I had some great news today! During my visit with my youngest son (which was fantastic, as always), I learned that he has moved back in with his mother and the rest of the family! That is great news as far as I am concerned! My children have always been close with one another and they need to be together.
42 comments:
THAT IS AWESOME!! I am so glad to hear it. Did your son express how happy he was to be back home?
No. Not really. During our visit I just asked him how his week was and he told me that he moved back home yesterday. I picked him up, gave him a big hug and swung him around and said to him, "That's great news!"
After that, we talked about school and then played chess and a short game of indoor basketball :) .
Dan...I am the anonymous blogger that just responded to how awesome it was to hear that your son is back home. I too am a blogger that is praying so hard for you and your family. You guys need each other and you need God. Please reconsider!
Fantastic news, Dan, I'm really pleased for you. Hopefully this is a sign of better things to come.
Dan, you are evil, a reprobate, going to hell, etc.
There, now no one else has to say it. ;-)
Let the positive comments flow!
Good to hear, thanks for sharing. :-)
Thanks for getting that out of the way, Mike ;) .
May this just be the first of many good things to come Dan. JEB
I also used to be a member of Heritage Baptist Church many years ago. Bob Barton IS a dangerous man. We caught him in many lies. In public, he is very friendly, comes across very loving and caring. I also know how he handles people alone in meetings and it's total mind control tactcis. He leaves people more confused when they leave the room. When you start coming to Heritage, Bob Barton tell you want you want to hear as far as doctrine. It's a bate and switch tactic! I knew this family well, spent much time in their home. His family 'looks' like a model family, but we know differently. It is not what it seems. His wife is a wreck. She has serious issues due to the abuse of her husband. I've seen his temper first hand. He has not Biblical base for being a pastor. PERIOD! This church is abusive and no one should go there.
I am sorry for Dan's family because I think they were victims of that abuse. I think Dan cracked under the weight of Bob Barton. Many families have left Heritage over the years. I've seen them come and go. When they first come it's like a honeymoon, but it doesn't last long. Bob Barton ruins lives, leave people in shambles, divides men, women and their children. He will even joke about how he is viewed in the community and call it "persecution". I've never in all my life seen anything like Heritage Baptist Church.
Jane - not my real name,but I have to protect myself.
I'm so sorry to hear that this is happening to you. I'm also shocked that the legal system hasn't done a better job protecting you. What the?!?!
Anyway, on your information page, you said,"The Bible told us that if we prayed anything in accordance with His will, he would grant it (First John 5:14, John 14:13; 15:16; 16:23)."
Well, I prayed for years that my abusive father (a deacon at Hillcrest Bible/Baptist Church in Dallas) would come to understand that "sparing the rod" doesn't mean allowing his wife to beat the sh*t out of his ex-wife's kids (they only beat us, the step kids, not their own kids). But alas, no.
IMO the bible is evil.
Surely, if you got a good lawyer you could get this silliness worked out?
Anonymous....do you think Heritage could be to blame for driving Dan to this point? I can't forsee that Dan, just by reading the Bible and having a personal relationship with Christ, could arrive at this point. Something had to push him to where it was "all or NOTHING". I wonder if that "something" was Heritage.
Dan,
Great news that he is with his siblings. I hope that they can help him re acclimate and tolerate the situation better than before.
Maybe you could add Mike's comment to the beginning of each post as a tag line to ward off trolls. Kind of a "yes we know what you'll say, now go away" thing.
I am sure your kids need you and you need them, I hope everything is resolved soon so you can be there for them.
Cheers & Happy Monkey!,
Ray
That is great news, Dan. I have been praying for that every day. Thank God!!!!!
Anonymous above,
Seems there is a common testimony because if you punch in Heritage Baptist Church Vinton in Google you get websites against the "church." I talked to one ex-member and the horror stories of manipulation and intimidation have crossed over the line. This lady actually said that her husband was forbidden from sharing certain things with her by Bob Barton and when she accidentally found out, her husband was fearful of the leadership and what punishment he'd suffer. So, they left and then could actually think clearly and rationally without the leaders perspective on everything area of their lives. They also said that Bob Barton lives in luxury (huge house and vacations and bank accounts) at the expense of many who just barely squeak by month to month. Gives Christianity a bad name and feeds skepticism really.
I am not doubting that there may have been and still are things going on at Heritage that are unethical or even illegal. My questions are why did Dan stay there for two years, and how much was Dan involved since he worked so closely with the pastor?
My questions are why did Dan stay there for two years, and how much was Dan involved since he worked so closely with the pastor?
My family was involved with the church from the beginning like any other family there. We started by attending on again and off again. Then we attended on a full-time basis and then became members. Some people had been attending Heritage for over six years! Some had followed Bob from his stint as a youth pastor at Shenandoah Baptist Church to begin Heritage Baptist Church. We came much later (obviously).
After attending for well over a year, there was a need for someone to help with leading Family School (Heritage's form of Sunday School) by organizing teachers and topics. I offered to help there. I did not come on staff as a pastor there until about three months before I de-converted (if I remember correctly). So I was not a part of the pastoral "inner circle" for a long period of time.
We all knew about Bob's house (worth about $450,000 on the market), but he had his reasons for it and his cars were garbage (both his truck and his other car), which actually made it easy to believe that they did not have much money (despite the house).
Anon, I don't know what all Dan was involved in. Looks like he was a pastor there as well and caught up in the inner circle of things. People should be warned to steer clear of such a place. I don't like hearing words like 'dangerous' to describe a pastor or a Baptist church. Something is very very amiss. If you are in the area, STAY FAR AWAY. Gives me the creeps.
Yet another Anonymous. All these folks are scared Heritage folks and what they are capable of.
A member of my family actually bought Barton a really nice and expensive truck, so his truck is not garbage. Also, Bob will feign poverty, but was living on a huge salary of about 6 figures with all the perks and donations, etc. He would do a part-time job to get sympathy and get people to pay off all his debts. Like he got a job with the public school system making very little because he couldn't pay his debt and conned the congregation into paying it all for him. I hear his house is super duper nice and almost paid for.
A member of my family actually bought Barton a really nice and expensive truck, so his truck is not garbage.
Sorry. I was referring to the truck he used to have (the one that was a rust bucket). I have not been to the church since my arrest back in September of last year.
All of this talk makes it sound like it was a very good idea for Dan to get away from Heritage. However, he shouldn't be so quick to throw God away too! I am sure if things are as presented in this blog, God is more disturbed than anyone about what is going on in that church and in the name of God.
Dan, you should have been a magician. I hope the truth comes out in court and you are found guilty. I believe that little girl is telling the truth and you are lying through your teeth as you have been all along.
All of this talk makes it sound like it was a very good idea for Dan to get away from Heritage. However, he shouldn't be so quick to throw God away too!
Heritage may have been a part of the catalyst, but it was not the entire reason for me to "throw away god." Heritage may have been part of what caused me to look more deeply into the claims of the Bible, but in and of itself, I did not leave the Bible and god only because of Heritage.
Dan, you should have been a magician.
No, that would only give you another reason to condemn me because you would then say something like:
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. - Exodus 22:18
When did you first start doubting your faith?
When did you first start doubting your faith?
About two weeks before I de-converted. That would have been in the middle of August of last year ... maybe the last week of August. Pastor Barton had preached a message and had referenced I Samuel 15. I decided to study that passage and walked away with a lot of unanswered questions. I then decided to fill my time between ministry and work with looking for answers. The more I looked, the more questions I found. The more I researched, the less secure I became in my belief.
I was often staying up until 2 and 3AM looking into these issues.
I was planning on writing about this in more detail for my blog, but that is going to have to wait until later this week. There is simply too much going on at the moment.
I don't want you to get the death sentence, but prison time would be nice.
And you really think that people are going to believe that you just all of a sudden after all those years starting doubting your faith? Yes, you fooled a lot of trusting, generous, giving Christians for a lot of years, but not everyone is that trusting. Speaking of ropes, I think you have come to the end of yours.
Different Anonymous. There are so many I reckon.
What verse in 1 Sam. 15 got you to thinking I wonder?
I know you'll enlarge upon it later, but was it the last verse in I Samuel 15? (v. 35)?
There are many, many families that have left Heritage Baptist Church in Vinton and they say things like Barton is a control freak, Bob Barton leads a cult, Bob Barton is capable of ANYTHING and I'm fearful, you can't go to a church in the valley without him calling OTHER PASTORS to 'warn' them of the new family coming - he writes unbelievable letters that make him look like a psycho, Barton has been called a narcissist and the only way you can leave there is to LEAVE and make no waves, he literally ruins peoples lives (and laughs about it, like it really didn't happen) Barton is the typical cult leader. (Jim Jones type) You are under a spell until you leave, then you see it LOUD AND CLEAR.
I don't know what Dan's other problems were or issues he might have had, but clearly Barton worked Dan hard and asked crazy things of him like accounting for his entire day in I think 15 or 30 min increments. People there fall for this stuff as 'accountability'. It's plain and simple control. It's not Biblical. I am sorry Dan that you turned your back on God. I would have never guessed that of you. I know you had problems with the Bible and I know there are people that didn't want you to come to Heritage, but I would have never thought you would deny your faith. But, when you mess with the Book, God will mess with your mind.
Jane
First you say, "Heritage may have been a part of the catalyst, but it was not the entire reason for me to "throw away god." Heritage may have been part of what caused me to look more deeply into the claims of the Bible, but in and of itself, I did not leave the Bible and god only because of Heritage."
Then you say you first started doubting your faith "in the middle of August of last year ... maybe the last week of August. Pastor Barton had preached a message and had referenced I Samuel 15. I decided to study that passage and walked away with a lot of unanswered questions."
So all of a sudden you started doubting your faith? If it was not just Barton who prompted you to doubt your faith after all those years of "truly believing", then what else was it?
Dan- Why is it so hard for xtians to accept that you left because you decided you no longer believed? Why do they always ask "What Happened?" and expect some sort of catastrophic event? They won't even accept your answers.. I believe they genuinely don't understand how someone can take off the jesus-glasses and see things for how they really are. Hateful-ass xtians checking in on you here. It's interesting.
KP
Dan, it is so obvious that you are posting comments and pretending to be other people. I am beginning to wonder if you are not schizophrenic.
"And you really think that people are going to believe that you just all of a sudden after all those years starting doubting your faith?"
I was a Christian for 20 years, and yes, doubts can come on quite suddenly.
Rita said...
Dan,I don't think people know that even if you post your name it comes up as anonymous. I have posted a comment and given my full name and it was printed as anonymous.
Well tomorrow is the big day. Your hearing. I pray that God's will is carried out and that whatever comes to you is what He allows. I also believe that you are getting a lot of attention over all this and don't feel like you are being honest with yourself or others. God allows us "free will" to do as we wish but we still will have to face Him in the end! Are you ready for that? It will be soon and I would be scared if I were you to deny God and the Bible. If you chose to deny God why post it on a blog? Isn't that between you and God? What is it that you are looking for and what effect is it now having on your kids? If they were to follow you and deny God because of you ....oh what a price you will pay at judgement time.
Are you kidding that in just two short weeks you decided to throw it all to the wind? How could you have been so dumb for what?? 12 - 17 years and then in just two weeks you gain such incredible insight? Just one sermon and you decided everything you had believed and preached and taught your family was truth, was just one big lie?? This didn't all happen in just two weeks. That is completely ridiculous. What is the real truth?? There is no hate here, but come on....from someone who claims to be a "thinker" how much thinking did you do in just 2 weeks? Did you ever really believe? Can you stop and go back in your mind and remember your salvation experience?
For me, around two or three weeks was when it all came together.
Mike....Dan was a student of the Bible. He was a pastor and missionary. I am sure your deconversion was a process. Perhaps you wrapped in all up in your mind in 2-3 weeks but wouldn't you say your doubts came early on?? OR would you say you firmly believed the Bible. Studied and knew the Word of God, preached to others, and then had a revelation one night that it was all false??
No, it was a long process, but the culmination all came in a few weeks. The last six months or so were filled with much prayer and Bible study. I was also a student of the Bible and an amateur apologist. My doubts really began maybe a year before my deconversion. I can't be sure as I have a terrible memory for dates and it was quite an emotional roller coaster ride.
Dan I posted this in the wrong blog date, please post again.
a lot of people left Heritage Baptist Church when Dan and the other man Dean Stone were arrested. I have heard from some that is not the reason they left. It's just that their eyes were finally opened to how the pastor handles things. HE is the real culprit. Of course people stay in a GOOD church when bad things happen. It happens all the time. But in this case, it's the pastor, Bob Barton, that really showed his lying, wicked side. Believe me, he is a deceiver. And the members that are still there, the deceived!I'm still praying that many eyes will be opened before they are hurt anymore spiritually than they are.
Dan - someone mentioned that today was the hearing. If so, how did it go?
I agree totally on the posts about Bob Barton and Heritage Baptist Church. I used to attend there and know firsthand all the word games and mind games and vicious meetings he'll put folks through. Bob was apparently the runt of the litter and had an abusive father who was a perfectionist. A monster was created. His wife is always looking miserable even though the ministry pays really good (they have a mansion of a house). You can't milk the flock and live high on the hog and expect happiness. The people there are brainwashed. If he says Drink this potion, they'd all bottoms up. Speaking of bottom, they're always kissing his and will probably run to Bob when they read this. The tight control is damaging to teenagers who can't wait to hit 18 at a flying run and run for the hills. There's no telling what he put Dan through to reach a breaking point.
We're praying about this whole situation, Dan.
I don't know what is and what isn't true about Barton/Heritage but it has nothing to do with the aggravated sexual battery charges that Dan pleaded no contest to and everyone knows it.
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