It's that time of year when the post Feast letdown depresses a lot of people. Never fear though, Doug Winnail has the perfect antidote for that. Read LCG literature as you prepare for the Kingdom of God!
Goals for the Coming Year: The book of Proverbs advises, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:26–27). Returning from the Feast, inspired by sermons and fellowship, is a good time to set goals for the coming year. What changes can you make to improve your physical and spiritual health? How can you improve your relationship with God, your family, and others? How can you use your time more effectively? What can you do to serve others? How can you prepare for the Kingdom of God? We need to think and pray about these important aspects of our life. The Apostle Paul urged Christians to “walk circumspectly” and make the most of the opportunities we have (Ephesians 5:15–16). Peter advised his audience to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Consider reviewing the Bible Study Course or reading a booklet each month or taking a Living Education course. Now is a good time to set goals and prepare for the future and the coming Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
27 comments:
Post feast depression ??? This modern phenomenon of post feast depression needs to be examined. Nowhere in scripture does God or any of God's friends, prophets or apostles address this. It should not exist if you are spiritually healthy and are walking with God.
Post Feast depression is a clear indicator that something needs addressing in your life.
Yep, only read church literature. Be sure to shun all secular books because they might mention rights and the proper role of government.
Instead of reading only church literature start by going through the actual Word of Yahweh highlighting each verse that stands out in the chapter as the cause of the writing. One will learn much more than doing this.
Winnail's 2021 comments here are almost identical to his October 2011 post-Feast comments, except he deleted his earlier mention of "taking a Living University course." Doesn't the guy have any timely guidance for LCG members?
Why post-feast letdown? Could it be the feasts, along with the rest of the law, are burdens that nobody could bear? Acts 15:10
There is a continuous undercurrent of melancholy native to Armstrongism. Usually it is cloaked beneath a carefully affected appearance of an "upbeat" attitude. At FoT time, as no other time, this melancholy emerges. And GTA used to make fun of Christmas and how depressed people got about that holiday. I believe the FoT is just as effective as Christmas in generating melancholy.
It all has to do with idealism. Armstrongists have the "world tomorrow" as an ideal in their minds. Just as people think about the ideal world at Christmas - peace to all men.
But eventually, everyone sees some of the bad behavior displayed at the Feast, they hear upbraiding sermons and, finally, they must go back home and back to work. Disenchantment gains a beachhead. Been there, done that. The FoT underscores this ideal "world tomorrow" for Armstrongists as nothing else in their liturgical lives. And what they experience at the Feast is the deconstruction of the world tomorrow just as some Christians experience the deconstruction of a happy world at Christmas.
I'm no counselor but I would conjecture that Armstrongists would be better off thinking about Jesus' words "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." I like to think about the future, too. But you can't live in a dreamworld - even if you try to enact it by pretending you are in the Milennium. Not thinking about Kingdom of God is bad, thinking about it some is good, pretending that it is here now is deconstructing.
If someone needs a post-Feast lift, they should remember Jesus. And along with that peruse the book:
"When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group That Predicted the Destruction of the World" by Dr. Leon Festinger, et al.
If you are a Splinterist, this book will aid you in self-understanding. It will help you to understand that what you are experiencing is not unique but commonplace. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." It may even help you to genuinely be "upbeat."
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But there's no LCG literature teaching and contextualizing the phrase "three times" and the word "disannulling" truthfully - Ex 23:14; Heb 7:18.
I don’t get it. Nowhere in the quoted material by Winnail mention “post feast depression.” That part was the setup by no2hwa, and everyone is responding to that. Please show the quotes from Winnail specifically mentioning depression.
It is called “deceptive advertising,” among other things. A more honest heading, based on the actual quote, would have been, Winnail encourages members to keep growing spiritually after the boost received from the just completed FoT.
And, those who claim, “I’m not a counselor, but…” should stop trying to counsel others who didn’t ask for it anyway.
By the way, anyone know why Acts has “ABOUT 120 disciples…?” Why not just say 120? The actual number was 114.
I think the post feast blues are often because upon getting back you realize how far behind you are after what is generally a minimum of 10 days away and often when growing up the FOT was at a bad time for kids as it gets the kids behind in school as well.
I suspect there is some regret for why so much was spent on food and drink and so little time spent in activities or meaningful excursions; services and preparation for services dominate the majority of each day and activities generally fall after a lunch that doesn't end till 2:00 or later. Ah, what to do with those 4 hours of daylight before dinner?? On another day or two it might include getting ready for another bible study or waiting for the sabbath or holy day to end.
And yet this is rejoicing. Expensive eating and drinking bookending 4 hrs of "free" time.
The letdown is that you return home after supposedly rejoicing more tired than before and with very little necessary downtime during the FOT. I've heard it said that the FOT is really about a 2 or 3 days of vacation packed into 8-10 days of scheduling, but with no extended downtime. The Cogs mess up everything.
There are some nice upscale dispensaries in some states, which offer products to help people deal with depression.
We've been away, had a great time with friends and family, and acquaintances that we usually see only once a year, and now it's back to the grind.
I get the same feeling when returning from vacation. Got to go to work. Back in the real world now.
For some people the FOT is the only vacation they ever take. They think the "let down" is something specific to the Feast.
Phinnpoy postulated "Could it be the feasts, along with the rest of the law, are burdens that nobody could bear? Acts 15:10"
So, if Peter was claiming the Law was too much a burden, he is contradicting a statement in Deuteronomy, and the yet-to-be-written 1 John. Both say the Law is not too difficult to bear.
Peter is more likely to be referring to man-made rules - Jesus was always being challenged by the Pharisees on that. In particular, there were man-made laws for Jews dealing with Gentiles, which Peter said he was breaking when by entering the home of Cornelius.
Post-event sadness is not restricted to the Feast days.
I have a goal for LCG members! Don't catch COVID from attending your church services! That would be my main goal of the year if I attending there.
Anonymous@October 8, 2021 at 9:37 AM,
I am glad you mentioned that Winnail nowhere said about the post feast letdown directly. It may be implied, hence the biased misleading headline to get all the usual commentators jumping in with glee for the kill with their say. I was fooled by it. Sometimes, n2hwa go overboard by following HWA's eye catchy headline ads to catch the reader's attention. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say.
If anything, the Church should have post-Feast repentance. Nehemiah 9:1-3 shows that.
And what about Proverbs 15:15 - "a merry heart has a continual feast" ?!
"should stop trying to counsel others who didn't ask for it anyway."
If it's in reference to a book recommendation, that does not legally qualify as counsel. Counseling must be one on one. Furthermore, it's untrained Herb ministers who force themselves into members lives playing psychiatrist, with some bible quotes thrown in, that's the problem. Playing psychologist or psychiatrist without a licence is illegal.
Herb ministers have always been hostile to any influence over members lives other than their own. This includes books and even everyday social intercourse. A minister of mine complained from the pulpit about members quoting bible verses to one another.
And when it comes to ministers legitimate responsibility of confronting victimizers, the record is spotty at best. Often they protect these abusers. Instead they prefer to get their jollies playing psychiatrist.
Well, RCG must be the primary epicenter for "post-Feast letdown".
Giving alot away for free Earl. Perhaps have outside interests may have helped the overall Feast experience Earl.
Living Church of God preaching the answer to "Post Feast Let Down" is in following with Worldwide Church of God tradition. My family came into the Church in 1968. I have kept all my personal Sabbath Services notebooks all these many decades. Following the 1968 Feast, we heard a sermonette in the Washington, D.C. congregation of WCG given by ministerial trainee Bruce Nedrow entitled, "Avoiding Post Feast Doldrums". (BTW, whatever happened to Bruce Nedrow?)
So this topic is nothing new that hasn't been discussed in the Church in 50+ years. Anonymous October 8, 2021 at 4:09 AM said "Winnail's 2021 comments are almost identical to his October 2011 post-Feast comments.." "Doesn't the guy have any timely guidance for LCG members?" My answer is no and that this guidance is consistent with WCG tradition.
Richard
COGlodytes should take Winnail's advice and study their COGs literature.
They should compare COG writings directly to the New Testament.
They should ask why COG literature avoids the biblical concepts of grace and justification.
They should compare their COG literature's references to Jesus and study whether it discusses Jesus in the same frequency and with the same terms as the Apostles did.
They should contemplate whether any of the Apostles said salvation is dependent on keeping the Sabbath of Holy Days.
They should ask why their splinter's literature does not have interest in the redemption of and all sufficient Savior.
They should finally come to the happy conclusion that they no longer need their COG because it is nothing like the the beauty, wisdom, and grace they can find in the Bible.
What would the LCG people do without Dougy Winnail?? Do they call him when they need to use the restroom??? How about making a serious decision like deciding whether or not to cross the street?? What about deciding what to have for dinner?? Sound STUPID?? That is because it IS!! The WOLF is guarding the hen house!! The LCG is CLUELESS and they can care less about you!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!
My problem with my last FOT was during the Feast letdown.
It was so bad I left the COG completely.
When all else fails Tyypho, read Acts 15 again. The context shows it's talking about the law of Moses. Peter plainly says to the Jews nobody could bear the law. The feast days were a part of that law. And real church history shows that by 100 AD, the Mosaic law was passe in the churches.
Good for you TLA! I hope you can find something to fill the void soon.
It appears that Winnail is not growing in grace and knowledge, since his habit is to re-post the same writings every so often. Winnail does not want the people of the LCG to learn and grow, because when they do, they learn that Winnail is not preaching original Christianity. Given Winnail's recycling of his worthless writings, next payday, instead of receiving a check, Winnail should be given a photocopy of a check he was given a few years ago.
Anon, October 9, 2021 at 8:17 PM, said:
"...It appears that Winnail is not growing in grace and knowledge, since his habit is to re-post the same writings every so often. Winnail does not want the people of the LCG to learn and grow, because when they do, they learn that Winnail is not preaching original Christianity. Given Winnail's recycling of his worthless writings, next payday, instead of receiving a check, Winnail should be given a photocopy of a check he was given a few years ago..."
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What goals has Doug set since 2011, and successfully achieved? The same question could be asked of his followers, too.
I wonder how many goal-setting seminars Doug has set in on? I assume that before Doug discussed goals in his article that he wrote that title of: "Goals for the Coming Year:"
Where did the future, beyond the Doug's Mickey Mouse Millennium of another Jesus reigning on earth for 1,000 years and AFTER Satan is loosed from some pit, Kingdom of God fit into his goals?
Following for "food for thought" are some comments, regarding Jesus Christ and goals, from a transcript of "How Do I Pray?" given 21 June 1997:
"...Matthew 6, verse 33! Many people know this. It’s a very popular scripture. It says:
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God…”
All right, a lot of people just stop there. It has more: but seek you first the kingdom of God…
“…and his…”
Not yours! Not what you perceive, but His…
“…righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Now, what are all of these things? Does that mean: “Oh, well, if I seek God, He’s going to give me cars, homes, bank accounts, businesses, good jobs and all of that?”
No! No! Where did you get that? Where did you ever get that impression? What’s He talking about with all of these things? We’ll go into that in a moment. Let’s carry on here with verse 34.
34 “Take therefore no thought…”
Now, we’re talking about prayer. We’re learning about prayer. Here’s the number one principle right here: take therefore no thought! See, if you’re seeking the kingdom first: take no thought…
“…for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
What He is saying is: don’t think about tomorrow. Don’t worry about tomorrow. You’re not in tomorrow. See, He says there’s enough evil here today to think about.
You know; it doesn’t seem like God took some of these seminars that went around in the Church and went around out in the world. It just doesn’t sound like God’s setting goals and it doesn’t seem like He wants us to set goals either.
Now, I know that’s hurting a lot of vanity out there, and a lot of self-righteousness, but that’s okay. I know where we stand. If you don’t agree with that, then you’re probably standing a little bit further there into Satan’s world and that’s fine, because you’re either not going to be with us, or God’s going to straighten out your mind and then you’ll be standing with us. It’s very simple.
Do you see? God doesn’t have to set goals, and you don’t have to set goals, because God owns everything and....
...Now, when it says here that all of these things shall be added unto you, it’s all in the context of Christ speaking on the Sermon of the Mount and that goes from chapters 5 through 7. He’s going to add all of these things unto you, and when you go back and review the Sermon on the Mount: they’re not physical things..."
Anyway, is Doug really preaching "original Christianity" or not?
Time will tell...
John
TLA,
I think the COGs narrow the world into the purely negative such that once you leave the COGs it's easy to carry over that negative worldview but without that bit of hope we had in COGville. It was an exclusivist and shabby hope, but a hope nonetheless. In some ways we have to relearn everything and unlearn the COG teachings. I'm thankful I've come to the falseness of the COGs gradually while at the same time having good strong Christian friends that provided the strongest cognitive dissonance for me rather than just recognizing the wrongs of the COGs. Being pulled out of the COGs through recognizing the positive influence of Christian friends is an easier go than just seeing the ugliness/falseness of Armstrongism and being repelled to avoid it. To much in our lives are determined by what repels. Hope you are doing well TLA.
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