Hi Clevelanders!!!! These days I've run into quite a few ex-JWs and I'm thinking of starting my support group back up. We had a nice couple of meetings.
Tiffany - originally from East Cleveland/Cleveland Heights
jesussaves
JoinedPosts by jesussaves
-
5
Hall Closing in Cleveland, OH, USA Area?
by reagan_oconnor inmy husband called me this afternoon to tell me that he drove by the lakewood congregation (on madison ave.) and it is closed, boarded up!
hurrah!.
i only hope this means that there is waning interest in this area and they don't have a large enough congregation, and not that they're building a larger place elsewhere..
-
-
-
28
Apostate Story @ New York Times
by DannyHaszard inthree times a week in the kingdom hall in miami, my brother and i strove to sit perfectly still in our chairs.
our mother carried a wooden spoon in her purse and was quick to take us outside for beatings if we fidgeted.
i sat onstage in the kingdom hall in surrey, england, where my father's job had taken us.
-
-
jesussaves
Wow!!! I'm impressed. I've decided to email Dr. Phil so he can have some ex-JW survivors on his show. Maybe this author will go and have her book sales skyrocket!!!!
-
21
The Book Signing that ended in a JC Meeting...
by jesussaves inhey y'all,.
i posted a few months back that my first novel, "what a sista should do" had been published and is now available in stores.
my very first booksigning was in june at a well known bookstore in our area.
-
-
jesussaves
Yes, Troy does come to Jesus, but I left the end with his music career really open. I hate to tie everything up in a neat little bow. Pam does start to support his work, though. The excerpt was about Pam and Troy, but there are two other main story lines...
I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt. It sold over 16,000 copies in the first month of publication and is already on it's second printing after three months...JWs that know me are almost ANGRY that it's successful. They would prefer to see me strung out on crack and for all of my children to have different fathers!! Oh WELL
-
21
The Book Signing that ended in a JC Meeting...
by jesussaves inhey y'all,.
i posted a few months back that my first novel, "what a sista should do" had been published and is now available in stores.
my very first booksigning was in june at a well known bookstore in our area.
-
-
jesussaves
Hey y'all,
I posted a few months back that my first novel, "What a Sista Should Do" had been published and is now available in stores. My very first booksigning was in June at a well known bookstore in our area. My mom, brothers and grandmother (all JWs) attended even though my book is Christian Fiction. My grandmother was hesitant to attend and about a week before the signing she calls me and says
"Tiffany, are there going to be any reporters there?"
My response, "Why? You afraid someone might take a picture of you supporting your granddaughter?"
She dropped the subject, because she fully intends on being first in line when the royalties start coming in. The book signing was also a discussion about my book and I went into the power of prayer and all of the CHRISTIAN themes in my book. My grandmother looked VERY uncomfortable to say the least and she sat ALL the way in the back. My mother, on the other hand, sat in the front row and even asked questions. She's waaaaayyyy too crazy for the elders to approach, so she does anything she wants to. Example - she once cursed out an elder's wife for kicking the back of her chair during the meeting.
But I digress....
Anyway, one of the bookstore employees is an old acquaintance of mine. She said hello, although I don't think she realized what my book was about until after the discussion, which was piped all over the store. I did the slow fade 8 years ago, so most of the JWs I was friends with will at least speak. Some know that I'm married to a minister and attend a Pentecostal church, but hilariously enough they chalk that up to 'What people do for love'!!! Heaven forbid their doctrine might be in error...
I digressed again!!!
The bookstore employee, I'll call her G, decided to share her juicy little tidbit of gossip. She told someone (not sure who) that my entire JW family was at the bookstore supporting my 'apostate' book. There is not one mention of JWs in this book....can't say that I won't venture there in the future. Oh, I forgot to mention that my grandmother is a regular pioneer.
A side note about G. - she was from a very unfortunate household who at one point were living out of a hotel frequented by prostitutes and crackheads. I was their ONLY friend who visited them, gave them money and didn't make them feel like they were underclass in our very middle class congregation. Guess she forgot about all of that..
Well, my sister, also a regular pioneer was the one who was dragged into the JC. Ironically, she abides by all of the rules and hasn't spoken to me in nearly a year and has not been an aunt to any of her four nieces and one nephew. Apparently, an elder told the elders at her hall that a regular pioneer was seen at my book signing. The tattle tale elder actually claimed to have been in the bookstore at the time. I wish he'd stopped by and said hi.
I called my grandmother after the commotion. I said, "Well...looks like your greatest fear has come true. You were seen supporting your grand daughter"
Her hilarious response, "Well, if they say anything to me I'm going to say I was there to see my great grandchildren."
A regular pioneer has prepared her lie and alibi!!! Wow!
Tiffany
-
21
Ex-JW Author Inks Two Book Publishing Deal
by jesussaves inhey everybody!!!.
this post is from tiffany l warren.
i did the slow fade about 8 years ago, and i must say that my life has never been happier.
-
-
jesussaves
Bryan,
It seems that it does happen sporadically when you put my name in the author's block. I have informed the webmaster of that site. In the meantime if you scroll to the bottom of the page on the right you may click on the picture of my book and it takes you to my page! Thanks.
Tiffany
-
21
Ex-JW Author Inks Two Book Publishing Deal
by jesussaves inhey everybody!!!.
this post is from tiffany l warren.
i did the slow fade about 8 years ago, and i must say that my life has never been happier.
-
-
jesussaves
Thanks you guys for the Congrats and support! This is a dream come true for me, and proof that my world didn't crumble when I left the JWs. I think folk from my congregation and family were waiting for the heavens to open up and smite me! Hey Valis, thanks for the welcome, but I've been around for awhile :) I haven't posted in months, but I always read the board. Love you guys.
Tiffany
-
21
Ex-JW Author Inks Two Book Publishing Deal
by jesussaves inhey everybody!!!.
this post is from tiffany l warren.
i did the slow fade about 8 years ago, and i must say that my life has never been happier.
-
-
jesussaves
Hey everybody!!!
This post is from Tiffany L Warren. I did the slow fade about 8 years ago, and I must say that my life has never been happier. There is LIFE after the JWs. This board has greatly encouraged me, along with reading Crisis of Conscience.
I started writing Christian Fiction about four years ago and I finally found a publisher willing to take a chance on me. My debut novel will be on shelves June 3, 2005. It's called What a Sista Should Do and it's being published by Walk Worthy Press (a division of Time Warner Books). Of course my family (ALL JWs) are agahst that I write Christian fiction. They don't plan to purchase my book, because of course, that would be supporting 'Christendom'.
To get a sneak peek of my book, go to my publisher's website www.walkworthypress.net. I talk about being an ex-JW in the author's testimony section. The first chapter is also on there. Thank you for your support!!!
Tiffany Warren
-
11
any ex jw's in ne ohio
by freelife inhey everyone i am newly on the outside of the jw org.
here in ne ohio.
i am looking for others here in ne.
-
-
jesussaves
I'm in Streetsboro (20 minutes outside of Cleveland) and I know several x-jws in the greater Cleveland area. Welcome to the board!!!!!!
Tiffany
-
19
How JT got Shafted as a Bethelite- and OTHERS TOO!!!!!!!!1
by JT inelp us keep your earnings record accurate
you, your employer and social security share responsibility for the accuracy of your earnings record.
since you began working, we recorded your reported earnings under your name and social security number.
-
-
jesussaves
Hey JT,
Love the stories man. I have friends at Bethel that have been there 10 years plus. That's a shame that they don't have any Social Security earnings. Wonder what they're going to do when they have to leave? It's not like they're having alot of children to take care of them. I actually think that my two friends are hiding at Bethel. They're afraid to leave, because they know that they have no real life skills to raise a family or hold a career. They're big men at Bethel, but just "cheese and cracker men" in the real world. Sad....
Tiffany
-
54
my heart hurts.
by flower inwell i have been feeling a bit like crap lately.
work has been very stressful and my attempts to make new friends outside of the jw's have been mostly futile.
the people i work with are immature and are more interested in the latest office gossip and whose doing what than anything else.
-
-
jesussaves
Flower,
You remind me so much of myself about three years ago. It's really hard when you miss that sense of community that comes from being a JW. Everybody doesn't have it rough growing up as a JW. Some of us had lots of friends (we thought) and had fun just hanging and being teenagers. I went to so many parties, that I can't even count them. I had my little clique, and we were divas! Never wore the same outfit twice to a social event.
When you just cut yourself off, and you do that by leaving the JW's, it's hard because your friends don't understand that you're the same person. It doesn't stop you from missing them. I have all new friends, but I still miss the ones I grew up with. It hurts that they've never seen my children and that I'll probably never see theirs.
I know folks are going to yell and scream at me for this, but have you tried joining a church? There are alot of non-denominational, non-cultish, unoppressive churches out here that just help people to heal of their pain. You'll find women that have things in common with you. I stopped missing my JW friends so much when I had real girlfriends to call, shop and go out to eat with. I entertain at my house, which is something that I always loved to do as a JW. I was always having parties at my house because I love cooking for people. I enjoy the feeling I get when people enjoy my food.
Let me tell you, Flower, I just went on an 8 day cruise retreat with the Women's ministry at my church. I felt like I got a little bit of my youth back. I had forgotten how funny I can be and how easily I can make people laugh!
Also, about your sister....(((((Flower))))). I'm going through the same thing with mine. We're eighteen months apart in age, and she hasn't spoken to me in two years. She has no relationship with her three nieces and has never even met her nephew. Your sister probably thinks that you're on the verge of coming back because you're feeling lonely. You just have to know that she thinks she's helping you. She thinks she's showing love by shunning you.
BTW....I'm a writer too. I just landed a two book publishing deal. I'll let you know when it comes out. It's like an inspirational Waiting to Exhale. Keep writing, because it also helps in the healing process.