Mikey

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Posts by Mikey

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  28

  Keep doing this until I return

  by Caliban in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if jesus said to keep celebrating the memorial 'until he returned' and he returned in 1914 then why do we still celebrate the memorial?

  isn't he here already!?!.

  can anyone enlighten me?

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  Mikey

  Frenchy,

  Thanks for your reply. I understand what you are saying, and I want to thank you for helping me think about this in a different way. It's true that our bonds of trust allow us to interact in peace and with understanding. With the world, if you show too much kindness, many will mistake it for weakness. But I suppose the import of your message is that one has to be who one is, even if that means being misunderstood or even hated. You're right. My Daddy always used to tell me, "If I look like a fool, that's ok. I'm happy to be a fool for the Lord." True.

  Mikey
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  28

  Keep doing this until I return

  by Caliban in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if jesus said to keep celebrating the memorial 'until he returned' and he returned in 1914 then why do we still celebrate the memorial?

  isn't he here already!?!.

  can anyone enlighten me?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  Mikey

  Brothers and Sisters,

  I just wanted to express my excitement at the upcoming Memorial. I love the Memorial. I am not really sure why, because, after all, it is a meeting, albeit a different kind of meeting, but still essentially a meeting. But it has always had special significance in my family. We always had a special family study before the Memorial, and, since my Dad usually gave the talk in our congregation, it was an occasion to really discuss and reflect collectively on the meaning of the ransom for our family as he prepared for his talk.

  I don't worry so much about the minutiae, like whether we should cease memorializing Christ because he has "returned" to Kingdom power. Until the Kingdom wipes away every tear and death and outcry and pain are no more, we should continue to reflect on the personal and collective importance of the ransom, because we have not finished the race yet; the ransom operates to atone for our sins day to day and, ultimately, it gives us a chance to live in the new system.

  A segue to the education thread: In anticipation of the Memorial, I always end up, whether intentionally or not, thinking about whether my actions are consistent with a deep appreciation for the ransom. I realize that it is difficult to appreciate the ransom and make Christ my exemplar and still be a tough, hard-nosed, fearless competitor in school and at work. The reality is, at least in law practice, that if you aren't aggressive, you lose. I wonder how others deal with their work and their Christian obligations daily. One has an ethical obligation to one's clients and business partners to act vigorously to protect their interests, but we are also obligated to be mild, reasonable, and principled. So tough when the world is so unprincipled.

  Mikey
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  17

  Education

  by jelly in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just a little about me: i live in the usa on the west coast, i am currently going to college, ( i know a lot of brothers dont do this but i have some reasons).

  i am curious if any other brothers or sisters are in college, and how everybody feels about school?

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  Mikey

  Brothers and Sisters,

  I must echo Bodisattva's pleasant surprise at the response to such a thread. I have appreciated all of your comments and expressions, especially for their insight and honesty (Bodisattva - special shout-out to your comments, so true to my experience). It takes a lot to express one's regrets and fears about an issue like this.

  But I really want to respond to Hume's post. I truly sympathize with your struggle and your situation, and I admire what you are doing. Raising a family and working full-time are hard enough in this nightmarish system of things, but you are struggling also to acquire an education to improve your family's situation. I feel you, my brother. Keep on doing what you are doing.

  It can seem like when you need your brothers the most, they let you down. They are men; they fail. Jehovah will not. Ask him for strength and the power beyond what is normal and he will give it to you, perhaps in ways that are unknown to you now.

  Your congregation sounds a lot like mine over the past few years. I must be honest, making meetings gets tough when you're juggling school and work. It was tough for me. Some brothers brow-beat me and made me feel profoundly unwelcome. They scolded me, told me I was a "glory-seeker," "greedy," and "selfish," even in the presence of other brothers and sisters. But the compassionate brothers, one in particular, my presiding overseer, alwasy encouraged me to finish school AND to make the meetings. When he saw me walk in the door, he would give me a hug and his patented ear-to-ear smile and call me "son" and tell me that he was happy to see me. That made it easier.

  Changing congregations may shift the problem to a new place, but brothers are brothers are brothers. Some will support, some won't. Find those who do, and let them encourage you. Hume, Jehovah doesn't require any specific number of hours per month in service or a minimum number of meetings, but only YOUR relative best in "seeking first the Kingdom" (Mt 6:33). Only you know what that means in the context of your family life. So, do that, and don't give up on achieving balance. Some weeks the scale will tip to one side, some weeks the other. Just make sure you seek him first, and HE promises, through his son, to "add all these other things to you." Hold it down, Hume. And if all else fails, remember that there are people out there who understand, and we are pulling for you, Brother! That's a provision too.

  Your Brother and Fellow Student,
  Mikey
• 
  17

  Education

  by jelly in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just a little about me: i live in the usa on the west coast, i am currently going to college, ( i know a lot of brothers dont do this but i have some reasons).

  i am curious if any other brothers or sisters are in college, and how everybody feels about school?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Mikey

  Brothers,

  I enjoyed reading all the response to this important question. I am a law student on the East Coast and a recent college graduate, so I can completely understand what Bodisattva means when s/he says, "end the stigma." I have been in school for five years now, and if I had a nickel for every time someone encouraged me to drop out, I'd be a dot-com billionaire. Some were subtle and encouraging, but most were heavy-handed and condescending..."drop out, or else you're not a real Witness." Besides being puzzled as to what a "real" Witness was (if it isn't someone who loves Jehovah, follows our principles, is regular in service and the meetings, then I'm lost as to how to please our God) I was a little shocked at how emotional some of the older ones became when I told them I was going to college, and then their absolute furor at hearing I was going to graduate school.

  I guess higher education was never truly an "option" for me. It was the only "option." My father and mother are both highly-educated professionals and my father, in addition to being a successful physician, has been an elder for eleven years. I just never perceived any inconsistency between being educated and being a Witness.

  There is no contradiction. I encourage everyone to get an education, become independent, learn something, and to not fear having a career. If you truly love Jehovah, then you will achieve and maintain balance in your school-work, your associations, and for the rest of your life. Hold it down, and don't worry about what the brothers and sisters think, because "not as the way man thinks is the way God thinks." Let him be your judge.

  Mikey