hi guys.
as you know ive been out about a 2 years now.. i recently lent coc and the sequal to a good freind and his wife.. he happens to be an elder in my old hall who still talks to me.. well i saw him recently, and he and his missus told me they agree with every word, but at thier age .
it would kill them leaving things.. my mum told me today he did a talk at the meeting and said there were things "witnesses should know".
Ranchette, sadly I agree with you. But who knows what a difference that one little talk made. If everyone was talking about it the next day in service, then obviously it hit home with some people. We all remember "The Turning Point" when we realized the WTS teachings didn't jive. Perhaps that talk was what plants the seeds for those that heard (and actually listened - haha!)?
Andi
when i started associating in the late 1960s the jws were very sociable and had frequent fun events.
here are some examples of the kinds of events we enjoyed, why they existed, and then the reason they were taken away:.
sports: being involved in school or professional sports was frowned upon, so the brothers in the hall would arrange for sports for every other weekend.
I remember getting into an argument with my parents one time as a teenager. I was about 14 or 15. I said to them, "Don't do this! Don't do that! Don't say this! Don't say that! All you do is make rules for me of what NOT to do, but you don't give me any ideas of things I CAN do. I am the only JW in this entire town and I can't associate with ANYONE? What do you plan on doing? Keeping me in a tower like Rupunzel?" Or something to that effect. But I think I made some headway with it. Not long after that my parents realized the trouble they were having with me and we moved to a larger city where there were thousands of JWs. (Coincidence or my argument made sense? I still dunno.)
But the JW's there really did try to spend time with their youth. We had volleyball and basketball at the park every Sunday with hordes of youth from many different congregations. I even have pictures of our Circuit Overseer playing basketball with some of the younger ones. I really do miss some of those friends!
Andi
i was at work tonight and we were joking around and talking about old shows we used to watch while growing up.
i thought it would be fun if we wrote a line from a show and see if we could guess what show it came from.
my name is lenny, and if i ain't got it, there isn't any.
references have been made recently about joining the ymca is considered apostasty by the wts.
what action could be taken against someone (inactive jw that occasionally goes to meetings, they still give me a km each month even tho i haven't been in service for a couple of years and i do not attend the thursday nite meeting) like me?
the reason i am asking is because we joined the ymca a few months ago and have a draft taken out of our bank account for the membership dues.
in my never-ending task of trying to get my niece out of jws clutches, i have good news.
just a brief history.
my lifetime jw mom raised my niece from the age of 9 due to my sister's alcohol and drug abuse.
on the the back of awake june22 is a short little story!.
last year, in maryland, u.s.a, a man politely refused the wt and awake magazines.his younger, however asked if she could have them, and the father said that she could.the two cleaning their car and putting trash in a nearby trash container[in other words a dumpster].
concerned that the magazines might be discarded, the witness who offered them decided to return later[in other words late at night/early morning] and check the container[container is such a nice word...but in reality its called a dumpster...].
I remember the day I threw out all my JW literature. I had a pretty good collection of it. I felt so guilty afterwards. I woke up the next morning and rushed the curb, but the trashman had already come by. I seriously expected to be punished by it. Haha!
But I kept the two green reference books (can't remember the names) and the My Book of Bible Stories. I still have them on my bookshelf for reference. Now that I've found this sight and realize how the WTS conflicted itself so many times, I'd wished I kept the books.
Andi
since our old cat died a few weeks before we moved house, liam has not stopped asking about it and telling us how much he'd like a cat.. i've just been out an got two 7 week old kittens... mainly white with tortoishell markings... they are adorable (i had to use all my manly tough powers to resist bringing all 5 home).
the kids love them but i'm going to be very strict making sure they don't play with them... until i've finished
i again hit some new lows last week personally.
the struggle continues.
i thought i would post a few affirming thoughts from my life and welcome others who are struggling with the same issues i am to do the same.. in high school, i was the weird kid.
Joel,
I struggle with self-affirmations myself. Your post hit home with me last week, because I understand depression so fully. Yes, I believe some of it is genetic - depression runs strong in my family. But I also believe my JW background had a lot to do with it. All the negative talk and discouragement from "becoming part of the world" is enough to make ANYONE depressed/suicidal.
But there are times when I have to totally get out of my heart (emotions) and think only with my head. I start listing things I've overcome in my life, survived in my life, accomplished in my life. When I look at those things in black and white on a piece of paper, it makes it so much easier for me to be gentle with myself. I try to imagine that I was talking to a friend that experienced a life like mine. I would be loving, gentle, compassionate and encouraging. Then I try to treat myself with that same attitude.
Some of the things I've survived?
A physically/emotionally/mentally abusive childhood. Being 16 years old and told by my father to "strip down" for a "spanking". It was a humiliating defense on my part to cover my body while he slashed a leather belt across my legs, butt, and back.
Being raped by a friend's boyfriend at the age of 13. I was at a party drinking with some "worldly" friends. I thought this was God's way of punishing me for being disobedient.
Some of the things I've overcome?
Low self-esteem. Suicidal thoughts. Rage, anger, and bitterness towards others in my life. Hatred towards my parents for the pain of choosing me over their religion.
...okay. I'm still trying to overcome some of this.
Some of the things I've accomplished?
Repairing a relationship with my ex-husband to the point of actually being friends. We don't talk to each other often, but when we do it is always with love and happiness. We reminisce about the good years.
Going to college - I don't have my degree, but managed to get a few courses under my belt. Plan on going back again someday.
Getting invaluable work experience. Without a degree it's hard to move up the ladder in today's work force. I managed to get several jobs where my leadership saw my skills and potential and wanted to strengthen them. Today I have a job that pays me more money than I've ever made and gives me a lot of freedom in my schedule.
I've found a nurturing man to experience life with that doesn't let my past get in the way of the present or the future. He doesn't understand my JW history, but accepts it and knows it's a part of what makes me "Me" and loves me even more for it.
I have learned to be a more patient, loving, compassionate person because of my bad experiences. I realize that when a person is feeling or thinking something that I don't understand or don't agree with, it takes more communication to get to a comfortable point with them.
Joelbear - this is an awesome thread. More often than now, typing all of this down helps me heal and remember I am valuable, if not to others, then at least to myself!
Love,
Andi
how do you feel about travelling by air since the events of sept 11?.
have these occurences just made you uneasy, or were they enough to put a stop to flying altogether?.
i told some of my pub buddies that i would ask this question, the news media have indicated that most americans are refusing to travel anywhere by plane at present.. englishman.. nostalgia isn't what it used to be....
I fly pretty regularly with my job - usually once every two weeks. It's all local though. Within Texas or Oklahoma or Arkansas. Typically I fly Southwest, not the major airlines. (Southwest, by the way, is the only airline that hasn't had any layoffs in their 30 year history!) But every airport I've gone to has National Guards with rifles at every entrance and many of the gates. Everytime I go through security my computer bag gets thoroughly searched and I've even been "patted down" by a few cute security guards.
I have no issues with flying right now. Security seems tight at every airport I've been to and I love men in uniforms!
Andi
if the group here was a congregation, what role would each person here play?.
joel
Haha! Joel - you are too cute! You're description of my get-togethers totally pegged me! At my church that is the reputation I have. Everyone knows to come to me for a good restaurant idea and they all ask when I'm having my next party. I LOVE entertaining! Unfortunately, I didn't have that reputation as a JW. I was pretty much a wall-flower there since I didn't come from a well-known family. I really didn't come into "my own" until the last several years.
Andi