Long prayers at the hall

by JH 33 Replies latest jw friends

  • jimbob
    jimbob

    This is another pet peeve of mine....I hated it when the brothers felt they had to give a prayer that was as long as an instruction talk. My god, why was it necessary for one to give such a long prayer? I remember at District Conventions how I used to look around during long prayers and see everyone doing the same thing, and fidgeting, wondering when this prayer would ever end. I think all the bigwig heavy elders, CO's, DO's, Bethel Heavies and the like, were expected to give super long prayers, because after all, they were important bigwigs and much closer to Jehovah and needed to spend more time talking to him.... I really feel that those who gave such long prayers did so because they wanted to show everyone how "spiritual" they were. If they gave short prayers, they thought it would appear to the R&F that they weren't really spiritual people. I think the rest of us couldn't have cared less....just end the frickin' meeting so we can go home for god's sake!!!!!!!!!!

  • Gopher
    Gopher

    Once we had a Governing Body member give a prayer at the end of a convention. My God, he must have had an outline just for the prayer...summarizing all the key points of the convention, talking about brothers in this part and that part of the world...I'm surprised some people didn't faint!

    Matthew 6:1,2 "Take care not to practice your righteousness in front of men in order to be observed by them; otherwise you will have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens.... Truly I say to you they are having their reward in full." 'nuff said!!

    The other thing that bothered me about some long prayer-givers was the repeated use of God's name. Jehovah this, Jehovah that... and Jehovah we know this, and Jehovah please do that.... It seemed like these types think that invoking "the name" about 20 times during the prayer would bring an answer from heaven or perhaps make them sound more spiritual.

    Edited by - Gopher on 1 January 2003 17:37:18

  • JH
    JH

    If a CO's DO's and the works gave a short prayer, that would be humble, and that would give them a better image from my point of view.

    Edited by - JH on 1 January 2003 17:35:36

  • bikerchic
    bikerchic

    LOL my X husband was the long winded type at the KH, but not at the dinner table unless there was company.......hahaha go figure!

    Katie

  • JH
    JH

    What happened to your "When Pigs Fly" picture I like your new picture

    your biography is out of date Bikerchic

    A smitten member of the onacruse class soon to be married to Craig!

    Edited by - jh on 1 January 2003 18:0:2

  • Ed
    Ed

    Matthew 6:7 [NWT] - But when praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine that they will get a hearing for their use of many words.

  • imanaliento
    imanaliento

    some guys just like to hear their voice, we also had a few who even after being counciled rattled on.

    so to make light of it and keep our youngest one occupied we gave him the privilage of timing the brother. his longest was 4 1/2 min. I would also be looking up to see what everyone else was doing, some were swaying because their eyes are closed , the older ones could no longer stand so they would be dropping like flies and babies are the best indicator of a prayer being to long.

    I always wanted to ask the wives if they had cold suppers.

    Edited by - imanaliento on 1 January 2003 18:20:49

  • ugg
    ugg

    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.......these are just precious experiences......hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha.......yep,,,every hall had a long winded brother....

  • Blueblades
    Blueblades

    We had a brother who was always scripted in his prayers.He wasn't praying to God,he was admonishing the congregation.Let us keep coming to the meetings,keep going out in the field service repeating over and over again.He was preaching to the converted,we were the ones there!!We were the ones going out in the field service!!! And so let us be more attentive at the meetings, go out as much as we can in the field service etc.etc.etc.Blueblades

  • Mary
    Mary

    Yep, we had a brother that gave such pompous, arrogant prayers that I expected to hear "Holy Mary, Mother of God, be with us now and at the hour of our death."

    The fact that he was a 45 year old married male, and he was fooling around with a 16 year old girl in the hall made it even more nauseating.........

    Do these people really think Jehovah isn't bored out of his mind hearing their drivel?

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