AllTimeJeff

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Posts by AllTimeJeff

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  10

  Funny book review for "The Secret"

  by palmtree67 in

  1. social
  2. humour

  i was searching on amazon for books and came across this review.9,248 of 9,637 people found the following review helpful:the secret saved my life!, december 4, 2007by ari brouillette (kensington, ca united states) - see all my reviews.

  this review is from: the secret (hardcover) please allow me to share with you how "the secret" changed my life and in a very real and substantive way allowed me to overcome a severe crisis in my personal life.

  it is well known that the premise of "the secret" is the science of attracting the things in life that you desire and need and in removing from your life those things that you don't want.

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  AllTimeJeff

  Satire is awesome!
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  17

  Just Curious

  by cult classic in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why do some of you care about being outed for being on jwn?.

  i mean in all fairness, if anyone identifies you on the board it only.

  means that they were on the site too.....right?.

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  AllTimeJeff

  If you feel you need to make a personal decision about this, it is only tantamount on you to respect other people's personal decision. There is no such thing as a "one size fits all" decision.

  Make a decision for you, and make it work. We don't walk in anyone else's shoes but our own, and the reason why someone may want to out themselves or stay anonymous should be the last subject for criticism or 2nd guessing in my opinion.
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  14

  It's Not A Hollywood Movie, It's Your Story

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a philosophical ending.. in the end, real life doesn't have happy endings for the happy.

  it's even better, because its real.

  you are real.

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  AllTimeJeff

  (spoiler alert, for movies, and for real life)

  Toward the end of my sojourn as a JW, there was a trend in my congregation and a couple of others where sisters would end their talks with the householder turning down the literature or offer of a study. It was reality, no happy ending. No Hollywood ending.... Reality. Which for a JW, was a 10:1 ratio of being turned down. Hey, don't worry, their dead, you're not... "And now for talk #4..."

  Well, you haven't seen movies lately if you think a Hollywood ending is happy.

  In "500 Days of Summer", Summer is a girl who woos Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character for over 500 days. You are so rooting for them. They are so right for each other. Then, BAM. They break up. Levitt's character learns valuable life lessons, and the end of movie doesn't feature a happy ending, but a hopeful beginning. (in his case, with another woman he just met....) It's not a happy ending, but its his story....

  "Up In the Air" stars George Clooney as the ultimate road warrior, who is going for 10 million frequent flier miles, as his job is to fire people as a consultant. 2 women are in the movie and play roles, one of whom gets Clooney's cold, road warrior character to rethink his aversion to being "settled", only to find out the woman that caused him to feel this way can't be with him. Again, not a happy ending. A philosophical ending.

  In the end, real life doesn't have happy endings for the happy. Endings for our lives, come from the stories, and believe it or not, its up to you and me if its a happy ending.

  Oh, wait. Your life isn't where you want it to be. Reality sucks. Hell, you were likely born a JW or decided for some damn reason to join up. Yeah, it be nice if your movie ended like an Officer and a Gentlemen. Hell, some days, you'd probably settle for the ending for the first "Smokey and the Bandit". But more and more, your life feels more like "Apocalypse Now" would be a great ending at this point......

  At this point, I would like to pause and give an illustration that never originated with JW's, but I know made the rounds. The butterfly illustration.

  It's all about 2 farmers. One saw the most beautiful butterfly, and though harvest just started, he had to have that butterfly. Of course, butterfly's being almost uncatchable, he never caught it, and missed the harvest.

  The other farmer saw the butterfly, but knew he had the harvest to take care of. At the end of the harvest, after all the hard work, it turns out that the butterfly ultimately landed right on his finger, as he sat on his porch at the end of the harvest.

  The butterfly represents happiness. (aka, the happy, Hollywood ending). If you chase it, you will never catch it, but if you keep working, happiness will find you, even through the hard times.

  (Because JW's are so f*cked up, I have no idea how we ever applied that as a JW, so don't let that distract you....)

  The point is twofold, first of all, we are all distracted by the happy ending, esp if it's someone else's. Whether its Hollywood, or whatever. There is this "idea" of what "happiness" is. We all look at movies, or people who weren't JW's, and they have the life we (think we) want. Except we didn't want it for a while, we discovered it after we learned about the life of our JW life. However, to chase after it isn't a luxury, there is a lot of work to get that harvest.... We think if we live like other people, and be like other people, we will be as happy as other people. We seem slow to realize though, that we can be just as happy, just being ourselves, and owning our life. Hey, I promise you, few have done what you have done, seen what you have seen, and have dealt with what you have dealt with.

  The second lesson is to borrow a somewhat trite, but true, saying: "Life's a journey, not a destination." Remember, for a time, we at least felt happy as a JW. So hopefully, we know that feeling happy for a time isn't that deep personal fulfillment, that peace of mind, that acceptance of ourselves that leads to real happiness.

  Did I mention that happiness is ultimately accepting ourselves and being at peace with who we are, and respecting the journey we have been on?

  I know I have, since I have left JW's, got a lot of emails and messages about my life, and being able to be a missionary, as if that life was better then yours. Like hell! I have had a lot of depression, a lot of doubt, a lot to fight through...

  Thats my story. Whats yours?

  Did you have to force yourself out to knock on doors? Deal with psycho relatives and family? Deal with discovering who you really are?

  Your story doesn't suck, its awesome. It would make a great movie. It's even better, because its real. You are real. REAL. You are AUTHENTIC.

  Unfortunately, we think at times that we are at the end of the movie. The part that sucks, that part that's sad. We forget that the happy ending is waiting for us. The movie is only half done, time for the ending to be happy.....

  It doesn't come from chasing happiness, or what we think we lost. It's all about working the field of land that is us. The saying "We don't' have a row to hoe" doesn't apply. As long as we draw breath, we have one row to hoe, one life to cultivate, something to do still, even if it is only to prove something to ourselves. No one else ultimately matters...

  The ultimate spoiler is this; your happy ending is owning your life, loving yourself, being at peace with where you were, where you are now, and honoring that. It isn't being like anyone else, or making your life like anyone else's. It's hoeing your row, and making your amazing life that much more.

  Your happy ending, my happy ending, isn't reaping what we have sown up till now. It's about planting for the rest of our life, cultivating that crop and......

  at the end of the harvest

  you look in the mirror

  you see you.

  You smile. You nod to yourself because you know.

  And you go to bed, warts, scars and all, with a smile. And you breathe a bit easier, at peace.

  It's your happy ending.
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  4

  Exposing the Governing Body! What are they?

  by wannabe in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  :" {hebrews 3:1-6 niv}.

  according to them, they are the appointed head of jehovah's house.

  "{matthew 24:24 niv} next luke:.

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  AllTimeJeff

  Here is an easier way to explain the Governing Body.

  A group of men who self annoint, then self appoint themselves, as mystical leaders. Who dabble in prophecy, and have been wrong everytime. Who practice institutionalize shunning to squelch dissent. Who through an idiot dogma, deny blood based medicine that has caused the death or medical complications of tens of thousands.

  If you still believe Jesus, he said something to the effect "by their fruits you will recognize them."

  So, in about 100 less paragraphs, we can all agree that the Governing Body is full of crap. No doubt, that would be hard to figure out on your own....
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  10

  What is being trampled on today?

  by wannabe in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  jehovah was the king of that city at that time.

  " {genesis 3:14,15 niv}.

  " {matthew 24:9 niv}.

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  AllTimeJeff

  I trampled on a centipede yesterday. They are surprisingly squishy...
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  73

  RANDY WATTER'S DAD JUST DIED

  by Mary in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  randy watters, owner of freeminds.org father just died a couple of hours ago from pneumonia and alzheimers.

  he was 86 years old.

  as randy has been tireless in his efforts to help countless people come out of the wts, i would like to express my sincere condolences to him at this time.. .

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  AllTimeJeff

  Randy, my thoughts are with you during your time of grief.
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  19

  Good name for a goldfish!

  by Open mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  darwin!.

  my wife got a darwin fish, complete with little footsies, not too long ago.

  it graces our refrigerator 24/7 unless jws are coming over.

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  AllTimeJeff

  Floater?
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  77

  My Dad Died Today

  by cantleave in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  he has been ill for some time, but it was still unexpected.

  he was never a jw and i didn't really have a close relationship with him, since he remarried after my parents divorced.

  i reunited with him in the mid 90's after over 10 years of not seeing him.. .

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  AllTimeJeff

  My heart goes out to you. I hope you will live the life with the happiness all parents want for their children. I am sorry for your loss.

  I don't think that words on a board can adequately express the emotions expressed. It certainly doesn't mine, but I hope you know that good vibes have been heading your way....
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  150

  Which poster would you like to have a beer (or Pepsi for the sober peeps) with? Why?

  by serenitynow! in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've lurking for months, and have enjoyed the various personalities on the board.

  i'm pretty sure that i've seen this topic done on an old thread, but i don't want to get my buddy asilentone all riled up by performing a resurrection.

  minimus- cause he is funny.

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  AllTimeJeff

  Where's my lighter?

  I like posters that challenge me. Farkel and I actually disagree a lot at times, (politically) but I have great respect for him. I like BTS because both him and I got to the edge at times, but we both respect each other and say so. I like Terry, because he mines for the angles. I like Outlaw, because he has good taste in beer. (aka, he likes it.) These are my board buddies, among others....

  I wouldn't mind having a beer with Perry, just to see him drink one.. (no offense Perry... I don't have horns...)

  I would like to use my comments to talk about all the threads that I don't comment on.

  I use to (still actually) have a hard time reading all the newbies personal experiences. I don't know why to this day, but I either get pissed, or sad, and then I want to go and fight all the idiot assholes you all have had to fight. I want to give you all a hug.

  I don't ever say that, and I don't hardly ever post on your threads when you are new and spilling your guts too much, because truthfully, it spends me emotionally. Thats my problem, not yours. But I am soooo rooting for you.

  My heart really is with you. I wish I could fix it somehow, all the pain.

  There are too many people I admire here to name. And I hope that this thread doesn't piss off people. I don't mean to sound trite, but there are more people who read everyone else here and BENEFIT, and that is what its all about.

  Now for a beer. Outlaw, its a Miller Lite. Sorry buddy......
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  19

  Totally open for suggestions

  by Heartbreaker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i need a new focus.

  having a lot of kids, it's easy to be wrapped up in taking care of them, and letting them be your center, but they are all gettting to that age of having their own thing.

  my husband and i are good about taking time out to do things as a couple, and i've tried to get a new job off the ground.. i just still feel empty, and find myself getting sad about things that i should let me get sad.

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  AllTimeJeff

  Damn, I forgot to mention the warranty on my advice.....