Steve Egner

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Posts by Steve Egner

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  40

  Former JW Conference, October 21-24 in Wenatchee WA.

  by jst2laws in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  you are invited to attend a conference of former jws october 21-24 at 1835 n. western in wenatchee wa 98801. this is an annual event organized by richard rawe and his associates.

  richard is the exjw who's story was portrayed in the "good faith" off broadway play.

  if you are like me the word conference conjures feeling associated the word convention.

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  Steve Egner

  I think for me the biggest question is, can we leave the premises for lunch?

  That made me smile out loud!

  No Hoagies, please.

  Interesting program, interesting people. I'd like to go, at least one day. Carpool, anyone?

  Steve
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  7

  Six Feet Under Season Finale *spoiler alert*

  by doodle-v in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  anyone watch it?

  what'd ya think?.

  it was pretty gruesome seeing that guys body chopped in half .

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  Steve Egner

  Best episode this season...

  It's also nice to have some issues resolve in a season finale, for a change.

  Steve
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  21

  Cowboys Vs. Vikings! Woot!

  by Valis in

  1. social
  2. physical

  looks like this will be a good game!.

  sincerely,.

  district overbeer

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  Steve Egner

  I came in just in time for Dallas' flubbed field goal attempt.

  The rest of the half was all Vikings.

  Is it a good thing that these guys can still affect my mood today? I'm an otherwise mature 44 year old...

  All my fingers and toes are crossed, and the appropriate sacrifices have been made to the NFL gods, in preparation for the second half.

  Steve
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  36

  5 Jehovah's Witnesses Die in Plane Crash

  by Kenneson in

  1. social
  2. current

  a report from zambia, africa relates that 6 persons died, including 5 believed to be jehovah's witnesses in a chartered plane crash near livingstone.

  they had just toured victoria falls and were returning to lusaka, when the plane developed problems and crashed.

  a zambian newspaper says it was an oil leak.

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  Steve Egner

  This forum has proven it's worth, many times now, in drawing interested ones away from a destructive cult.

  The hateful, thoughtless comments of a few now place that function at risk.

  How long do you think it will take true-believing JW lurkers to quote, copy, and spread the ignorant remarks made by imbeciles?

  I suggest that this thread be removed.

  Steve
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  12

  Joining a new religion!!!!ARGGGGG

  by Lilac5 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as former jws i was wondering if anyone else was plagued with nighmares at the thought of joining a new religion.

  i worried that if i "open the door" i might end up in another choke hold!!!!

  hellllp!

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  Steve Egner

  Lilac5,

  I was wondering if anyone else was plagued with nighmares at the thought of joining a new religion. I worried that if I "open the door" I might end up in another choke hold!!!!

  I haven't had "nightmares", but I believe that it is in your best interest to concerned, if not wary, of quickly joining another group.

  Have you read Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer..." ? One of his assertions was that (paraphrasing from memory here...) one mass movement's loss was another's gain. In other words, former members of a mass movement (like ourselves) are susceptible to the appeals of different groups. Without proper self examination, considering the reasons why we were drawn to religion in the first place, we could easily be duped again.

  I've seen people leave the J-Ho's, only to become true believers in other religions or even political groups. My observations are limited and anecdotal, but they seem to confirm Hoffer's claim.

  Hoffer's book is a great read, of practical value to anyone exiting a high-control group.

  Steve
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  47

  I lost my job at Microsoft today...thanks to a wonderful economy...

  by dolphman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for the last few years, many of my friends have lost their jobs and have not found suitable replacements.

  most are on unemployment, and those whose unemployment has run out are simply eeking out some meager existence doing something they don't like, that doesn't pay well, and doesn't help to really reduce the stress they face every day.. well, to be honest, i used to laugh my ass off at them.

  ha ha ha i would say.

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  Steve Egner

  Hey Dolph,

  Sorry to hear about the job; Blows like that can really hurt. Don't let it sap your self-esteem.

  Although a 10 question quiz recently painted me somewhere between an isolationist and a neo-con, I like to think of my self as the compassionate conservative that Bush pretended to be.

  May be you'd like to meet up for dinner sometime? Princess and I would love to meet you. Take your mind off things...

  Bottom line is....................forget modern education as to being in computers, law, medicine or whatever.............

  Encourage your young ones to be a plumber. Yes.................A PLUMBER! No matter how advanced and how educated society gets............everyone has to go to the toilet.

  LMAO Happy Dad!

  Oddly enough, Microsoft employees comprise a large portion of our customer base. What business? Why, Steve's Plumbing, of course. You can visit our site: www.stevesplumbingllc.com

  We do our best to market directly to their preferences, and we get quite a bit of referral business through their employee's online forum.

  You've indirectly pointed out a trend in education: Mothers encourage their children to seek the "professional" feilds, without considering the trades. The result? A serious shortage of quality people in the trades, pushing both demand for work and trade wages ever higher. Even "open shop" (non-union) plumbers and electricians in this area bring in over 50K annually, with benefits.

  We too, though, have noticed a dip in the economy. Customers are less prone to expensive "impulse" purchases, and shop around more. Still, manufactured products decay and fail at the same rate that they always have. Some try to postpone repairs, others try the "do-it-yourself" route. Either way, we'll be getting another call soon...

  The downside? in this culture, tradespeople will never have the respect or societal stature accorded to those in computer, legal, medical, or academic positions. You need to have a thick skin and a strong sense of your own dignity, or the painful truth of class distinctions will wear you down. Add to that the wear and tear on your body, the net result of the daily physical effort of our work.

  So, don't run down to the union hall just yet, Dolph.

  If you are seriously considering self employment, then plan carefully, and implement your plan without holding anything back.

  If you get back in to the computer field, great! Call me when your plumbing breaks.

  Hell, call me anyway, or come to one of the upcoming fests: October 9th in Hillsboro, OR, or December 26th in Edmonds.

  Steve
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  10

  All your recommendations on how to develop a social network....here

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one of the most difficult aspects of leaving the jws is finding a new social network to replace the social network you have lost.

  finding friends among the jws is not usually a difficult task, but finding them outside the organization can be daunting, especially considering you were told not to develop a social life "in the world.

  " discussion boards like this are great...but not enough.

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  Steve Egner

  Hey Bradley,

  It was great to meet you in Dallas. Does it seem like ages ago to you too?

  Rachel and I have often joked that if we didn't have children, we wouldn't have friends. It seems that parents of pre-schoolers often mix, drawn together by a strong mutual interest, their kids. Unfortunately, it's difficult to leap right into that "parenthood" stage without having at least one close friend first...

  O.K., strike that one.

  Even having read many of your posts, I still don't know what your real interests are. In your position, I would search for groups pursuing activities which I found appealing, and join them. It seems there are groups for every kind of physical activity, with meetings and scheduled events.

  And then there are churches. I was a member of one where I felt like I had friends all over the world. The social life was great, big parties, conventions, ski trips, inner tubing down rivers, everyone smiling and laughing... until I changed my mind.

  O.K., strike that one too.

  Watch out for churches...

  By the way, I've met some good people here, including you Bradley. I look forward to seeing you again sometime. Any chance you'll be out here for either of the upcoming fests?

  Steve
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  8

  Is it true Paul Hamms is to turn in his medal?

  by kls in

  1. social
  2. current

  i have read this on another board is this true?

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  Steve Egner

  I was thrilled to see Hamm win the gold... It took incredible focus and poise to come back and perform at such a high level after his crash landing from the vault.

  That said, after the judges mistakes were revealed, I felt very strongly that he should have willingly relenquished the gold medal in person to the Korean competitor. Here's why:

  The judging mistakes were not subjective judgement decisions. The judges made an objective error, before the performance began, essentially a math error. No one is questioning their judgement of the performance, so no review of the performance should be required.

  Big Tex,

  I remember a Super Bowl where the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys on a controversial call by a referee. A few days later, the NFL publically admitted the call was incorrect, but they did not strip the championship from Pittsburgh. Nor should they have.

  I've been in a funk for years over that game. You'd think I'd be over it by now...

  But with all due respect for the opinion of a fellow Cowboys fan, the analogy just doesn't hold up. This issue really doesn't parallel a referee's decision. For the parallel to run true, it would have to go something like this:

  The Cowboys and Steelers play, final score, Cowboys 28, Steelers 31. Now, after the game, an official realizes that when the game began, the official scoreboard read Cowboys 0, Steelers 7, rather than Cowboys 0, Steelers 0. He sees that the Steelers have actually been credited seven points that they never earned. The net result should have been Cowboys 28, Steelers 24.

  An impossible scenario, I admit, but the point is, the football analogies don't work. For the analogy to apply, you have to create a situation where the outcome of the game is decided by a mistake made off the field of play, before the game began. Not likely.

  The one salient point, I believe, in favor of Hamm keeping the medal is this: Had the Korean been given the appropriate starting value for his exercise (an additional one-tenth of a point), given the subjective nature of the judging, we cannot project with certainty that the scoring outcome would necessarily have resulted in a score one-tenth of a point higher than what he actually received.

  All in all, I feel that the pure essence of sportsmanship still called for him to hand over the medal. Person to person, without compulsion, as soon as the error was revealed. The uplifting effect this act could have had on international sport would have become legend, elevating Hamm's reputation far above that of an ordinary gold medal recipient.

  Sadly, that moment has passed, and teammates, coaches, family members, journalists, and various olympic committees have all weighed in on the matter, clouding the issue with political pressure and poor comparisons.

  Sport disappoints me again. I miss what might have been.

  Steve
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  50

  Would you attend your own DF'ing/DA announcement?

  by unbeliever in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my friend was summoned to a jc.

  she did not go and pretty much told the elders to kiss her ass.

  she wants to attend the announcement which is tonight.

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  Steve Egner

  By the time local elders came by to dispense with us, sufficient time had passed, so that I felt no anger or bitterness toward them. I knew them both personally, one had been a pallbearer at my father's funeral years ago, a close family friend. I hugged him as he left...

  I simply wanted to hear the words, to imprint the occasion, to formally end an era of my life.

  When someone's name is read like this, and the person sits stoically and accepts the "punishment," all in attendance are comforted by the fact that this person apparently agrees with the Big Lie. See? The process of repentance has already begun. See? They are sitting there taking their punishment because they KNOW they deserve it. This MUST mean the elders did the right thing, the process is just, the Big Lie is true.

  For the rank and file "true believers", this is quite true, and shameful, I agree.

  However, as mature former members, it is within our power to approach it differently.

  play with it ..have fun with them...piss them off

  Rachel and elected to enjoy the event, and we did. From our dress to our demeanor, this moment was ours, not theirs.

  My mom attends this congregation and I don't want to stir the pot by participating in this but damn am I tempted. Can you imagine??

  I'll never regret the choice we made. In fact, I heartily recommend it. It was fun to stir the pot.

  Steve
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  7

  "Run the race. Don't let the race run you."

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm not a big sports fan (i usually just ignore that section of the newspaper .

  now, he knew, and everybody knew, that he didn't have any hope of winning that race, what with the overwhelmingly dominant kenyans and ethiopians as his competitors.. but, he decided to go for it, and took the lead, even if only for one lap (#2 out of 25), and stuck right in the pack for another 3 laps.

  he ended up finishing 12th, and walked away as proud as any man or woman could be.. what struck me as i was reading this was that it made me think of how we, as exjws, often feel like we're in a race: a race to make up for lost time, a race to salvage what we can from lost families and friends, a race to reconstruct ourselves, a race to get a retirement fund.. but, as the commentator said: "run the race.

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  Steve Egner

  Hey Craig,

  it made me think of how we, as exJWs, often feel like we're in a race: a race to make up for lost time, a race to salvage what we can from lost families and friends, a race to reconstruct ourselves, a race to get a retirement fund.

  A similar attitude was exhibited by WWII vets, upon their return home, after years away at war. As Tom Brokaw describes in his book, "The Greatest Generation", many of these attacked life with an incredible zeal, accomplishing amazing things. They saw time as a tangible asset, and appreciated life in ways that those unscathed by war could not.

  While reading the book, I couldn't help but notice parallels to ex witnesses. Many of us have come to appreciate "time" as never before, and are now making better use of it.

  The life examples in the book are inspiring, and I recall them often, as I try to face the life ahead with the same vigor. I'm going to keep biting off great, big, chunks of life, from now on.

  "Run the race. Don't let the race run you."

  This is excellent advice. While it still comes down to one's personal approach to life, I would add, "Don't avoid the race. Face it, and run your best."

  Steve