Open mind

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Posts by Open mind

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  29

  Having the Circuit Oversear over for dinner...was it like a royal visit for you??

  by Witness 007 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i rang a sister who i haven't spoken to for years who said "she couldn't talk since she was cooking for the c.o and his wife who have special dietary needs......was this like a royal visits at your cong and whats with the "we can't eat flour, or yeast" or blah blah blah!

  !.

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  Open mind

  As a kid, we had COs park their trailers or motor homes in our yard. Some were down-to-earth, some were stick-up-their-butts kid-haters.

  As a grown-up elder, we had many COs over for lunch. Again, it was all over the map. Some were prima donnas, judging both the food and our family's "spirituality". Others were very humble and appreciative. I remember one who even said, "Hey, if you just want to take us to McDonald's for the $.99 menu, that's fine with us." I thought that was an outstanding example of humility.

  The very best I can remember was a really fun couple who enjoyed our company so much, they would agree to Saturday lunch. They would make sure that there was no afternoon field service or elder's meeting. That way they could spend the afternoon enjoying great food and music and getting semi-tipsy with us on very good vino. I'm pretty sure the boys in Patterson wouldn't have approved of that arrangement.

  om
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  23

  Not been here for ages - can I have a Readers Digest version of updates

  by stillajwexelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sorry people - not been on here for ages.

  getting on with life and all that.

  i still attend some meetings.. i want to be lazy and wonder if somebody could post some bullet points on what has happened in the last 12 months.. here is what i already know.. raymond franz diedkm school - new elders textbook - posted online before many elders have seen it - priceless!hawaii branch closed and comes under us branch - sept 2010irish branch closing and coming under the oversight of the british branch - many irish brothers pissed off by this.

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  Open mind

  Nice to hear from you stilla!

  The anti-college stance is being over-simplified in this thread, IMO.

  It's a continuum.

  Good Elder: Kid lives at home, pioneers, while getting a degree and saying all the right things.... likely no problem.

  Bad Elder : Sends kid away to a university with the main goal of becoming a professional (medical, engineering or legal)... local elders pick his brain and likely decide he needs to be removed.

  om
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  2

  JW vs Egypt

  by Found Sheep in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  my husband is from egypt.

  his family left when he was 8. he was never a jw but because of his background has been extreamly helpful to me.

  we often talk about the similarities beween the control the egyptian government has with the people and the control jw's have over there people.

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  Open mind

  foundsheep: "We often talk about the similarities beween the control the Egyptian government has with the people and the control JW's have over there people. "

  My wife and I concur. She's just finished listening to the audio book "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the control of Islamic communities over women has many similarities to JWs. Although, to be honest, I think women are treated much worse in fundamentalist Islamic cultures than in JWism.

  om
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  3

  Personal story part 1: absorption

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here is the first section of the essay i'm putting together for my writers circle.

  more will be posted shortly.

  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> </w:worddocument> </xml><!

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  Open mind

  So far, so good. Looking forward to more.

  om
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  46

  I Joined The YMCA

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i hope i don't get disfellowshipped for playing raquetball..

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  Open mind

  Here are some common examples of hinders in racquetball:

  -Accidentally hitting your opponent with the ball as it is heading toward the front wall.

  -Unintentionally bumping into your opponent while attempting to make a play on the ball.

  -Obstructing your opponent's view of the ball or having the ball pass between your legs making it difficult for your opponent to see.

  -Deciding not to hit the ball because you feel your opponent might be struck by it based on where they are standing and where you are intending to hit. This is generally known as “holding up”.
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  46

  I Joined The YMCA

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i hope i don't get disfellowshipped for playing raquetball..

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  Open mind

  minimus: "Maybe the elder could be a racquetball partner for me??"

  As long as you don't "hinder" his spirituality.

  om
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  18

  What is the address of Beth Sharim?

  by dgp in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i would appreciate it if someone could tell me the address of beth sharim.

  i know it's in san diego, but, what is the street address?

  thanks in advance..

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  Open mind

  Ding, I have no idea. We just took a couple photos from each end of the property out on the sidewalk. It looked like someone was home and we didn't want to freak them out to much.

  But as you can see from the pictures, it's in a wide open non-gated community. Unless they're a Do Not Call, I'll bet the local JWs have tried working that Historic Marker into a customized WT "presentation". Just speculating of course.

  om
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  18

  What is the address of Beth Sharim?

  by dgp in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i would appreciate it if someone could tell me the address of beth sharim.

  i know it's in san diego, but, what is the street address?

  thanks in advance..

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  Open mind

  Beth Sarim will always hold a special place in my heart. It's the first place I ever photographed my teen-age son flipping the bird.

  Good times!

  om
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  18

  What is the address of Beth Sharim?

  by dgp in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i would appreciate it if someone could tell me the address of beth sharim.

  i know it's in san diego, but, what is the street address?

  thanks in advance..

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  Open mind

  Ding: "The owners are going to be mighty surprised when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob show up and evict them!"

  I think it would be pretty hard for the owners not to be aware of "The Princes" with this big ol' marker right next to the front door.

  
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  46

  I Joined The YMCA

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i hope i don't get disfellowshipped for playing raquetball..

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  Open mind

  The last shepherding call I went on while still an elder was with this nice old couple. The wife had a recent Training Certificate from the YMCA proudly displayed on the wall. Fortunately for them, their house was very cluttered and the Gestapo elder who was with me didn't notice it.

  I discreetly mentioned this to an elder from another congo who I knew would be cool with it. He told me that one of their ELDERS belongs to the YMCA because it's cheap and close. He just doesn't wave it about.

  Yet another, "do as I say, not as I do" from the fine shepherds.

  om