I am paying $1.85, on average, where i am in NJ, United States, and thats with FULL service. New Jersey is like one of the only states left, where there is ONLY full service, NO self serve, lol. Thats why NO chicks from NJ, know how to pump their own gas, lol.
Dunedain
JoinedPosts by Dunedain
-
20
Gas prices today & the book study
by LevelThePlayingField inwe all remember, one of the main reasons for removing the bookstudy was the high gas prices, well, have you looked at the gas prices today?
nationwide, the lowest is about $1.65, the highest is about $2.67.
isn't that right about the same gas prices as when they cancelled the bookstudy in the first place?
-
-
-
31
The Thief of Always
by YinzerDad inprologue... .
a brief precursor about myself.
i've been lurking around for almost 2 years.
-
-
Dunedain
@ - YinzerDad - Welcome dude, i really enjoyed the anology of that book, its very pertinent for all of us. I look forward to "hanging" with you here, and with everyone else.
I can relate to a LOT of what you say. I was a born in, also, and was baptised, hence DF'd. I was lucky enough to be, unfairly, kicked out at 22 years old. I also, was never directed, and or prepared for college. I had incredibly high grades in school, and was always in accellerated classes. My grades were so high, that i was being offered fully paid scholarships at the age of 13. I declined EVERY one, do to not "pursuing higher education".
When i was "booted" at 22 years old, i was left "high and dry". No higher education, no "friends", no social circle, we all know the deal. Fortunately, i did NOT let it dictate me, and my future. I started a small, simple little, part-time business, with a "good idea", and $1500.00 bucks.
NOW, at 40 years of age, i run the multi-million dollar company, that i own, and started 19 years ago with $1500.00 dollars. I became a landlord at 25 years old, and continue to buy multi family, investment properties. I am a father of 2 girls, with a loving partner.
All of these years, i have, and continue to, struggle with having been raised as a JW in a high control cult. It is "with me" everday, and in many thoughts and decisions, BUT i vowed to never let it "BEAT ME", and dictate my life. I do struggle with it, but vowed to overcome it, many years ago.
I recommend "living" for and thru your children. I HAVE hobbys, too. I collect G.I Joes, Transformers, and stuff i like. I transformed my 2 car garage, into a "collectors dream". Its basically like my own "toy store", in my backyard. I collect, and paint Civil war figures. I go on many, many, little vacations, and getaways, with my family, all the time. We love it, and it keeps us close as a family. Yet, i still struggle EVERYDAY, with having been raised a JW. My wife, who knew NOTHING about JW's before we met, sees it sometimes, and realises that it has had an "affect" on me.
My point being, though, is not to brag, but to show that you CAN still enjoy, and create for yourself an awesome life, and STILL with the "scars" of a JW past. It may never go away COMPLETELY. We may never "get over it", and thats FINE. We must learn to "live" with it, and what we must do is put things in "perspective". In all situations in life, there is good and bad. We must hold on to the good, deal with the bad, but not let it ditate our lives.
You ARE way ahead of the game, dude. You HAVE a lot going for you. Nurture that good, develop those positive things, and learn from the negatives in our pasts. Yes it IS there, but do not let it CONTINUE to "control" you. YOU are in control now, and YOU are the maker of YOUR own destiny. You are young, and WILL, probably get a hobby, or a passion. Try different things out. Heck, i started buying and collecting Nerf guns, for example. I then, had fun "modifing" them, so they could shoot further. It was FUN. The simple things in life can be. Enjoy your family, make work as enjoyable as ya can, find a hobby by trying things out, and remember you will NEVER be able to go back and NOT have been born as a JW, but you CAN enjoy life still and change the here and now and your future.
-
46
Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?
by Gorbatchov ini read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.
hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.
the lett effect?
-
-
Dunedain
@ - Introvert2 -, and ANYONE else for that matter, I am kinda "late to the game", when it comes to the GB, and Lett, and seeing ANY of these guys, and their "performances" on video, and at assemblies. So can you guys tell me whats up with Letts "performance", or why people become "uncomfortable" when he comes on stage, please?
I have never heard, or seen any of his Talks or videos, and i would LOVE to know how "crazy" they are. Or what he does to make thousands of people uncomfortable, lol. Thanks in advance.
-
20
Gas prices today & the book study
by LevelThePlayingField inwe all remember, one of the main reasons for removing the bookstudy was the high gas prices, well, have you looked at the gas prices today?
nationwide, the lowest is about $1.65, the highest is about $2.67.
isn't that right about the same gas prices as when they cancelled the bookstudy in the first place?
-
-
Dunedain
Actually, i think the gas prices were even a bit higher, when they first cancelled the book studies. Based on that logic, since the gas prices are even cheaper now, why havent they reintroduced it?
Personally, i think the WTS realised that they were getting "nothing" out of the book study arrangement. There were no contribution boxes at the home book studies, that 90 % of the congregation went to. So the WTS probably figures, instead of having the R&F "waste" ANY money going to the book study, where there is NO chance of money going into a contribution box, they would cancel it, and have the R&F "save" that money, so it has a better chance of going into a contribution box in the Kingdom halls.
Its funny, too, how it used to be part of someones "reinstatement process", that they attended ALL the meetings that they could, to "measure spirituality". The Elders would say, "you should go to the Sunday meeting, the weekly ministry school meeting, AND even the BOOK STUDY that was held at the Kingdom hall. This, in the Elders eyes, showed how much you REALLY cared about being spiritual, and reinstated. Then one day, they just completely do away with the weekly book study. YET, that meeting used to be a "barometer" for spirituality/reinstatement.
AND, why in these "last days", when things should be ramping up, and our spiritual "food" should be increasing, and more important, would they completely do away with MORE spiritual food. I guarantee, cause it did NOT increase the WTS "revenues". It was an "unneccessary" meeting to the GB, and didnt fill the contribution boxes. It shows what they REALLY care about, and it is NOT the flocks spirituality, thats evident.
-
10
Does this fact in it`s own right , prove the Garden Of Eden story false to be no more than a fable ?
by smiddy inthinking about life in general reflecting on the abundance of life on this planet , it became obvious to me that every living thing , those flying in the heavens ,living on the earth , or existing in the oceans , is all possible for one reason , and one reason only.. every living thing exists at the expense of the death of some other living thing , life and death go hand in hand.. the same is true even in the microscopic world .. every living thing feeds off some other unfortunate living thing.that`s nature at its most basic observation , but true.. what the noachian flood story overlooks is the vast amount of living marine life that existed and flourished and not influenced or affected by what supposedly went on , on land.. 99.9 % of all living creatures if not 100% live by the death of some other living creature and the same would have to be true in the garden of eden if it was to have existed in the first place .. no thing can live if it does not devour some other living thing .
a fact of life .. apologists are welcome to support god , by suggesting miraculous interventions by god that have no scriptual basis.
i guess any nature video of the animal kingdom , marine life in the oceans , or videos of the bird life , as in nature series should make this clear .. smiddy.
-
-
Dunedain
Or, maybe, none of us know EXACTLY what happened, and maybe we never will, either. -
-
-
Dunedain
" And today, brothers, we are going to be discussing just how vulnerable we really are, in Satans system, Yes, anything can happen in the blink of an eye".
EEEEEERRRRRRRCCCHHHHH SSSSCCCRRRREEEEEECCCHHHH BOOOOOOOOOM
-
5
children who are organized to do Jehovah's will
by Sabin inthe organized to do jehovah's will book pg 77, tells us haviing come to jesus, therefore, in response to his invitation to follow him, we have been blessed with knowledge of jah god & of jc.
we have been taught jah's ways.
with his help we have been able to make our mind over, change our personality, & harmonize our daily conduct with jah's righteous standards.
-
-
Dunedain
@ - WTWizard - What do you mean by, "Saturn in Sagitarius", and "suing and drugging tham back"? I am not sure i follow, and i mean no disrespect, i am actually interested to know what you are meaning about Saturn in Sagitarius. Thanks in advance for letting me know. -
52
1914—The Turning Point in History - Really?
by berrygerry in1914the turning point in history.
30 from the human standpoint, the world troubles and global wars foretold in the bible were far from the thinking of the pre-1914 world.
german statesman konrad adenauer said: thoughts and pictures come to my mind, .
-
-
Dunedain
Its so true, really think about how ridiculous for the WTS to think and say this. Do they REALLY think that a WORLD WAR just occurs overnight. The fact that it happened, was because of all the build up happening in the years prior. There was so much "tension" around the world/Europe, that the assasination of the Archduke, FINALLY ingnited the "flames". The point being, is that the "gasoline", the "matches", and the "fuses", were already in place from YEARS of build up.
Also, what about the many, many conflicts that existed in the 40 or 50 years PRE 1914. Just in America, their was the Civil War where OVER a million American soldiers DIED. The battle of Antietam lost over 20,000 men in 1 DAY. How about the genocidal extermination of a whole race and culture of people, the American indians, culminated during the years BEFORE 1914. How about the fact that one of the reasons the American Civil war happened was because of slavery. So yeah, what about the enslavement of a whole race of human beings only ending in 1865, 49 years BEFORE 1914, and it still continued MANY years after in South America.
What about all the colonys under the British and French empires, during the years BEFORE 1914. This included the oppression of millions of people around the WORLD, and the many conflicts and wars from the oppressed nations, trying to fight for their freedoms. The statement, "the sun never sets upon the British empire", was for a reason.
I am just scratching the surface here. The point being, is that "1914" and WW1, was just a CONTINUATION of constant world unrest. Just as many hardships, wars, and human atrocities, occurred in the 100 years before 1914, as the 100 years after 1914, and we are STILL here witnessing it.
-
35
No Kingdom Halls would definitely work!
by John Aquila inlast night we were invited to a get-together with quite a few heavies attendingelders and regular pioneers.
there was beer and later some music.
everyone got relaxed and let down their guard and starting talking all kinds of non-theocratic stuff that you only discuss after a few beers.
-
-
Dunedain
The GB/WTS would NEVER allow meetings to stop, and face to face contact with the R&F. In short, they are probably going to continue to "ramp" up the website and videos, but will never go COMPLETELY digital in that respect.
One of their popular scriptures is always about true christians must "gather together", otherwise the "lone" person will seek his "own selfish desires". They are afraid of "splinter groups", and most of all, loosing control.
We all know this ORG is about "levels of sprituality". Its is true that its based on "titles", like Elder, MS, Pioneer, and publisher, which could exist in a completely "digital" setting, BUT, those "titles" are granted, based on meeting attendence, hours in service, and SEEING these persons in service, answering at meetings, giving public talks, a persons conduct, and their dress, and of course, many, many other factors that are based on physically "seeing" the R&F.
None of these things, which in this cult are used to measure someones "spirituality", can be measured from behind a computer. Even the GB knows that they couldnt use a person being "logged in", as meeting attendance, because the "sheep" would just log in, and then go in another room and watch a rated R movie, lol.
In a "high control cult", which the WTS is, it cant exist without them "meeting together", physically, so that the Gestapos in charge can "police" the flock. It is as "deep", and as "simple" as this, all in one.
-
7
I think God is a Jokester, I'm starting to appreciate his words.
by James Mixon inproverbs 27:14.
" a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day".
love it!!!.
-
-
Dunedain
@ - James Mixon - EXACTLY, you are correct about that one. For some reason, when i tell my 2 daughters one thing, but do something else, they call me out on it. Go figure, lol.