do you find yourself thinking about things more in depth than ever before?
I used to think I was a deep thinker and even prided myself on it. Funny how that delusional thinking seemed to carry me through the first part of my life.
Now, I see things so much more simply. Now, I trust the "outside" world's advice on how to be a good father, for example, but I realize that being happy and creating happiness for people within my circle of life is as deep as I need to/should go.
Brad
the special announcement read at the end was an invite for any interested ones (tm) to ask if they wanted a bible study.....and that a special meeting will be held next sunday in all the congregations worldwide, and an invite was given for all to attend.
i loved going and was good to see all the brothers and sisters again, the po who gave the talk made a bee line for me straight after the closing prayer, straight off the platform (i had to stand as there were no seats) and asked to speak to me, and directed me to the back of the hall, i thought here we go......jc convening shortly......but no he said the wt society in london had contacted him as i'd wrote them asking for the magazines, and he would be happy to drop by and had done, but never found me at home.
so we arranged a date for him to call next week.. the hall was packed, and from my standing point i had plenty of opportunity to have a scan about, despite being horrified that their were brothers there who were betting looking than even me ( in my newly bought outfit!
Scoob,
We've had a difference of opinion in the past, but I will still do my best to keep my objectivity in writing my viewpoint.
Why is it that you have the idea that your viewpoint is absolutely right and correct? I haven't contributed to this forum for about 9 months but your personality hasn't changed. You continue to completely disregard any comments that are not EXACTLY like your thinking but accept the opinions of those here who are brilliant enough and kind enough to reply in such a way as to disagree with you without you knowing that they are..
Don't give yourself that much credit, buddy..... alot of the good people here are just being true to themselves, which includes not insulting you, even though their opinion differs. They would not stoop to throwing insults at you, like you do, and much like I feel the need to do right now. (I am not that spiritually enlightened yet...... teehee..... )
You are a valuable asset to this forum, Scoob. It allows a lot of us to realize the HELL we lived in when we were JW's and also when we were DF'd JW's that continually tried to get back into it. Take the advice of some here and enjoy the desire you had for companionship, but also listen to your heart when it tells you that it is still not worth 'turning your God-given right of decision-making over to that organization.'
I honestly hope that you find TRUE peace, bud.
Brad
every child and bible student was told about how wonderful the "new system" was going to be.
"and what animal do you want to have in the new system?
"......that was a very typical question.
I swore/dreamt that I would/could run headlong into a tree or jump from 50 feet up and never have to worry about it. (I was a very agressive and active child and when I finally realized that gravity would still be a factor in "the new system", I quit)..... Kidding.... teehee... I wish it were that easy.
That's part of what gets JW's hooked, eh, the dream of things being better than they are now. Humans forget sometimes that ALL things could be BETTER or WORSE.
Thanks for the question min
Brad
another topic brought this up.
my dad slugged a guy who beat up his own wife, my dad's childhood friend, during the intermission right after the public talk.
which my dad gave, he was guest speaker.
Avishai,
No similar stories here. From a very young age I thought violence was the weakest demonstration of power/confidence. Not that I thought my viewpoint was necessarily any better...... I was guilty of arrogantly condemning violent people. HOWEVER, I do think we should be as civil as possible at all times.
Sounds like anger was rampant in your family/network of friends. How are you dealing with that yourself now?
Brad
what a great thing to do.
this is my first one and i have to admit it was a lot of work getting it ready, but thanks to unseasonably freezing temps in southern ontario, the ice is great.
the kids are just loving it.
missylissy - thanks for sharing your memories with us as well. That's realy cool that your dad taught you to skate on a ditch even. I have noticed that you are quite young. I hope you are doing well and are happy with how things are going for you. Feel free to send me a personal message if you want to chat about something.
Special K - I also forgot to mention about HOW I built it. Basically, I bought 2" X 8" boards... enough length to frame in the area (depending on how large you want it). I also bought one of those big blue tarps (24' X 36') that went inside of the boards and then wrapped around the boards on the way out of the area that was to be flooded. Then, I filled the tarp with water, let it freeze, and continued to add a little bit of water at a time, after the ice was frozen. It's not real complicated but a few things have to be done properly or complete failure is possible.
Brad
what a great thing to do.
this is my first one and i have to admit it was a lot of work getting it ready, but thanks to unseasonably freezing temps in southern ontario, the ice is great.
the kids are just loving it.
Special K - our rink is 21 feet wide and 33 feet long. It probably sounds small... and you're right is..... for me as an adult. But my kids love it. My second child is 6 yrs old and he and his friends can play with a goalie and two players each comfortably. It has it's advantages and disadvantages....... the advantage is that my son has, in two days, become very good at stopping and changing direction. (On a big surface the learning curve for that is much slower, with no need to stop quickly.) The bad news is that I have fallen in love with short-track speed skating, all of a sudden. I have been trying to go as fast as I can on the small surface and I think you may see me at the next Olympics for it even..... But seriously........ thanks to everybody for your replies and fond memories of backyard rinks. I'm sure that the best part for us all is the fact that we can have so much fun and positive time together with them. Kisses to everyone.
Also, Special K, the one website that you can look up is www.backyardrink.com. The one other site I was refering to in my first comment, I have not been able to get onto recently. I'm not sure why. But you can link to other sites from the one mentioned. HAVE FUN!!!! But you can try, if you like. It is: thezone.net Have fun everybody, and make sure to miss every meeting you can, even if you DON'T have a "backyard rink".
Brad
i recall praying countless of times about very specific things, "worked in harmony with my prayers" and nothing.
anything that remotely seemed like an answer was either coincidence or my own determination to get it done.. so, how about you?
did jehovah answer your prayers or were you like me, did you feel very frustrated and guilty because they were never answered?
I agree with Gopher's comment 100%. Prayers are fulfilled OR unfufilled based on whether we choose to accept whether they are possible or not. Orangefatcat made the same viewpoint that much more asertive, just from a different angle.
Everybody else here, IMO, has confirmed the same thought. Sometimes we find the answers to our prayers where other people would say....."WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Sometimes there are answers in front of us that we ignore. Bottom line is that prayers, like everything else in this human world, are what we make them out to be.
So if you want to pray, keep them realistic and then keep your actions in line with what you are praying for.
Brad
what a great thing to do.
this is my first one and i have to admit it was a lot of work getting it ready, but thanks to unseasonably freezing temps in southern ontario, the ice is great.
the kids are just loving it.
What a great thing to do. This is my first one and I have to admit it was a lot of work getting it ready, but thanks to unseasonably FREEZING temps in southern Ontario, the ice is great. The kids are just loving it. I'm just waiting for Gretzky to come up to my door to ask me if he can play.... (any Ontarians who have seen the Ford commercials here will have an inside track on that joke.
Feel free to make comments on whether you have built a backyard rink or if you plan to in the future. I got most of my advice from this site I got from searching for "How to build a backyard rink". I will try to dig up the site for anyone interested.
I almost didn't post this thought, because I was going to keep this post all positive, but if I was still a JW I can see bro. Elder coming to my house to counsel me on spending too much time building this rink and how my kids might actually become so good at skating that they might get approached by the NHL scouts or Skate Canada for figure skating.....AND HOW TERRIBLE THAT WOULD BE!!!!!!!!! lol..... those sick puppies
Brad
something recently occurred to me that many people, whether former jws or others who faced hardships in life, often look for meaning to life ... specifically a special meaning to their own lives ... i have done that at times, before i became a jw, while a jw, and more so since i left the religion.. i was having a conversation recently with my oldest son who is now 29 years old.
we discussed the meaning to life and how he sees himself now - in his ex-jw years - given that he was raised a jw.
he made the following comment i thought some here may find insightful.
Thanks for the quote, Jim. I have been going through some rough stuff recently with my ex-wife and her JW family, which has caused me to question that same thing.... the meaning of life. Sounds like I need to forget about finding it and take a more proactive role in CREATING my own as well. Thanks again,
Brad
i've been out for about 10 years and, to be honest, i have begun to worry less and less about what that org.
but in eman's recent post, "you have one shot", sirona mentioned about all the lies that the wtbts have told.
i have read c of c, but my memory is fading on what some of the more blatant lies that i recall from that book and other articles.. just in case i have an encounter with a jw who may actually be considering leaving but wants more support/reasons to leave, can people help me by refreshing my memeory on the biggest lies that they have told, that would catch their attention the quickest?
I've been out for about 10 years and, to be honest, I have begun to worry less and less about what that org. is all about. But in eman's recent post, "You have one shot", Sirona mentioned about all the lies that the WTBTS have told. I have read C of C, but my memory is fading on what some of the more blatant lies that I recall from that book and other articles.
Just in case I have an encounter with a JW who may actually be considering leaving but wants more support/reasons to leave, can people help me by refreshing my memeory on the BIGGEST lies that they have told, that would catch their attention the quickest? Thanks,
Brad
