Posts by esw1966

39

Were your prayers ever answered while being a JW

by Grouper in

jw
friends

did any of your prayers ever get answered while being a jw even if they where small maybe insignificant?

pesonnally i never really needed my prayers to be answered but one time while the co visited us i was going to work with him durining saturady service i get there at 0930 but service started at 0900. i felt i missed my chance to work with him and show i was commited and i wanted to asked him how i can reconcile the fact i did not believe that noah's flood existed globally with the way the society views it.

i left the kingdom hall pissed off thinking i fu*ked things up, so i kinda said to jah well i messed up gettin some clarity to to my quandry.

esw1966

I look back on it and I do not remember any of my prayers getting serious responses. I know my sister heard her son pray for Cheerios and at their bookstudy at their home a 'sister' had brought 2 boxes of cereal for them, one of them being Cheerios and she viewed that as answered prayer.

Basically, our needs were being met and we were still at the hall so Jehovah must have been answering our prayers in a general sense.

Since my departure, I have prayed fervently and I have had prayers strongly answered. God does answer prayer in a real way. It just needs to be in accordance with his will.

I always found it interesting that my prayers were never answered when I looked to going back to the hall or to my ex-wife. But they would always be answered as I was being led OUT of jw. Quite resoundedly! That always surprised me as I was so convinced jw's had it all!

35

New Here, just want to introduce myself....

by lies all lies in

jw
friends

hi everyone, i never was baptized but studied for a very long time before i finally got my sanity back and realized that although the individual jws for the most part were good people and doing what they thought was right the org itself was total b.s.

anyway ive been lurking here off and on for a while and figured i would stop being lazy and register.

so hello, i enjoy everyones posts and hope to be around for a while!

esw1966

Hi Lynne, WELCOME to the board!

36

My Grandpa Died Sunday

by noni1974 in

jw
friends

my grandpa died sunday afternoon.i was there in the room with him.i had to watch as he struggled to take his last breaths.it was horrific to watch.this was the second time i have watched someone in my family die.he died of prostate cancer.it was a long and painful death.i'm glad he's not in pain anymore.. at the moment i'm feeling a little emotional and upset about what i saw and all of the jw bs i had to listen too.i'm also dreading the jw memorial which is next weekend.i am planning on going.i'm da ed so i don't expect anyone to come up and talk to me or express there sorrow to me.the thing is i feel like i should be comferted and people should tell me they are sorry i lost my grandfather.i lost someone who i had alot of respect for all of my life regaurdless of how close we were after i da ed.i think i'm going to be excluded at the dinner after.they are planning a reception type thing for after the service.

i'm glad i did get the chance to see him and talk to him before he got really sick.i had the chance to go to dinner with him and my parents and a couple of my aunts a few months ago.when he was leaveing he asked me pointedly for a hug.he said he was collecting them.i hugged him and said i loved him.that was the last time i saw him till i went to my aunts house where he was staying just before he went into hospice.the next time i saw him was 3 weeks ago when he entered hospice and wasn't expected to live the night out.then i saw him sunday i arrived about 20 to 30 minutes before he took his last breath.he was creamated this week and will be buried with my other family in our family plots soon.. anyway i'm just in need of some kind words of support at the moment.i though that jwd would give that to me even though i don't post here that much.it really sucks to feel alone at times like this..

esw1966

I'm really sorry for the lost of your grandfather.

It is very sad to love someone you loved so much. I lost my mother 3 years ago to breast cancer. It was very hard to experience her last breaths of air and to see her there on the bed no longer alive. Death is very sad.

I wish you the best.

56

Struggling....

by sweet pea in

jw
friends

hi guys .

just feeling really crappy tonight.

my old best friend sent me back my spare house keys this week together with a present for my little one with a note addressed to him.

esw1966

I'm sorry you are going through all of their garbage.

16

Called Dad. Got his wife.....

by esw1966 in

jw
friends

well, i called my father this saturday.. i havn't talked to him for a year and a half.

when i talked to him at that time i said my goodbyes and told him we would probably never see or talk to each other again because of his stand.. he got choked up a bit over that comment and said, "don't say that.

" i said, well unless you decide to change matters that will be how it will be.. so, i was able to tell him i love him and he told me he loved me too.

esw1966

Well, I called my father this Saturday.

I havn't talked to him for a year and a half. When I talked to him at that time I said my goodbyes and told him we would probably never see or talk to each other again because of his stand.

He got choked up a bit over that comment and said, "don't say THAT." I said, well unless you decide to change matters that will be how it will be.

So, I was able to tell him I love him and he told me he loved me too. awwww.

So, I called him Saturday. I got his wife who is my step mom.

I said is Albert home? She sat and you could practically HEAR her thinking. Then after a brief silence, she got all mad and out came a determined NOooooo. Then CLICK.

Well, maybe NEXT time.

25

What sort of a witness were you?

by brinjen in

i'm talking door to door service work here.

were you the kind who would insist on getting a conversation at ever door?

or where you (like me) the kind who would take a "not interested" as an excuse to get the hell out of the householders face?

esw1966

I liked service.

I pioneered for 3 years till they BOOTED me off the team.

Towards the end I was just doing it perfunctorily.

Still like talking about the Bible with others!

I think it is pretty interesting!

28

It's Official

by done4good in

jw
friends

"this is to inform the congregation that done4good is no longer one of jehovah's witnesses".

that announcement was made last thursday after i sent my d/a letter in.

they boe wasted no time.

esw1966

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

14

If you suffered a major personal setback.......

by pratt1 in

jw
friends

would you reestablish ties with jehovah' s witnesses?.

diagnosis of a potentially fatal illness?.

death of a loved one?.

esw1966

I am thinking about calling my father whom I have not spoken with for 2 years this weekend. I do not look forward to the call, but I think it is only RIGHT for family members to communicate. I think it is mentally UNHEALTHY to carry on the way they do! I think they suffer more than I do for it. I do it because it is the right thing to do and is healthy and loving. But I dread dealing with all their BAGGAGE! I may find it is NOT worth the pain, but I must try.

Diagnosis of a potentially fatal illness?

I think it would be right to let them know despite the added crap that would go along with it. I would basically just say my good byes, if that.

Death of a loved one?

I'm not sure I would attend a funeral of theirs. I feel that they have cut me out of their life, so why would I suddenly pop up in theirs after their life is over when they had no time for me now???? I would probably go for one of my children since there are two others left over and I should be there for them, but if they all went, I'd have to think about it. (I'd probably have to go. It sounds pretty heartless NOT to go.)

Sudden loss of income and livelihood?

NO WAY! I'll live on the streets, AGAIN, before I crawl back to them!

Near death experience?

I would probably email my kids and sister just to let them know what I went through, but I wouldn't get a response from them.

11

Father's Day is Coming...

by esw1966 in

jw
friends

i have been out for 2 years now.

i have spoken once to my father who is a jw in that time.

he said i would get a letter from him telling me where to 'straighten up', but it has never come.

esw1966

46

How Did Being Referred To As A Brother Or Sister Make You Feel?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

how did being referred to as a brother or sister make you feel?the term brother always reminded me of being in some militant or holy roller religion.

during my tenure as a jehovahs witness, i brought it to the elders attention to refer to .

me by using my first or last name when addressing me.

esw1966

The biggest feeling I can remember is that it made me feel INCLUDED as ONE OF THE GANG when I was called on as 'brother Weber' at the meeting when I would raise my hand and when they called me by my first name I was wondering about what THEY meant by NOT calling me 'brother'.

I guess it was a status symbol representing if I was an ACCEPTED member, a FAITHFUL publisher, and one WORTHY of association with.

Pretty sad, huh!

When I would be in a different state I would identify myself as 'brother' to indicate that I was 'one of them'. It was code talk.