please forgive me but i must brag about this..... if anyone saw the pre-game stuff tonight re: cal ripken jr's last game: the portrait of his father - an amazing portrait by t. ginez - it was framed by yes, a fellow ex-jw, moi!
was it not awesome?
posted after too many beers sat.
please forgive me but I must brag about this....
If anyone saw the pre-game stuff tonight re: Cal Ripken Jr's last game: the portrait of his father - an amazing portrait by T. Ginez - it was framed by yes, a fellow ex-jw, moi! Was it not awesome?
posted after too many beers Sat. pm
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
i have read a great deal from the silentlamb's web site, not to mention other sites that are following this atrocity!
it would seem to me, and you can probibly bet, when something like this comes to the attention of the elders; that all of thier children are warned to stay clear of "publisher alleged child abuser"!
even though they are supposed to be "hush-hush" about it.
To You Know:
I keep seeing how you reiterate that it's imperative that we "have faith". What with all of the trickery of the demons and the exposure of the corruption within the "organization", what exactly do YOU have faith in? How do you manifest this faith? I echo both aintthatcute's and bluesapphire's questions, and would sincerely be interested in your reply.
Thank you, lauralisa
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
my question for everyone is how did you leave the org?
not really what led up to it but what did you do to no longer be a part of it?.
personally, i think i have to have one of the more humerous stories of leaving.
I don't have time to make any personal remarks, tho I'd like to, but I have to say MUM: welcome and thank you for your very important contribution...
lauralisa
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
hello brothers and sisters.
i'm a circuitoverseer.
i recieved this upbuilding experience to share with fellow witnesses.. -----------------------------------------------------------.
They couldn't have written it better themselves. Thank you. Need to go wretch now.
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
being lost...is of course, the usual state of things here.
what's surprising is that they (the lost) think that pulling scriptures out of context, isolating mosaic laws mean't for one purpose and one time, is somehow refuting scripture.. they like to ignore the fact that jesus is the revealed yahweh and he sets the mark, not any organisation nor any pious individual.
we relate scripture to him and we interpret scripture by his life amongst mankind.
jonjonsimons,
Your post stunned me. Please do not ever stop posting.
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
if i may... and may you all have peace.. at risk of chafing some... uh, 'positions' with regard to the current 'situation' facing this nation (u.s.) and a good part of the world, i have to ask:.
just now, i was watching the opening of president bush's address to congress.
as he entered the room, bush was given a grand standing ovation, whistling, cheers and great applause.
Hi Shelby, (may I call you Shelby?)
It is curious to observe that when a topic is started by you, an initial concept is presented, but the thread quickly defaults to a character-analysis and wrestling of terms, which have nothing to do, in and of themselves, with the subject in which you are supposedly interested.
I posted some ideas relative to your question. It was a sincere (well, actually, I had worked two eleven-hour days in a row and posted after a couple well maybe three Victory Ales) yes, sincere and empathetic response.
I thought I "heard" the gist of your inquiry. Your question seemed legitimate to me. Inside all of your words in all of the things you post, I perceive that you view humankind from a perspective other than that of a nationalist. I cannot for the life of me see this whole thing as an "us vs. them" conflict. It breaks my heart that so many were murdered in cold blood last week. It breaks my heart that in retribution, many countless others will be murdered in cold blood. I cannot see it as an "us vs. them" problem. It is an "us vs. us" issue.
I carried a tiny number of concepts with me when I got out of the WTBTS organization. One that I hold dear, and have always embraced, is the fact that we are all members of the same human family. Nationalistic borders are fine, for economic/organizational reasons... but really, don't we all depend on one another as an entire planet of beings to make life something other than dog food? If you are, as you claim, to be one of God's anointed, then you see the human family as something other than a bunch of separated groups, one being superior to another for whatever reason.
I would not prefer to live in any other country than the US, and I would never NEVER disagree with someone like Danny re the issue of punishing or in fact eliminating evil serial killers from our midst..... Who does NOT want criminal murderers punished? Who does NOT want to feels safe from psycho killers? Duh.
You brought up the issue of GWB being applauded roundly, repeatedly, and enjoying broad approval, while astutely observing that he has done very little of substance. What really has he done other than spew the correct chemistry of verbiage? He doesn't even speak his own mind; the best speech-writers in the nation write his words. He just pulls it off. He has proven to be a good speaker. And he has not had sex with a near-child, at least not in public. Yet.
Those are a fine set of credentials, by me, but they are not by any means inspiriation to invest loyalty or faith in him - or especially to allow him to speak for or make decisions for me. He is just another human man.
OK. So there is a collective consensus. Kick their butts, in fact, kick their butts halfway across the entire universe. I'd pull the trigger if I had a good aim and a good gun, if I could even touch a gun..... Are we bad americans because we don't wholeheartedly support the concept of sending our children off to kill other innocent mothers and children and elders and innocent bystanders who just happen to be in the vicinity of the evilmongers? Isn't collective rage interesting? What kind of horrors await all who live on the globe if "all" americans wage war with "terrorists"?
I have had my share of trauma. I would shoot a couple of people right between their twisted, ugly, life-void eyes in cold blood if I had the opportunity. One of them lives in a southern state. But it would not be right to nuke the entire state just to get at that one person. I'd probably blow a number of people who post on this board right away if that was the case.
Why do you let yourself get so drawn off-topic? Are you not sure of what you are really asking? Why do you respond at such length to people (OH MY GOD NO DISRESPECT INTENDED... I ACTUALLY LIKED THE DIALOGUE ESP. TJ'S.) who don't answer your question? Why do you personally respond to everyone who posted except me? Not that I want your attention, at all; it's just an observation. If I insulted you or had suggested that you are pathologically seeking attention, would you have addressed me by name? Did my remarks speak to your question at all? Have you thus far gotten any insight into your original inquiry? This DB is a fascinating study in human interaction. You are a poster whose ideas I look forward to because of their originality and unique perspective. My skin has thickened in the past month. I am truly interested in your feedback to my questions.
Respectfully,
lauralisa
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
hey all!.
i've been planning a surprise trip to nyc for my boyfriend neil for several months now and i've just told him about it.
(it will be our year anniversary the weekend we go.
Hi Andi,
I live in the Northeast, and the preventative measures that are in place to prevent any further, um, events are unprecedented. There is probably not a better time to visit New York; the amount of tourism is down (in a BIG way) and so you'd have much more access to things that would normally be difficult to get into.
STOMP! is utterly amazing. I hope you get to see it!. jonjon is right on, both on the "ground zero" advice as well as there being an inconceiveable variety of other areas of interest in Soho.... you wouldn't have to do a lot of traveling to experience spellbinding creativity and heart-warming encounters with humans that defy imagination. It's beyond awesome.
I would go without hesitation, but would be prepared for any airline travel to take four times as long as it did a month ago. Just make sure there are no embarrassing objects in any of your baggage, purse, pockets, etc! Everything you carry is subject to inspection. A friend of mine objected to someone waving a metal detector over her pregnant tummy, and she had to "prove" she was pregnant.... it took a while. They (whoever "they" are, lol) are being extremely careful. (Fine by me.)
Congratulations on your anniversary, and I hope you have a great time....
lauralisa
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
perhaps you recall the instance in the bible where samson made a wager with the philistines that they couldnt guess his riddle.
as it turned out they wheedled the answer out of him by his fiancee, but the point is that they had a wager.
since the underlying assumption of the apostasy is that we are not living in the last days of this system of things, and that this world is not facing anything remotely like the biblical apocalypse, at least not any time soon, in the spirit of such antagonism, i would like to propose a similar wager.
AlanF, you totally rock
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
if i may... and may you all have peace.. at risk of chafing some... uh, 'positions' with regard to the current 'situation' facing this nation (u.s.) and a good part of the world, i have to ask:.
just now, i was watching the opening of president bush's address to congress.
as he entered the room, bush was given a grand standing ovation, whistling, cheers and great applause.
Hi SJ,
I understand your question completely. I've learned a lot about the phenomenon of "personality" through my job, where I get to have daily face-to-face with major celebrities. Their status waxes and wanes, and is dependent on their exposure in the media; the media, of course, are notorious for their capriciousness; it's a circle dance that they do with each other. There is a vast sea of information... determining the validity of the pieces we are fed is the tricky part.
GWB is simply pulling off the image of the magical persona most americans are able to identify with. He has NOT screwed up yet in a major way. His daughters have managed to avoid arrest for public displays of intoxication and lewdness lately. He has not said anything that anyone could really argue or take major issue with. He wants to kick their butts! He's angry as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore. He is managing to say very little, in so many words, and it's an amazing thing to say THAT much and have 1. The average american 2. The average New York resident 3. The average military officer 4. The average firefighter 5. The average mother, father, grandma, eagle scout, federal employee, movie star, et al... not a one taking real issue with anything he says.
He's got the "stuff", whatever that is. It's interesting anthropological PhD dissertation material.
Wishing you well,
lauralisa
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
hi..... last night i read a post by stevieb1 entitled "my personal turmoil".
i went to sleep thinking about his/her experience and appreciating the insightful responses to it, in particular neonmadman's.
like he, i found almost instantaneous relief from incapacitating depression when i extricated myself from the stronghold that the borg had on me.
Hi Andi,
Wow. My ex was also an addict, but had been in recovery for many years. (Actually, he was in AA, for over two decades, which made him a type of rock star in that community... but his addiction was still alive and well, despite his abstenence.) It's totally strange, but I see more "addict" behavior in jw families overall than in the general population. (Is there such a thing as general population? oh, shut me up.)
What a weird ride. Thank you for responding. Please, tell me, are you currently ok and safe? Are you still in that relationship? Just concerned.
And yes!! Abuse is abuse. It's a good hider, though... denial is the opiate of the borg.
lauralisa, missing the island
It's only water from a stranger's tear (Peter Gabriel)
