Maxhell- Summer with the Maxwells Pt 3

[HermioneSparrow]

10 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

My memory (and it's not always reliable) is that Elizabeth posted on their blog after the engagement was called off.  It was a thoughtful, explanatory, and non-bashing either Joseph or the Maxwells post that has since been taken down.  Steve then said something bitchy on Titus2 and Laura did retaliate and call him legalistic.  She took that down too. 

Steve has reputedly (according to an FJer who attended a conference) bashed the Muncks publicly (but obliquely and without outright naming the family) for misrepresenting the Godliness and worthiness of their daughter.  Apparently Dad didn't rate the state of her heart accurately.  Or something.

Poor Joseph's feelings aside, Elizabeth calling off the wedding must really have stung Steve's ego.

Damn, i wasn't around... Now i wanna read that! If someone has it.. 

[iweartanktops]

I just saw a news headline about "clowns" trying to lure children. Why was my first thought, of Lolly the Fucking Clown, trying to proselytize to strangers' children? 

[silverspoons]

6 hours ago, SPHASH said:

I Anytg on the Waybacj Machine?

Laura's response is still on her old blog entry: Free to be me September 19, 2014

This is around the time we started seeing pictures of the girls in pants and capris and the family seemed to be participating in more mainstream activites.

 

Here part of what Laura posted that day:

~A super clean organized house, well groomed children looking as though we might have guest at any moment, buying/teaching the most popular curriculum even if my children and I both hated it, dressing a particular way, eating only organic or NO sugar, keeping to a unrealistic schedule,

And so on, And so on, And so on....

Like any of these things were making me a better wife/Mama, or more holy.

Ugh! these things are hard to keep doing when they are self inflicted.
I know we are suppose to take care of all these areas, but not when they are your idol....

Or when they steal your ability to be free.

This past year was a year of awakening for me....

Coming back to a place of freedom, seeing/remembering who Christ created ME to be....

He wants me to be ME and Free....

Only living up to His expectations, living in His free grace and mercy.

 

[VodouDoll]

God, Liz is lucky she woke up before her family could sign her over to Maxhell. Imagine if they all had this great realization after the wedding, so all the Muncks could go back to normal but Liz was stuck.

[Palimpsest]

4 hours ago, silverspoons said:

Laura's response is still on her old blog entry: Free to be me September 19, 2014

This is around the time we started seeing pictures of the girls in pants and capris and the family seemed to be participating in more mainstream activites.

Thank you for finding that.  Here is the link for people who want to see the whole thing: http://www.walkingajourney.com/2014/09/free-to-beme.html

The Muncks were always far too fun-loving for the Maxwells.  I am reminded again what a lucky escape Elizabeth had when she backed out of the wedding.

In the comments Laura says: "I feel I must say, I continue to be the type of person who likes organization...as I function better with things in proper places. And I do still like my children looking tidy and often times my littles matching. The great thing is it's no longer an idol to me that runs my thoughts..."

Hee!  Sock it to Steve, Laura!

The engagement, wedding, and Liz's post from 2012 have been removed though.

[Jana814]

1 hour ago, VodouDoll said:

God, Liz is lucky she woke up before her family could sign her over to Maxhell. Imagine if they all had this great realization after the wedding, so all the Muncks could go back to normal but Liz was stuck.

She easily could have a couple of kids by now also (if she had married Joseph). 

[MamaJunebug]

20 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

Having done a bit of high-altitude climbing, I get what's she's saying. You take a step. Stop. Breathe. Take another step. Stop. Breathe. repeat until you reach the summit.

An experienced reader/writer would have better conveyed the exertion involved. Oh, heck, all Sarah would have to do is read a few mountaineering memoirs, and she'd have an idea how to write about this experience. Steve, please pick up a copy of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air for Sarah.

Krakauer also wrote an exposé of the FLDS cult. I'm willing to bet lunch that Steve  would no sooner let P'Sarah anywhere near a Krakauer book than he would a Catholic mass. 

---

So THAT little blogpost by Mrs. Munck infuriated Steve and lit a scathing response?

Steve, you don't sound very confident in your grand plan. 

Also, Steve, did you scrub that response? Because Mrs. Munck continues to stand by what she wrote. 

Her comparison photos of Mary Ann said it all.  The rigors thru which Maxwellers go to present so-called perfection, vs. simply living a life of faith and joy. 

Different Maxwell topic: have any of the creepy clowns appearing in South Carolina been wearing a Lolly costume?  Paint Poor Anna's face green and you've got a winner [sic] in the scary clown competition!

[kpmom]

2 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Thank you for finding that.  Here is the link for people who want to see the whole thing: http://www.walkingajourney.com/2014/09/free-to-beme.html

The Muncks were always far too fun-loving for the Maxwells.  I am reminded again what a lucky escape Elizabeth had when she backed out of the wedding.

In the comments Laura says: "I feel I must say, I continue to be the type of person who likes organization...as I function better with things in proper places. And I do still like my children looking tidy and often times my littles matching. The great thing is it's no longer an idol to me that runs my thoughts..."

Hee!  Sock it to Steve, Laura!

The engagement, wedding, and Liz's post from 2012 have been removed though.

Thanks for the link. 

I imagine we talked about this post back then, but I have no memory of it.

Good for the Muncks that they were able to re-think some of their beliefs and lighten up a bit.

Just looked at their Christmas 2014 pictures and saw a Mr. and Mrs. Santa salt and pepper shaker set!  Would never happen in Maxhell.

I sure would love to know what Elizabeth is up to these days.

[theologygeek]

14 hours ago, SPHASH said:

I Anytg on the Waybacj Machine?

I have no idea. 

[Palimpsest]

 

1 hour ago, MamaJunebug said:

So THAT little blogpost by Mrs. Munck infuriated Steve and lit a scathing response?

No, I think something nasty Steve said a couple of years later provoked that response from Laura.

Here is the original thread about Elizabeth's breaking the engagement escaping Maxhell.  FJ remarked at the time how fast the whole thing moved and how Liz and Joseph hardly knew each other.  I'm pretty sure Steve's pissy announcement that the wedding was off was preserved there but I haven't had time to re-read the whole thing.  Have fun!

 

[theologygeek]

7 hours ago, silverspoons said:

Laura's response is still on her old blog entry: Free to be me September 19, 2014

This is around the time we started seeing pictures of the girls in pants and capris and the family seemed to be participating in more mainstream activites.

 

Here part of what Laura posted that day:

~A super clean organized house, well groomed children looking as though we might have guest at any moment, buying/teaching the most popular curriculum even if my children and I both hated it, dressing a particular way, eating only organic or NO sugar, keeping to a unrealistic schedule,

And so on, And so on, And so on....

Like any of these things were making me a better wife/Mama, or more holy.

Ugh! these things are hard to keep doing when they are self inflicted.
I know we are suppose to take care of all these areas, but not when they are your idol....

Or when they steal your ability to be free.

This past year was a year of awakening for me....

Coming back to a place of freedom, seeing/remembering who Christ created ME to be....

He wants me to be ME and Free....

Only living up to His expectations, living in His free grace and mercy.

 

She was right too.  It makes no sense to throw a four inch piece of material around the waist and over leggings and say you're still wearing a skirt, therefore you're still following biblical rules.  Or dress like a lumberjack in a skirt.  It's sad how ignorant the Maxwell adult children are.  My kids would have seen the flaws in that before they reached the age of five, and they would have questioned the lack of rationale behind it. 

 

[December]

3 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Thank you for finding that.  Here is the link for people who want to see the whole thing: http://www.walkingajourney.com/2014/09/free-to-beme.html

The Muncks were always far too fun-loving for the Maxwells.  I am reminded again what a lucky escape Elizabeth had when she backed out of the wedding.

Wow, that's a wonderfully enlightening post that she made. I can't imagine how exhausting it is to keep up the veneer of perfection all the time. It's always interesting to hear from someone who lived it that not everyone finds that lifestyle truly satisfying  -- and most uniquely, that it wasn't the optimal way to live their faith.

[halcionne]

20 hours ago, SPHASH said:

I Anytg on the Waybacj Machine?

Yes, I found it!

http://web.archive.org/web/20130814165523/http://blog.titus2.com/2012/08/12/broken-hearts/

I discovered FJ right after this happened and I didn't understand the gravity of it all; fundie ways were foreign to me at the time. A month later, some FJers went to a Maxwell event and that's where I came in. I'm excited (that may be in poor taste, but I can't help it ) to have found the blog post so I can read it too.

[CyborgKin]

My latest discovery:

Chris Maxwell talking about how sad it is when pets die (Family Evangelism lecture) + Drunk audio filter (voice changer app) = Comedy Gold!

(It's also funny on the Botkinettes.  Or run them through the Cyborg filter...)

[SPHASH]

45 minutes ago, halcionne said:

Yes, I found it!

http://web.archive.org/web/20130814165523/http://blog.titus2.com/2012/08/12/broken-hearts/

I discovered FJ right after this happened and I didn't understand the gravity of it all; fundie ways were foreign to me at the time. A month later, some FJers went to a Maxwell event and that's where I came in. I'm excited (that may be in poor taste, but I can't help it ) to have found the blog post so I can read it too.

Tjhanks!

[halcionne]

Joseph's how-the-LORD-brought-us-together story:

 

[halcionne]

I can't stop! More here:

 

[Jana814]

Thanks for finding these. It bothers me so much that it seems as though Elizabeth didn't know that Joseph was doing all of this.  I wonder is this is what Christopher did to try & get Anna-Marie and she didn't know any of it till her father said something.  

[mango_fandango]

They officially began courting in May and were engaged by the end of June, to be married in August (?)

That is way, way too fast. They had barely met outside the conferences either. No wonder Elizabeth got cold feet. Even by fundie standards that relationship was insanely short. 

I know some people meet and marry a guy in a short space of time, but it's highly unusual. I cannot imagine meeting a guy in May, getting engaged after barely seeing each other in June, marrying in August and (potentially) being preggo by the end of the year. You need time to get to know a person! As Elsa says in Frozen, you can't marry a guy you've just met. (OK they hadn't literally just met but you get the gist).

[MamaJunebug]

1 hour ago, mango_fandango said:

They officially began courting in May and were engaged by the end of June, to be married in August (?)

That is way, way too fast. They had barely met outside the conferences either. No wonder Elizabeth got cold feet. Even by fundie standards that relationship was insanely short. 

I know some people meet and marry a guy in a short space of time, but it's highly unusual. I cannot imagine meeting a guy in May, getting engaged after barely seeing each other in June, marrying in August and (potentially) being preggo by the end of the year. You need time to get to know a person! As Elsa says in Frozen, you can't marry a guy you've just met. (OK they hadn't literally just met but you get the gist).

Pretty sad commentary on The Patriarchy when a Disney heroine exhibits more common sense!

[picklepizzas]

5 hours ago, halcionne said:

Yes, I found it!

http://web.archive.org/web/20130814165523/http://blog.titus2.com/2012/08/12/broken-hearts/

I discovered FJ right after this happened and I didn't understand the gravity of it all; fundie ways were foreign to me at the time. A month later, some FJers went to a Maxwell event and that's where I came in. I'm excited (that may be in poor taste, but I can't help it ) to have found the blog post so I can read it too.

i am so impressed by your use of the wayback machine. how do you search it/find things on it? i'd really like to find joseph's account of "our story" with elisabeth munck but don't know how to search the wayback machine...

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

6 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

They officially began courting in May and were engaged by the end of June, to be married in August (?)

That is way, way too fast. They had barely met outside the conferences either. No wonder Elizabeth got cold feet. Even by fundie standards that relationship was insanely short. 

I know some people meet and marry a guy in a short space of time, but it's highly unusual. I cannot imagine meeting a guy in May, getting engaged after barely seeing each other in June, marrying in August and (potentially) being preggo by the end of the year. You need time to get to know a person! As Elsa says in Frozen, you can't marry a guy you've just met. (OK they hadn't literally just met but you get the gist).

This just made me giggle because that's exactly the timeline that our relationship followed.  Of course, we spent as much time together as possible. 

[MamaJunebug]

13 hours ago, Jana814 said:

Thanks for finding these. It bothers me so much that it seems as though Elizabeth didn't know that Joseph was doing all of this.  I wonder is this is what Christopher did to try & get Anna-Marie and she didn't know any of it till her father said something.  

Just thought of the line about the need for matchmaking from "Fiddler" -- "young people can't decide these things themselves."  

Big difference between Tevye and Steve:  in Steve's world, only the young woman is unable to decide anything for herself. The young man, the fathers, and to some extent the mothers, do all of the thinking on her behalf.

Repulsive, really. 

[halcionne]

13 minutes ago, picklepizzas said:

i am so impressed by your use of the wayback machine. how do you search it/find things on it? i'd really like to find joseph's account of "our story" with elisabeth munck but don't know how to search the wayback machine...

I'm not actually very good at searching the wayback machine; I got lucky this time. I went through the Titus2 archives for that month and plugged those urls into the wayback machine. Somebody saved them there a year after the fact. There's no telling what Steve deleted in that year, except I did find the date of Joseph's "our story," but that post was never saved to the wayback machine.   

There are some old TWOP threads that I think got archived at the wayback machine that I would love to be able to find, but I haven't been able to. That's a more typical result for me, unfortunately.

How many times can I say "wayback machine" in one comment? A lot. 

[Palimpsest]

No need to kill yourself with the Wayback Machine.  Most of the Maxwell posts were saved on Free Jinger in the thread I linked above.  I think one is missing - where Joseph deigned to give Elizabeth a choice about paint for "his" house, which she had never seen.  Beige or red?  She chose red. 

The formatting is a bit messed up but here you are.

Quote

From Google Reader

  Quote

It’s Time to Fly, Our Son!

by Steve

Joseph and Elizabeth, Engaged June 25th, 2012

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.â€

–Isaiah 40:31

  Quote

More Pictures with Joseph and Elizabeth

by Sarah

We are all thrilled with Joseph and Elizabeth’s engagement! The Lord truly has been leading and guiding every step of the way. Elizabeth is going to be an amazing wife for Joseph. Wedding plans are well underway, and we’ll let you know when the date is official.

We thought you might enjoy some pictures from our time with Elizabeth’s family. We were able to stop in for a few days on our way home from Pennsylvania.

Love,

Sarah

There were so many of us we had to split into two tables.

Family Bible times were great!

Monday evening, June 25th! Joseph and Elizabeth announce their engagement to the waiting families. Excitement runs high!

Hugs all around.

We all sat around and wanted to hear the story about how Joseph proposed to Elizabeth, and there was much laughter and joy as we marveled in God’s goodness!

Tuesday evening, after family Bible time, we had a special time of prayer for Joseph and Elizabeth. Almost every member of the family, even down to the younger ones, laid hands on J&E and prayed for them. By the end, there was hardly a dry eye in the room. It was truly a moving, tender time as we blessed J&E.

The evening before we left, we did engagement photos.

Joseph and Elizabeth’s desire it to glorify the Lord Jesus in every way through their upcoming marriage.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.†–Matthew 5:16

  Quote

The Story

by Joseph

It has been a very joyous last couple of months for Elizabeth and me, and we wanted to share a little of what the LORD has been doing in our lives. There has been so much going on, and we apologize for not getting this posted sooner. Developing a relationship, remodeling a house, having a normal job, and planning a wedding has seemed to fill up every moment and more of each day!

First, we want to thank you for all of your prayers. We feel them, and they are such a blessing to us. Thank you for your encouragement; it means so much to us! It has been a tremendous faith-building experience to see how and what God has done and is doing, starting back in April.

The Background

We officially “met†Elizabeth’s family when her parents flew to attend a conference in Anaheim, California, several years ago. After that, her family came to a number of our conferences that were closer to their home. At a conference last October, my sisters enjoyed several conversations with Elizabeth and her sisters. Then, in April, our families got together and had a wonderful time fellowshipping with each other in the LORD.

The Courtship

During those days of family interactions and thereafter, the LORD began strongly putting Elizabeth on my heart as the one that He had for me. I prayed about it, and brought it to my dad and mom. After discussing it with them, more prayer, and fasting, we felt God’s leading and His peace.

I then approached Elizabeth’s dad expressing what God was putting on my heart and asking about the possibility of a courtship. Elizabeth’s dad and I had a number of phone conversations over the course of a couple weeks. Quite quickly, the LORD gave Elizabeth’s parents peace to tell Elizabeth about my interest. When they shared that with her, she was very excited.

I visited Elizabeth’s family the end of May. The LORD completely confirmed that she was the one for me during that trip, and she felt the same. We were both ready to start a courtship. Two weeks later, I again flew out, but this time I surprised her. With each passing week, the LORD’s confirmation of our relationship was strengthened.

The Engagement

I kept communication going with Elizabeth’s dad during our courtship, and soon I was asking him for his and Elizabeth’s mom’s blessing and permission for me to propose to her. That was also quickly given plus the blessing from my parents. I was delighted to be able to propose to Elizabeth when our family visited hers the end of June.

Elizabeth and I and our families are so grateful for His confirmation and leading in this relationship. We are extremely excited to see how God is going to use us. Our prayer is that we follow God’s best in everything in our lives together. One of those choices for us has been something you might have noticed in the pictures. We have maintained this courtship and engagement as a “no-touch†relationship (1 Corinthians 7:1). We feel this gives us the opportunity for our hearts and minds to become united without the complication of physical involvement and eliminates the possibility of moral failure in the relationship.

Wedding Plans

And the wedding date? Because Elizabeth and I know our marriage is God’s best, we have really sought His timing for our wedding. This has been a source of much prayer, because of the complications of two busy families. Through prayer and other affirmations, God has amazingly put together the date of August 18th for our wedding.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. You are such a blessing to us!

In Christ,

Joseph and Elizabeth

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven†(Matthew 5:16).

  Quote

Preparing For The Big Weekend

by Sarah

It’s August, and that means we’re in wedding month. To be extremely exact, we’re down to just 15 days until the day! We praise the Lord for bringing Elizabeth to Joseph for his life partner. They are so perfect for each other.

Yes, there are many preparations to be done. It has been a delight to see the family pull together and stretch themselves. There is house work, sewing Bethie and Abigail’s flower girl dresses, errands, ministry projects, wedding items, and keeping up with normal life. As busy as we are, we know that Elizabeth’s family is even busier with all the details of the wedding.

As I’m sure everyone knows, the guy’s family is in charge of the rehearsal dinner.The girls have been planning how they will decorate for that dinner. With a budget in hand, they decided a trip to the thrift store was in order to see if they could find things to begin their decorating. We like our Ft. Leavenworth thrift store. The friendly and helpful ladies who run it are incredible: they keep things organized, tidy, and clean. I decided to bring my camera along to share the time with you all.

Actually, that butterfly birdhouse is for Elizabeth, and the embroidery projects Anna Marie found for a sweet lady at church who loves to do needlework.

Anna found those little buckets behind other items. You do have to have sharp eyes when looking!

One side of the store is $6 per bag. The only rule is you have to be able to staple it shut.

The items we bought for the decorating were less than $22. We were able to get many items for such a small price.

We enjoyed the outing with Anna Marie. Joshua stayed home with Daddy.

After the Post thrift store, we went to two others in town, but we didn’t find much there. We also stopped at the Dollar store and procured the large bucket in the background. Now that you’ve seen a little peek at what was purchased, you’ll have to see how they are transformed when combined with other things the girls are planning. Another shopping stop will be JoAnn’s and Hobby Lobby on Monday.

The next two posts on the docket, unless I think of something that supersedes them, are Christina’s first Sunday at church and the Lord’s provision of–you’ll find out.

Love,

Sarah

“She looketh well to the ways of her

household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.â€

Proverbs 31:27

  Quote

Broken Hearts

by Steve

It is with grieving and humble hearts that we come to you letting you know that Joseph and Elizabeth’s wedding has been cancelled. As we have shared our joys and excitement with you over this relationship, we also want you to know of our hurts and sadnesses. Because this involves another family, in respecting their privacy, we don’t feel we should share details or answer questions. We can say that Elizabeth decided Saturday morning that she didn’t have peace about marrying Joseph. She said that it had nothing to do with him but only with her. While we have felt God’s leading in Joseph’s courtship and engagement to Elizabeth, we also accept His leading in closing it down. Now there are two hurting families, and we ask for your prayers for Elizabeth, her family, Joseph, and our family.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.†(Romans 8:28).

   1