I wanted to be an one of the brothers the elders took under there wing,but I had to much baggage ( Reproved 3 times and currently d.f ). Yes I've seen elders take M.S'es and turn them into elders. I had a friend who was an M.S an elder took him and now he's an elder. I asked for this same brother to do the same and it wasn't happening .
Did you wish the elders took you under there wing.
by Pitchess Co-Gen 14 Replies latest jw friends
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sir82
Good Lord count your blessings!
Why on earth would you want to be an elder?
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White Dove
Yes! The sheep need tender loving care but the elders just don't care enough about individuals to provide that hiding place from the wind.
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daringhart13
Gal. 6:10
Challenge an elder to read and do that. The VAST majority will not.
Then have them read Ezekiel 34...... look familiar?
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White Dove
Can you quote those scriptures, please? I don't have a Bible.
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yknot
Male association and approval matters.........sucks to be left out in the cold.
My son loved the handshakes and paternal order of the KH, hated sitting through meetings but loved the association.
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man in black
What an interesting post this is !
I once believed that the elder body was put in place to protect the congregation from damaging influences.
When my wife and I decided to leave the jw religion, my wife presented our PO with a nice portrait-sized picture of the following
lighthouse scene :
Here is a larger version with more detail:
http://www.jean-guichard.com/boutique/images/original/phototheque/00012.jpg
If you look closely, there is a man in the lighthouse door, and he is protected from the sea by the building.
Our explaination to the po was that we once believed that jehovah ordained men to protect us from the "world" illustrated by the sea.
(Personally I tried to reach out several years, but never was quite able to reach the brass ring, elders could have cared less about my efforts back then, there were too many young, upcoming guys who were more that able to brown-nose their way to the top.)
But back to the story, for the past several years the elder body really could have cared less about our "spirituality", appearance was the real buzzword back then.
hence we gradually started to slide down the slippery slope and started to believe that our faith in the elders, and this religion was not true.
What a fitting end to over 30 years as a jw this picture presented (or failed) !
protection ? security? spiritual growth? our elder body had no idea what this really meant before we made the decision to leave.
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ProdigalSon
White Dove, here ya go....
Galatians 6:10 (New International Version)
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.Ezekiel 34 (The Message)
When the Sheep Get Scattered
1-6 God's Message came to me: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherd-leaders of Israel. Yes, prophesy! Tell those shepherds, 'God, the Master, says: Doom to you shepherds of Israel, feeding your own mouths! Aren't shepherds supposed to feed sheep? You drink the milk, you make clothes from the wool, you roast the lambs, but you don't feed the sheep. You don't build up the weak ones, don't heal the sick, don't doctor the injured, don't go after the strays, don't look for the lost. You bully and badger them. And now they're scattered every which way because there was no shepherd—scattered and easy pickings for wolves and coyotes. Scattered—my sheep!—exposed and vulnerable across mountains and hills. My sheep scattered all over the world, and no one out looking for them!
7-9 "'Therefore, shepherds, listen to the Message of God: As sure as I am the living God—Decree of God, the Master—because my sheep have been turned into mere prey, into easy meals for wolves because you shepherds ignored them and only fed yourselves, listen to what God has to say:
10 "'Watch out! I'm coming down on the shepherds and taking my sheep back. They're fired as shepherds of my sheep. No more shepherds who just feed themselves! I'll rescue my sheep from their greed. They're not going to feed off my sheep any longer!
11-16 "'God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I'm going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I'm going after my sheep. I'll rescue them from all the places they've been scattered to in the storms. I'll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country. I'll feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the streams, among their own people. I'll lead them into lush pasture so they can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I'll go after the lost, I'll collect the strays, I'll doctor the injured, I'll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they're not exploited.
17-19 "'And as for you, my dear flock, I'm stepping in and judging between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. Aren't you satisfied to feed in good pasture without taking over the whole place? Can't you be satisfied to drink from the clear stream without muddying the water with your feet? Why do the rest of my sheep have to make do with grass that's trampled down and water that's been muddied?
20-22 "'Therefore, God, the Master, says: I myself am stepping in and making things right between the plump sheep and the skinny sheep. Because you forced your way with shoulder and rump and butted at all the weaker animals with your horns till you scattered them all over the hills, I'll come in and save my dear flock, no longer let them be pushed around. I'll step in and set things right between one sheep and another.
23-24 "'I'll appoint one shepherd over them all: my servant David. He'll feed them. He'll be their shepherd. And I, God, will be their God. My servant David will be their prince. I, God, have spoken.
25-27 "'I'll make a covenant of peace with them. I'll banish fierce animals from the country so the sheep can live safely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest. I'll make them and everything around my hill a blessing. I'll send down plenty of rain in season—showers of blessing! The trees in the orchards will bear fruit, the ground will produce, they'll feel content and safe on their land, and they'll realize that I am God when I break them out of their slavery and rescue them from their slave masters.
28-29 "'No longer will they be exploited by outsiders and ravaged by fierce beasts. They'll live safe and sound, fearless and free. I'll give them rich gardens, lavish in vegetables—no more living half-starved, no longer taunted by outsiders.
30-31 "'They'll know, beyond doubting, that I, God, am their God, that I'm with them and that they, the people Israel, are my people. Decree of God, the Master:
You are my dear flock, the flock of my pasture, my human flock,
And I am your God.
Decree of God, the Master.'" -
sabastious
They have no time to take anyone 'under their wings' they are too busy with their 'duties.'
-Sab
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Quillsky
Sometimes I don't comment on threads because I feel desperately sorry for the original posters. Just thought I'd say that, once-off.
