Posts by Open mind

80

The "Pop-In"

by Mr. Falcon in

so last night the wife is working, the kids are getting ready for bed and i'm watching futurama.

doorbell rings.

now it's dark, snowing and i live on a back road, so it's very odd to have a visitor.

We switched congregations 2-3 years ago so now it's a bit of a drive for our assigned illdoers to "shepherd" us. In fact we didn't get a "pop-in" until a couple weeks ago. It was a Saturday morning about 10:30 am. Our Service Group Overseer probably was odd man out for service groups. Anyway, it was pretty obvious we were home. All vehicles present. Dog was barking up a storm.

One look through the peep hole was all the SGO got from me. I just let him twist in the wind out there. He rings the bell 2-3 times. Then the persistent little mofo decided to call my cell phone! I was pretty sure he could hear it ringing from where he was standing.

He sent me an e-mail a day or two later. I responded to it a couple days later thanking him for his visit, but letting him know that it's best to call first. You never know when it might be a "bad time" for us and it's a shame for him to drive all that way.

om

109

San Francisco or Bay Area Members?

by nibbled in

jw
friends

i did a search and came up with some posts related to san francisco, but i couldn't figure out how to find more recent onesthey were from nearly a dozen years ago!

i was wondering if anyone lives around sf, as well as if anyone is around my age?

i'm early 30's.

Open mind

Welcome to JWN nibbled!

My wife, late teens kids and I are all in the SF Bay Area.

Been faded now for about 2.5 years.

Here's a link to a JWN thread from a little over a year ago asking for who lives in California. Quite a few Bay Area folks responded.

http://jehovahs-witness.net/%28F%28amXVAxLaCtYX9YIm2JZVnk0U2OSY_GMnRfuUBy9CVGn_fTLKuHx2ro24ABF-qzQmfro6G0bGKtuUPKFlow_0_Ixw6mW5ABZkqRjcWULfijlHEIECtqBHkelpHDgb72AQnG890LZ7Zb3WdcvNyP03oJz1oiA1%29%29/members/private/219183/1/California-JWN-Roll-Call

When you get a chance, tell us a bit more about yourself. (Without revealing personally identifying info of course.)

om

15

Former Bethelites, please settle this argument

by Resistance is Futile in

jw
friends

i was recently talking to a friend that's a former jw, and she argued that there are just as many women that live at bethel as there are men.

admittedly, we're both slightly ignorant on the subject, since neither of us have actually lived at or even visited bethel.

i've made the assumption that there are significantly more men than women at bethel, am i correct?.

Open mind

For years the only way a single woman could expect to become a Bethelite on her own was if she was a Doctor, Lawyer, Nurse, Architect or Engineer. And we all know how Kingdom Halls are just FLOODED with that particular demographic.

I knew of one young sister who got her RN degree, was called to Bethel and served for a while. In the ensuing Nurse Glut, she was asked to leave so that a Bethel Brother could have his soon-to-be-bride RN brought in to take her place.

Guys rule. Girls drool.....at Bethel.

om

73

If you drink coffee . . .

by compound complex in

jw
friends

do you prefer regular brew or the fancy offerings?

can you drink it -- the leaded stuff -- any time, night or day?.

no survey here, just curious.

Open mind

At home I make my own "Half-Caff". Half "leaded" French Roast and half "unleaded" French Roast.

During the week I drink one 12 oz cup with 1/2 & 1/2. On the weekends, I'll have 2 or 3 large cups without getting the jitters. All my caffeine intake is done before 3pm or it will affect my sleep.

When in the mood for a pilgrimage to a caffeine mecca like San Francisco, I was briefly torn between two caffeine sects: Philz & Four Barrel.

I was converted to Philz Coffee,

http://www.philzcoffee.com/

several years ago and still enjoy their place in the Mission District of SF. However, a couple years ago they started expanding and now have several locations throughout the SF Bay Area. Hmmm, possibly they were no longer God's chosen "channel" of caffeinated goodness.

Subsequently, I was turned onto a start-up coffee cult: Four Barrel Coffee.

http://fourbarrelcoffee.com/

375 Valencia St., SF, CA 94103
(415) 252-0800
7-8 seven days a week

They are the sole possessors of caffeinated "Truth". All other vendors are from Satan. Don't even THINK about going anywhere else!

om

160

NFC & AFC Championship Games - Who Wins & goes to Super Bowl ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

great time of year for us football fans !

so let's have your picks !

now that we know it will be baltimore ravens vs. new england patriots in the afc championship and atlanta falcons vs. san fransisco 49ers in the nfc championship - what do you think ?

Open mind

Go Niners!!!

Hey, Flipper, I didn't like that call any more than you. But I thought it was VERY borderline. Glad it went the niner's way.

But how about that second Personal Foul call of the game? Again, I was VERY glad it gave the niners a first down and 15 yards to their favor, but I didn't think it was all that flagrant. The guy barely brushed Kaepernick's faceguard. Pretty gutsy call by the refs in Atlanta.

om

16

Lance Armstrong - what does it mean for devoted fans to hear him admit he was a cheat

by MMXIV in

jw
friends

anyone interested in sport will be aware of lance armstrong's final admission to taking banned substances to win the tour de france 7 times.

he was a fraud.

his many fans, fans of cycling and people who also suffered cancer that looked up to him and his incredible achievements have given lots of different reactions to his confession.

Open mind

fakesmile gave me a real smile: "lance can take a long ride off of a short pier with oprah on the handelbars."

That's all I got.

om

53

.....It is painful to watch...

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

Open mind

I feel for you Jerry.

Our society really needs to reconsider allowing Dr.-assisted end of life.

om

82

My 66th birthday is today!!

by Terry in

jw
friends

once i was little boy in fort worth, texas living with my maw maw and paw paw and mommy.. then, i was an 18 year old 6'4'' skinny 165lb religious nut being dipped in a baptismal during a local assembly.. suddenly, i was 20 and listening to a jail cell door clang behind me as a conscientious objector.. wow!

23 years old and put on parole until my 6 years sentence was ended!

i got married to a nice jw girl and had 3 kids!.

Open mind

Happy Belated Birthday wishes Terry!

om

54

Planning exit, alternative venues to preach?

by Goodstein in

background:.

i've come to the conclusion that many doctrines of the wts are unscriptural after many years of privately disagreeing with some of them but feeling that the society was "mostly right" and still being used by jehovah.

this turning point has happened in the last year or so.

Open mind

cofty: "Lots of us here were good and very experienced at pubic speaking. Its a trap. It strokes your ego and keeps you from being objective about things that you are busy teaching others."

Very pithily said.

om

67

How Can I Kindly Kick Weak And Unproductive Publishers Out Of My Kingdom Hall?

by AuntConnie in

unproductive kingdom proclaimers won't leave my kingdom hall, how do i rid our hall of these vultures or turkeys?.

"you can't fly like the eagles if you hang out with turkeys".

after visiting your site, i decided to allow one of the spiritual weak individuals into my car group, it was not easy but you have made valid points i find very self condemning.

Open mind

C'mon folks, let's cut Aunt Connie a break here.

She did at least ask how she could KINDLY kick out the weak and unproductive publishers.

That's a little bit of progress.

om