An Unauthorized History of 3ABN, Chapter 6 (more of the televangelist) Options

[Guest_statrei_*]

It's a sad, wicked world, and it's time for Jesus to put an end to it!!!

It ultimately gets back to that. Christians have been blaming the Creator for the mess they are in for a long time now instead of using the tools He gave them for solving problems. If He had the authority to put an end to it He would have long ago.

[HUGGINS130]

It's a sad, wicked world, and it's time for Jesus to put an end to it!!!

Jesus isn't sad, nor wicked, I don't believe He has to put an end to any of this sadness or wickedness...God has given the believer authority over the evil one, and all his wicked schemes...

It ultimately gets back to that. Christians have been blaming the Creator for the mess they are in for a long time now instead of using the tools He gave them for solving problems. If He had the authority to put an end to it He would have long ago.

Yes we have, for too long, been blaming the Creator for all of our problems, asking that he comes back soon, so this "so called junk can end..." I am sure the Creator is like, they'll wake up from their sleep and slumber one day!!!

This post has been edited by HUGGINS130: May 13 2006, 01:36 PM

[sister]

“The Televangelist”, Part 4...

Ronnie and Becky... If you take the time to sit down with Ronnie, sifting through his stories with the eye of an “insider”, it is amazing how much truth is revealed there. He can tell you about hearing “speaking in tongues” in the Administration wing of 3ABN (after everyone was professing conversion to Adventism), his knowledge extends to the location of doors in T’ville that open for secret rendevous with the President of 3ABN and as a convert to Adventism he knows both sides of the local religious scene.

Ronnie has been called upon to fulfill some rather unique “job descriptions” for Danny over the years. His part in the accounting scandal is just one example. Reading the following account from “The Televangelist” brings a slight chuckle to my lips as I think of Ronnie. In the midst of so much corruption and scandal, Ronnie cast in the role of “Private Eye” is a morsel of comic relief.

“As the years passed, financial directors came and went. One of them went under a dark cloud of scandal. It was discovered that he was diverting funds into his personal accounts, paying his bills with company checks, and walking away with enormous sums of money. To the surprise of those few people who knew what had happened, the televangelist chose to keep this story under wraps. The financial director was terminated, but not prosecuted. Nor was he required to pay anything back. Indeed, he was given a company vehicle as a gift.”

“Not long after this, The United States Postal Service discovered that a mail carrier was opening letters addressed to the ministry and taking cash donations. The televangelist went to the federal prosecutors and begged them to drop the case. He did not want it pursued.”

“In both of these situations, prosecution would have resulted in close scrutiny of the ministry’s financial books.”

It has been a number of years since he left 3ABN. Although a faint memory of this slender, medium height man—an accountant by trade—his well rounded red headed wife and their numerous carrot topped children still remained in my memory — like a crafty old coon being chased through the night by a pack of hunting dogs, his name has eluded me. Snapping my fingers, it finally comes to me — Pete! That was it! Almost as interesting as what he did, and the lack of consequences involved with the discovery of his actions, was how Danny attempted to catch him in the act of “stealing the golden eggs from the giant’s own stash”.

It is one of those typical southern Illinois nights: the gas station on the main drag in T’ville has already closed; the local cop just turned off his lights and soon the sound of snoring wafts through his open window, as a gentle breeze ruffles the curtains; most of the cows have settled down in the pastures, except a few still wandering lazily near the fences, munching on a middle of the night snack.

But in the stillness of the night one man remains awake, like a sentinel at his post, Ronnie keeps watch on the side entrances of 3ABN. Seated in his trucked, parked at the far edge of the employees parking lot, with his back toward Charlie Good Road, he has the perfect vantage point for watching two entrances: the main employee entrance with a single light above it giving a clear view, should anyone approach it and seek entry, and secondly the outside door that leads directly into the accounting department.

Ronnie, opens up his thermos and pouring the steaming liquid into a cup, holds it between his hands to warm them. Taking a sip, he starts rummaging through the Kroger sack on the floor of his truck. He was sure that Becky had put his favorite snack in there. The sound of an engine pierces the stillness of the night as a car turns off of Highway 50 onto Charlie Good Road. The contents of the Kroger bag are forgotten, as Ronnie slides down deeper in his seat, pulling his baseball cap down, shielding his face.

Holding his breath as the car comes closer, he waits. His pulse begins to race and reaching up he wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead, as it trickles toward his eyes. All he would need now is an Aloha shirt and red Ferrari and he could give Thomas Magnum a run for his money. Looking down at his protruding waist line, he realizes it might take a bit more to compete with Hawaii’s most famous Private Investigator.

The revving of an engine, as the car changes gears, interrupts his imagination. Returning to reality—perhaps this will be the last night of his vigil and he could return to where he belongs, sleeping soundly in his own bed with his wife— he hears the care picking up speed, passing by 3ABN and with the red glow of it’s tail lights fading into the distance, it disappears into the night.

Soon it will be dawn. Fighting the natural urge to sleep, Ronnie’s eyes pop open and sitting up he pours another cup of coffee. Once the employees start arriving, he can go home and take a well deserved rest. As Becky’s car pulls into the parking lot, to begin her workday in the 3ABN Call Center, Ronnie steps out of his truck and stretches. Limping, because his foot has fallen asleep, this short, rotund man in his fifties, walks over to his wife and gives her a hug and a kiss. Laughing she pushes him away and tells him to go home and sleep.

Driving home, Ronnie thinks over the night’s events, like all the previous nights, it has been silent in the parking lot of 3ABN, but at least the hourly price he negotiated with Danny makes it worthwhile.

When the jig is finally up, those who know the full story realize that Pete will never be prosecuted: he knows too much and Danny can not allow the close scrutiny of the financial practices that would take place during a public trial...

And what about Ronnie’s night vigils? Well, why would an accountant with a private office need to come in at night, when he was already there during regular office hours and could take care of “his business” in addition to Danny’s?

Stay tuned for Part 5 of “The Televangelist”...

[PaperTigers]

I remember when that happened... at the time I wondered why it was almost hush-hush... One day he was there and the next he wasn't, I found out by someone whispering it to me what had happened... I was a little confused until later things started to click and then I went... OH NOW I KNOW WHY!!!
It's sad to think that he'll go to that length to protect himself.



My mind just doesn't function that way I guess.

[beartrap]

Interestingly, Pete was placed at 3ABN by the "independent" auditing firm that does 3ABN's annual audits. He was one of them.

[Guest_vonessa_*]

Snapping my fingers, it finally comes to me — Pete! That was it!

Sister, you got a way with words. Can't wait for the next installment. This has me glued tighter than a bristle to a porcupine.

[sonshineonme]

Sister, you got a way with words. Can't wait for the next installment. This has me glued tighter than a bristle to a porcupine.

"someone" should be shaking in their cowboy boots...

[Johann]

Sister, you got a way with words. Can't wait for the next installment.

When do you expect it?

[gracetoyou]

At the North Florida campmeeting in March, Danny Shelton introduced his new wife Brandy and her two cute little girls. If I am understanding what sister, Fran and others seem to be saying, then are Brandy's two girls in danger from living with Danny Shelton? If so, then those who have knowledge of Danny's past behavior have an obligation to protect these innocent girls from being harmed and scarred for life by contacting the authorities or whatever means it takes to prevent these girls or other children from possibly being abused.

The wheels that are grinding fine and slow may need to grind faster before damage is done.

What if these girls were your girls living with Danny? What would you do and how quickly would you do it?

[sister]

“The Televangelist”, Part 5...An ironic twist to the tale of Pete

Susan, proprietor of the T’ville “health food” store, like a knight upon a very dusty stead, wearing rusty armor, with a small chorus of mice singing in the corner, raised her voice in defense of Pete and his tribe. Standing upon her soap box, she decries the wickedness of Danny: poor Pete had been fired from his job, the reasons remaining obscured in a dense cloud of secret dealings. Not only had Danny tarnished this fine man’s reputation; but in addition, there were rumors of possible prosecution and imprisonment. What would his resourceless wife do if left alone to raise their children? How would she sustain herself and their little ones? Winter was coming and they would surely freeze to death with no money for heat and no food for their table. Like the narrator of a soap opera, Susan continues to recount a finely detailed list of the dooms this family had to expect in the near future...

Excuse me while I pause for an ironic laugh. Perhaps you are shaking your head, too? Isn’t this the same Pete who paid himself a double salary, ran many of his personal bills through the company account and bought his house with ministry money? And if that wasn’t enough, received a “hush payment” of a van. Of course Pete lost access to the “goose that laid the golden eggs”, but destitute? That is a leap of imagination that would shame the cow that jumped over the moon. But that was fine with Danny, as long as the “thief” was gone from his midst, Susan could say anything she wanted, it was just a local rumor and she had about as much credibility as a three dollar bill. Now Danny could continue milking the ministry funds, without fear of being found with his hand in the cookie jar, through the financial transparency that prosecuting Pete would bring.

But now back to Susan. At this point she steps down from her soap box and starts collecting donations from other 3ABN workers to help this “poor family” through the crisis they were experiencing...both food items (purchased from her store) and cash donations. Most of the people donating to this cause could barely keep food on their own table and there was never enough money to pay all the bills delivered each month.

As long as we are here, let’s take a peek around Susan’s store. The first thing you notice as you walk in are the dirty fingerprints on the glass door and that the front windows need washing. The carpeting on the floor is stained and dirty, the dusty shelves are loosely stacked with canned vegetarian food items and in the freezer are Rice Dream bars and a few assorted other items. There are bulk products that have been packaged on the premises, you definitely want to avoid these, and there are strange odors that no one who shops there wants to identify. As long as your purchases are restricted to prepackaged or frozen items, you are probably safe. Susan also bakes bread on site and makes and sells vegetarian lunches. Did I mention the insects and the mice droppings? Well, at least she was willing to run a tab for you until you received your pay check from 3ABN.

Before exiting Susan’s store there is one more item to take note of, in addition to selling food, it is also the largest hotbed in the area of rumors, innuendo, speculation and just plain gossip about the on goings at 3ABN. Hushed voices pause and two pairs of eyes dart toward the door as the sound of it opening immediately stop a clandestine conversation. In a brief instant, it is ascertained whether the customer walking in is friend or foe. If the subject is especially delicate, you are ushered in to the cooking area in the back, free from prying eyes and eavesdropping. And the biggest gossip of all, the Thompsonville Church clerk, was also an administrative assistant at 3ABN. Though I must admit Susan gave Dee quite a run for the money.

This is Thompsonville. This is the life of the workers. Some live well: Pete, Moses, Mollie and Hal, ET and Dave, Pastor John and C.A. And at the top of the heap, Danny and his spouse. The majority merely hope to survive until the next pay check arrives...

Stay tuned for Part 6 of “The Televangelist”...

[beartrap]

With all of the scandal currently surrounding Danny Shelton, is it possible that he is preparing to "step aside" (as opposed to stepping down) as a martyr for "the good of the ministry because of all the attacks that the devil is making on him through Linda, her supporters, and every other person who is trying their best to destroy God's work?" Is it possible that the 3ABN spin machine is currently working on the statement that will follow his move? Is it possible that, his successor is being prepared to function as his puppet? Is he being placed in a new position to pull the strings from behind the scenes? Has anyone seen the new "3ABN Today" open? How many strings are attached to Shelly Quinn? Would such a move be made to muddy the water? Was the Ten Commandments Day book donations a quick means of building a nest egg? Is the new 3ABN acreage that Kenny is being set up to develop in housing another means of keeping continued family income out of 3ABN? Could there be a motive that includes the option of saying that any accusations against Danny are now moot as he has stepped aside? Is this a means of clearing the slate without actually clearing the slate? Is it possible that to add to Danny's sainthood, John Lomacang is currently writing up a new 3ABN release justifying Danny's remarriage by demonizing Linda, as her former pastor and Danny's current pastor? Is it possible that many donors have dried up their funds, and many people are changing their will and trusts to exclude 3ABN and they feel that something has be done?

This post has been edited by beartrap: May 15 2006, 02:51 PM

[calvin]

Before exiting Susan’s store there is one more item to take note of, in addition to selling food, it is also the largest hotbed in the area of rumors, innuendo, speculation and just plain gossip about the on goings at 3ABN.

NOT ANYMORE. BlackSDA is now the largest hotbed in the area of rumors, innuendo, speculation and just plain gossip about the on goings at 3ABN.

[Clay]

NOT ANYMORE. BlackSDA is now the largest hotbed in the area of rumors, innuendo, speculation and just plain gossip about the on goings at 3ABN.

but as your sig says Calvin.... its all been said before......

[simplysaved]

NOT ANYMORE. BlackSDA is now the largest hotbed in the area of rumors, innuendo, speculation and just plain gossip about the on goings at 3ABN.

[calvin]

NOT ANYMORE. BlackSDA is now the largest hotbed in the area of rumors, innuendo, speculation and just plain gossip about the on goings at 3ABN.

Yeah, Sister walked into that one. I couldn’t resist the jab.

In case you CAers hadn’t noticed. We don’t take ourselves too seriously here. You got to expect to be the butt of a few jokes every once in awhile.

This post has been edited by calvin: May 15 2006, 03:44 PM