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We announced this morning that our beloved sister Susan Lett has fallen asleep in death. She had 58 years of full-time service, serving with her husband, Steve Lett, whom she had known since she was a teenager. They served together in various forms of full-time service for 54 years: as regular pioneers, special pioneers, circuit work, and Bethel service. No matter how steadfast you are in the truth, we all need comfort to cope with the pain caused by our final enemy, Death. Brother Lett has been encouraging our worldwide family for decades. We know he will continue to work hard for us during our mourning. Now it is our turn to encourage him through prayers to our Father, "the God of all comfort."

It is truly tragic.. 😢 https://igberetvnews.com/1487795/trailer-collision-claims-15-jehovahs-witnesses-imo-state/#forward

For me personally, I separate truths that do not affect my eternal life from those that are critical to serving Jehovah correctly and gaining an everlasting future. This would be "light truths" compared with "solid spiritual food". Example: Creation truths could be separated into two categories..."why the sky is blue, which plants came first and on which day (a light truth) compared with "I am a created soul who needs to recognize God as my sovereign and obey his directions" (a solid eternal truth). Example: The name of Jesus' mother is important historical information (a light truth) but I can gain God's favor and life in the New world without knowing that. But the facts surrounding Jesus coming as my ransomer and savior is critical (solid truth) and I must study and apply that information even to gain access to God, let alone achieve his favor. As to how to develop an 'appetite' for such good things...well, I have always had a burning desire to 'know' things. It probably was kindled by my parents training me to read. I discovered that treasures of knowledge awaited the diligent student who would take time and effort to study. To read, analyze and inquire about facts (truths) that I discovered and associate with wise and experienced people in the Truth (and some outside) gave me the impetus to continue digging. I now am overwhelmed with sources and tools which I did not have in my youth. I thank our God and his organization every day for these. You can think of these 'truths' (all of them) as food. You may like some of the light and fluffy side dishes and deserts but your strength and vitality come primarily from the 'solid food' that are the main courses. Learn to focus on the meat and potatoes and save the 'light' chiffon for an added delight...♥️

Good morning everyone, I wanted to take a few minutes to relate an experience shared by a very brave young sister who I met at a hall in Northern Wisconsin a couple of days ago. Graciously she has allowed me to share her experience, and I felt that this was the appropriate place to drop her story. As always, what follows is not her exact wording. I have taken a bit of creative license in order to really highlight the beauty of our older brothers and sisters. I am no longer young, and frankly I am simply out of touch with a lot of the issues that young ones face today in our congregations. But anytime I hear about a young brother or sister showing true faith in the face of whatever Satan can throw their way, I am deeply encouraged. That's why I'm choosing to pass along the following experience: You Held On Our sister was working at a small grocery store in central Minnesota when a certain violent political act took place, an act that rocked the nation. In a show of solidarity, local management decided that all employees would wear a small colored ribbon attached to their work uniform. Most of her coworkers pinned it on without even a second thought...but not our young sister. When a ribbon was handed to her, she quietly explained that, as one of Jehovah's witnesses, she stayed neutral on political issues and would therefore not be wearing the ribbon. Outwardly, the management said that they understood her stance and would not force her to wear the ribbon. But secretly, one of the managers began to spread the word about our sister refusing to take part. What started as nasty rumors and whispered hate-filled speech soon turned into open mockery by the majority of her coworkers, management included. One coworker, an older woman who had been very friendly to our sister, openly approached her and said that she should be ashamed, that there was no real compromise in just wearing the ribbon, even if she didn't agree with the message behind it. Other coworkers soon grew bolder in their displays of nastiness; openly mocking her in front of customers and calling her "cold" and "unfeeling". One customer even spat on a receipt as she tried to hand it to him and told her, "THAT'S what I think of people like you! And yet our young sister didn't lash out, she didn't storm off her job. She kept bagging groceries, greeting customers, and performing her job with dignity. Less than a week later, our young sister was offered an assistant manager position at a rival grocery store, in part because the store manager of that chain had witnessed some of this and was extremely impressed by her refusal to respond in kind...and her steady presence at work despite what she was actively enduring. But that's not where this story ends. An older brother and his wife had been shopping at that grocery store and saw firsthand some of what she went through. She had no idea they were in the store come but they approached her after Sunday meeting, hugged her, and shared the following: "Rebecca, (not her real name), my wife and I just wanted to say how proud we are a few and the courage you showed at your job. Would you mind if I shared a scripture with you?" The brother asked, as his wife clung to our young sister. Habakkuk 2:4: "Look at the one who is proud; He is not upright within himself. But the righteous one will live by his faithfulness." He then asked Rebecca what she got out of that scripture, and she replied that Jehovah was telling her she had to have strong faith. He nodded and said that a lot of Jehovah's people read this verse and get the wrong impression from it. "The verse isn't saying, am I BRAVE ENOUGH? Rather, it's actually saying: Will I STAY LOYAL?" Seeing that she looked confused, he clarified that Jehovah's not looking at how STRONG you feel inside...he's looking to see if you'll keep showing up...if you'll STAY loyal...even if everything else seems to be falling apart. Sensing that she was still a little unsure, the brothers wife chimed in: "You know, I remember when you were just a little girl at the lake. You waded out too far, and suddenly the water was over your head. You panicked, remember? You thought you were drowning. But I’ll never forget what you did. You didn’t try to swim back on your own, you just clung to your dad's arm until he pulled you safely to shore. Do you remember that?" The brother nodded and jumped back in: "That’s exactly what we saw you do at work this week. You didn’t need to feel strong inside. You just needed to hold on...to stay loyal. That’s what that verse really means means when it says, ‘The righteous one will live by his faithfulness.’ Jehovah doesn’t measure the strength of your emotions...he treasures the grip of your loyalty. So don’t ever think you failed because you felt weak. Jehovah saw what you were going through, and look at the outcome now because you stayed loyal!" The young sister related this experience to me and a couple of other brothers and their wives, and it wasn't long before the sisters were engulfing her in hugs. I just wanted to share this experience, it may not have the flash and bang of other experiences from our brothers and sisters, but it was extremely encouraging to me...so thank you for allowing me to share it!

Can you imagine if he says, 'After careful consideration, the GB has changed its mind and thinks it's now preferable to shave off all beards, put the tie back on, and leave the pants in the locker room for the sisters?' Defibrillator for everyone.

Another anointed couple was John and Mildred Barr. I had the privilege of meeting them while working at Bethel in Brazil.

I think you might want to shift your goalpost. Instead of trying to convince someone that Kirk wasn't a bigot, try to offer them a solution to the problem they actually stated. If they don't like when someone talks cr*p about lgtq, tell them that you are grateful that God's Kingdom will put an end to all forms of hatred or that Witnesses are taught to treat everyone with respect even when we disagree with their lifestyles. Turn the conversation away from a worldy controversy and towards the solution. In other words, be a proclaimer of the Kingdom instead of a defender of Charlie Kirk. Another way you could have responded to their second comment: "That's too bad that people felt attacked by him. As a Witness, we take the Bible's standards on homosexual relationships seriously, but we always show people respect, regardless of how they choose to live." Now you can pivot to promoting God's standards instead of defending a random political figure, which has no solution at the end of it. Isn't that a better conversation than convincing someone they were "wrong" about Charlie Kirk? Correcting someone's beliefs about Charlie Kirk does not lead to everlasting life.

You know what is interesting? Satan does not know when the end will come. Therefore, with each passing year he gets a little more paranoid or desperate. This is another reason why Jehovah did not reveal when the end will be. No hints or clues to the exact date. No possibility of calculation (we can guess. Our guess might be correct, but a guess us not knowing.) Satan has no right to know when the end will be. I never thought about it like that before you made this comment. Very nice. Thank you.

This topic has stirred a lot of emotion … this section is a public section .. we are not the echo chamber for whatever “news” agency. So I will be closing this topic for awhile.

We need God's kingdom and the elimination of all the amendments including the second - as none of them will be necessary.

All, I have to make it short. About a week ago I went to the hospital of sickness, I was there for 8 days. I almost died. If I went to the hospital 1 or 2 days later, I would have died. I’m out now. I love you all.

2025 GB Update #6 transcript

Hey, i am just showing up to apologize for storming off like a child the other day. I was given advice/council from more advanced brothers and sisters and instead of taking the advice i kinda attacked back defensively. Just wanted to say i'm working on myself and working on different ways to approach things, i remember one member say to use what is happening as a way to shoecase God's promises and what he will do for the future (they commented on the screenshot i posted). Providing hope in bad situations is what i need to be doing instead of pointing out the obvious and having it twisted... If that makes sense. Anyways i love yall... (Side note, didnt know where to toss this at. I probably didnt need to apologize but i felt it was warranted)

Some friends visiting from the US did a tour of the Branch last week. It was announced to the group that they are now filming Episode 8. They did also get a private tour of the studio to see some sets. However, they did not elaborate on what scenes the sets were going to be used for. It is all so exciting to see this project power on... Coincidentally, that week, Sydney had the heaviest rainfall since 1879. Having the studio with the monster 'Green screen' side-steps production delays brought on by extremes of weather.

And here with the Lett couple, also in Bethel.

I love the way the German NWT renders Mat 5:3. In English it is something like this: ”Blessed are those who realize they need God.”

To paraphrase...'Dream on, sweet prince'

As mentioned above, the Update #5 was August 22 (Friday). The updates are usually around 6 weeks between videos. If it is presented on this coming Friday, September 26, it will be 5 weeks since the last one. That is one week early compared with the average. But the following weekend is the Annual Meeting and it would be less likely to present the update on Friday and have the AM on Saturday of the same week.

Exactly. This illustrates that neutrality is difficult when someone's political opinions seemingly align with our own moral standards. We might not realize that our comments easily can be seen as taking a side and, thus, bring reproach. We advocate Jehovah's moral standards but we are neutral when it comes to the politics of this world. For example: We believe homosexuality is immoral, but we have no opinion on the legality of gay marriage, displaying the LGBT flag, parades, etc... We believe abortion is immoral, but we do not have an opinion on the legality of abortion, nor do we advocate abortion protests. When conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh passed away, the circuit overseer overheard a group of Witnesses lamenting the passing. They were mourning, so to speak, the way any of us do when a celebrity we appreciate dies. The CO was a bit appalled by the apparent breach of neutrality. These Witnesses were speaking about Limbaugh as if they respected and appreciated his political opinions. Perhaps these friends had a problem with neutrality they didn't realize because, in their opinion, all Rush Limbaugh did was speak the truth, speak common sense, and speak in favor of certain moral values we share. (Ecclesiastes 3:7) 7 A time to be silent and a time to speak https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&pub=nwtsty&srctype=wol&bible=21003007&srcid=share We speak up when asked about the Bible's position on moral standards. We keep silent when conversations turn to what people should or should not do in the name of legality. Even when it comes to whether Charlie Kirk's words were hurtful or not, we can unknowingly cross a line. This Witness feels his words were hurtful. That Witnesses feels he only spoke the truth. A third Witness thinks the people who were hurt by mere words should get a thicker skin. A fourth Witness sees his 3 fellow brothers and sisters are now divided by someone's political commentary. The question is why do Witnesses who know about Charlie Kirk know about him? Were they, perhaps, viewing political commentary? Is that the beginning of the path of damaging our neutrality? Would we be mourning, again for lack of a better word, if a loud and proud LGBT advocate was assassinated in the same public manner as Charlie Kirk? If a death horrible no matter what, then our expressions should be the same regardless of the victim's political, social, or moral position.

So if the GB #6 is on its way, it appears it would be a trilogy: October Broadcasting with a GB update #6 an the AGM on October 4.

So horrific. What is also appalling is seeing some people comment and video themselves celebrating that he’s been murdered! It reminds me of how Jehovah views people who celebrate over evil things that happen to others, they will be held to account for their vile inhumane behaviour and attitudes. (Obadiah 13, 15) The Bible always got it spot on, some people have “no natural affection” and proverbially pat the killer on the back. (2 Tim. 3:3) I’ll be keeping his family in my prayers tonight.

Please Jehovah put that one thought into their hearts.

Since English speaking Bethels can connect to AM, I have a suggestion to create one new link with livestream just for JW Talk. Just saying

I have been wanting to post this since last Tuesday night, but I wanted to make sure the sisters were okay with me using their example. They just texted me back this morning and said it was okay but that, "really, it was nothing". But it wasn't nothing...not to me. I arrived at the Kingdom Hall nearly as the song was starting on Tuesday evening, it had been a long day...I was worn out, feeling beat down and tired. I parked my butt in an open row at the back of the hall, (I usually sit up front, but that row was taken and I am trying to vary where I sit now after some really sage advice from a brother). To my right, sitting opposite me at the end of the row, sat an elderly sister. Her long grey hair was swept up in a messy bun, and after the prayer...she sat down and began twisting and turning her silver bible in her hands. I could tell something was wrong, but I didn't know what. She was looking straight ahead, and then all of a sudden...from behind us...a sister in her late 50's approached from behind this sister and put her hands on her shoulders, holding them there for a moment before giving this elderly sister a hug from behind. The elderly sister reached up, patted her hands and arms...and then immediately broke down in tears. I was stunned...I had no idea what was wrong, but man...my heart just broke on the spot. I was too far away to do anything, and I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable so I acted like I was paying attention to the meeting...but inside I wasn't...I couldn't. Let me tell you something right now...you sisters must have a secret bat signal or something...because within seconds several sisters got up and surrounded her...one on either side...the one behind her...and another one two seats away...handing out tissues to everyone involved. I don't know what the situation was...I didn't ask...and that isn't the point. The point is...I witnessed a living breathing example of the following scripture...and just like I shared it with them...I am sharing it with all of you this morning: Acts 14:22 "There they strengthened the disciples, encouraging them to remain in the faith and saying: “We must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations." In Greek, the word for strengthening is "epistērizō"...and it can mean to "to prop something up so it won’t collapse under weight." Those sisters were the brace...that elderly sister was strengthened, she finished the meeting and made a couple of very encouraging comments that I don't think she would have made if it hadn't been for those dear sisters. But what if you don't feel up to being a brace for someone else? What if you're tired...you're worn out? What if you need to be "braced"? The simple truth is...we are all holding each other up...and we all have the power to be a brace...but only because Jehovah is bracing each and every single one of us!

Yeah, @Ostria, this might be one of those times where it's better to keep silent than to speak (Ecc 3:7; Mt 10:16). From jw.org: Jehovah’s Witnesses remain politically neutral for religious reasons, based on what the Bible teaches. We do not lobby, vote for political parties or candidates, run for government office, or participate in any action to change governments. We believe that the Bible gives solid reasons for following this course. We follow the example of Jesus, who refused to accept political office. (John 6:15) He taught his disciples to be “no part of the world” and made it clear that they should not take sides in political issues.—John 17:14, 16; 18:36; Mark 12:13-17. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/political-neutrality/ To lobby for someone or something means we are promoting, agreeing with, supporting, or defending that person or thing. As followers of Christ, we don't even want to give the appearance we are supporting a political stand. Defending a certain political commentator, even if we are correct and we know the other person's point of view is bogus, comes across as taking a side on the political issue. We are, in effect, defending the man's political stand and, thus, appear to agree with said stand. There is no harm in your Baptist friend thinking Charlie Kirk is a racist bigot. It's not our place to defend him, even if we are convinced he is the opposite of a bigot. Our defense of a political commentator could detract from our Kingdom message. (1 Corinthians 10:23) 23 All things are lawful, but not all things are advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&pub=nwtsty&srctype=wol&bible=46010023&srcid=share Just because we can does not mean we should. Does our defending political commentary promote peace and unity? Does it attract our audience to the Kingdom message? Does it look like we are getting down and playing in the same mud the political supporters sling?

I have a feeling this is going to blow up to be a MUCH bigger deal than we can possibly imagine at this point. The air has changed. Stay off social media for a bit.....it will destroy your neutrality. The amount of "call to arms" over this incident is overwhelming & scary. 👀 But how timely our campaign! Wow!! While talks of civil war are erupting again, we have the REAL answer!!

I can’t even imagine the level of evil and heartlessness a person would have to possess to shoot someone in front of their wife and young children like that. I don’t know what angered me more. Him being killed in front of his family, a large crowd, and cameras, or people filming themselves laughing about it and posting jokes in the comment section of some videos about the coverage. My sympathy has nothing to do with any political views I may or may not have. I hate both the Democratic and Republican parties equally because I know they are both immersed in corruption and run by actors, deceivers, and puppets who can’t offer what God’s kingdom can. At the end of the day, a life was lost. I saw several short videos of him debating people a few weeks before his death. Besides his controversial debating style, I didn’t know much about him, but it seemed he had a fervor for what he believed. I pray that if there was good in his heart that Christ remembers him in the resurrection so he can direct that fervor to doing Jehovah’s will, instead of trying to do the impossible with a crooked political system that can’t be made straight.

JWB-Sept-2025 transcript

As others have mentioned, due to many reasons, it is not practical in the US for a KH to always be "by itself" or even to choose its neighbors. Let's say this KH is sold and a new one is built on a road street has no other buildings on it, just vacant lots. Then, After the new KH is built, other churches buy the neighboring properties and build churches. Do we sell and build elsewhere again? Do we do this every time a church builds next to a KH? It would not be a wise use of dedicated funds to relocate every KH in the world that gets a church built next to it. Let's trust in Jehovah that His sheep will find the KH even if it is surrounded by other churches. Now, back to discussing the tragedy that occurred right next door to the KH. Perhaps this event will provide opportunities for discussing the only way this world will ever have peace and an end to violence.

Honestly, I’ve given up trying to track when updates come out. 😂😂 They’re just too unpredictable since they’re posted whenever needed. One thing I’ve noticed is that GB no longer sticks to a certain date pattern for releases. Before, it seemed like big announcements were always made during AM or conventions, and everything was scheduled. But now, they announce things through GBU, AM, or other methods, and the release times are all over the place. They’ve become more flexible, releasing and announcing updates at the right time instead of sticking to a fixed event date.

The last information that we got concerning the "one thought" Jehovah puts into the hearts of men (in charge) is that it will be sudden. Even though we are waiting for it, the timing of it might surprise even us. We are all looking for something in the news that could indicate the nations want to give the UN unprecedented authority but that Question from Readers helps us to appreciate that we won't see anything that will directly lead up to it probably. The US prides itself on being a country based on religious freedom and it's president claims to be "christian" and he's obviously power hungry - so why would he give his authority to an institution he can't stand (UN) and has wanted to pull out of? JEHOVAH! That is why. I doubt that many of these countries leaders will know what the UN plans to do with that newfound authority (getting rid of religion) but at that point, it will be too late. Jehovah is now in control and Satan's system is about to go down permenantly.

And he would still stand by what he said had he survived. This death is horrific. It ranks up there, for me, with others such as Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter. It underscores the importance of not just political neutrality, but also being careful expressing your opinions on social issues.

We are not immune to attacks .. There is no safe place, out in the middle of nowhere to church ally. Just think of the shooting Germany or the bombing in Australia many years ago.. my friend had his Kingdom Hall broken into by a person in a pickup truck they drove through the front doors and spun around in the main auditorium all by a disgruntled man.. The Seattle area had numerous Kingdom Halls attacked by an arsonist… We try to make our Kingdom Halls safe with locked doors and attendants.. on my KH we have put large cement benches near the front entrance so no vehicle can drive through. We have considered roll shutters as another protection… We are living in dangerous times. Critical times hard to deal with.

Maybe they need more time for other talks at the AM. Looking forward to next week!

Up until 2 years ago I used to live 10 minutes drive away from Windsor, so I’ve many times been near where these type of events are taking place. I have to say this feels very different. The press have picked up on the fact that the public are being kept away from proceedings. This used to be a big part of these type of events / the excitement and build up by the general public (us JWs used to carry on as normal 😊). The feeling being that no one wants the president to be offended by anyone and keeping the public at bay will reduce the likelihood of this (although not eliminate it as already has been seen). It all feels quite desperate on the part of the politicians here - like a last ditch attempt to try and save a global order that (we know) cannot be saved and curry favour from a very unpredictable president. Things are changing at a breathtaking pace

There will be a nationwide protest against corruption in my country on Sept 21 including my city. Hence, I wont be attending meeting at the hall. I will attend via zoom.

This topic has gone completely off the rails … STOP.. I have had to hide some posts ..🙈 Jehovah in Jeremiah firmly explained how to live as exiles in a foreign land… We are exiles in a foreign land … We are figuratively living in Babylon… Since we are Witnesses of Jehovah .. let’s get biblical… Notice Jehovahs words to Jeremiah… Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and pray in its behalf to Jehovah, for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they are dreaming. 9 For ‘they are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,’ declares Jehovah.”’” Remaining neutral as a Christian in the face of political assassinations is not about indifference—it’s about anchoring your response in faith, compassion, and discernment as laid out in Jehovahs word. Use it as you were trained … This is your test …. Right now .. the posts you made …Did you pass it? Or did you get sucked into the diviners of this system? Jesus lived in a politically volatile time, yet He never aligned Himself with partisan agendas. Instead, He focused on the Kingdom of Heaven, confronting injustice without being consumed by political entanglements. Neutrality means not being swept into tribalism. It means evaluating every political event—including assassinations—through the lens of Jehovah’s applied word. Not the diviners of this world.

I have fallen in that trap too at times. I have some workmates who have strong political ideas and at times I have tried to reason with them about political matters. Although I was careful not to break my neutrality, they didn't view it like that. In the end, discussing political matters won't take you anywhere. It's much better to focus on God's kingdom and what it will achieve.

Not at all. It follows the natural progression of a conversation, and has been quite civil compared to other hot topics. In my opinion...

Report of how one brother has been persecuted badly in Kazakhstan https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=3002

Did you know that humans can smell petrichor...(the scent after rain)...at concentrations 200,000 times fainter than a shark smells blood.🤯 What does this teach me? Jehovah designed us to sense refreshment before it arrives. And spiritually speaking, He’s doing the same today! Isaiah 58:11: "Jehovah will always lead you And satisfy you even in a parched land; He will invigorate your bones, And you will become like a well-watered garden, Like a spring whose waters never fail." How amazing is that verse when you really stop to break it down and think about it? Jehovah promises that He will lead you, satisfy you even in parched places...and make you like a well-watered garden!! I found that phrase, "well-watered garden" so interesting during my personal study that I looked up the Hebrew word to see what it meant: "Ravah"...meaning saturated, overflowing with life!! My brain tied all this together late last night as I was getting ready to fall asleep...and I shared my raw "data" on this subject with a brother and sister I know very well late last night. Imagine my surprise this morning when I saw the following message from this couple regarding my research: "Good morning, Tim. We always love when you share some of your research with us. We were talking it over last night before we went to sleep and my wife came up with the following thoughts she wanted to share with you: I never knew that about "petrichor"...but I have ALWAYS loved that smell!! Thank you so much for identifying it for me! I am going to write this in my notes now on Isaiah 58:11!!" So friends...I will leave you with the following: When you catch those first subtle hints of Jehovah's care; a scripture that lands just right, a word from a brother or sister that hits the need you hadn’t voiced...that’s not coincidence. That’s the air changing! That’s Jehovah already sending the rain. And you’re tuned in enough to smell it coming!

When some Witnesses mention the USA as being the last world power, they are thinking about the dream statue in Daniel with the feet of iron mixed with clay. Those feet symbolize the Anglo-American world power. After this, there are no more world powers. So yes, in this sense the USA (along with the UK, but people only mention the US) is the final world power. I my opinion, and others agree, the planet will not survive a third world war. If, in my opinion, the US/NATO would war against Russia, nuclear weapons would be used on a massive scale. A full nuclear war would devestste the planet. There would be no one left to cry peace and security. No one would believe such a cry. The vast majority of people would be dead or dying. While a third world war is not explicitly impossible according to the Bible, I feel such an event is extremely unlikely since the scriptures indicate there will be a feeling of peace and security prior to the sudden destruction of false religion and the attack on Jehovah's people by a united coalition of nations.

I could tell something was wrong. There is just something about a human when they are experiencing a deep pain that is all consuming...it SHOWS. I dropped off some cheese to an elder in one of the congregations I sometimes visit...and right from the start...I could tell something was bothering him. Yes...he's an elder...but that doesn't mean he's immune to pain...in fact, they are usually more affected by pain than others...not because they are "better" or more "spiritual"...no, it's simply because they carry the weight of an entire congregation on their shoulders. These dear brothers know all the secret pains and aches of the congregations in which they serve...and they fight hard every day to struggle on, bearing the loads of themselves, their own families...and the rest of the sheep. We carried the 17 cases of cheese into the hall and plopped them down on the table in the back room, then fell into a couple of chairs and spent the next hour or so just talking and getting the past few weeks off our chests. The conversation was a relief for both of us...and eventually...the elder just kinda squinted at me, made up his mind and then asked how I would deal with the following "hypothetical" situation. Over the next ten minutes he laid out a situation which was so heart breaking, so unbelievably gut wrenching...I was left speechless, dumbfounded. How can all of these precious brothers listen to all of this...much less figure out how to attempt to comfort those involved?? I had no answers...I won't even sit here and try to pretend I came up with some magical solution. My head was still spinning from the overload of information...from the raw ache that was beginning to form in the pit of my stomach as I realized what I already knew...this was a real situation...and just like that...a second elder arrived at the hall...and they thanked me for the cheese and got into the first elder's car to go attempt to try to comfort the family involved. I left and continued about my route...and later that day...the elder called me and asked if I would like to know part of what was shared with this family who were facing an incredibly tough situation. I said absolutely, of course...and THAT is what led me to sit down this evening and get this out on a post to share with all of you. The following didn't come from these two elders...it came from their Circuit Overseer who took out a few moments of his time to join the family via zoom...and it was just so eye opening to me...so mind boggling...I couldn't wait to sit down and share it with all of you. The verse? (Of course you knew there would be a verse involved😅) Isaiah 40:31 "But those hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; They will walk and not tire out.” How many times have I read this verse...heard it expounded upon...indeed, expounded upon it myself...and yet, STILL miss the main point?? It's not that I didn't understand the main point...but I didn't get it...not this way. Why do I look at that verse...even NOW...and read it the wrong way? Why does my human heart DESIRE to see something that simply isn't true?? What am I talking about?? One word, friends: "Those hoping in Jehovah will REGAIN power." Regain...such a simple stupid word...and yet...it STILL sounds like the power we "regain" CAME FROM US!!! But it didn't...of course it didn't...it came from Jehovah!! But how to prove that? The Hebrew word chalaph means “to exchange” or “to change out.” It’s used, (in one sense), for changing clothes!! The picture isn’t just topping up your energy...it quite literally means swapping your worn-out human strength...for Jehovah’s own strength! What did this C.O. bring out, (in part), to this worn out family? (And the following is a direct quote): "We often think we’re just getting a refill. But Isaiah is saying: you hand over your weakness, and Jehovah hands you His endurance. It’s a complete trade, not a recharge." A trade…why is that simple idea so encouraging to me?? The C.O. said: "A refill gives you more of you. An exchange gives you more of Him...now let's see how Jehovah teaches us to stop "trying harder"...and start "trading up"!!" And that's all I have for you tonight. So what happens when you hand Jehovah an empty tank? He exchanges it for HIS strength...HIS power...and that is what allows us to carry on...even if it is...just for one more day.

This is from CNN https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/church-shooting-fire-michigan-09-28-25?t=1759091562941

I thought the exact same thing, but was it that song or the main Lion King song?😂 Definitely the background vocals are giving Lion King. Usually the new songs take some getting used to before I like them but this one I liked right off the bat.

No problem its a beautiful update with the 2026 year text and the new song to be sung at the annual meeting song 162

You live in a peaceful country and you cannot fully understand me. I live with the war for three and a half years and 11 years since it all started. Jehovah protected my life 11 years ago, three years ago when I had to make a choice about which city to move to. I would not have survived if I had chosen the wrong city. But Jehovah knew which cities and areas would be safe. I continue to trust in Jehovah, knowing that no matter how many air alarms and dangerous missiles were flying, he would save me. My words may upset some, but let me give you an example: when a missile hit one of the houses, Jehovah miraculously saved the lives of my brother and his wife in the house next door. The glass windows flew into the room, but they survived. Does this not show that Jehovah can preserve the lives of his servants if he deems it necessary to do so in order to fulfill his will? I am sure that he does.

Apologies if this offended anyone but I do want to point out that this article did appear in multiple media outlets including Sky and French ones. Im not up for defending any wordly source but I’ve personally not found the DM any more or less reliable than any other news media. i dont think whether a newspaper is a tabloid or a broadsheet makes a significant difference nowadays - there are many different news sources which can be crossed checked and verified. Ultimately it’s about using discernment. As for causing anxiety - obviously not my intention / but news is ubiquitous in today’s world, so probably best to filter what you can / cannot deal with.