Sat. Dist. Conv.--Cracking the whip!

by LostMyReligion 28 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  teejay

  LMR,

  >>NOW, I am happy for the one who chose a different path, and
  hope he can live a fulfilling life … The JW one says he is happy as he
  is. He has always been a serious-minded, responsible person, even
  as a young child. I am glad he is satisfied with his life … I wish he could
  see the reality of the "truth". But as long as he and his wife are happy,
  I will stand by for the day they may become disillusioned.

  your sons are truly blessed with a loving father. no doubt they are men
  fully able to stand on their own, no small thanks to you. i will remember
  what you have said here.

  peace,
  todd
• 

  AGuest

  Dearest LMR... may you have peace!

  Your 'experience' and opinion of it is reminiscent of 1 Kings 12:4, 11, with 'christendom' being the father... and the WTBTS, 'Rehoboam'. Truly, there is NOTHING new... under the sun.

  Your servant and a slave of Christ,

  SJ
• 

  Copernicus

  LMR – thanks for sharing! I enjoyed your little comments that so succinctly summarized each course of the sumptuous spiritual meal that was served at this DC. LOL To bad it was all reheated leftovers.

  How I hated those things (DC’s), and the constant demands that we attend. In my years of being present, I can only recall one time when a speaker (Sydlik) happened to thank us for being there, and acknowledged the hardship that many endured to hear the load of crap that was shoveled up that weekend. Of course I’m sure he was flown in 1st class and chauffeured about, etc, etc, as he didn’t mention anything about personal hardships, ha, ha.

  The TMS format change was interesting:

  Format changes to the Theocratic Ministry School-- Jan 2003

  How unfortunate that they’re waiting until 2003 to enact it. As far as meetings went, the TMS and SM were the worst of the worst, in my opinion. They need to get a clue and just drop it and let people have a life. Why continue on when so few attend the thing? In my congregation, the poor school overseer was almost reduced to begging to get anyone to participate. It got to the point where there were only a handful of publishers that would agree to give talks. Which meant that the rest of us had to carry the load (errrr. . . excuse me, I meant to say the light and kindly yoke).

  I was always getting ragged for giving BH’s and instruction talks that deviated in small ways from the material. Hey, anything to make it interesting! The stuff was usually so dry I felt as if I had sand in my mouth while presenting it!

  Anyhow, thanks again . . . and next time take a pillow to sit on, and don’t forget the earplugs, LOL.
• 

  Farkel

  : As far as meetings went, the TMS and SM were the worst of the worst, in my opinion.

  Especially the Service Meeting. But then again, it's like saying which is worse: having a root canal with not anesthesia or having your fingernails pulled out with pliers while someone is banging on your bare toes with a hammer.

  Farkel
• 

  siveld

  I just wanted to make a few comments on the changed TMS format.
  It appears to me that they are clutching at straws to get people to participate in the school.
  Will they give thre student a mark in the new book? Will the school everseer make public comment on the talk at all? If not, how will a student know when they have 'passed' a particular quality?
  In my day, the 1st talk was always from the Bible, and you had to do an intro and conclusion, within exactly 5 minutes (always fearing the gong reaper!). Am I to understand that the talk is now from either the Bible or the Watchtower? If no intro or conclusion are now required, surely they are hoping to get more takers, as no preparaton or research will be necessary.
  As far as the written review goes, my experience always was that this was done as an 'open book' exercise, regardless of contrary instructions in the Society's publications. This of course had the desired effect of more people turning up for the meeting when the written review was due. Was this the general experience, or did most congs insist on 'closed book' written reviews?
  I wonder if the time will come when the TMS/Service Meeting is abandoned entirely, or tacked onto the Sunday meeting. Are they yet running out of willing and/or capable public speakers?
  Any comments on these matters would be appreciated.
• 

  LostMyReligion

  Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply to my notes. I get a big kick out of reading your comments!

  teejay,
  Thanks so much for your kind words. Being a parent has been the real career of the first half of my life. When my younger son left the witnesses, I felt that I had failed, both to him and to Jehovah. In JW world, the only real measure of parental success is, "did they stay in the truth". Now, with my now found knowledge and perspective, I have not only received him back to me without judgement, but have been relieved of the burden of feeling a failure in my most important endeavor.He is a success, and was all along! We are both much happier. BTW, although their father has helped, I am their mother. Sorry about the confusion.

  Copernicus,
  It is mostly that way in our KH, a small core af TMS participants. (and soon to be one less---me) Our previous school overseer often ended up giving 1 or 2 of the student talks each week himself, because he could find no one to do it.

  siveld,
  Hi! It is my understanding from the conv., that the 5 minute reading talk in the new format will be material from the Bible of the WT magazine, and no extra comments, intro, or conclusion. Is seems designed to emphasis the development of accurate reading. They did not say much more about it than that.

  LMR
• 

  ianao

  Farkel:

  You crack me up.

  ROTFLMAO.
• 

  Vienna

  I remember that food thing well. I remember sometimes eating a big meal before a Tuesday night meeting (come on, I worked all day and got home at 6:00, I was usually very hungry) and I would think "The Society recommends I don't do this..." I would feel so guilty when I would be bored to death and distracted, and I would blame it on my lasagna dinner! Hey, I needed a scapegoat! It couldn't POSSIBLY be the meetings that were making me sleepy!

  Now on Sunday meetings and bookstudy Saturday's when I DIDN'T eat anything and was bored and sleepy, I didn't have an excuse....well, I guess I could of reasoned that the lasagna was still carrying over!! heh heh!!
• 

  Copernicus

  Siveld asked:

  Are they yet running out of willing and/or capable public speakers?

  In my opinion, they HAVE run out. There were maybe three or four speakers in my circuit (myself being included in that sparse count – no false humility here that didn’t put an audience to sleep faster then an IV of Nembutal!

  But it wasn’t just the bad speakers. It was the BAD material. Eddie Murphy couldn’t get a laugh with the jokes the WTS wrote. The newer KM parts were just horrible, and I dreaded being assigned one.

  The funny thing was, no matter how bad the talk, the friends would still be lined up to congratulate the speaker afterwards! Go figure.