Which Public Talks did you enjoy giving/hearing? And which ones did you dislike giving or hearing?

by humblepotato 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  humblepotato

  I was just going through some of my talk outlines and I've decided to git rid of quite a few of them. I'm still serving, but as time goes on... there are many subjects I will not teach anymore.

  I got rid of the outlines dealing with blood, the field ministry, and ones talking about 607 and 1914. I can barely stand hearing them let alone give them. In fact, talk 41 "Stand Still and See the Salvation of Jehovah" is one I got rid of because its whole point was about having blind obedience toward the GB and the Elders during the Great Tribulation, and that we need to start practicing obedience now if we want to survive. (Cultish anyone?)

  I did keep the ones that talk about mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and comfort. Those usually don't get too heavy into doctrine and your basically just talking about being a decent human being. (Which I guess is a stretch even for some in the "truth".)

  But it got me curious, what kind of talks did you like hearing or giving? No matter where you are in your fade, everyone feels differently about them. Do you just hate them all? Or are there any that still bring back good memories? If I can make someone feel valuable and worthwhile and not make them feel guilty for not doing more, then I count that as a good day!
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  Iown Mylife

  As a rank n file sister i never gave talks but they just blur over 30 years into

  Bullet point list of a lotta bad stuff people are afraid of;

  What's gonna happen to all the dumb people who don't jump aboard the ark of the WT Org;

  What's gonna happen to all the smart people who do.

  Just like commercials on tv: Does your house stink? You should be afraid of what people think if your house stinks. Here's what you can do to fix that stink!

  Marina
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  freddo

  Outline No. 7 - Mercy, A Dominant Quality of Christians - was my favourite to give. (it's been changed now) It had a large section about the Good Samaritan and I used the material from The Greatest Man book to fill out the details

  It was the last talk I ever gave and when I gave it as an "away talk" I would always include the line:

  "So a man viewed as an apostate, from an apostate nation, put his hand in his pocket to truly help a worshiper of Jehovah; while those that professed true worship passed by on the opposite side!"
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  TMS

  The absolute worst outlines were the so-called Special Talks. Many years ago, they were actually a manuscript, meant to be read, although I never allowed mine to sound that way.

  I always exercised nearly absolute control over the outlines I received, going over them carefully before accepting them. Recycled circuit overseer outlines offered the most freedom.

  Although, I couldn't give any of those talks with a straight face now, the old talk on the book of Proverbs, illustrating the difference between knowledge, understanding and wisdom was a favorite. "Is This Life All There Is?" had some possibilities. "Harmony of the Gospels," comparing the distinct purpose of each of the four accounts, the point of view, etc. Many were surprised to learn that there was a difference between Matthew and Luke's list of Jesus ancestry. (No, it was not just that one went back only as far as Abraham, while the other went all the way back to Adam.)

  My last few years as a JW, the best talks were the shortest ones.
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  Hecce

  There is not any extemporaneous presentation, if you don't say what is written on the outline you will be call to the small room. For that reason plenty of friends are not giving public talks.
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  cofty

  I used to deliver the talk "A Godly View of Sex and Marriage". Travelled a bit around the circuit with that one.
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  Xanthippe

  I hated the ones about marriage and the family. Men going on about how emotional women were and making allowances for their vicissitudes, the dear little things, yuck.
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  EyesOpenHeartBroken

  Wow! Freddo that last addition to your talk was ballsy.

  I agree about the Special Talks being some of the worst. I don't recall the title of it, but there was an entire 45 min talk on spiritism and it was awful. Most of it dealt with ancestor worship, voodoo, and spells.

  Also, the famous "Godly View of Sex and Marriage" UGH!! That one was a real doozie to hear in the mixed company of children, teens, single and married adults 😬
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  Labate

  In my congregation there is a Brother that gives a talk about Noah's flood about every 5 years or so. Each time I hope for something new to reflect current ideas, but am always treated to the same rehash of proofs, chief of which is the infamous water canopy, flash frozen mammoth, and carving of the Grand Canyon by receding flood waters.

  Is there actually an outline that touches on those subjects?
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  fulano

  @Cofty....I hated that one in my assignment in a country where you don't talk about these things. Always a laugh and smiles, I stopped giving it and assigned it to som elderly brothers in the city where we had five congregations.