GrreatTeacher

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Posts by GrreatTeacher

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  11

  JW daughter, sent me a check yesterday...

  by jam in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is the daughter that told me she will never shunn me.. this is the daughter that told me dad, i pray one day you.

  will be sitting with us (her family) in the assembly, that one.

  day i will come back.. it was a $100.00 check with big bold letters "love you"... i'm going to frame it, she knows i don't need it..she is.

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  GrreatTeacher

  That is both sad and wonderful at the same time.
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  13

  Starting to wonder if I need organised religion.

  by quellycatface in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i do suffer from bipolar and social anxiety, so sometimes i do withdraw into myself.. what do you think?

  am i just being weird??.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Quelly, I really think that some personalities need organized religion and others just don't. I don't need organized anything. I am bipolar with anxiety and seasonal mood disorder. The least relaxing thing I could do on a weekend after being "on" all week at work, is to get up and go to church or any other large gathering, for that matter.

  Your health comes first and you just might not be a "joiner," especially of large groups. And, that's okay. Spiritual pursuits can happen on your own time and by yourself if you feel the need.

  You need to take care of yourself, though, or it all falls apart.
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  6

  I don't like some of the comments recently on skin color...

  by HowTheBibleWasCreated in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  black perosn beats up black girl for being too white or white people rapes another witness.. .

  who f**king cares you morons.!.

  let me explains.

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  GrreatTeacher

  This is not propaganda. These are downline effects of problems that started 500 years ago and only achieved legal resolution a few decades ago. Sociocultural resolution has not yet been effected.

  The reality is that there is a racial divide in America. I think our recent discussions have been productive. Just dispensing with the taboo of talking about race is an excellent first step in understanding each other.

  However, I understand that people from other countries may not want to participate in these conversations and I respect their choice to bow out.
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  122

  Do You Regard President Obama In The Same Way As You Did BEFORE The Election?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  lately, even late night comedians are starting to make fun of the president.. i hear more negatives about the president than ever before---even from his own voters.. (i had high hopes for him when he beat mccain but since then, i believe the president has been a huge disappointment)..

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  GrreatTeacher

  Fact checking on the outrage over Obama's excessive vacation taking:

  Bush takes the record for most days of vacation ever taken by a US president: 879

  Also, US tax payers don't food the bill. Every president pays for his own food and lodging.

  (Obama is at less than 150 in his 6th year)
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  45

  A rose by any other name..............

  by sparrowdown in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm curious, why and how did you choose your username?.

  does it hold any special significance for you, is there a share-able back story?.

  for me sparrowdown is a playful reference to matt 10:29 and the title of the movie black hawk down.. matt 10:29 was my go-to scrip to "prove" that god cares about us as individuals.

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  GrreatTeacher

  I am a teacher and I remember studying from the book Listening to the Great Teacher when I was very little.

  I was GreatTeacher on JWS and when they folded and I came here, I discovered the name was already taken, so I added the extra "r" in honor of Tony the Tiger and his grreat tasting Frosted Flakes.
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  29

  On Tattoos

  by tim hooper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  tattoos may look great for a while on a young person, but as you get older they'll just look plain stupid.

  your credibility will fade as you and your tattoo age together.

  your skin will be permanently stuck in a timewarp, like some old newspaper headline that once meant something but later becomes meaningless.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Anybody ever thought about getting eyeliner tattooed on? Sounds kind of scary so close to the eyeball, but wouldn't likely get distorted with age. Save a lot of money on makeup over the years.

  I had a friend who had a nice little floral accent tattooed around her bellybutton. I thought it looked cute. Then she got pregnant one more time and the darn thing morphed into a giant wreath on her stomach!
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  43

  How old were you when baptized?

  by Coded Logic in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was baptized at the age of 11. like most of us, my commitment wasnt to honor god but rather i was gang pressed into the service of the wtbts.

  and, at such a young age, it was impossible for me to appreciate the enormity of my actions.

  honestly, how could i possibly have known any better?

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  GrreatTeacher

  I was 15 and all of my friends were baptized. I started to feel like I might start being viewed as bad association and lose friends.

  But, also, there was new understanding on treating disassociated ones just like disfellowshipped ones. I always thought if I just disassociated, especially since in the back of my mind I knew something was wrong, I wouldn't be shunned. But, when both groups were going to be treated the same, no matter how I decided to leave, I would be shunned. So,I decided, what the hell, I may as well get baptized now and keep my friends.

  I inflated their numbers, but only for four years as I was out by 19.
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  140

  How do we set up a "Used New Bike Fund" for Terry?

  by BucketShopBill in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is there any way we can try to start a crowd-fund to help terry get some wheels quicker than he currently can?

  with craigslist and a couple of bucks from a few members we can help terry get moving.

  does anyone have any ideas how we can do a "theists for terry" bike fund raiser and challenge the atheists to a bucket-head challenge?

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  GrreatTeacher

  I'm proud to be associated with a group like this.

  Terry, I'm glad you've been able to get a bike with the correct sized frame for your stature. That makes a huge difference in efficiency which is important if it your primary mode of transportation. Please get it fitted for you at the bike shop when you take delivery.

  Also, an attached water bottle is a necessity! I'm glad you were able to get one.

  Next up, a collection for some of those cute little fitted bike shorts...
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  23

  I get so tired of people always bringing up "Black on Black" crime.

  by booker-t in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am responding to a post by someone the other day about a black girl beaten by a mob of other black teens for "acting too white.

  " the poster was trying to drive home the idea black people commit more crimes against themselves then white people do to them.

  while it is true some black people do insult other black people who they believe are trying to fit in with caucasian people, white people, hispanics, asians, and other races do the same exact thing to people in their ethnic group as well.

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  GrreatTeacher

  I think the defining factor in the abovementioned scenarios is a difference in culture.

  In America, blacks have their own separate culture, though most function in both their culture and the culture at large. White folks in general don't understand this. In fact, I'll admit that I didn't understand this until I attended a Historically Black University.

  A great example in general, and a good model for cross cultural understanding came at a Masters class in Education I attended this past year. The instructor was black and taught in an urban school district filled with minorities. The thing about Maryland is that you cross the Chesapeake and you are in a rural predominantly white area. She came over to our area to teach this class and every single student was white.

  After touching on the subject in general, she asked a question. "Why did a white teacher get upset at me after I chastised her unruly class in the hallway? In black culture, it takes a village to raise a child and that means every adult should pitch in to correct misbehavior."

  'Well, that teacher felt like you were intimating that she couldnt handle her own class. She felt like you just insulted her and undermined her authority," we told her.

  You can see the effect of the dominant individualistic culture. Funny, we all knew exactly how that teacher felt. The instructor took that in and said, "Hmm, I never would've thought of it that way, but I see it now. So, if the tables were turned and it was my class that was unruly in the hallway, what would you do?"

  ' Well, we would feel bad that you wouldn't be being successful with your classroom management, but discretion being the better part of valor, we would vow to keep quiet about it so you wouldn't get in trouble.Especially since we really like you.'

  "WOW!" she exclaimed, "I just thought the white teachers were unfriendly, not team players and possibly racist."

  The wheels in her mind turning, "What if you knew that I would appreciate a helping hand with my class at any time?"

  'Then we would definitely help!

  You see how that scenario was about communication? Miscommunication and lost opportunities because racial subjects are so charged with emotion in America?

  The class learned a lot that day and so did that instructor!
• 
  39

  The frustration of talking to a person with a closed mind

  by TheStumbler in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  okay, this is going to be a bit of a general rant.

  i had a long conversation with a jw elder recently about shunning and evolution.

  i became qunite frustrated with the conversation and admitted this at the time.

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  GrreatTeacher

  "They don't even recognise the rules of argument." You've hit the nail on the head, there. That's why it is so frustrating!

  Honestly, you lost him at Lenski. He doesn't understand it and doesn't care to. In fact, he's likely just checked out of the argument as soon as he hears something he doesn't understand. He's soley on defense at that point.

  Hey, you got some good licks in. Don't be so hard on yourself! If catching you being frustrated feels like a feather in his cap, let him have it. Frustration with ignorance of both the subject matter and the ability to debate it is a perfectly appropriate response from an educated person!