Beggar for the Spirit

(AI generated comment) Haha, just kidding Lance, that was my fake AI comment! Those are my words about you. You are very good brother and friend! 😎

Thanks for answering my question Brother Kim I am sending you a PM, please let me know if you received it, thanks 😎

Hi Brother Kim, Can you share with us about how you do “self-hosting”? Does it require a lot of work/effort? Curious how beneficial this is for privacy/security? Thanks! 😎

I wanted to start a topic to see if any brothers/sisters here have an EV or used to have one? Any advice about EVs? Are there other Pros & Cons besides these ones? BENEFITS Cost Savings: Lower running costs compared to gasoline vehicles. Convenience: Ability to charge at home! No more dealing with gasoline or gas stations Performance: Quicker acceleration and instant torque, a very responsive & smooth driving experience Regenerative Braking: This technology captures energy while braking, extending range and reducing wear on brake components. Tax Credits & Incentives: Many governments offer financial incentives, tax credits, or rebates that can significantly lower the overall cost Reduced Noise Pollution: EVs operate much more quietly than gas motor vehicles, contributing to far less “noise pollution”, especially in urban areas. Environmental Impact: Zero tailpipe emissions, contributing to reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions! Even greater benefits when charging with renewable sources like solar energy. This is my favorite one, a small way we can help to take better care of this precious “home” we received from our Father 🌍 CHALLENGES Limited Range: Many EVs have a much shorter driving range compared to gasoline vehicles, which can lead to "range anxiety." Charging Time: Charging an EV typically takes much longer than refueling a gasoline car, with fast charging stations still requiring at least 30 minutes. Battery Degradation: Over time, EV batteries can lose capacity, reducing range and performance, and expensive replacements may be needed Environmental Concerns: Although contributing to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, there may be environmental impact due to issues with battery disposal. Electricity Dependent: Anxieties can rise when in rural areas or regions where there are few or no charging stations. Also electricity/power outages can limit how far you are able to travel. QUESTIONS What has been your experience? Does an EV truly save more money or cost more? Are there any other benefits or challenges that people may be unaware of?

Many people seem to enjoy the taste of wine. As for me, I have never really liked any kind of alcohol. However, if a person is having some stomach problems or gastrointestinal issues, well the Oxford Companion to Wine describes wine as “man’s oldest documented medicine” which we know is in harmony with the Bible. We also have an article that quoted the book The Origins and Ancient History of Wine which reported: “It has been shown experimentally that living typhoid and other dangerous microbes rapidly die when mixed with wine.” So the purpose of this topic is to ask: Has anyone had any experience with wine helping their stomach issues? Which wines might be the best “medicine”? And is it best to drink wine before or during or after eating a meal? Looking forward to your comments, thanks 🍷

I like this good article Sister Hannah @TheKid23 found about modesty and humility. 👍 I appreciate many of the older articles like this one from 1962. And while we of course need to make sure when reading older articles that the teachings are in agreement with today’s current understanding, it seems most points in this article seem to still be current. Now although the article mentions there are some different shades of meaning to “modest”, if we keep reading there is an important paragraph that gives an explanation that likely the FDS of today would very much agree with: Now a question some might have is, “But how about 1 of the other shades of meaning such as, “Modest” and “modesty” are also used in the sense of chasteness, decency and propriety”, Jehovah is chaste and decent right? So then couldn’t Jehovah be modest also in this sense?“ Yes Jehovah is chaste, upright, etc, but here is the reason why we shouldn’t define Jehovah as being “modest” in this other sense of the meaning: I put those 2 important points from that article in “bullet points” because while we might initially think that because Jehovah is chaste then He must also be “modest”. But the reason this is not correct is because we are “creations” of Jehovah and so we strive to be modest or display modesty in the sense of chasteness according to a “standard”, Jehovah’s standard. But Jehovah is not subject to anyone’s standard as to what should be decent or chaste or modest. So I believe that this is why we have not seen any explanation by the FDS that states something like, “While Jehovah is not modest in the sense of having limitations, Jehovah can be considered modest in the sense of chasteness, decency, etc.“ No, this would seem to be an incorrect way of viewing Jehovah because He is subject to no one’s standards of what should be decent or modest. So as the article stated, “… the concept of modesty simply does not apply to Jehovah.”

Lance shared with us that article that shows how some want to believe that President Trump is the, “New Constantine” Similarly, certain religious leaders or groups have influenced their followers to have more faith in President Trump by comparing him to the great leader in the Bible who although pagan and not a worshiper of the True God, became a vessel or “anointed one” of God, the Persian King — Cyrus the Great. A question some followers ask in order to defend their spiritual belief in President Trump is, “If God in the past anointed a world leader that was pagan to ensure that His will be done, then why couldn’t God also use or anoint a modern day leader like President Trump to ensure HIs will is done today?” Has anyone heard this kind of argument or heard Trump being compared to Cyrus?

Good topic Richard 👍 It seems you were wanting to use this “5 Why” technique to discuss the difference between possibility vs probability when seeking answers, and that is a really good topic! But I wanted to add that this technique can also help address spiritual problems overall. So I will try to add to your topic the best I can. I will share my longer post with more in-depth thoughts in the hidden box below if anyone would like to read it, but to just briefly summarize: To me, the idea behind the “5 Why” technique or just any method that causes use to dig deeper is to move beyond “surface problems” to try and uncover the underlying “root cause”. So whether a person chooses to use this technique or another, as Christians we should not be wanting “fast food” answers, “fast food” guesses or speculations, nor “fast food” surface answers that do not touch the heart of the problem or are not based on Jehovah’s superior ways. For me personally, asking “Why” questions one after another has motivated me to go beyond surface answers or just speculate, and to dive deeper in nature and in the Bible to find answers in the deeper wisdom of Jehovah If each of us does our best to not just use our imagination to guess or speculate about ”possibilities”, and if each of us does our best to dive deeper into spiritual questions or spiritual problems by researching in our publications,, then this can help “peel away” layers of surface symptoms or surface-level explanations to discover and reveal Jehovah’s wise thinking on matters! Then JWtalk will be an even greater resource because there will be less guesses, less speculations, and deeper answers and understandings that will help all of us grow stronger spiritually! 🌟 (More in-depth post)

JEHOVAH MAJESTIC, RADIANT, MAGNIFICENT

Here is hopefully a very encouraging and motivating thought to really consider during this memorial season. In the JWBroadcasting 2025 update #1 there was an example shown of an update to the “Study Pane” in the JW app. It explained how our personal notes will come first in this study pane. But I stopped the video in order to see if I could read the personal study note someone had written in the example that was being shown, and it turned out to be a little gem💎. This personal note turned out to be a quote from a WT article based on LK 2 which tells us that Baby Jesus had a “manger” for a bed. What was this manger? Was it a very soft and beautiful crib made for a prince? Here is a picture from the Study Notes in LK 2 of what this manager may have looked like? Wow, so what was the 1st bed that the Messiah, the precious Son of God slept in as a newborn baby, a “feeding place” for animals, made of rocks or stone! How many parents who are unbelievers in the world today would have been content in providing a crib of hard stone for their precious newborn? So with all this in mind, now here is the quote of the personal study note from that video: I thought this was an excellent point! While Jehovah had to protect His son, the Messiah, from certain dangers/attacks by Satan and the demons, Jehovah did not shield His Son from many challenges, including poverty. Jehovah, the best Father imaginable, did not provide great accommodations for his son who was to be royalty, a future King! Why? What can we learn from Baby Jesus’ bed of stone, a “manger”? At times a brother or sister may feel that Jehovah should be providing more for them. For example… A brother’s car is older and has problems, and when he sees others in the congregation who have better cars he wonders, “Why doesn’t Jehovah provide better for me as I am one of His loyal servants, I need a better car” Or a sister is tired of her job, and in recent months she has heard of several sisters getting good jobs, so she complains to herself asking, “I do my best to attend all the meetings, go in the ministry regularly, so why doesn’t Jehovah help me get a better job?” Jehovah tells us in the Bible that “…having food* and clothing*, we will be content with these things” (footnotes: sustenance, covering, shelter) But there are multiple degrees or definitions of what being “content” means, let’s look at 3 degrees and ask ourselves, “Which definition or degree is Jehovah wanting to see in us when He is asking us to be “content” for now with basic necessities?” “content” = accept as adequate despite wanting more or better ”content” = willing to accept a particular thing “content” = a state of happiness, peaceful It would seem that Jehovah is hoping we are #3, being in a state of peace and happiness with “the daily bread” we have received. To a non-believer, this kind of thinking might be considered unacceptable as the culture of today has a mindset of always reaching for more and not being satisfied. In fact, many famous athletes, entertainers, CEOs, claim in their books or in interviews that the mindset of never being satisfied, never being “content”, is what helped them to achieve their dreams and goals. But is not definition #3 of “content” the mindset of a truly appreciative person? Yes, our Father wants us to be at peace, happy with what He has provided. So a spiritual person is “content”, being very grateful and appreciative for what our Father in the Heavens has provided for us, and not just “accepting as adequate despite wanting more or better“. So I need to ask myself sometimes, “Am I content, at peace and happy with the “manger” or “daily bread” that Jehovah had provided for me? And 1 final thought based on that personal study note from the video: Have not many wealthy or powerful people throughout history, including Kings, provided the very best for their child? So then why didn’t the greatest King, Jehovah provide much more for His beloved son? Far greater in importance than a comfortable lifestyle is being surrounded with love and peace and with those who love Jehovah. That describes the human parents Jehovah chose for His son right? Jehovah knew that not many years after his son was only a newborn, that even as just a child, Jesus would begin to be involved in the greatest legal court case in history! So Jehovah giving His precious son better accommodations, providing a more comfortable lifestyle was not even close to what the FDS says is of more, “supreme importance”, spiritual matters! Baby Jesus was going to become the primary Witness in this grand court case, that was of “supreme importance”. And so here is the wisdom we can gain from how and why the greatest Father Jehovah provided for his beloved newborn son a life surrounded with 95% love, peace and spirituality but with only 5% basic material needs. (Several articles are combined that I put in quotes)

Hi Tim, I sent you a PM of comfort, please let know if you received it, thanks 😊

There is another aspect of gas prices going up that I never thought of before, until recernly. I had only heard of a few reports over the years in which gasoline was being stolen from vehicles in various parts of the US. But then this became more of a reality to me as I have now had the gas stolen from my vehicle 5 times in the past year! 😞 I have an older truck, so I guess I was naive in thinking that an older truck would not be a target of theft. But apparently older trucks are an excellent target by thieves because Older vehicles usually have no alarms Older vehicles usually have no lock on the fuel door But even if you have lock on the fuel door or add a “locking gas cap”, trucks are high enough off the ground for a thief to slide underneath and make a hole in the gas tank Last year I had to clean up the street area where my truck normally is parked because gas had been pouring out underneath my truck! I had never dealt with a gasoline spill, so I was really nervous and worried. This caused me so much trouble and then when I took it to the mechanic for a replacement gas tank, which was quite the cost along with expensive labor, the mechanic never mentioned anything to me that this could have been the result of someone trying to siphon gas directly from my gas tank! Instead I thought and told the mechanics that since the truck was older, the gas tank must have been rusty maybe and then possibly it easily cracked open when I had accidentally driven over something? But maybe mechanics are getting more business with cracked gas tanks and so some may not bother showing the customers that their gas tank had a hole in it caused by thieves? So when I left the mechanic shop with the replacement gas tank, at least I felt comforted that no longer would I leak gasoline because I had a new gas tank. But just last month, guess what happened? My neighbors told me that there was a strong gasoline smell from under my truck that they could smell from their house! That’s when I realized that my previous broken gas tank must have been a result of thieves, because since that first gas tank replacement last year, I also have had the gas siphoned out from the fuel door 3 times! The last time was just a few weeks ago. 😞 So now I feel that I have no choice but to try and sell my truck as I can no longer afford to keep repairing or replacing the gas tank or even afford to keep losing all the gas in my truck each month, as my older truck has become a special target of thieves 🎯 I thought I would post about this personal situation so that all of you will at least be aware of this latest criminal trend. I hope this does not happen to any of you. If you do not have a truck or SUV, then hopefully thieves will not try and crack a hole in your gas tank as cars are lower to the ground and there is little room for a thief to slide under. But cars are still having the gas siphoned from the gas door also, so please be aware and maybe adding a “locking gas cap” will be a good preventative measure. Sadly if gas prices rise, there will be more stealing of gas. Here is a link to an article in Arizona where this trend has started very recently and is being noticed by the police and local mechanics. https://tucson.com/news/national/thieves-costly-new-tactic-puncture-vehicles-gas-tank/article_98bf67c9-0015-57e2-b4bd-97cfab86491b.html

Hi Jeremy, When Jesus told his disciples how they should pray, the request for God’s Kingdom to “come” is not about timing or a date, but about expressing to God your personal desire and how you are in agreement that this heavenly government which you believe is Jehovah’s means of expressing His rightful sovereignty over the earth and is His instrument to sanctify His name! Our prayer for the Kingdom to “come” is directly connected to what Jesus told us to pray for also, “let your name be sanctified”. Also when we pray for His Kingdom to “come”, we are not focusing on the timing of when the Kingdom will come, but we are supplicating for divine intervention! This shows Jehovah that we are in heart harmony with His Sovereignty and that we believe that His Kingdom is the only solution for all the problems on Earth. Also when we pray for His Kingdom to come, we are acknowledging that we are sinners and that we are exercising faith in the Ransom! How is this so? Because the Ransom is linked to the Kingdom because it is by means of the Ransom that 144,000 humans are saved and will make up this Heavenly Kingdom with Jesus, and they will help administer the benefits of the ransom. Similar to how a picture is worth a 1000 words, when we pray for His Kingdom to “come”, this 1 simple word has great worth to Jehovah as it expreses our full support that Jehovah’s will takes place, “…as in heaven, also on earth.” 👑

1 of the explanations for the new update on JW Library stated, With this update, now in any article, whether a WT study article or any Awake article or a paragraph from a book, if you highlight a word/phrase on let’s say Paragraph #3, and THEN you also CREATE A NOTE from the word/phase you highlighted, now this note will be ADDED to the new “STUDY PANE” on the right with the same color with the #3 on top of the note! Here is an example below I made of just 3 notes for this week’s WT study lesson. (I just added a bunch of letters to each note to create quick notes so I could show this example) So now we all can create notes on any article or book, just like before, BUT NOW thanks to this update our notes will all be saved together in a visible study pane, exactly like in the Bible where we have been adding notes and these are saved together in the study pane on the right along with the “Study Notes” that are provided by the FDS. Especially for our books will this be helpful, as we can go back years later and quickly examine all the notes on the “Study Pane” if we are looking for a thought we wrote down from years ago. But before this update, we would have had to go back and open each colored “square” like this 🟨 that contained a note inside we had created and this would take a long time to go through each square/note one at a time. So this new study panel will help a lot when we go back and review articles/books in the future! 👍