Posts by slmdf

81

Covers for captions anyone? Here you go!

by Wasanelder Once in

here are more covers for you to play with.

can't wait to see what you come up with.

remember, try to keep it short and use larger fonts so they can be easily seen in a video.... and we're off:.

field service time???

by cr1234 in

jw
friends

does anyone know how much time a person has to put in now to still be a regular pub in this day and age???.

.

slmdf

rHodge - is right on. Still true. 1 hour for most, 15 minutes for elderly or infirm.

31

Former or Current Elders, MS, Pioneers.......Did you enjoy these positions?

by R.F. in

jw
friends

did you ever enjoy serving in this way or did you view it more as, "it's the thing that's encouraged, so that's what i'll do"?.

im currently a ms and pioneer(will shed this one immediately) and before i ever were appointed these, i always wanted to.

i thought it was a pretty cool thing for someone my age to be instructing the congo, and to have so many look up to you.

I was a pioneer at one time, Bethelite then an MS and then an Elder. Served on HLC and was congo secretary. I enjoyed the positions of responsibility. I too thought I was helping. Thing was I really was helping - being an empathetic shepherd; listening to the friends, making them feel good about themselves and what they did, instead of badgering them about doing more. I tried my best to teach the other elders how to have feelings and to be genuinely interested in the R&F. I finally figured out it wasn't working. But, people felt safe with me because I treated them tenderly and I accepted them for who they were. They didn't get that from others.

Now I'm gay and hence - disfellowshipped. I guess we know why I'm in tune to everyone's emotions, right? ha!

Hard to believe that 2006 District Convention I was assigned a teaching part on the program. My how things change.

23

Just got a phone call

by ex-nj-jw in

just got a call from my jw mom, she wanted to let me know that my dad was taken to the hospital friday!!

!, he had another heart attack.

he is on a ventilator and needs bypass surgery (again) but the doctors can't operate since his hemoglobin is low and he has been on coumadin (blood thinner).

slmdf

If your heart is motivating you to go.... GO! Don't let JW doctrine stop you from doing what you know to be right... what you know you need.

You deserve to be able to tell your Dad you love him. Don't let anything get in the way of that.

I hope everything works out. I'll be thinking of you.

36

EMERGENCY! Need some ideas

by Satans little helper in

jw
friends

so tomorrow is mrs slh's birthday and i need an imaginative idea for a present around $50.

she loves neckalces, handgabs and shoes so i've bought her loads of those.

i'm looking for something a bit more imaginative and i am stacked out at work today so don't have the time to trawl the net for ideas.

slmdf

Hi! I know you said you don't have time to trawl the internet, but one of my favorite sites that is very QUICK at giving ideas is www.gifts.com. You can shop by personality, occasion, etc. You can enter your gift amount and it gives you tons of great, unique ideas. It's very fast and helps me out without fail.

Just a suggestion. I hope it helps.

29

Upset & Need to Vent to Compassionate Ears

by FreeGirl2006 in

jw
friends

i am so grateful to have a place where my experiences being treated like one of the walking dead can be understood and empathized with.. i was opening my mail last night and there was a bill from local hospital.

i opened it a bit confused because i have not been in a hospital in 2 years.

it was a detailed bill for my stepson.

slmdf

I am sincerely sorry you're going through that.

This is a prime example of the @#$% that goes on. How can stuff like that go an and it still be called Christian? How they they be "reflecting like mirrors the love of God?" Pah - Lees! Makes me ill.

We're here for you if you need to talk.

15

Why Cant You Just Accept That Its The Truth!

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

why cant you just accept that its the truth!problems occur in the jehovahs witness world when an individual decides to think for him or herself.

personally, i suffered a great deal in the truth because of independent thinkingthinking like satan.. what about youre experiences?as a witness, did you feel doubts or questions come into your mind and if you dared, .

voiced your opinion on the matter, were you disciplined for it?

slmdf

I conformed as an elder for 10 years. Wasn't till I was DF'd that I allowed myself to think outside the Borg. Now that I do, it's inconceivable that I could ever conform again.

I am constantly amazed at how my thinking was guided or controlled in such a manner and I didn't know it.

It's kinda like us saying "the brain is the most amazing thing".... well, of course... look what's telling us that. (duh... our brain!)

The GB or Watchtower tell us what to think. I was taught, from a little lad, to believe it and not to question it. I didn't know what I didn't know... you know? (now I'm reasoning like the WT... LOL)

10

Jehovah's Witnesses and Myspace

by tsunami_rid3r in

jw
friends

i haven't been to a meeting in ages.

whats the rules on getting on myspace?

i ask because i added a friend of mine from my past congregation because he was cool with me, but later he removed me from his friends list.

slmdf

Hey ya'll!

Get this... at a recent Circuit Assembly the CO asked everyone who had seen Myspace.com to raise their hands. MANY brothers and sisters did. After that he said, "If you just raised your hand, shame on you! No witness of Jehovah has any business on that site." He went on to condemn it in no uncertain terms.

I wasn't there, of course, but that's what my family heard. Crazy, huh? Makes it pretty clear how the Borg feel about it.

17

The memorial date?

by Junction-Guy in

jw
friends

what day is the memorial this year?

slmdf

It is Monday, April 2nd.

14

Photographs and Illustrations in WT Publications

by RubyStevens in

this is i guess geared more toward bethelites or those in the know.

in the endless sunday meetings i was always facinated by the photographs and pictures in the books and magazines.

is there a large photo studio at bethel were the pictures are taken?

slmdf

Hi all!

This is my first post, but I couldn't resist this one.

I was at Bethel (prison) for 3 1/2 years and I was a photographer for the Org. It was actually a really cool job. Much better than cleaning toilets or washing the floor of the parking garage.

Anyway... you asked several questions and I'd be happy to answer any more that you have.

First, yes, there is a large photo studio, and it's at Patterson, NY. I worked at the studio when it was located in Brooklyn. When I was there, many of the shoots were done on location at various places at Bethel, or in the surrounding area. They use top of the line Hasselblad photography equipment and Sinar Bron lighting (for those who care). It was all upgraded when I was there. Cost tens of thousands of dollars and no one could ever tell. Although, from a photographers standpoint, it was awesome to be able to use the best equipment on the market!

There is a huge prop area. Bethel makes most of their own props. In fact, anything you see in a painting or drawing is most likely based on a prop that was made, photographed and then used as a guide to paint the picture. As depicted in the "Borg Behind the Name" video, most of the artists have a photo session with props, models, etc. and then use the resulting photographs as the basis of the painting. At least one of the Artists I knew actually used a projector and basically copied the picture onto the canvas.... not very artistic... more like "paint by number".

They also have a sister that does makeup and beards, etc. Of course they wouldn't have a brother do that... it would most certainly mean they were gay, right? Anyway... that was always a fun part for the participants. How often do you get to dress up at Bethel?

All of the models come from Bethel or the surrounding congregations. There is a rigorous approval process to put people in the mags. They have to be the utmost of good standing. I wonder how many were in good standing, got photographed, published and are now disfellowshipped? Hmmmmm.

I never saw any fighting about being in a magazine, but there is the same culture of beautiful and skinny at Bethel as there is in the fashion world. I can't tell you how many times the Art Directors would say they were walking around Bethel, saw a beautiful woman or a handsom man and approached to ask their name because they wanted to use them in a shoot. I often wondered why Jehovah's "impartiality" wasn't applied to the work of publishing. Why did they adhere to the standards of the world? Anyway....

As for how the magazines were designed... when I was there, there was a brother or sister assigned to an entire magazine to determine layout and art direction. That Art Director would assign art to the artists or photographers to complete assignments to their approval, taste and liking and then they would fit it into the design of the mag. Some Art Directors were heavilly involved in each shoot. Others would allow the artist or photographer to use their discretion.

I hope this was helpful. Any other questions?

Let me take this opportunty to thank all of you for the community I find here. I was disfellowshipped in February after 22 years as a baptized witness, 11 of which I was an Elder (up until July '06). I really enjoy being here. Lots of love to all of you. I don't plan to go back.

Take care!