by sacolton 23 Replies latest jw friends
I dreaded it! I've seen brothers freeze-up doing prayers with long uncomfortable silences to think of what to say. Sometimes my mind would just go blank and I would panic at the thought if I paused. Fact is, I hated public speaking ... hated it with a passion ... and the idea of a whole congregation listening to me pray out loud made me very uneasy.
What was your experience with being asked to pray at the meetings?
I did not mind at all when I am asked to do the prayer.
It's funny thing you ask here... funny to me because I absolutely hate Hate HATE public praying. Yet, I have no problems being asked to get up and do an "impromptu" TMS talk. I always freeze up, stammer, fumble for words/thought to speech fails etc. Yet giving talks is no problem. What the hell is my problem!?
In fact I used to be eager to be "that guy" that would volunteer to do the last minute talks... Now I just don't show up to the meeting... Haven't been asked to pray for anything lately either... hmm..maybe they're on to me?
I hated it. I hated anything to do with getting up on the platform, even reading the WT during the study.
I thought it was stage fright, but I think it was my inner self telling me that I was in a cult and should be trying to get out instead of leading the group in whatever was going on...
When I say "whole congregation" ... I mean, maybe 15 people. LOL!
I usually hated it.
I did not relish it, I always thought that Almighty God listened, so mine would be heartfelt and contain none of the "standard phrases" that you heard in many congregations, I was sure most of these parrots did not really believe god was listening.
My husband hated getting a 2-minute notice that he was saying the prayer. I did visit congregations that planned ahead and assigned the prayers, printing it on the school schedule and the service meeting schedule.
since I was never convinced there was a god, it was very uncomfortable for me
Blondie - I did the TMS schedule for years and I always assigned the prayers just like talks. Same for the person that did the service meeting. It was our way of doing it here.
-mentallyfree31-
