TL;DR: Senior Pastor Kekel's been administratively called for over 28 years (42 to date). A stay-getter, he has no “been there, done that” testimony (originally posted 10/16/2012) #armchair...

the wistful thoughts 
of a desperate man
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IN A DREAM: Senior Pastor Kekel seems like a big fish because he's a fixture in Graham. Davis married-off Tanya to him & Tanya is Verna's adopted daughter. This's his claim to fame. A Davis creation; much like Denis, except Denis was always in the field & RWD didn't have another daughter we know of. Comparatively, MC Kekel is an also-ran/a never-ran go-getter, excepting the optional daughter.

Nepotism (incest's less popular cousin) never garners respect. It's a pall over any accomplishment (you have to have an accomplishment). It never dawned on Mike his "calling" is to keep Tanya geographically close to Verna & sated & his blessings started with nepotism. For Tanya's sake, for Verna's sake, for Davis' sake; takes the pie & leaves the cake. But, hold your fire everyone, Rev. Kekel's still accomplished. He's on TV now. Watch his tele-churched videos.

But, his Pioneer Go-Getter Spirit never leaves Graham & Davis never makes him, for Verna's sake, which's for Davis' sake. RWD & everyone else knows now, Mike'd be a dud if he went out. To compensate, Mike tele-rails against other Ministers on NTCC-TV. If you won't lift yourself up, pull others down. Davis put a bully in his bullies pulpit. Yet, Mike scorns our scorn? Hypocrite. Infant.

Though derisive, Mike won't hold himself accountable, yet gets crazy/angry when others do? Well, hold your own self accountable then. He presents as a pretentious farce online. Some whirlwinds never change. Bloviators blow & drone forever. The lazy are the harshest critics of the doers. Doers are the hardest critics of themselves.

The one-crazy-secret Rev. Kekel doesn't know is, nobody cares what he's not done. No one knew what he's not done, until he told us. But he first wrote about it, before we knew about it, from his telling us about it. Now he wants us to forget about all the things Mike hasn't done, after he told us about them. Fuhgeddaboudit.

We all compare things in our mind. Then, we brag about ourselves or belittle others, driven by a comparison from our imagination & Mike does both. Yes, we all are occupied with our thoughts, but bragging, boasting & fault finding motivates folks to verify our claims & assertions. Maybe this's why Mike can't leave & why he should stay off-camera? But, he has to justify his imaginings which no one previously knew about because it was all in his head. Like I said, no self control. Ask Tanya.

Pioneering would stop his brag & moderate his boast. Plus eliminating, with one change-of-address, the firm footing his enemies stand on. Which is, this Executive is a stay-getter. He wouldn't even need's be successful; just going-out is winning. Just going out would shut many up. Just going out would ease his shame. He's not aware of this, maybe this keeps him from taking the flying-leap. Confining his failure to Graham. So, maybe a plus. 

Face the fear & frustration. The fear & frustration of standing un-propped by Pastor Davis since 2014. But, continuing failure also outside of Graham would mature his ego & he doubtlessly would fail. Go or stay he fails. The only lesson earned, based on all the help he's spurned. Consider:

"No matter where you go, there you are." - Hazleton Collegian (1955) 

"A new address won't fix it." - greg_s (2025)

"...the pride of shame." - RWD (coined about the Philippine peoples, but not original) 

"Pride's the end of good starts." - KJV (1611) [if you're proud at the start, you'll never start]

Many women & men in Senior Pastor Kekel's congregation would show him how it's done; a workshop by Ministers who did it. The same ones he denigrates during online worship. Or are these also workshops now? Even any who've gone out one time & are now pew-sitters in Graham, are go-getters & merit merit. Not the Graham-hibernator, who's never gone out & parrots parrots. 

Pew-sitter is a sanctioned Executive Board Member euphemism meaning baby-sitting the pew. How very clever (head pat), now run along pew-sitters. Be proud of your accomplishments, not his grifted titles. He's proud of the gifted titles, not your accomplishments & is also the Senior Pew-Sitter (43 years to date). Has anyone ever heard Kekel laugh a real laugh? All I remember is his back-in-the-day laugh, which he uses still for his tele-churched variety-show. I still don't know how to characterize it expressly, but smarmy also always comes to mind. A snigger like Muttley? Is this why he's aka Kackle?

He would have to go by himself though. Tanya won't leave Verna & Verna needs Tanya close. Her mothering was hampered by RWD, who quashes all things he doesn't understand or value in anyone's life, which is much. Unprecedented for a trained Psychologist. VD, more than anyone, has a much better life since RWD died & has a lot of catching up to do. I'm happy for her; I know how life-draining an overbearing man can be. I hope she welcomes a great-grand. Happy as a tick on a puppy & twice as thankful. Not as thankful as the puppy.

If you even get the chance, ask the Kekel's about the time Pastor Davis took them to the Philippines @ Cagayan de Oro to get a tourist's taste of being a Missionary & is the basis of his award. They will tell you how they couldn't stand it & never want to go back. Too hot, too loud, too smelly, too humid, too dirty, too foreign. 

Complained the whole trip. The flight was too long (it's very long, but not any longer than it has to be, otherwise swim), Crappy (it's not) food & dirty (they aren't), ignorant (they aren't) people. What would they say about the Negritos? The same? They would still be wrong.

Yup, he's not been challenged in an away-game (stay-getter), barring the previous paragraphs, because he married the Bosses child, so could have confidence any trial was only very temporary & he would be respected. Dad would bail her out & therefore him & he would still be respected. What's good for Tanya is also a routine and regular stepping stone for Senior Pastor Kekel & he would continue to be respected...and they lived happily ever after. 

With RWD gone, how's Senior Pastor Kekel doing 10 years after? How would you rate him on the Rate My Professor (RMP) website? Since he's also the Senior Professor (another job) Well, graduating classes are tiny, locations are closing & conferences are as unfocused as Graham now is. At least attendance is always way down. This's why you don't see the congregation in videos. Anyone in a suit or sweater-set, has graduated or is still in school & this is most of the congregation. The old chapel would be way big now.

So, any wingtips or cardigans you see in Graham's tele-churched videos were sent there originally by other Pastors, even those now pew-sitting after having left Graham at least one time. Even if it was many years ago. Has anyone from Pierce County ever prayed for salvation at Graham? From King? Has anyone from Pierce County ever graduated from our Bible College? From King? Are they working a church somewhere? Where are they? Is Holy Ghost Baptism still a thing? When was the last time.

If everyone wore a name tag this Sunday, with the name of the NTCC Pastor who sent them to Seminary, how many Davis' or Kekel's would there be?  None of us knew Davis wasn't building for God. He was on the run, this was his drive, force, motivation. To hide from his indiscretions, he needed the place wherever he landed  to last for life. A desert island of anonymity, with Olson as Tattoo. Mike was & is ill equipped, beyond his depth & not in hiding (prey he would), so maybe less motivated. 

So Davis coasted (why work to bequeath, to have it ruined) since he was set-for-life financially & he couldn't replace Mike (for Verna's sake) + He couldn't lead Mike (Mike wouldn't drink instant or sell his motor cycles or stop going to Frontier Park w/Lesbians) + He couldn't follow Mike (even Davis has limits). So Pastor Davis and others got out of Mike's way. Many grizzled field Minister's stay away from Graham & don't go to the Lodge because Mike was tedious way before RWD died. It's quite a long list, with more surprises than Epstein's. How much more since 2014? Well, now he's overbearing (i've seen video). Change is not always progress.

I assume the Kekel's are still staying in their motor-mansion & not the Lodge? So I would stay at the Lodge now. Cool. The Lodge is stellar.  Many folks stayed, out of loyalty to Davis only. When Davis died they left, as Kekel's arrogance prodded them out the door. The wait & see saw enough. He's now self-destructing on TV with nothing to succor him but his shame, pride & Tanya's singing. 

I wonder if Tanya has buyers remorse? She was so young, so sheltered. She couldn't tell how average Mike is, she had nothing to compare. Compared to her 14, he was exceptional at 24. Like men in women's spots. Too young for a drivers license, but Mike didn't need Tanya to drive, he had a car too. Where was Davis' hedge? 14-year-old girl Tanya was mature for her age (Mike told her) & MCK was an immature 24. So there ages were more like 14 & 24. More evenly matched in context. #ididnotgothere

She wanted Kekel & being spoiled & inexperienced, knew no better. She liked that Mike was mature for her age. Davis wanted to unload this ticking hot-potato, since she was starting to show signs of delinquency. Win, win, win. It was easy to get Pastor to do what he already wanted to do. Find out what he wants & give it to him. This's why Denis was Davis' Golden Boy & what Denis taught me. The Ministers that bought Davis the Henry knew this. 

All Kekel had was Tanya, but she was trump, so Denis still lost. After Verna goes, Mike will still have Tanya, but she's not trump anymore. Roni gave Davis what he wanted & everyone gave Tanya what she wanted. Verna get's Tanya what Tanya wants. Davis gives Verna what Verna wants & the beat goes on. Tanya gives Mike what Mike wants. They're not the same, but for Tanya, Davis would have choose Roni. 

Yes, a child is a prop to some people, just like a spouse. But it's an essential prop for a Pastor, and not as effective if the children are teenagers, especially if they start misbehaving. Pastor used to say "if you want to have your way with a girl, find a Pastors daughter". It's then reported Davis found the wives too. So, the writing was on the wall for Tanya. Off-load her before she becomes delinquent, a liability. Then she's someone else's problem. Then no matter what she did, his façade would remain intact. Narcissism before nurture. That's proactive & classic Davis.

This's why Mike thinks he can do what he wants. Change policy with aplomb & watch Lesbians. Mike thinks it's because Davis respects him (from his CEO Blog). Surely Mike would never plead gravitas. Too absurd, almost as absurd as Davis respecting folks. Mike still acts like the BMoC & the Boss's son anyway. Like I said, a strong case is being made Mike is dumb. His ongoing failure to preserve what others also built is his only legacy of success. The other churches are paying his church bills & Graham still struggles?

If you want to know what Graham can do without other churches paying their bills, look to the 'Lina Limpert Memorial Classroom'. A replica of Hephzibah-NTCC's Church-building & very small. Not much else would be in Graham if they had to pay their own bills, if that; other than the Executive's Mansions. 

Also, Reverend Denis is the reason Graham has the Big-Green-Church behind the fence. Denis made it happen. Plus, when he Pastored Woodbrook, he was able to shovel a lot of cash into Graham's building fund (I did his books for a bit). Denis started the let's-each-give-$2,000-to-build-Pastor-Davis-a-dream-church movement in a Student Chapel Fellowship Meeting. 

This would have been before they raided all the local churches for Grahams Big-Green, just like Denis did after (he learned it from them). So thanks to Denis' go-getter leading from the front & all the other churches sending money, Mike has a church to tele-Pastor, tele-Workshop, tele-Monolog, tele-Market, tele-Bark, tele-Clown & tele-Whine from. Monologue, Bark, Clown & Whine. Sound like a law firm. Dewey, Cheatham & Howe.

Yet, he critiques & bullies others? Shame over his lack of ministerial accomplishment causes this. Does his Sound System Ministry count? But, what has he upgraded lately? Is the Campground ready for an upgrade? Its only been 30 years. Those are mighty long laurels, deservedly so. Ungrateful & entitled. No empathy. Yet another trifecta. This guy's tops, a real stay-getter. No one cared what he did until he never stopped talking about it.

"The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things." - KJB/MCK

His betters gall him, his pride goads him, his ledger mocks him 'cause the Ministers paying Graham's bills need to send more money. Maybe if Mike apologizes for his ungrateful & unthankful spirit? He's big on folks apologizing to him & presents as a i-blame-others-for-everything with a double-plus-plus victim bonus. 

Like a Dictator weighted with medals, you have to keep fabricating awards just to plug the hole in his ego. This's why when you share Pioneering & Missionary Stories within earshot it emphasizes the lack in Kekel we've been discussing. Then it's off to church with more material for another tele-attach. This is why the Honorary Awards, to blunt the shame. 

If he asks nicely (don't even hab2b sincere) the churches already paying for Mikes tele-pulpit might increase their charity. It could even be voluntary. Or, Graham can have more church services, since they need more money. This's the same fix for i-need-money taught in Bible College by Senior Professor Kekel. Maybe he should review his notes. If he needs a copy I could send one of mine (4.0 GPA, thanks for the A++ Mike & Company).

"If you need more money, have more church services." - RWD

I wonder how long it'll take after Verna dies, before the Kekel's go out into the work of the Lord? This will show if anyone/anything/anywhy/anywho/ anyhow was/has/had ever, actually, really, physically, literally or figuratively kept him from doing anything for God these 40+ years. This is an interesting thought experiment & the Cults historic twisting of language, half truths & whole lies, necessitates sentences like the one you just read occasionally.

You may wonder, why is he also angry? I've seen video too. He's not. His eyebrows are too low on his forehead, he can't help his Genetics. Angry is just his resting face, but must he yell too? So, instead of owning his face, playing the hand dealt, he opted for 'I'm not surprise, I'm compensating'. 

Senior Pew-Sitter M.C. Kekel

"I consider anyone who has left NTCC an enemy." Tune in to NTCC-TV, to watch his tele-churched variety-show. "I have lots of great things to talk with you about! I have three jobs, including CEO of the Organization, President of the Bible Seminary and Senior Pastor of the local church in Graham, WA." Do I detect Reverend Kekel is still the Senior sympathy sucker after 42 years? Why's he not weaned? Did marriage stop this? He's running Graham? Is this the same Dean Kekel who thinks quit means quit & not conduct/behave in "Quit you like men"? Jeez Louise. Golly-Gee Willy-Lickers.

But he sounds so angry? Well, his shame fights his pride (i've seen video) & covetousness is the referee. Sometimes these fights get loud. But he uses the microphone anyway. He's wresting with himself, but now on TV. Don't envy, pity or hate him. You don't want to be in his loafers or have his church bills, pealing louder every quarter. He wants praise & gifts (i've seen video, click to donate). He wants you to shine his shoes (i've seen video). He's silly (i've seen video & see prior sentence). He's ignorant (i've seen video). He's mean (i've seen video). He wants you to wash his car & pick-up his dry cleaning. Bring him coffee 'cause Tanya's at the Bon Marche. Just like we all did for Rodger.

He's petty (i've seen video). He's an aberration (i've seen video & like Roni sans accomplishment). He's uber-entitled (i've seen video). He's vindictive (i've seen video). He's hateful (i've seen video). He's unfocused (i've seen video). A dangerous force of mediocrity. Gainsaid to help those still trapped, and bring comfort to those who've escaped. He's a hearty laugh for all & the booby-prize is going to (drum roll)...The same team as last year. They're on a 56 year streak.

Senior Pastor Kekel’s self-aggrandizing trial is the trial of already having an inheritance you can’t get until you're 24-26 inclusive (the trial would be waiting for Davis' ticking hot-potato), or the trial of having a smaller kitchen and walk in closet in your latest Mansion. 

No Ministry success, no Ministry challenges, no long-term financial challenges...no lack, no want where they couldn't see the light at the end of a very short tunnel. No danger of being held to the same policy as everyone else, because Rodger respects him. While NTCC's active Minister's were gaining perspective, respect & appreciation from the work of the Lord in the field. 

Ministers work? Why's this controversial at all? Living real trials, hardships, depravations & also experiencing the frequent joy of many tiny successes & endured trials. While poseurs pose, the beat goes on & the mill grinds. Minister's still an action word (Webster online). Senior Pastor Kekel knows all this second hand, but isn't humble or manly enough (Carter era Veteran, so yeah) to acknowledge it or start OJT (i volunteer to train him). Based only on all of his online output, he may be too dumb. So, maybe no second witness needed here either. Can I get a witness anyway? 

Yet, he's the self-appointed mouth for all things NTCC, and comments on things he's no firsthand knowledge of; or third or fourth hand in many cases. But he'll blog-it & tell-it from his tele-pulpit & is shocked we reject it. After all, he's Graham's Senior Pew-Sitter, X Golden Boy & dated the bosses 14-year-old daughter when he was 24. 

Repetition's a good teacher: Senior Pastor Kekel's been warehoused in Graham for over 28 (43 now) years, so has no “been there, done that” perspective about the works of the Lord in the field. Have you been to a workshop yet? How about his tele-church? Are they tele-workshops now (don't lie, i've seen video)? Or still this-was-said-about-us-yesterday damage control Church (don't lie, i've seen video)? With an afterthought Alter Call.

Kekel's pew-sitter-betters no longer have enough company-spirit to shout "WE ARE WINNING" when Kekel gets on the persecution pedestal in center ring (i've seen video). Maybe a synergy booster would help? The power point from the conference maybe? Maybe they can shoot him out of the cannon so he would go-forth? Or he can bark some more on NTCC-TV. Or does this need to be someone else/our fault also? RWD also did all this exact stuff, even the blaming others, but was good at it. But the main reason Davis was respected & Kekel isn't is because RWD had some been-there-done-that testimony. He wasn't a stay-getter.

Davis was unique in my experienced, since I had never been in a cult before or since, but I have hung-with & worked-with women & men who were forces before (Generals, et cetera), so he wasn't intimidating. What's intimidating about someone spinning plates & juggling balls? So, I'm not saying Davis wasn't a hard act to follow, but Kekel makes everything look hard. Like everything is the first time. He made/makes changes while running things the same way. The same clichés, the same patterns, the same patter, behaviors & outcomes. The same pay for less success. 

He moved his own cheese. Then it's "this isn't working, let's do it some more"..."Now lets video it & put it online!"..."Another Workshop will fix things"..."We're going to Arizona for another Vacation Workshop."..."God wants some Workshop in Hawaii." Graham's like a restaurant with too many half-assed items on the menu, so you'd be better served tithing at OCB. Did OCB stay in business after Pastor Davis died?

The 3-point outline reduced to prop to be shuffled & waved, any preparation wasted, along with congregants time & money. Might as well make paper airplanes. The alter call, an afterthought, a rote occurrence; soon to be optional? You faithfully pay Graham's bills. Do you get any value for what you put in the basket? How 'bout for what the Ministers in the work of the Lord in the field mail to also pay Graham's bills? 

Do you still pay for a Ministers License? How about coffee @ fellowship? Do you still send Graham money from your Church's tithes & offerings so Graham can pay its own bills? No one asked you if Davis could go on a building rampage on the Church behind the fence compound Kekel was gifted? This's because you're literally paying his figurative inheritance tax.

Senior Pastor Kekel writes how they sacrificed to get where they are (and to have all they have), citing all the times they went home to eat a sandwich before going out to fellowship at a restaurant (that's a lot of sandwich), to humble-brag about his frugality & to justify having the cash for his lifestyle of the rich & famous. Kekel's version of 'buy saving bonds'. What's next, 'where's your change jar' ?

Or, he has to reach back to his childhood in the 1960's (the cracked toilet-seat story's a real tear-jerker). We also had hardships (along with everyone else) in the 1960's, but only have to reach back to our last year with NTCC (2008) for more recent anecdotes.

Mind you, while Senior Pastor Kekel shares his testimony of hardship, they were eating their wealth-building sandwiches in their latest McMansion. Not even bologna & white bread like the rest of us plain folk; more likely Boars Head & other deli meats; artisanal breads, cheeses, mustards & other fancy goodies from the fellowship hall. But, folks that do have to eat bologna, white bread & other cheap tasty trifles, would pick up the tab for them. Their love offering to a wolf in wolf's clothing. How is anyone fooled? He dated Tanya. You knew what he was when he picked you up. How many widows mites were divested for Kekel's real estate holdings? How many deflowered change-jars?

Sitting on their unbroke toilet seats in a custom built Mansion they owned. Going out to eat in a late model Mazda/Cadillac/BMW/SUV they owned. Coming home to a fully furnished/decorated house. To a son who's in private school (or destined for it), was involved in organized sports, secular college, et cetera. 

When Davis dies these unappreciated handouts will dry up. When Davis dies a lot of things will dry up. His entitlement expectations will have no spigot. Where will his next meal-ticket come from? Will he sympathy suck professionally from that fateful day? Davis has no more daughters that we know of? Kekel will have to buy his own pie & milkshake, though he be once-wunderkind Michael Craig Kekel in his imaginations.

The high chance someone would pay for their food/dessert/coffee at the restaurant is because he's Senior Pastor Davis son-in-law, not because he's once-wunderkind Michael Craig Kekel, which really twerks Kekel's brows above all else. 

When Verna passes he'll loose more. But, he'll still be husband to Tanya. This can't be taken away. I've been a house husband before. For years at a time, at times, so I could really get in the groove. 

If you approach it as a job, your work is done in 2 hours or less; even cooking. Shopping's extra time. The meal planning, shopping list, to-do lists, & all other household management are included in the less-than 2-hours. Plus, being the house-wife you have much more time to do your husband honey-do stuff. So I guess I had 2 jobs. Mike still beats me. It's very straight-forward, satisfying & fulfilling. You'll get uber-efficient, which is uber-manly. At least that's what grown women have told me.

Is Tanya a good cook? Does she cook? I ask because I'm still finding faults. This's why this diatribe's so long. If they hadn't done it I couldn't report it. Every time I've eaten at one of the Executive's Mansions it's always premium pickings from the i'm-a-poor-student/minister bread table in the fellowship hall. I don't think I've ever eaten a desert home-cooked by a Head-Wife. Although, Sister Davis cooked the breakfasts the times we went to eat at Pastor Davis'. She'd even make seconds, so I always had seconds. 

They would even brag about their finds. Sometimes to the folks standing in the line they cut. Just bizarre. Equally bizarre is all the things the Head-Wives were so effortlessly able to do, which would bring their superior-lessers to full stop. Even gaining momentum over all these decades. Just fascinating. Shows how distorted they all were & gives pause how they became this way? It's foreign to how I conduct my day to day life. So, some students had to do without, so the Executive wives could entertain (usually other Executives & Executive wives). Pie serves pie. Cake's for  proles.

I've seen the Head-Wives take the best pies & breads from the fellowship hall during the day many times, before the lowly Ministers wives & Student wives could get there. I've heard Sister's planning when to get there before the Head-Wives. A lot of folks count on the free-bread-table as part of their food budget. Obviously, since they were free-bread-table customers. No one should have to compete with the Graham-Hibernator's wives. Like competing with Bezos for free yachts. These posh Head-Sisters would sneak into the fellowship hall, with all the sneak-thief chatter & body language, until they saw they're seen. 

Then the looking over their shoulder & around the parking lot stops & the justifications start. Just like when folks are caught by the police. Survey says: it's for Pastor Davis/Pastor Davis is coming over was the number one answer. When they finish taking what they want & leave trailing their smug-in-suds spritses, with subtle make-up & ill fitting finery, their walk is i-pulled-a-fast-one/we're-so-clever/daddy-will-be-so-proud. We follow them out with armloads & load their selections into their luxury vehicle. We were mindful of where we looked.

They did the same covetous shit for the Lodge, by cherry picking the good pies in Graham & from our other big churches which grifted-food-banks, months before Conference so they could have goodly godly goodies at the Lodge. Gandy coordinated all this & the trucks would roll in on time. He always did a stellar job. A superior administrator. The faux-meat burritos salute you.

I ate with everyone else at the Lodge (it's not name dropping if you did it, it's a humble-brag), even though I thought it was wrong we ate the student's/church-member's grifted-food-bank food. But its free pie, so hand me that whole pie, no the one next to it, a big spoon & a cuppa Pastor's instant.

This violates any food-bank authorized food-uses rules I've ever read. The food-bank stipulations I've read, showed they were always obtained through fraud/grift. So people saving money for mandatory conference would have to buy what they could have got from the free-food table & have less money for mandatory conference. Maybe not going as a result; excoriation pending. 

But, not right away. The tippy-top leadership also uses Conference month to vacation. No one would even notice since folks were gone anyway, so they could take another vacation people knew about later. Why waist there own PTO, right? Board members get a months vacation each year. Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Hawaii. Or, for example, go to teach a workshop in Panama & take a week vacation before & after. It wouldn't need to be in Panama. 

The irony is the stay-getter doesn't take stay-cations. They stay in Graham to minister & go-getter to vacation? There may be other states, but these are the well known ones. Win, win. They get back to Graham when they get there.

So, Davis is dead, Kekel's the Pastor & doesn't get treated as well as the last One. He even out-loud whines about it. Real out-loud. Lips moving, mouth-sounds, everything. He even puts it on video? Makes a person wonder if he, as he lazed-administratively in his third mansion, wrung his hands with cackling delight at the respect & riches he was soon-to-be grifted & is he obtuse? 

I doubt he'll ever learn "a kazoo can't play first fiddle" & why Graham is failing. 

I like "a kazoo can't first fiddle" better, but it reads hard to my tin-ear. 

Maybe I should stick with tradition?  "Like putting lipstick on a pig." & "You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear." Better.

RUN-ON SENTENCE ALERT: It's a lot different giving a months pay when you already have all these things, plus a steady job, plus a stable place to live for decades on end with no chance of moving, plus a bank account not on "E," giving money every month to the church your Pastoring, for the work of the Lord, and using the rest to go to Conference and Fellowship Meetings, and/or the inevitable move always just around the next corner for these same decades of involvement, with no light at the end of a very long & winding tunnel.

Whenever we passed through Graham on our way to or coming from a work or for a Seminar, there would always be his grinning face. He may have even picked us up at the airport. But, during these times we fellowshipped with Pastor Davis after being dropped off in Graham. Who would you have chosen? Our hierarchy/preference, before & after graduation for fellowship was Gaylord, Davis, Olson, Johnson; the BIG 4. But the Gaylords had sickened & died, during & right after I finished College. So BIG 3. These were the only Executives we ever invited to our apartment. Other Ministers in between. 

We never considered inviting Kekel, Kinson, Gesang, Infausto i.e. the little 4+, et cetera. Kekel & Gesang are silly. Kinson & Infausto overwrought. This wasn't about not liking fellow Ministers, not about who's a buffoon or who's overblown, we all have our foibles. We have an opinion of others & preferences for friendship, as everyone does, but getting the most bang for the money we spent hosting at our apartment was the only consideration during the poverty of school & NTCC Ministries. The little 4+ invited us to their homes, that's how we hung with these folks, along with reciprocals from the BIG 4 then 3. 

FUN FACT: We were waiting in Graham for a work to open, so were there for about 1 year. I would bounce around to the local churches for a month or so at a time to do whatever. Mostly janitor/grounds/maintenance shit, fellowship & shadow the Pastor. This was before giving workshops was a thing. When we were leaving, all the executives who hadn't yet, invited us to their place. Our dance card was suddenly very full. I assume, even then, it's so when someone would say they had the Shunks over when they were here they could say 'us too' so they wouldn't be thought ill of. Kekel, Kinson, Olson. Some of the lesser office workers, the more suck-up ones. This was even before they wanted stuff to show on the internet. But, there's still optics, hence the invites. :END FUN FACT

Kekel might have been hierarchyly somewhere amongst my fellow students for fellowship. I don't know, why should he care? He was Dean, so I associated him with College, not anything else. As I would a janitor, i.e. an employee. I saw him all the time. He was Davis' son-in-law, so I acknowledged the coat-tail. He's just always in Graham. That's where he stays. His Spiritual Gift is office worker (as he proclaimed), along with all the other office workers, but with a private office (fireplace & private computer, screen facing away from the door), being the founders son-in-law has its perks. 

At least I could get my mail from Fontenot, who also showed me how to surf the web in the campus office over the course of a couple few days during scheduled business hours. I would ride to work with Ripka after he dropped his wife off at High School. Fontenot was also very helpful with print shop orders & requests. But, that's according to policy. A point is, Kekel wasn't useful to me, unless he was my Professor.

The Kekel's can’t relate to the little people, i.e. everyone else, as is evidenced by his shared online perceptions of what's struggle, but what others would consider a not-struggle. Not very manly. He may have been a child who ran home for care for an owie & we're the same age? It would be too rich if he was also the kid that took his ball & went home. I would be surprised if he was a bully. Snitch maybe. Teachers pet? Probably not & for the same reasons in his articles. He's not faithful or trustworthy. When Mike was a HS senior, did he dip to the elementary-school for a prom date? Ickity yuck.

Tanya's entitled, so Mike panted after it & shortly was hitched to her silver spoon. My take? It’s all about the money, gas-lighting, pride of equipment & child liaisons by a hollow, suited, groan-getter. Maybe he's mad we never had him over? He still doesn't generate much bang for my buck, or growth from the money NTCC's churches send to Graham to pay Graham's bills. Estimated at $52,000 a month in 2010. Maybe when he's successful we'll invite them over.

Consider this, Senior Pastor Kekel has never (40 years to date) !@#$%^&* ever (for emphatic emphasis to show what follows to be extremely clear & a complete CV)…Pastored a Church outside of Graham, pioneered a Church, Pastored a Church which didn’t have sufficient guaranteed income, Pastored a Church which didn't have nice facilities, not had a dependable late-model car, moved every few years, had to quit a job, had to pick people up for Church, had to commute to work or Church (or even had to change for Church, since he worked in Church clothes), had to wonder how the Church bills were getting paid, had to go door-to-door door knocking, had junky furniture, et cetera for the past 28 years (40 to date)…So maybe he really doesn’t understand. Emphatic enough? I don't really do exclamation points. I feel silly when I do, so I don't. Like men who drive a jeep, which seems like a high school boy, adult woman vehicle. Like sportscars.

Maybe we'd be worldly if we had Kekel's wealth. We would like to try, so we are. But, not so worldly as they. Like Christian erotica, just a smidge-o'-sin. But we'll see. It will take us longer, since we have to amass it honest & the Kekel's do have the nepotism head-start advantage. So far we're still the same people (minus the stinking thinking & faithful grifting). We're still standing on our own 4 feet (just like we did in the Cult). We have better shoes. We were/are not dependent upon being propped up by the man from Cotton-Mill-Hill, and were not exempted from the routine dangers of Cult-life by the founder’s wife, daughter & grandson.

I appreciate the way things turn out, and who we are. Things are still getting progressively better. I also like the fact the blogs are still active and effective (and so effortlessly tweak the leadership), and people continue to escape. 

Leave our Cult before it is too late...you'll be glad you did.

Gregory 

:IT WAS A NIGHTMARE