A Splinter of the Cross: 25 Years in a Cult

By Vicki Flynn

This book is a non-fiction account of a family caught in a cult for + 25 years. 

The book decsribes the deception and manipulation that changes the person's life forever. As a young couple we entered into what we thought was a Christian church only to find out there were rules and stipulations that spiraled down into cultish pract

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flynn & Flynn Enterprises, LLC
• Release date: May 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9780578511702

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A SPLINTER OF THE CROSS

by Vicki Flynn

Flynn & Flynn Enterprises, LLC

A Splinter of the Cross

©Vicki Flynn

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

Reviewers may quote passages for use in periodicals, newspapers, or broadcasts provided credit is given to A Splinter of the Cross by Vicki Flynn and Flynn & Flynn Enterprises, LLC.

ISBN 978-0-578-47932-3

First Edition

Cover Art by Lynn Smith

I dedicate this book to my husband, Kevin.

Thank you for never letting go of my hand

in the darkness.

Setting the Precedent

How do we spiritually digest the dysfunctional group that was Jonestown? We learn from the mistake. We see and heed the warning signs. We think for ourselves and take back our right to go to the Lord for any life direction. We take responsibility for our lives and their outcomes.

No, this is not a book about Jonestown or Jim Jones. But the roots of this church, the church I am about to introduce to you and the beginning of The People’s Temple, the church that Jim Jones founded, are intertwined. Jim Jones ministered with one of the founding fathers of the New Order of Latter Rain churches, William Branham. You will read more about him as you begin to unravel the sobering attributes...of a cult.⁵

You are about to embark on a journey of discovery. You will discover the significance of the beguiling thread that began with one leader - to the fabric that it creates by another leader in the following years of dysfunction and heresy.

Why is what one man considered as doctrine significant? Because he created an inertia that continues to this day. William Branham - an instrumental influence that began Latter Rain - was a prophet. Because of the signs and wonders he produced through his angel he was taken seriously by Pentecostal circles.

The heresy he created still lives in what is left of the Latter Rain churches. His beliefs and doctrines are in the movements that were influenced by Latter Rain in the last part of the twentieth century until today. Remember, the characteristics of heretical, even evil influence, is the twisting of truth, not the presentation of an outright lie.

If you have not experienced the deception of a cult, take heed. This is a warning. If you find yourself in the midst of loss...the loss of the ability to think for yourself, the loss of family and especially the loss of who you are, this book may help you regain your personal direction.

The process of a cult continues to where the individual is swept along in a current too strong for them to fight. They gradually defer all decisions to the leadership and in the end, it is ironic the following sentence is spoken to a man, instead of God. It is not my will, but thine be done...

Not all cults go to the extreme of physical death that Jonestown did. But, there are spiritual deaths. There is a commitment that you are required to make to God. This commitment is submission to the leadership. The mind set created by the leader of the cult takes over. You are bound by your commitment not to question. Then all your hopes, dreams and aspirations are destroyed. The leader has taken over your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You will answer to him rather than the Lord. Your future will reflect the leader’s desires, not your own.

When you find yourself trying to reason why you should leave, the program that has been created plays in your head, The leadership knows best. We have committed our lives to them before God. If we disobey them, we disobey God. We’ll dwell in outer darkness.

Hopefully, the following chapters will either prevent you from the path of allowing yourself to sacrifice what and Who you know or will provide a life map for you to come out of the darkness and deception of where you find yourself trapped.

What may be the alternative if you do not take back your life? Listen to the desperate cries of one who had finally come to the end of all his aspirations and contorted dreams.

⁶ Quickly! Quickly! Quickly! Quickly! Quickly! Where is the vat? The vat, the vat....Bring it here, so the adults can begin.

Chapter One

Our Present Torment

The sky was a deep azure blue, with huge white cumulus clouds floating in slow motion across the heavens, careful not to block the sun. A gentle, constant breeze gave assurance that the warmth of May was perfect. Moving to the touch of the wind, the meadow grass swayed with a rhythm all its own.

The mountains rose far into the blue back drop standing as disciplined sentries and we sat in the midst of them as the field gave itself as a berth, offering comfort and solitude.

The attempt of God’s creation, to bring solace was a generous yet futile effort. The anguish and pain that riddled our souls overtook peace and we lay there, waiting for the very hand of God to reach down and stifle our cries.

Together, yet alone, we looked into each other’s eyes, searching for some light of reason, anything to come forth from our severed, wounded thoughts. I looked down at the patterns in the quilt we were sitting on, then to the wild flowers growing in the meadow. Cognizance touched my confused, stunned mind. It was true. As much as we tried to deny and pretend, the inevitable was there. Reality was the victor and all hope was lost........They were gone.

Twenty-Three Years Earlier

We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.

C.S. Lewis⁷

We were living in a small southern town, in an older but nice house, in a good neighborhood. We had only been married three years. We had our two beautiful girls and a garden. Life was good. Kevin was working for a fledgling company when another job opportunity came available. It was a promising position with a large, well - known northern corporation.

I was totally blindsided. Kevin had been looking for another job because the site where he worked was closing. He had not wanted to worry me, so this was a shock. Not only were we possibly moving, but we were moving to this particular city. I had sworn I would never move there, but God seemed to be opening doors. I’ve now learned not to say never. The Lord just might want to confirm His Lordship in your life.

Kevin had been praying about what to do. That’s how we prayed back then, Lord if it be Your will, please either open or close the door, so we will know it is of You.

The interview process moved along quickly, and we were soon asked to fly up for a meeting with the proposed boss. Two nights before we were scheduled to leave, one of Kevin’s front teeth broke off and he had to make an emergency visit to the dentist the next day. (Never go to an interview toothless.) The tooth was temporarily affixed until further work could be done. We were relieved and thought all was well.

Our girls were going to stay with my friends, the house was clean, and clothes were pressed into suitcases. Our agenda was moving along smoothly. We flew out early the next day.

The interview was scheduled for Sunday morning. On Friday night, Kevin’s face began to swell and became very painful. What we didn’t know then, was that the dentist had sealed an abscessed tooth. Infection was spreading to his jaw and up near his eye.

He kept saying it was no big deal, but after some excruciating hours on Saturday, he finally agreed to go to the hospital.

We were with a realtor at the time and she took us to the emergency room at one of the local hospitals. They gave him something for pain and sent him on his way.

By nightfall he was worse and that’s when I knew that whatever this was would not be going away without major medical help.

There we were in a strange, dark city alone. I remember looking out at the lights from the ninth- floor window of our hotel as I was trying to decide what to do. At first, these sparkling lights seemed to be stalwart beacons of hope. They were so beautiful, shining through the darkness into our room, yet hope was only an illusion. There was no one out there behind those lights. There was no one whom I could call upon, no one to give me advice. I prayed, Lord please help us. Please show us where to go, what to do and how to get there.

Finally, we knew we had to take action. Kevin was getting worse, so we made our way down to the lobby then out onto the street. I hailed a taxi for the first time in my life and the driver became a tangible link to finally receiving some help. We told him we needed to get to the ER. He asked which ER? We didn’t have a clue, so we trusted him to pick one. I think he took the long way, his meter clicking away. It seemed like the ride took forever. Being from out of town how would we have known? He wouldn’t be the last to take advantage of our vulnerable and trusting nature.

At the hospital, Kevin was treated, temporarily. There were no oral surgeons in the ER, so they gave him some antibiotics and Demerol then we took another taxi back to the hotel.

Interestingly, the ride was much shorter. Kevin had been given the pain medication intravenously and by the time I got him to the hotel he could barely stand. Somehow, I got him back to our room and into the bed, praying the whole time. I think angels helped to carry him. I sat down by his side relieved that we had found help, took his hand and thanked the Lord. Mercifully, he slept through the night.

The next morning, despite of the way he looked, with the right side of his face swollen to triple its normal size, he made it downstairs for the interview and got the job. I think his new boss took pity on him. It all happened so fast. It was a go!

I was having a tug of war with my emotions. Moving North had not been an aspiration of mine. I was afraid of the winters. I was afraid of the culture. I was afraid of the unknown. I wasn’t just from the South, I was from the Heart of Dixie, as southern as they come. Growing up, the word Yankee had been spoken in my presence more than once in a derogatory way. My daddy even had a poster of a cartoon Confederate soldier with the words, Forget Hell! in his office.

As Kevin and I planned what to do next, we tried to take comfort in telling each other, that what the enemy had meant for harm, God meant for good. After all, Kevin had gotten the job, hadn’t he? Wasn’t that an open door?

We flew home that afternoon. We were running late and hadn’t timed the drive to the airport correctly. Kevin drove like a maniac. We had to run to the gate. Of course, it was at the very end of the terminal. I ran ahead of Kevin to hold the door. I don’t know how he could run at all. We barely made the flight.

When we landed I drove home as fast as I could with Kevin holding on beside me. I picked up a few things and we went straight to the hospital. The emergency room doctor admitted him right away. The infection was heading toward his brain for goodness sake! We never saw that dentist again.

With oral surgery, IV antibiotics and some rest in the hospital for a few days, he began his recovery. We started packing for our move as soon as he got home.

The company paid for Kevin and me to fly up for a weekend to find a place to live. I was actually excited and looked forward to finding our new home. We didn’t know anything about the area, but we knew what part of the city we wanted to live in. It was a suburb south of Kevin’s work and we only had two days to sign a lease.

Nothing was working out until we looked at the very last place. It was a quaint house in a quaint neighborhood and we scrambled to get the paper work done before we had to fly out. The owner seemed to be very nice, we loved the area, the public school was right up the street and we would be close to Kevin’s work. It was a done deal. Another door had been opened just in the nick of time.

Sometimes the door is shut for a reason and we tend to offer more than a little nudge