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The Strength to Carry On — a Scriptural Consideration —

There may be times when you’ve poured out loving devotion for others, and yet your strength begins to fade. What if no one noticed? What if no one spoke a word of appreciation?   Could it be that Jehovah often sees when loyal service becomes exhausting? Might He reach out through someone else—not always dramatically, but gently, when it’s needed most? Could that be what happened when He moved Boaz to speak encouraging words to Ruth, reminding her that her kindness had not gone unoticed

What’s It Really Worth? — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

A single Yubari melon usually sells for somewhere between $50 and $100 — already a high price for fruit. But in 2019, a matched pair of top-grade melons sold at auction for nearly $45,000. What kind of melon could possibly be worth that much?   Well, it turns out this isn’t your average fruit stand find. These melons are grown in Yubari, a small town on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. The region’s volcanic soil, carefully controlled greenhouses, and cool climate are ideal for cult

What if… someone powerful knew your name? — a Scriptural Consideration —

Not just someone famous.   Someone . . . whose voice created galaxies. (Psalm 33:6)   Someone . . . who paints sunsets across continents. (Psalm 113:3)   Someone . . . who carved ocean trenches deeper than mountains are tall. (Psalm 95:4)   Someone . . . who formed the octopus with three hearts . . . and the hummingbird with none to spare. (Psalm 104:24)   Someone . . . whose whisper can still your fear. (Psalm 94:19; Isaiah 30:21)   Wh

The Oldest “Known” Seed Ever Sprouted — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

A tiny seed, no bigger than a grain of rice, slept beneath the frozen banks of a Siberian river. It had been buried there for thousands of years — possibly tens of thousands — tucked into the ancient burrow of a ground squirrel. The squirrel never returned. But the seed endured.   It remained in that frozen chamber, perfectly preserved, longer than any human civilization has lasted. It survived mammoths, ice sheets, and the rise and fall of entire cultures. Then, in 2012, scientists at

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dljbsp in Systems of Wonder

Pray for Our Elders — a Scriptural Consideration —

They are not just names read from the platform.   They are men with aging parents. With aching joints. With silent tears prayed out in the car after a shepherding call. They carry within them the congregation’s burdens — but not always the congregation’s understanding.   And they need our prayers.   The Governing Body bears an extraordinary weight — not just of teaching, but of protecting, adjusting, responding. Global crises, legal pressures, spiritual dangers — al

A Stone Witness to Prophecy Fulfilled — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

Inspired by w18 No. 2    Tourists walk under it every day. They snap photos, eat gelato, and check maps while standing in the shadow of an ancient arch. Some hardly glance up. But there it stands—weathered, cracked, and almost indifferent to time. The Arch of Titus, built nearly 2,000 years ago, has seen empires fall and rise again. Yet it remains… quietly honest.   The marble relief inside tells a story: Roman soldiers in motion, carrying off sacred objects—a golden lampstan

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dljbsp in Fulfilled Prophecy

“Choose Life… by Loving Jehovah” — a Scriptural Consideration —

Jehovah will never force your hand.   He speaks not with fear, but with a Father’s plea. Not with commands shouted from a distance, but with the nearness of one who walks beside you and whispers: Please choose life… for your sake.   “What is Jehovah your God asking of you?” Moses asked the people — and then answered it himself. “Only this: to fear Jehovah your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul, to keep t

“Only Using 10%?” — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

I had always heard the claim that we only use 10% of our brains. It was said so often that I never questioned it. It sounded believable. After all, it often feels like more of my mind is offline than on — especially when I walk into a room and forget why I’m there.   But as it turns out, that familiar statistic has no basis in fact. Brain scans show that nearly all areas of the brain stay active — even at rest. We’re not underusing the brain. We’re using it the way it was designed: wit

The Wind Blew — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

Inspired by a riddle @Tortuga shared. July 7, 2016   The wind blew. Not a storm, not a gale — just one of those sudden, cheeky gusts that slips through the house when a door swings wide.   The frame on the shelf wobbled. A photo of a little girl, maybe five or six, holding up a fishbowl with both hands and a grin you could hear.   The frame fell.   The glass bowl shattered.   And Mary — Mary was the goldfish.   She didn’t

When Horses Lie Down — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

There’s something quiet and reverent about it — when a horse finally lies down.   Most of the time, they sleep on their feet. They can — by design. Jehovah gave them a built-in system called the stay apparatus — tendons and ligaments that brace their legs so they can rest without falling. That’s useful when you’re a prey animal. Grazing in the open. Light sleep, head high, muscles ready to flee.   But for real sleep — the kind that brings dreams — the horse has to lie do

Extreme Peripheral Vision — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 4 of 4 —

You’re walking in the woods when something moves just off to the side. You didn’t *look* at it—yet somehow, you *saw* it. That’s peripheral vision.   The human eye has a surprisingly wide visual field—nearly 180 degrees in total. While central vision is sharp and detailed, the periphery is tuned for motion and contrast. Specialized rod cells dominate this region, making it easier to detect movement, especially in dim light.   But seeing motion in the periphery isn’t just abou

The Hidden Root Behind the Bloom — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

It’s easy to admire a dahlia from the top down.   Stand in any late-summer garden and they’ll stop you in your tracks — a riot of color, shape, and surprise. Some look like firecrackers in full explosion. Others, delicate tea saucers arranged by a very fussy bee. Petals fold in layers or spike out wildly, as if the flower just couldn’t decide what mood it was in when it bloomed. Ivory, peach, blood orange, deep violet, even nearly black — all glowing like stained glass under sunlight.

Rapid and Complex Eye Muscle Control — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 3 of 4 —

Your eyes move faster than any other muscle group in your body. Each shift in gaze—called a saccade—lasts only milliseconds. Yet in that time, six tiny muscles surrounding each eyeball contract in complex coordination to point both eyes at the same target.   That’s not easy. These muscles aren’t just moving in one direction; they’re balancing rotational force, managing speed, and compensating for the slightest head movement. Your brain performs calculations in real time—adjusting even

“A Time for Bananas” — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

It starts green. You can try to eat it then, of course. Teeth squeak. Flavor’s not quite there. Feels like chewing a plantain with something to prove.   But wait a few days, and the banana changes. The skin softens. A little sweetness creeps in. Those freckles start to show — first one or two, then a whole constellation. And just like that, it’s ready.   According to modern health science, that shift matters more than taste. A ripe banana — mellow, yellow, and halfway slouchi

Corneal Fluid Pump — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 2 of 4 —

The cornea has no blood vessels. If it did, your vision would be permanently cloudy. But how, then, does it stay alive?   The answer is a fluid pump—built right into the cornea itself. Tiny endothelial cells along the back surface of the cornea form a living pump system that constantly moves water out of the stroma, the thick middle layer. Without this action, fluid would accumulate, scattering light and turning your clear window milky.   It’s not just a matter of staying dry

Swallowed by Design — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

You may want to sit down for this one.   The average human produces about 1.5 quarts — or 1.4 liters — of mucus every single day. That’s enough to fill a large soda bottle. And here’s the kicker: you swallow most of it.   Yep. That drip from your nose? That tickle in your throat? It doesn’t just disappear. It’s working overtime — and then taking the express train down your esophagus.   But mucus isn’t just some gooey nuisance. It’s one of the body’s most underapprec

Extreme Light Adaptation — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 1 of 4 —

You’re outside in the sun when someone calls your name from inside a dark garage. You step in—and for a moment, it’s like you’ve gone blind. But within seconds, the outlines return. A minute later, you can see almost everything. How?   Light adaptation is just one reason the human eye stirs awe. In bright light, specialized cells in the retina adjust sensitivity by rapidly changing their response levels. Step into the dark, and other cells—the rods—gradually take over, boosting their s

Out Where the Shield Grows Thin — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

Out Where the Shield Grows Thin — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —   In 1977, two small spacecraft — Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 — were launched toward the edge of everything. They were never meant to last this long, nor to travel this far. Yet here they are, over 46 years later, still whispering faint signals back across billions of miles. They’ve left the planets far behind. They’ve passed through the invisible boundary that marks the outer limit of our sun’s reach. And now, they’re out

“The ‘Wonder’ Is What’s Under the Blanket” — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

Some say the blanket octopus is different from other octopuses because it has eleven arms instead of the usual eight. That’s not true — but honestly, if it did, that might be one of the least surprising things about it.   Because the real differences? They’re far more astonishing than a couple of bonus limbs.   Let’s start with what the blanket octopus does share with its relatives — the octopus family is already full of mind-bending wonders. Like others in its group, it has

Why Not Eat Insects? — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™— 4 of 4 —

Some things are hard to unsee. Like the time a friend cracked open a protein bar and saw the word “cricket” on the label. He blinked. Read it again. Then quietly folded the wrapper back over and set it on the table like it was radioactive.   “You going to eat that?” I asked. He shook his head. “You?” “…maybe.”   There’s something about insects — even clean, cooked ones — that makes many people instinctively recoil. We know they’re edible. We just don’t want to.

The Unsung Architects — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — — 3 of 4 —

There’s a reason a swarm of bees can cause panic — and it’s not just the stingers. It’s the sound. That synchronized buzz, like a warning that something is happening — fast, focused, and entirely beyond your control.   But step back. Watch longer.   You’ll notice a rhythm. A pattern. A purpose.   Bees don’t waste time — or space. Each one has a role, and together they build something astonishing: combs shaped with mathematical precision, hexagons that maximize stora

Designed to Decompose — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 2 of 4 —

You can smell it before you see it — that sour-sweet reminder that something has gone soft behind the fridge. Or maybe it’s the compost bin you forgot to empty. Either way, it’s not just gross… it’s active.   But if you step back — maybe plug your nose first — something beautiful is happening.   Decay doesn’t mean defeat. It’s actually the beginning of renewal.   All across creation, Jehovah designed small, tireless workers to carry out one of the most humbling jobs

Bugs with Benefits — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ — 1 of 4 —

They even follow us camping. The lantern goes out, you’re zipped up in your sleeping bag, just starting to relax — and then it comes. That inevitable buzz in your ear. You swat at the dark, grumble under your breath, and wonder how something that small can be that annoying. And in the morning? You find out they’ve been eating you. But we’ll get into that in a future entry.   Swatting, spraying, or stomping is often our default response. But maybe — just maybe — we’ve been overlooking s

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Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be a well-moderated online community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web. However, our community is not an official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is not endorsed, sponsored, or maintained by any legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses. We are a pro-JW community maintained by brothers and sisters around the world. We expect all community members to be active publishers in their congregations, therefore, please do not apply for membership if you are not currently one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

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