Merry Christmas Jason & Michalina.....have a wonderful holiday.
frank & karen
will be this wednesday....i can't wait.
our presents are all under the tree, we have stockings for me, my wife, and the two cats.
we've been to a few christmas parties, and i'm just really enjoying the holidays...what a change over the last year or so, i'm so glad to be out of the witnesses.
Merry Christmas Jason & Michalina.....have a wonderful holiday.
frank & karen
the elders came over this morning as promised.
he called before to explain why so as not to show up under false pretenses.
he said yesterday when he called, he was with a service group so he said he was an "old friend" and wanted to come visit.
Rachel,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. You and Steve handeled it great.
After reading your post, I can only imagine what was going through their minds as they walked down the driveway to their car. We are now waiting for our families to get the same 'shepherding call', and are looking forward to it all being over for everyone.
Have a wonderful holiday with your family in Hawaii....tell everyone hello from us, and Merry Christmas to you all.
Frank & Karen
(((((((doug and tracy))))) you're two of my favorite people and i love you both.
in the three years that you've been married, i've gained a brother and a nephew (i'll tell you who they are later!
tracy, thanks for being my friend, my advisor, my confidante, and for watching my back.
Happy Anniversary Doug & Tracy, and Merry Christmas.
Let's get together soon....
Frank & Karen
edited by - william penwell on 21 november 2002 17:5:59.
Consider this, if you were to count all the deaths in the Bible that God caused either by his hand or through his direction, it would amount to over 1 million people.
It is no surprise to see people just living out their religion the best way they know how, just like the Israelites in the Old Testament, and the Christians in the so called 'Dark Ages'. Now it just happens to be the Muslims turn.
God is Great!!
Edited by - salud on 21 November 2002 21:21:43
Edited by - salud on 21 November 2002 21:23:46
silentlambs has provided the folowing numbers:.
increase of average publishers:
usa 3% (last year 1%)
At least in the last several years here in the USA the increase has come as a result of the Spanish congregations. Just about everywhere there are new Spanish congregations forming. It is also the largest single language group of Witnesses in the world. If it wasn't for this language group the USA would have shown a decrease in total publishers.
Also something to consider was the effects of 9/11. Many churches, not only JW's, showed record attendance levels at their places of worship. Since the Society runs their service year Sept. to August this stands to reason also for the increase. I believe a more accurate figure will be revealed next year when all this shakes out, hopefully we will not have more events like 9/11 to bolster meeting attendance figures.
My thoughts.
i was wondering if anyone has dabbled in astral projection.
i have been doing it recently and it has been really amazing.
there is so much that we dont know about as humans.
There is much info. on the internet about it...
Check this out...
if anyone is interested in buying old books, magazines, booklets for researching, collecting, etc .
you are welcome to check out the list of what i have left.
free shipping!
Are you serious??? Do you really suppose these books have increased that much in value??? What happened to the donation concept?? If they had something to offer maybe, but a bunch of lies??
I just threw a whole slew of them out the other day, just kept a few I might need for research. I felt bad even giving them to anyone.
i don't think i will never join another organized religion.
that being said however, i have enjoyed going on occasion to non-denominational churches, watching the band play music, and the speaker.
if you did or would attend another church regularly, which one would you go to and why?
I do have to agree with 'the Judge' on one thing, all religion is a snare and a racket. Religion has been used to control people. There is a greater awareness of this happening all around us now. Listen to many of today's thinking people and they are discovering that religions have caused more pain and bloodshed than any other single human cause.
Your wars going on today between India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine, Catholics and Protestants in Ireland are not for water rights, geography, or oil, but rather for hatred that they have for one another. And this has been taught to them through their religion from the day they were born. They are all deep rooted religious wars.
Take for example the Bible, If you were to count all the people that were killed by the hand of God or at least ordered killed by him amounts to over 1 million people!! The Bible and other so called holy books teach that concept of punitive exclusiveness, meaning that we are the only right ones and if you don't agree with us you will suffer punitive damages.
If you want to look for the earliest form of Christianity, hence true christianity, you will not find it in the Christian religions of today, but rather with the teachings of the Gnostics. Their teachings were more deeply rooted in the Mysteries and the Pagan myths back then than the surface teachings you find in today's religions.
The fact that one does not belong to a religion does not make that one less spiritual, nor the fact that one belongs to one make him/her that more spiritual either.
i don't think i will never join another organized religion.
that being said however, i have enjoyed going on occasion to non-denominational churches, watching the band play music, and the speaker.
if you did or would attend another church regularly, which one would you go to and why?
HELL NO!!!
What would possess me????
my mole inside just e-mailed me that it was announced from the podium that i've disassociated myself.
funny thing though.
one of the girls that we took to maui a few years ago just called to invite us to her wedding.
Congrats LB,
You mentioned last summer you were going to do this. So when does the tree go up???