Posts by Dawn

2

"serving" God......inside JW's and outside JW's

by Dawn in

jw
friends

it's been a while since i posted...with work, kids, school and all it's hard to keep up.

but i've been checking in about once a week and catching up on the latest.

you guys are wonderful do you know that?!

Dawn

Hi all. It's been a while since I posted...with work, kids, school and all it's hard to keep up. But I've been checking in about once a week and catching up on the latest. You guys are wonderful do you know that?! It's so great to have a group that I can share things with that REALLY understand what the H$ll I'm talking about

I took some vacation time this week to help out at my church's music camp for kids. Today was our last day and I am reflecting on the difference between serving God now and as a JW. What a huge difference it is! I used to work at assemblies, clean the kingdom hall, go in service, all those things the sisters can do - and it always seemed like a chore. It wasn't much fun at all (other than visiting with my friends) - it was something I HAD to do to serve God. But I have found the serving God outside of the JW clenches doesn't have to be a chore - it can be quite fun in fact. The camp was a lot of work - I got up at 5:30 every morning just to prepare the games for the day - with over 60 kids you have to be on the ball! Then it's pretty hectic once camp starts - I did a lot of running, a lot of cleaning, a lot of fixing "bo bos" - but I didn't mind the work because we had so much fun. The kids learned a lot about the bible with games, stories, songs, and crafts. And guess what......they actually WANT to come back again......imagine that. Can you remember as a child begging your parents to take you to Thursday night ministry school?

The biggest difference though is in the adults. For one thing, you don't have to be "approved" by the elders to serve - anyone is welcome and help is needed and appreciated. The elders do not judge someone's "worthiness" - the elders are there to run the church and to serve the church (woooow) Second - there was no gossiping.............like.....for the WHOLE WEEK......not ONCE. I never made it through two hours in field service without hearing some gossip. And last, but not least.......we were THANKED!! Yep - they appreciated our help - they not only said thank you but gave us cookies AND a hug. Now I know that doesn't sound like much but when was the last time someone thanked you and gave you cookies for cleaning the kingdom hall toilets?!

I really enjoyed myself this week and I plan to work in the fall camp. What a difference life is when you get outside of the prison and find the fresh air.

30

List Ways To Prove That Elders Do NOT Have Any More Holy Spirit Than Others

by minimus in

jw
friends

please provide proof that elders are not appointed by holy spirit or are especially giftd with more holy spirit than anyone else.

Dawn

Because they're still elders in a false religion........DUH!!!!!!!!!!

Wow - look at all the new icons available.........I haven't posted in a while so missed this new gadget - ....I'm so excited

5

"Marked" for destruction

by sandy in

jw
friends

my niece decided not to give up her non jw boyfriend.

the elders marked her.

she said they will give a talk on "local needs" and warn the friends that someone in the congregation is not such good association.. she said they will not announce her name.

Dawn

I was "MARKED" for having a wordly boyfriend. That boyfriend eventually became my husband and we've been together for 14 years now. We've had bad times but have managed to work them all out and in the end he's the best friend I ever had. He's the only one I know that I can depend on 100%.

So in my case - trading the "love of the brothers and sisters" for the love of a "wordly man" was the best thing I ever did!

.........and he won't whisper about me behind my back - he'll tell it to my face! I like that approach much better as there's no secrets or hypocracy.

Time Sheets - scan

by Dawn in

jw
friends

can someone scan a time sheet and put it up here so i can print it out?

i met with some x-dub friends on saturday (drwtsn32, his wonderful wife and their friends) - we were discussing the need for some fun t-shirts.

the idea of a time sheet with the word void printed across it would be fun!

Dawn

Can someone scan a time sheet and put it up here so I can print it out?

I met with some x-dub friends on Saturday (drwtsn32, his wonderful wife and their friends) - we were discussing the need for some fun t-shirts. The idea of a time sheet with the word VOID printed across it would be fun! I want to take the print out in and see what the cost would be.

Thanks in advance!

20

Ozzie's Weekend Poll #57

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

well, we're 57 today and i'm feeling old!.............

(that's a joke....57 polls see!

so, how's the weekend going?

Dawn

1. Happier

5. More confident

6. Less serious

9. More thoughtful (for me it's more accurate to say I am more aware. I can empathize with others now in ways that I was incapable of doing before)

12. Surprised at the revelations of the borg's misdeeds

15. More questioning

69

Thank You all

by plmkrzy in

jw
friends

especially stinky and six

i am going back to the kh.

i've been here 2 years and posted over a year trying to be supportive of everyone but some things are even too obvious for even me to not see.

Dawn

(((Plum)))

Every person must decide what is best for themselves. There are two types of people in this world (1) People who truly care about others, and although they may not agree or approve of your decision they will be there when you need them, and (2) People who want to control you will only be your friend if you comply with their view of reality. And the truth is you can find these people inside AND outside of all religions - it's just part of human nature.

I have two pieces of advice for you (1) never tell yourself you can't change your mind - we are constantly evolving and growing and what is right at one time in our life may not be at another - give yourself the freedom to make choices - both now and in the future, and (2) keep your eye out for the first type of people I listed above- these are the ones that are secure enough in themselves that they don't feel the need to pressure YOU to agree with them.

I wish you the best in your life - and remember - you can always come back here - you don't HAVE to be an x-jw to drop in and say Hi to all of us.

Ok - one last question - what does your name refer to? Is it a reference to the Mopar car color Plum Crazy? Just wondering because I have a 69 charger that I'm planning on painting that color.

12

How many countries are JWs banned in?

by dmouse in

jw
friends

looking at some older branch letters in the kms i noticed this one from april 1977, which makes the claim that it is to be expected that opposition will increase.

in 1977 the number of countries that banned jws stood at 40. according to the latest yearbook, 28 'other lands' (which used to mean lands where reporting was restricted) were at the end of the report.

does this mean that things are, the deeper we get into the 'time of the end', actually getting better?.

Dawn

Re: How many countries are JWs banned in?

Not enough countries that's for sure!!

16

Well, here's my story

by ignorance is strength in

well here's my story:.

i was born into a jw family, my father having been converted and not really much of a believer and my mother being born into it .

my mother's family first became involved with jw's when my great grandmother was converted from, i think, catholicism (i'm only saying that b/c she was irish).

Dawn

Welcome Ignorance and thanks for sharing your story.

Just one thought I would like to pass along - you do not need to join ANY denomination to have a relationship with God. Religious denominations are man made. Church is a place to go to worship with other people, to make friendships with people that have similar values, and to work together to make the world a better place. But it is not where God resides - he resides within us if we invite him in. There is NO church that can channel between you and God. So keep your options open and don't feel compelled to find the one denomination that is the "right" one.

56

What Made You Leave The "Truth"? Was It False Prophecy, People, Blood, etc.

by minimus in

jw
friends

jw's like to believe that people who leave the organization do it for selfish reasons or due to impatience and not "waiting on jehovah".

there's a variety of reasons for persons making the decision and saying, "that's it!

i'm not doing this anymore".

Dawn

Sex with my boyfriend .

I didn't start to learn the truth about the "truth" until years later. But I did later marry that boyfriend - we've been together for almost 14 years and have 2 beautiful children so I guess it was a pretty good trade

16

What Is God's Real Name?

by Latin assassin from Manhattan in

if your name is mike, would you translate it to swahili, korean or russian?

american presidents never translate their names and they're the most powerful men on the planet.

is it possible that god's name is in fact, a hebrew name and that jws don't want to use this name because it will not bring in converts?

Dawn

Ignorance is correct - when God was asked what his name is he responded I AM. Yahweh means HE IS. Jehovah is a combination of Yahweh Adonai "The Lord he is" and is not a name at all but a title /reference.

Personally I don't think it matters which one you use, or if you choose just to refer to him as Father or God. The one that feels correct to YOU is the one you should use. But I do like to point out the problems with the translation of "Jehovah" because the dubs make such a big deal about it. They think they have the TRUTH because they know God's name - yet Jehovah is not his actual name.

When you make a mountain out of a mole hill you should check first to make sure the mole hill wasn't made of sand.