"Hey there all you lurkey ones..." (page 6)

Xena

Hello Karen 7680...nice to see you over here too...

patio34

Hi all,

So nice to hear from so many new onew! Welcome! It's gratifying to know so many of us have gone thru the same processes.

I wish I could just quit like you and your wife, Stephen. Then I could get some closure. Now, I'm stuck in the middle. I can't put up a Christmas tree, can't openly do Halloween with my grandkidlets, can't put up an American flag because of my neighbors.

Why? Because of family that are still in. Although I believe one son is shunning me anyway, or at least has me marked. So, what's the point. But I do have another son and his two children to consider. They are all much more reasonable.

I left in March of this year. It feels natural now. But I do not like the pretense of just being spiritually weak. Oh well, life is full of trade-offs, huh?

A big hearty WELCOME!!! to all of you!

Pat

California Sunshine

Welcome to everyone!!!!!!

I love this site!!! and so will you. It offers so much. I'm helplessly addicted!

Love, hate, understanding....its all covered here. Excellent fighting too (they get down!)

Thank you, Thank you, so much to everyone who post here. You are helping me heal my heart.

minds are like parachutes--they only function when open.

Bridgette

Welcome all!! It's like we always know there are those eyes peeking out of the darkness at us, but it's nice to finally "put a face with the lurkers"! Great to "meet you all".
Englishman,
you said "Walking home afterwards, I felt a strange sense of excitement. I've still got it!"
That is EXACTLY how I feel. Except I was DRIVING home, I rolled down the window, and took a sweet breath of freedom, and have NEVER looked back. I feel fresh and alive everyday, after having suffered debilitating depression while in the org most of my life. No, this isn't a soap commercial, it's just how I feel being out--GRRRREAT!
Anyway, all the newbies, whether you stay or go, never stop questioning or living out loud.
Love,
Bridgette

Steven

Hi Thinkers Wife & Patio34,

Thank you for your comments about having the nerve to quit. However to be honest it has alot to do with the fact that both my wife & I think the same & have got out at the same time.

Without the support we give each other then I don't know if we could have done it.

Also it doesn't stop the very real pain & butterflys I have been feeling in my stomach over the last few weeks. I'm sure this will go with time but it is difficult to change you life so radically.

Patio34 I can understand what you are saying about the difficult situation you are in - not being able to fully leave because you want to maintain your family contacts. It must be hard for you but situations change & all you can do is do what seems best for your circumstances at the present time. I hope that things improve for you.

We are a bit lucky in that sense (look I just said lucky - I always felt funny about using that word before - but really what else can you say sometimes!) we only have one relative in "the truth" & she lives along way away anyway. However we hope that we can maintain contact with her but at present we are not sure how she views it all + she is aware that we had stopped attending & were thinking about DA'ing but she doesn't know we have done it yet. I am not sure how she will take it but it would be a real shame if she wouldn't talk to her grandkids anymore.

However we just had to be honest with ourselves. In our particular case I don't think we could be in the middle because we needed to let our kids know were we they stood.

Anyway I best leave now but thankyou both for replying - I had never dreamed of commenting on something like this before so all of your replies have really encouraged us.

Steven

Finnot,

Thank you for your reply. To answer some of your questions:-

1. No I wasn't raised a witness.

2. Wasn't in the Boy Scouts but in the Boys Brigade - I always feel a bit funny about being in that - my Mum & Dad wanted me to do lots of things like that - however to be fair I did enjoy most of my time in it - although the monthly marches were a bit like being out on the service - not as keen on those!

3. Yes I did celebrate birthday's & Christmas but stopped all of that obviously when I came in to "the truth" & haven't done anything like that for 15 years. Hence doing it again feels very odd & I am not sure how it will go. However with 3 kids then they quickly catch on to the possibilities & so did my wife! Hence today we have just gone out to buy some Chrsitmas decorations & my youngest co-incidentally was invited to a b-day party just as we decided to leave 2 weeks ago so of course he just went! He had a great time. I must admit I felt very strange taking him & picking him up but really all the kids were having lots of fun & at the end of the day what is wrong with that!

This will take some getting used to but we will have a go.

Welcome to all other people who have posted for their first time. If you were as nervous as me when doing it then well done for doing it!

Really there has been so much useful info on here & other sites that it is worth contributing for others sakes.

The UN thing really shocked my wife & I but then so have alot of things like 1995, voting, blood etc. No wonder we couldn't believe it anymore - most of the stuff we were taught is changing!

Surely God would at least provide accurate info if it was truly his organisation. Anyway I won't get started on that one... As you can see lots of research for my wife & I to do before we have got to a balance in our beliefs again - if we ever do!

Thanks again...

Steven.

unbaptized_1

Vanishing,

Salvation does not reside within the walls of the Kingdom Hall
or any other man made structure.The real issue for you and the
mrs. is what will you do now with the name of Jehovah?It is not
going to just vanish,no pun intended,into thin air,and I will
say matter of factly(2 Cor.3:17 1John 4:17)that there are many
more members here,by far,who "know" that the Name of God is for
a certainty Jehovah,but they cannot reconcile His being to the
"conditions and irregularities" within the congregations,and also
in a big time way towards the Brooklyn Headquarters and exactly
who the heck is running God's organization.The brothers who were so instrumental in bringing Jehovah's Organization this far are all dead
or nearly dead.I think it is more than a coincidence that a void is
quite apparent regarding "true shepherding within the organization".
I would plead with you and the mrs. to not forget Jehovah's Name
and what is expected of you regarding: 1.praying together regarding
your household and also all people on earth. 2.follow rule one that
our Lord and Savior said was a must,Loving Jehovah your God. 3.you
must treat all your fellow man as you would have him treat you. I
have confidence in you to manage your family until Jehovah makes
the necessary adjustments to His organization.1John 4:21.I am the
"newbie" who boasts quite madly in Jehovah, and I plan to continue
to do so,for purposes to be revealed(if not,it's a rubber room 4me)
by Jesus Christ on behalf of His Father.I was thinking polo shirt@
slacks,with those cute little paper name tags you just stick right
on the front that say: Hi! My Name Is............. when I begin my
foray back into the congregation,What do you think of that idea?
I will test out the LOVE, and Jesus Christ will be with me so I have
no fears.(1John 4:18,19)I intend to get on the ministry school and
in a rapid movement upwards within the congregation(aided once again
by God's Master Worker,who will always be my foundation and way into
getting a prayer heard before Jehovah)and to "wake up the folks
who are just going through the motions". Hey, why serve any God if
His Truths and Divine Purpose is not gonna find fulfillment one day
in our lives? My deep love to you and your family,Vanishing,and all
them lurkers and other newbies.Peace to all...............Un_1.

individuals wife

Just bringing this up top again to encourage all newbies to say 'hi'! Don't be shy - we'd love to welcome you personally!

(Edited for crappy typing... sorry, need more caffiene... see what I mean!)

JBean

Hi again! Welcome all you "newbies"... reading your posts is like "coming home". We are all truly not alone... and to think that at one time I thought I was! It does take courage to post, but as someone just mentioned, once you start, it's very exciting and you almost can't type your thoughts fast enough! Keep on posting and questioning and bringing up new ideas and healing broken hearts! Whew... again welcome and much love to all of you! (Thanks Simon, wherever you are!)

Hairy Harr

Hello,
Re:Newbie posters: #1 was for fun(Kingdom song titles)...#2 is for you!
HH

"Hey there all you lurkey ones..."

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