This is an e mail making the rounds of the faithfull.
Supposedly notes from the annual society meetiing. In case anyone is interested.
****************
This year’s annual meeting was as AWESOME as ever – and the theme of URGENCY of our times was repeatedly emphasized. To
that end, you may be as excited as me to hear that our 2007 theme text is
Zeph. 1:14 – The great day of Jehovah is near.”
In his talk, Brother Anthony Morris of the GB asked ‘when the son of god gives a command, are we going to listen’? He was
referring to the instructions at Matt 24:17,18 where he instructed those in Jerusalem to not go into their homes - even if they
were simply on their rooftops - to get their “things” before heading for the mountains. Are we going to want to delay so we can
be “more balanced” about how we perceive things should be? Might we be inclined to be sidetracked by material things?
As never before we MUST keep our sense of urgency! Then he stated “The Governing Body is convinced that the Great Day of
Jehovah is NEAR!”
WOW!
There were reports from Togo, Lebanon, Ecuador, US, and France and interviews with Branch Committee members. The
program ended with 3 talks from members of the GB….
Bro Samuel Herd’s talk was “Finding Contentment with Your Lot in Life”.
He said contentment is not a natural characteristic – but must be cultivated. It can be accomplished once our basic needs (food,
love, protection) are met. Paul said he LEARNED to be self-sufficent / content. Contentment is to be satisfied inward feeling
about our circumstances. Contentment is the top of our spiritual ladder which we must keep striving to achieve. The first wrung
of the ladder is “trust in Jehovah”.
Brother Lett spoke on “Survivor or Casualty – Which Will you Be?”
People will fight w/ all their might to stay alive physically, but do nothing or very little to stay alive spiritually. He was speaking
NOT about worldly people – but about our fellow brothers and sisters! There are many spiritual casualties right now. More than
just a desire to be spiritual is needed. He outlined an 8-step program based on 2 Pet 1:5….
Faith – opposite of doubt
Virtue – moral excellence w/ the right MOTIVE. Example: refusing to overindulge in alcohol – not virtue
unless it’s done for the right motive – which is to please God.
Knowledge – must put forth earnest effort to study
Self-control – must build it up in small things first – examples: do we have self-control to shut TV off when a
questionable program comes on?
Endurance – withstanding stress, keep going. Are we slowing down because we are getting tired waiting for
the Great Tribulation? We have need for endurance, even when difficult
Godly Devotion – being personally attached to Jehovah. This will keep us from “going through the motions”
of serving God and will also prevent us from being stumbled by ANYTHING.
Brotherly Affection – fondness, affection for our brothers even though we know/see their weaknesses/faults.
We must not look at their flaws, but rather view them as Jehovah does, and be ready to die for them.
Love – for Jehovah and for our bro&sis. We must make peace with our b&s and bury any problems in an
unmarked grave!
Bro Guy Pierce – “Remain in God’s Love”
God’s love never fails in ANY circumstance. Rom 8:38, 39 – Nothing can separate us from god’s love. He genuinely cares for each
one of us. Even death can not separate us for the safest place to be is in God’s memory. If we are REALLY convinced that this IS
the truth – then we MUST LIVE IT = our entire life style. Mark 12:30. Our enemy is Satan, he fights dirty.
Ezek 9:4 – mark in the foreheads of those who are sighing and groaning over the detestable things being done today. The
question for us is – are we being ENTERTAINED by those very detestable things? If so, how can we receive the mark?
There were 13,397 in attendance (JCAH, Bethel homes in Brooklyn, Patterson, Wallkill, Canada)
We have a new release of a video “JW’s Organized to Share the Good News”.
It was a privilege to be present and our concluding song was “We Thank You Jehovah”.