The congregation I grew up in had get togethers all the time. Every Sunday afternoon all summer (after service of course) we'd go to the state park at the lake to swim, play softball, have a cookout. We had several congregations that had square dances together. We went roller skating one night a month and had ice skating parties in the winter. My family had a huge hill by our house so we always had the best sliding parties and we always had people over for cards and board games. We really did have a great time together which I am reminded about every time I run into a witness I grew up with. They seem to think that the fun we had should have been enough to keep me in. The fun just wasn't enough to cover up the bad stuff. els
Posts by els
-
33Congregation get-togethers
by freedom96 indid your hall ever organize times for the congregation to do activities?.
about every 6-9 months, mine would have a congregation picnic.
people would bring food, and we would play a softball game.
-
-
-
42
What's Your WORST Vice???
by minimus innow that you no longer have any real restrictions, have you allowed yourself to do something "naughty"?
what's your worst vice?
-
-
els
Staying in bed on Sunday morning to have sex, cuddle, snooze, read the paper, have more sex, the whole time taking great delight in NOT being at the meeting. els
-
8
Have you ever had a premonition?
by DanTheMan inin 1990 one of my best friends (mike) was riding in a van with another friend of mine who was driving (scott).
they pulled into the parking lot of a mini-mart that was in a bad part of town, to say the least (people often referred to it as "uzi alley").
the reason they pulled in was because they thought they recognized someone in the parking lot.
-
-
els
I don't really have premonitions but I do get feelings about people and they're almost always right. I do have dreams that come true. I have dreamed for years about different people in my family holding a very young girl with long shiny blue-black hair, obviously oriental. Now my niece is adopting a baby girl from China. She should have her by New Years. I probably won't see her cause I'm being shunned, but at least I can say I knew about her first. els
-
16
Talk by a Branch Overseer
by Defender ina branch overseer of an asian country who happened to be visiting some of his family members in our area, gave a talk this evening in the hall that i used to attend.
i have not been attending meetings for months, but decided to go when my mother, a devout jw, came to visit me last week.
the branch overseer had just returned from attending the annual meeting in new york.
-
-
els
Haven't they used that marching around seven times on the seventh day bit for a very long time? I'm almost 42 and I remember that from when I was a teenage, trying to inspire us to do more preaching. They must be very tired of marching by now. els
-
45
What's Your Favorite Quote?
by Perry ini ran across this recently.
so, i guess its my new favorite quote.
"the difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'.
-
-
els
"What I want is what I've not got, but what I need is all around me"
Dave Matthews -
24
Theocratic War Strategy & "Phenomenal ...
by Scully ini called my mother yesterday and for some reason, the conversation drifted into dub-talk.
she was upset that some of my siblings were still at home, not concerned about looking for jobs or pursuing some kind of job training (the acceptable term for "going back to school", apparently).
none of these siblings are baptized, so pioneering is not even an issue.. anyway, i suggested that maybe they were discouraged because people around them (dubs, in particular) were harping on the idea that armageddon was "just around the corner" and that it seemed like a waste of time to pursue those activities.
-
-
els
And the wooly-bear catipillars are all black this year so the end must be comming soon....oops...I mean we're going to have a bad winter...or is that when they're all brown?...I'm confused. els
-
21
CoC on Hold for Me
by out4good3 ingot a copy of crisis of conscious 2nd ed.
on hold for me at a library.
will most likely be picking it up tommorrow after i get off from work.
-
-
els
I'm about halfway through with it. I would have to say, plan on keeping it till you're done. I have been out for a long time and didn't really believe alot of things despite being raised in it. But reading this book has me totally stunned. The callous, uncaring attitudes of these men who are supposed to be guided by God's spirit make me sick. I have found out so many things that I never had a clue about. I won'tsay more because I don't want to ruin it for you. els
-
54
Would You Now Feel Uncomfortable Taking Blood?
by minimus innow that you know about the truth of the blood doctrine, would you feel, even a little bit uncomfortable agreeing to take a blood transfusion?
btw, my mother asked me if i would still honor her wishes for refusal of blood.
i told her that even though my view has changed, i would respect her decision, even if i felt that it was wrong.
-
-
els
I never did really believe that it was wrong. It always seemed to me that the fact that blood could save your life went along with the idea of it being sacred. Maybe because I never believed the possibility or the desirability of everlasting life I felt and still feel that life is worth saving in almost any circumstance.
The whole issue of getting a disease from blood is the only thing that has changed my thinking. I would still take blood though if it was the only way to save my life or that of someone I love.
One thing I find ironic is that my oldest brother has the say if anything happens to our parents and he's the one who was disfellowshipped for years and years. Oh well, life is strange. els -
5
About Coqui's thread...
by els ini have been following coqui's posts about being df'd or da'd without a judicial comittee meeting or a letter of disassociation.
if you want you can read my profile to get a little history, but my current situation is that i haven't heard from my family since the end of june.
that was when i told them i supported my son in joining the army and that i had no intention of ever being a witness again.
-
-
els
Amazing, How did you find out that you had been DA'd? I have a wierd feeling that it has already happened and I just don't know about it.
els -
5
About Coqui's thread...
by els ini have been following coqui's posts about being df'd or da'd without a judicial comittee meeting or a letter of disassociation.
if you want you can read my profile to get a little history, but my current situation is that i haven't heard from my family since the end of june.
that was when i told them i supported my son in joining the army and that i had no intention of ever being a witness again.
-
-
els
I have been following Coqui's posts about being DF'd or DA'd without a judicial comittee meeting or a letter of disassociation. If you want you can read my profile to get a little history, but my current situation is that I haven't heard from my family since the end of June. That was when I told them I supported my son in joining the Army and that I had no intention of ever being a witness again. I had a visit from a couple of JW men (elders?) a few weeks ago and told them the same thing. I had the feeling they were there to find out where I stood.
A few of you have written that you can be DA'd without writing a letter, that it can be announced that you have DA'd yourself. My question is; If they do this do they let you know that this announcement is going to be made or has been made?
At this point it really doesn't make a difference I think they are going to take the hard line whether I write the letter or not I would just like to know.
I had a thought while I was reading these threads that perhaps sites like these have helped to cause the new strictness about this. So many people write about wanting to "fade away" so the won't lose contact with their loved ones. We know that active JW's lurk around these sites, perhaps even men in positions of authority. Maybe they decided they would put an end to that option. Not that I would want to chance a thing about this site, I think it has kept me from losing it several times. It was just an idea that came to me. els