Dawn

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Posts by Dawn

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  11

  Have you partaken?

  by writerpen in

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  2. friends

  this sunday will be my first partaking of the bread and wine at communion.

  almost a year after having come away from the dubs and i'm just now feeling "safe" to partake.

  so for those of you who have experienced this already, what do i do if i drop the bread on the floor by accident?

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  Dawn

  Mental Block Totally!!

  I didn't partake the first few times it was offered at Church (the one I go to now does Communion a couple of times a year). First I felt uncomfortable even thinking of partaking - then I felt so funny passing the stuff on by when everyone else was partaking.....can't win eh?

  The first time I partook was actually at home - I decided to do Communion myself in the safety of my own home - so I got a good bottle of wine (lost of Communion practice ) and unleavened bread at the store - said a heartfelt prayer to God explaining how uncomfortable I felt and why I wanted to do communion (basically - to break that cycle of control they had on me). It helped - the next time they offered it at Church I partook.

  I NEVER feel worthy of partaking, so I just ask God to forgive me if I'm wrong and trust that he will.
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  22

  My wonderful mother

  by rnovello in

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  today is the day my mother was born.

  she passed away 1 year and 6 days ago.

  i guess i need some friends.

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  Dawn

  Hi Movello:

  I am sorry to hear about your mom. I lost my father in October very suddenly and can understand what you are going through. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of support around me (my husband and friends) - but I have days, sometimes even weeks when I'm really sad all over again. Everyone deals with death differently - my brother (an elder) seemed fine by all outward appearances - was strong and encouraging to everyone. But he didn't deal with it at all and went into a real bad depression also - he is currently in counseling. My mom went into a severe depression for about 6 months but is getting a lot better now. My son was very close to my father and has yet to really talk about it or deal with it. People grieve in their own way and time so don't let anyone tell you that you should be "over it by now". I don't think you ever get "over it" - you just live with it, and a day will come when you can remember the good times without the heartbreaking feeling of loss.

  I would very strongly recommend that you find a counselor or support group. They can help you to deal with your grief in a positive way - and it helps to have the support from others. It helped me to post my feelings on this forum also - hearing that others had been through the same thing and were recovering gave me hope.

  One last note - sometimes our "friends" don't seem very supportive. It's not that they don't care, but if they have never been through it they may not know what to say and just try to avoid the subject (and you) all together. I was guilty of the exact same thing in the past - now I realize what a &hit I was.

  Hang in there and please see a counselor - it can help tremendously!!
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  39

  Does anyone here workout on a regular basis?

  by Leander in

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  2. friends

  i just wanted to get a little dialog going with some of the members here who workout.

  i know reborn works out quite a bit and i've been doing fairly well as of recently in getting back into a regular exercise regimine.

  so far i've worked out everyday for the past 17 days, i usually try to do weight training at least 3-4 times a week and i usually do some cardio everyday.

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  Dawn

  I hit the gym about 4 times a week - 40 minutes aerobic / 30-40 minutes weights. In addition I do a lot of other "exercise" type activities for fun (biking, roller blading, swimming, dancing).

  I've worked out regularly since I was a teenager (I'm 36 now) - I do it because it gives me more energy and I feel better mentally - less stress & happier when I'm active. It's also a nice advantage when you have kids - you can slip&slide right along with them and not get tired.
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  34

  The Bible: It does'nt make sense

  by Leander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as i was exercising this morning i was thinking about my decision to step down as a ministerial servant and also to stop attending religious functions of any kind.

  i've often felt that jws were somewhat flawed in their interpertation of the scriptures, but this morning it kind of hit me all at once that no 2 religions are going to have the exact same beliefs even though both religions might be using the same translation of the bible.

  this disturbing fact raises quite a few thought provoking questions:.

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  Dawn

  However, they both believe that God should destroy Gay people. Why? Because the BIBLE tells them so!

  This is a real pet-peve with me - Christian's who are so self-righteous when it comes to a lifestyle they don't agree with.

  I'm a born-again Christian, and I have to admit that I believe living a Gay lifestyle is a sin.... and so is getting drunk, coveting, looking at another person with lust, lying, etc. etc. etc. Well...I got drunk last weekend, and I have definately looked with "lust" at others...and I could go on and on and on. We all do something - we're all sinners, who says one thing is better than another? We all live with temptations and we all fall short - and we're all equal in that way.

  And for those who say ........"well look at Sodom & Gomorrah.." Well - I have read that account and it seems to me that the problem was their lack of love for others and they had no regard for other human beings. Would the story have been any different if the Angels had shown up and it was WOMEN outside beating down the door to have sex with them - insisting that they perform? NO!! It wasn't that it was a gay act - it was the attitude, the lack of love for anyone other than themselves.

  Ok - I'll get down off my soap box now.
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  12

  Apostasy Unforgivable?

  by professor in

  1. jw
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  do witnesses teach that apostasy is an unforgivable sin?.

  i was taught this by my parents.

  but, i am wondering if this is a jw doctine.

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  Dawn

  Yes, JW's teach that Apostasy is the unforgivable sin. However, if you read the scripture in context - when Jesus said any "sin except blasphemy of the holy spirit" - he was responding to those Pharisees that said his miracles were from Satan. Calling God's work Satan's work basically - it was not "apostasy" - and it is not a "do it one time and you're out" kind of thing, it's a continual type of action.
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  25

  notes from the underground

  by Incense_and_Peppermints in

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  the secret private jw message board, that is .

  so, how do they determine this, exactly?

  (whether or not someone is in "good standing".

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  Dawn

  This will be our 5th cruise and we have had nothing but wholesome fun on the last few

  blahhhhhhh. I would much rather spend my evenings at Oyster Joe's in Mazatlan - lots of loud music, dancing, and tequila - now THAT IS FUN!!
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  34

  The Bible: It does'nt make sense

  by Leander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as i was exercising this morning i was thinking about my decision to step down as a ministerial servant and also to stop attending religious functions of any kind.

  i've often felt that jws were somewhat flawed in their interpertation of the scriptures, but this morning it kind of hit me all at once that no 2 religions are going to have the exact same beliefs even though both religions might be using the same translation of the bible.

  this disturbing fact raises quite a few thought provoking questions:.

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  Dawn

  Hi Leander:

  I found the bible VERY confusing until I started to read it WITHOUT help of the WTBS Study Aids. They twist the scriptures so much that it is impossible to understand it.

  The bible was written in such a way that it has many meanings. For instance - take the scripture "You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free". To me that means something totally different than it might mean to someone who never knew about Jesus, or to someone who suffered depression and overcame it, etc. etc.

  There are details in the Bible that are argued by many different Churches - for instance, when will the rapture occur, was Jesus' words in Matthew (about this generation) directed to the Jews at that time facing the destruction of Isreal only, who is the "beast" in Revelation, etc. etc. We can focus on all these little "interpretations" so much that we miss the big picture - salvation through Jesus. That is the whole focus of the bible - the Old Testament leads up to the Messiah - the New Testament is all about the Messiah and gaining salvation through him - and him only. No religion, denomination, nothing else.

  Leander - most people will question EVERYTHING about the bible when they start questioning the JW's because for so long they WERE THE BIBLE. It's natural to question it all - and YOU SHOULD. Do your research and don't be afraid to question - if you don't ask the questions how would you ever look for the answers right? I found it helpful to start studying how I could prove if the bible was true or not by studing about prophecies written before they occurred. I've also found the Torah codes really interesting.

  Nancee Park - what's a Jah Christian? Is that a JW? Just curious
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  16

  New Here

  by Trauma_Hound in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello all, just wanted to say hi, i'm new here.

  i'm from seattle washington, and excaped the cult when i was about 18, i'm now 32.. .

  picture of me can be found here <evil grin> >:)

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  Dawn

  Welcome!! Seattle eh?? USA's best baseball team (yee haa!!! GO MARINERS)

  YOU GOTTA LOVE THESE GUYS RIGHT?!!

  PS (Jr. who????? - tee hee)
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  31

  How many did YOU recruit?

  by In_between_days in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just a quick question, and one that seems to take jehovahs witnesses back a little, an extremely good question to ask a pioneer.

  "so, with all your hours of service, how many people have you actually brought into the jehovahs witness organisation?".

  um.... genuinely, 100% of my old jw freinds have all been raised in the organisation.

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  Dawn

  zilch......but then I didn't really have my "heart" in it when I was out in service. Just getting in the hours and socializing - that was it.

  I did work really hard to get my highschool friend back in (she was a JW until she was about 9 & her mom became inactive). She studied with another sister & came to meetings with me. But it never progressed any further. I'm glad now - because we're still best friends and I am her maid of honor for her wedding this month. All my other "friends" don't know if I'm alive or dead now.
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  18

  Y'all gotta admit, i got strong Faith

  by Legendary U.2.K. in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  <i>me & my girlfriend decided a long time ago(2 years) that we not having kids.

  for reasons, but one of the reasons is because, we gonna wait till the next life(isaiah 65:17/new paradise earth), another reason is cause, we knoweth that the messiah will come back in our life time..... now that's hella strong faith, we have faith that the final destruction/peace & safety/armageddon will happen in our life time.... so we waiting!

  great right?</i>

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  Dawn

  Life is a gift - regardless of where you believe it came from, it is a gift. Enjoy it - don't postpone it!!