i want a "normal" family.
i want to go to my mom's home on christmas.
i want to fight with my husband about whose house we are going to this year - his mom's or mine.
We are opening our home to several "lonely" servicemen this year. The USO hooks up sailors and marines who are far from home with local families and they can come enjoy a nice Christmas dinner away from the base.
This will be our first year doing it, but I'm very excited about it (as are my children). If you're anywhere near a military base, I'm sure they have similar programs you can volunteer for.
just out of curiosity, was anyone here ever a pioneer?
what motivated you to pioneer?
what made you get off the list?
I pioneered after high school pretty much because it was expected of me. I had two sisters who were pioneers and I didn't want to disappoint anybody. I did a lot of things in 'the truth' to make other people happy.
When I got engaged and my fiance fell ill, I used the financial hardship as an excuse. Truth was, I never really enjoyed pioneering and was happy to be able to stop.
I think too much pressure was put on young people at the time to pioneer right out of high school rather than work or (heaven forbid!) go to college. I'm sure I'm not the only one who did it just because I felt I had to.
i am seriously considering finding out what is involved in putting together a lawsuit against the wts.
one that all xjw's in the us can join in.. has the wts not violated our civil rights, taken away our right to choose, without bias, how to live our lives?
were not our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness violated?
But isn't what the WTS does considered "freedom of religion"? If so, I'm not sure civil rights have been violated. After all, the Catholic church has excommunicated people for years and I've never heard of anybody suing them. It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure it's got any precendent to help.
a bethelite brother gave a public talk at our hall a couple weeks ago.
one part of the talk focused on "putting kingdom interest first".
he gave examples of how some gave up material comfort so they could pursue the ministry.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't go to college and worked part-time after high school so I could pioneer. Had I pursued higher education (as I guess it's allowed to do now) I'm sure I'd be making a lot more money than I am right now.
well, i'm finally reading coc, and i must tell you that despite already being an ex-dub i was *shocked*.
the thing that got me was the gb's apparently unselfconsciously acting above all the rules that they would apply so harshly to everyone else.
maybe i'm naive, but i didn't expect that level of hypocrisy.. so what did you find most shocking in coc?
I have to agree that the Mexico/Malawi thing really got my blood boiling. All I could think of was the lives of people in Malawi that were ruined, or in some cases lost, due to the direction of a group of men. Basically, had they lived in a different country, they would have been spared all that grief. INEXCUSABLE!
I suppose I was also a bit shocked by the way "new light" was arrived at. That basically somebody came up with this new idea, and if the majority of the GB liked it, POOF...NEW LIGHT!
I came away from reading the book with more of a realization of just how human-directed the organization is, in contrast to its claim to be directed by God.
how do you feel about travelling by air since the events of sept 11?.
have these occurences just made you uneasy, or were they enough to put a stop to flying altogether?.
i told some of my pub buddies that i would ask this question, the news media have indicated that most americans are refusing to travel anywhere by plane at present.. englishman.. nostalgia isn't what it used to be....
I would still travel by air, figuring that now is probably about as safe as you're going to get with all the new security measures.
I only wish I had money right now to travel and take advantage of all the great deals (airfare, hotels, etc.). With tourism down so much right now, you'd be able to enjoy the major vacation spots without all the crowds!
In the old days, life used to be about preparing for meetings, going in field service, counting every minute I was preaching to others so I could write it down on a piece of paper and get the "approval" of others.
Now that I've put all that behind me, life is a precious gift that is to be enjoyed--every minute of it. Whether it's the smile on my daughter's face as we play together, the beautiful sunsets or crystal blue skies of fall, the sound of the birds outside my window in the morning...
Life is what you want it to be. Enjoy it while you have it, and enjoy the love of those around you while they are here.
question for the panel, please?.
at my local kmart there is always a jw table set up.
i dont get close enough to actually see what literature is set on the table but close enough to view the free bible study sign prominently displayed in the midst of books, etc.. generally, this card table is manned by two or three young women.
I have seen the JWs do the same thing here inside the local mall. They were dressed just as they usually dress for FS though. I can't imagine JWs letting their representatives man the table in jeans and tank tops.
in view of the mood on the board today, i'll try to make at least some of you laugh with a memory i had this morning...... i'm driving the kid to school, and she sees a vanity plate that says "jericho.
" "mom, was jericho a person or a place?".
wham!
I still remember getting "counseled" by my mother when she overheard me whistling an old patriotic song ("Over There" for those of you who might remember that one).
Oh, if she could here me now helping my daughter learn the "Star Spangled Banner"!
here's some ideas:.
i lost my religion at jw.com!.
jw.com- cult busters!.
