@stan,
I met my wife in Cagayan de Oro in 2018. We've been married three years. She's an absolutely wonderful wife, household manager and companion.
it was the summer of '72.
i was 24 but had been the presiding overseer or congregation servant of a small congregation in the county seat of an arkansas county for about 3 years.. my regular pioneer wife of nearly four years was big and pregnant, with our attempts at birth control unsuccessful.. one of my wife's several bible studies was with a young woman named brenda whom my wife had encountered in door to door work.. brenda had two young children she could barely handle and was married to a very countryfied arkie named henry who worked as a chicken catcher, one of the most difficult jobs at the local chicken plant.. brenda eventually revealed that she'd been raised as a jw, but was never baptized, having left home to marry henry at age 14. she spoke of her family in texas, mentioning her mother and two older sisters, all jws she said.. one morning, just before the meeting for field service, we noticed a small car in kingdom hall parking lot.
my wife and i were parked to one side of the hall in our aluminum nashua house trailer.. two young women got out of the car and soon joined us for the meeting for service, identifying themselves as brenda's sisters from texas.. the two girls, ages 17 and 20, were distractingly beautiful, with the eldest decked out like a magnificent southern belle including hat and heels, her high-end clothing accentuating her very obvious curves.. with no one else showing up for field service, it ended up just the four of us in the car group with the two texas girls in the back seat.. starting our time at a not-at-home, the 20 year old asked if she could accompany me to "hear my presentation.
@stan,
I met my wife in Cagayan de Oro in 2018. We've been married three years. She's an absolutely wonderful wife, household manager and companion.
it was the summer of '72.
i was 24 but had been the presiding overseer or congregation servant of a small congregation in the county seat of an arkansas county for about 3 years.. my regular pioneer wife of nearly four years was big and pregnant, with our attempts at birth control unsuccessful.. one of my wife's several bible studies was with a young woman named brenda whom my wife had encountered in door to door work.. brenda had two young children she could barely handle and was married to a very countryfied arkie named henry who worked as a chicken catcher, one of the most difficult jobs at the local chicken plant.. brenda eventually revealed that she'd been raised as a jw, but was never baptized, having left home to marry henry at age 14. she spoke of her family in texas, mentioning her mother and two older sisters, all jws she said.. one morning, just before the meeting for field service, we noticed a small car in kingdom hall parking lot.
my wife and i were parked to one side of the hall in our aluminum nashua house trailer.. two young women got out of the car and soon joined us for the meeting for service, identifying themselves as brenda's sisters from texas.. the two girls, ages 17 and 20, were distractingly beautiful, with the eldest decked out like a magnificent southern belle including hat and heels, her high-end clothing accentuating her very obvious curves.. with no one else showing up for field service, it ended up just the four of us in the car group with the two texas girls in the back seat.. starting our time at a not-at-home, the 20 year old asked if she could accompany me to "hear my presentation.
No. The guilt would have been overwhelming. I had a loyal, loving wife for 49.5 years. We left JW together. Since her death I've remarried to a fantastic filipina 33 years my junior and life is very good. When I originally left JW I told myself that I was now free to become an adulterer, thief, criminal or anything I wanted, but I realized that my values were actually mine, not some phony religious belief system.
it was the summer of '72.
i was 24 but had been the presiding overseer or congregation servant of a small congregation in the county seat of an arkansas county for about 3 years.. my regular pioneer wife of nearly four years was big and pregnant, with our attempts at birth control unsuccessful.. one of my wife's several bible studies was with a young woman named brenda whom my wife had encountered in door to door work.. brenda had two young children she could barely handle and was married to a very countryfied arkie named henry who worked as a chicken catcher, one of the most difficult jobs at the local chicken plant.. brenda eventually revealed that she'd been raised as a jw, but was never baptized, having left home to marry henry at age 14. she spoke of her family in texas, mentioning her mother and two older sisters, all jws she said.. one morning, just before the meeting for field service, we noticed a small car in kingdom hall parking lot.
my wife and i were parked to one side of the hall in our aluminum nashua house trailer.. two young women got out of the car and soon joined us for the meeting for service, identifying themselves as brenda's sisters from texas.. the two girls, ages 17 and 20, were distractingly beautiful, with the eldest decked out like a magnificent southern belle including hat and heels, her high-end clothing accentuating her very obvious curves.. with no one else showing up for field service, it ended up just the four of us in the car group with the two texas girls in the back seat.. starting our time at a not-at-home, the 20 year old asked if she could accompany me to "hear my presentation.
Just to add: Of course, this "girl" would now be in her early 70's. As I reflect, it's obvious I was oblivious to the plan, but others knew what was going on. There was no way I was going to destroy my marriage, lose all my Theocratic privileges for a fling, but I'm curious as to how this young woman could be so brazen, so bold.
Now, that I think about it, the younger girl, although not flirtatious, was actually more intriguing; tall, slender with dark Romanian features. We sat in the car while the other two made the next call. The girl was doing a penciled self-portrait that was actually quite good. She so reminded me of the Eagles "Witchy Woman" just released June 1, 1972.
it was the summer of '72.
i was 24 but had been the presiding overseer or congregation servant of a small congregation in the county seat of an arkansas county for about 3 years.. my regular pioneer wife of nearly four years was big and pregnant, with our attempts at birth control unsuccessful.. one of my wife's several bible studies was with a young woman named brenda whom my wife had encountered in door to door work.. brenda had two young children she could barely handle and was married to a very countryfied arkie named henry who worked as a chicken catcher, one of the most difficult jobs at the local chicken plant.. brenda eventually revealed that she'd been raised as a jw, but was never baptized, having left home to marry henry at age 14. she spoke of her family in texas, mentioning her mother and two older sisters, all jws she said.. one morning, just before the meeting for field service, we noticed a small car in kingdom hall parking lot.
my wife and i were parked to one side of the hall in our aluminum nashua house trailer.. two young women got out of the car and soon joined us for the meeting for service, identifying themselves as brenda's sisters from texas.. the two girls, ages 17 and 20, were distractingly beautiful, with the eldest decked out like a magnificent southern belle including hat and heels, her high-end clothing accentuating her very obvious curves.. with no one else showing up for field service, it ended up just the four of us in the car group with the two texas girls in the back seat.. starting our time at a not-at-home, the 20 year old asked if she could accompany me to "hear my presentation.
It was the summer of '72. I was 24 but had been the presiding overseer or Congregation Servant of a small congregation in the county seat of an Arkansas county for about 3 years.
My Regular Pioneer wife of nearly four years was big and pregnant, with our attempts at birth control unsuccessful.
One of my wife's several Bible studies was with a young woman named Brenda whom my wife had encountered in door to door work.
Brenda had two young children she could barely handle and was married to a very countryfied Arkie named Henry who worked as a chicken catcher, one of the most difficult jobs at the local chicken plant.
Brenda eventually revealed that she'd been raised as a JW, but was never baptized, having left home to marry Henry at age 14. She spoke of her family in Texas, mentioning her mother and two older sisters, all JWs she said.
One morning, just before the meeting for field service, we noticed a small car in Kingdom Hall parking lot. My wife and I were parked to one side of the hall in our aluminum Nashua house trailer.
Two young women got out of the car and soon joined us for the meeting for service, identifying themselves as Brenda's sisters from Texas.
The two girls, ages 17 and 20, were distractingly beautiful, with the eldest decked out like a magnificent southern belle including hat and heels, her high-end clothing accentuating her very obvious curves.
With no one else showing up for field service, it ended up just the four of us in the car group with the two Texas girls in the back seat.
Starting our time at a not-at-home, the 20 year old asked if she could accompany me to "hear my presentation." I obliged.
At that first door, we were invited in and the Texas girl sat directly next to me on the sofa, a little too close for comfort.
As I went into my presentation, my sofa companion nodded at my every word and followed the scriptures in her own Bible, smiling approvingly when the householder responded to my questions.
To politely end the discussion, the householder said she was very busy and then, turning to the Texas girl, she said: "I'm sure, as a minister's wife, you would understand."
Neither the Texas girl nor I corrected the householder's impression that we were a married couple. I remember thinking that, if this was not my wife, how could I explain how closely we were joined on the sofa. That would have been more difficult than simply allowing the misconception to stand.
Honestly, I was incredibly turned on by this extraordinarily beautiful young woman sitting so tightly next to me, not to mention, playing the role of my wife so naturally despite my pregnant wife outside in the car.
Later that night at the Kingdom Hall meeting, the girl put on quite a show, commenting intelligently while seemingly intent on my every word.
After the meeting, I was approached by a teenage sister who had something to say.
Naming the older of the two Texas girls, she said: "She came here for you."
When I laughed that off, saying I was married and about to be a father, she doubled down: "Even so, she came here to get you."
Although I didn't take advantage of whatever opportunity had been presented, Brenda's husband Henry sought me out about two weeks later. He had no interest in being a JW and we'd seldom said anything to each other beyond "hello."
With his wife Brenda trying to stop him, Henry told me how his sister-in-law and one of the "JW ministers" were "kissing like crazy" and then went into her bedroom while he and Brenda were visiting the family.
"I don't know what they did in there for over half an hour, but they came out of the room totally red-faced," explained Henry, chuckling.
I think he wanted me to know that I'd dodged a bullet or maybe just wanted a big laugh at JWs.
I've thought and even fantasized about this potential incident from over 50 years ago. It came to mind just last night and I remembered I'd never shared it on JWD.
anyone that you miss from this site, dead or alive??.
i miss farkel, blondie and a host of others!.
Hillary_Step, AlanF, James. . certainly. I read Friend's reasonable comments on the H2O board. There was also a little troll who invaded serious discussion, getting under everyone's skin. I forget his handle.
i’ve been here for many years.
the tone seems to be different in this place.
not so many pissed off exjws .
The anger dissipates. It hurts that I wasted fifty years of life, but, in the last twenty, I utilized whatever acquired skills I had in pursuits I've actually enjoyed.
I've covered political corruption in Texas on a blog with millions of pageviews, gone about homeschooling a precocious eight year old grandson, while caring for my wife through four strokes.
My retirement is not what it could have been monetarily, but adequate.
I feel genuinely respected in my community, more so than in my thirty years as an elder.
This peace was not reached instantly, with years of nightmares reliving unpleasant JW incidents, work conflict at my forty year entry level job, going over my life each night during REM.
What always angered me the most were the things I WISH I had said, the situations I could have handled so much better NOW.
But, that's all gone.
I'm at peace now.
the jw prohibition of celebrating holidays includes the american celebration of thanksgiving, a sort of innocuous harvest festival, where thanks is given for the year's blessings.
a typical family eats a large meal together, including turkey and all the trimmings.
in recent decades, nfl football, always involving the dallas cowboys and detroit lions, has become part of the routine, as well as drinking beer.. every year or so, the "awake!
The JW prohibition of celebrating holidays includes the American celebration of Thanksgiving, a sort of innocuous harvest festival, where thanks is given for the year's blessings. A typical family eats a large meal together, including turkey and all the trimmings. In recent decades, NFL football, always involving the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, has become part of the routine, as well as drinking beer.
Every year or so, the "Awake!" would run an article denouncing Thanksgiving as "worldly,," sometimes making fun of the supposed original meal featuring the pilgrims and Native Americans.
My extended family, almost entirely made up of JWs, actually celebrated Thanksgiving every year without admitting it.
As my uncle Russ, a former Zone Servant, old old term for Circuit Overseer, would say every year: "Turkey is cheap and we have a day off, so why not get together for a meal?"
My uncle Gene, who never set foot in a Kingdom Hall, after getting out of prison during World War II for not serving in the military, and his Catholic wife, Ann, were always the host family. Ann made a huge spread, including certain favorite dishes for several JW relatives.
My anointed grandfather, Adolph, would be asked to say "grace" over the meal.
After the meal, Uncle Gene would light up a cigar, while fending off any attempt by any of his guests to witness to him.
I continued the tradition with my own family, sometimes eating turkey a day early to soothe out consciences.
Our pretense of not celebrating Thanksgiving like everyone else was phony, but typical of the kind of rationalizations JWs make to get around organizational rules and beliefs.
i want information on how to start a blog called the mad prophet.
this blog will encourage the freedom of ideas..
In August 2011, after a difference of opinion with a political advocacy group, I started a blog on Google. The format was simple enough for a technically-challenged senior citizen. Pictures, videos and links can easily be incorporated in your articles. Be aware that the font on cell phones and other devices may be smaller than what you see on your draft screen. I typically use a larger font.
Being fairly well-known in this south Texas city of 200,000, I instantly got daily pageviews in the 50-100 range, about 5,000 my second month. Recent monthly pageviews have escalated to 150,000 monthly with my overall total for the life of the blog, now over 4,000,000.
Early on I learned that adding each story to my Facebook and Twitter accounts greatly increased pageviews.
Google has a modest advertising program called AdSense. You receive a tiny commission for each time a reader clicks on an ad and lose revenue if Google thinks you are clicking on your own ads. My largest commission check ever was just over $500, but typically it runs around $150-200 monthly. It's also possible to sell ads if you prefer. I've had a number of offers to sell political ads, but declined.
Enjoy yourself, Holden!
"but if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
" 1 timothy 5:8, kjv.
the scriptural principle above is not followed by jehovah's witnesses if a child's presence in the home is a threat to retaining congregation privileges.
"Seems to me like your unbaptised nephew and niece are smarter than you appear to give them credit for. They have their parents and the JW organisation well sussed and they're playing them at their game."
Scoobydon't,
You're absolutely correct. I've told them as much, that they're positively brilliant in leading a double life, playing the game. Just imagine the two homosexuals who served on the so-called governing body, how conflicted their lives became, and the cleverness they developed in hiding their actual nature, leanings.
I don't object to these three young people's classification as disabled, either. They truly are, although, you would never guess it with a first impression. None of them can successfully exist on their own.
Another set of in-laws raised their nominal JW family in another way, aided by the fact that the husband was known to just being going along with his wife, not an actual JW. All of the boys went out for football with the family's at every game Friday night. There was no actual studying or understanding of JW beliefs, just respect for the religion. When approached about it, the family would shrug their shoulders and say they believed everything JWs taught, just found it too hard to live the religion. This family was never hassled about their duplicit lifestyle, just accepted for being JWs in name only.
Now, after all these years, with the kids all long gone, the elderly couple is back at the Kingdom Hall. An elder and his wife are "studying with them." Go figure.
"but if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
" 1 timothy 5:8, kjv.
the scriptural principle above is not followed by jehovah's witnesses if a child's presence in the home is a threat to retaining congregation privileges.
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 1 Timothy 5:8, KJV
The scriptural principle above is not followed by Jehovah's Witnesses if a child's presence in the home is a threat to retaining congregation privileges. Even if God's so-called "word" calls for caring for one's family, it's more important for a JW to simply maintain the appearance, if not the reality, of "presiding over his household in a fine way," so as to keep serving as an elder.
My brother-in-law, after falling to get appointed as an elder for a number of years, finally got his wish about twenty years ago. It was a running joke, even among the non-JW side of the family that "R wants to be an elder so badly," as my Baptist mother-in-law used to say.
Once appointed, R's life became complicated by three children, all with bipolar symptoms. The kids, all good looking, athletic and intelligent, succumbed to the illness as they reached their twenties, now functioning with limited skill sets to live independently. Each child has presented a slightly different challenge to their elder father as he tries to maintain his image in the congregation as an elder meeting scriptural requirements (Watchtower rules).
The oldest child, now 32, was never baptized, despite an urgent bullrush by the local elders when he was 15.
"They told me that not getting baptized would not protect me at Armageddon, because Jehovah knew I had the knowledge to do the right thing and refused to act on that knowledge. I told them I would never submit to baptism because I didn't want to be disfellowshipped," the young man told me recently.
He was correct, of course, as his life since has been full of so-called disfellowshipping offenses, but his non-baptized state has given him family access. Recently released from prison, he went straight to his folks, who tried furiously to find other accommodations for him. Eventually, the young man found food and shelter with a cousin, who is also an ex-JW.
The second son, at 18 or so the apparent congregation role model on a fast track to Bethel, is now about 30, having paid dearly for his mistake of baptism, by being estranged from his family for a number of years. I visited with him at a food store a couple of years ago just before his second or third attempt at reinstatement. Proudly, he showed me his wrist, displaying a tattoo of the tetragrammaton.
"I'm going to show this to the elders to prove to them my devotion to Jehovah," he goofily told me at the time. He was eventually reinstated, despite the tattoo.
This boy's life has continued to spin wildly out of control, despite now being a JW "in good standing." He and his wife, the daughter of another local elder, live off of social security checks for mental disability, but supplement that income with con artistry, fake GoFund requests, stealing credit and debit card information, etc. Both are currently in Paris on vacation, despite having almost no income.
I've had little contact, in recent years, with the youngest child, a daughter, now in her late twenties. We've seen her once at an art gallery, arm in arm with her non-JW boyfriend, and once more at a club featuring live music. She did not make eye contact either time and we didn't approach. She lives in her own government-subsidized apartment, keeping her secret life separate from the family.
She, like her older brother, successfully resisted baptism, but has continued in school, now pursuing her doctorate, most likely in education. She's never held a job, although has done some non-paying work in fashion.
Because of her unusual beauty, she's traveled the world escorted by various men, so much so, that she gifted a recent vacation to her parents paid for by her frequent flier miles. She may also have used this to pay for her brother's trip to Paris. I don't know.
The daughter, still dependent on her parents in several ways, frequently attends meetings as an "interested person." even making an occasional comment. In comments made on a YouTube video, she describes herself as "leaning toward Buddhism." Because of her skill set in "playing the role" and never being baptized, she's free to navigate the JW scene as she sees fit.
Meanwhile, the elder and his wife, my brother and sister-in-law, live in their two story, "empty nest" home. The upstairs bedrooms are empty and the congregation privileges remain preserved. It's all about priorities.