hypocrites because of their heart behind their action and being rewarded for the “good deeds”. But again if someone is truly having their heart in the wrong place and someone wants to reward them for good performance what is wrong with that??January 2, 2011 12:19 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one. 🙂January 2, 2011 12:20 AM
Anonymous said…
I can agree on that.January 2, 2011 12:22 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
I appreciate your gracious conversation and good questions.January 2, 2011 12:27 AM
Anonymous said…
I messed up on the heart and humility is bad part. I meant to say if your heart is not in the right place in your actions are only to receive the reward and you are prideful then that is bad.January 2, 2011 12:34 AM
Jayme Wass said…
Jamie-
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Its so empowering when we as women embrace our inner “warrior” aka what the world refers to as tomboy. Even if that means we have to pull up our man shoes, get a little dirty, and do it all well looking good and cooking a full course meal ;). But I jest. Thank you so much for your honesty and open heart and may your healing continue.
Jayme Wass aka Ash or Ashley 06-07February 6, 2011 12:00 AM