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A Scriptural Consideration Entry “Do not go beyond the things that are written.“—1 Corinthians 4:6 (NWT) The phone buzzed again. Another article popped up. Another video claiming to know “what’s really going on.” It would’ve been easy to click—just for a second—to see if there was something we might be missing. It’s everywhere now. Endless headlines. Endless “urgent” warnings. But somewhere under all the noise, there’s that quiet reminder from Jehovah’s Word: “Do not go beyond the things that are written.” Truth be told, it’s nothing new. In the first century, the pressure to know “more” was already there. Smart-sounding philosophies. Influential teachers twisting old traditions, mixing them with bits and pieces of truth, and making it sound almost right. (Colossians 2:8) But almost right isn’t right. It was pulling hearts away from Jehovah, the only true Source of wisdom and peace. Today, Satan’s gotten louder. Flashier. He’s not standing in a marketplace or behind a scroll. Now it’s our screens, our feeds, our daily conversations. Conspiracies, rumors, theories that grab your emotions and won’t let go if you’re not careful. It’s all designed to make people feel uncertain, suspicious, divided. Distracted from where real hope comes from. So what about us? How do we stay safe when it feels like everyone else is chasing after something new? We stay planted—right where Jehovah put us. (Proverbs 3:5-7) We don’t pile on extra rules. We don’t pressure others about their personal decisions. We don’t run after some “special” knowledge outside of what Jehovah has already given. He’s already told us everything we need—not everything we might want to know, but everything we need to endure and have peace. And honestly, that’s enough. It’s more than enough. When that pull for “more” starts creeping in—more certainty, more control, more secret information—we can stop, breathe, and hear it again: “Do not go beyond the things that are written.” (1 Corinthians 4:6) Jehovah isn’t holding anything good back from us. His hand is steady. His Word is strong. And His love still gathers close everyone who trusts Him enough to stay inside the shelter He built—with no need to look for “better” walls somewhere else. —Watchtower July 2023, pp. 16–17, ¶11-12

A Scriptural Consideration Entry A crowded hallway. A sharp comment. A student scoffs, “You still believe in God? That’s ridiculous.” Another adds, almost offhandedly, that Jehovah’s Witnesses are “outdated,” especially on moral stuff. In moments like these, you might just freeze up. Or maybe your instinct is to fire back. But what if, instead of reacting, we respond—with mildness? Paul told Titus to remind the congregation to be peaceable and considerate, showing “all mildness toward all men.” That wouldn’t have been easy back then, either. They lived in a time when people didn’t hold back their opinions, not that they do now. But Christians stood out—not because they were loud, but because they were calm. Gentle. Steady. Today, it might be a classmate who questions our beliefs—maybe suggesting we should “update” our views on homosexuality. That can sting. It’s tempting to feel like we’ve been put on trial. But instead of going on the defensive, we can say plainly—and kindly—that we respect everyone’s right to make personal decisions. (1 Peter 2:17) And maybe, in time, we can share how the Bible’s moral guidance has protected us from heartache. We don’t have to “win” anything; our tone says more than our answers sometimes. (Isaiah 1:18) Even if someone says they don’t believe in God, we shouldn’t assume they’ve studied the subject. Maybe they just heard it from someone else—or it’s just what “smart people” are supposed to say, right? So instead of shutting the conversation down, maybe we could offer something from jw.org—just a thought, not a debate. Who knows? It might stick. “Be reasonable…” It’s not flashy. But in Jehovah’s eyes, it’s powerful. The quiet confidence. The way we talk. The way we treat others. All of it adds up. And Jehovah notices. Watchtower, September 2023, pp. 17–18, paragraphs 12–13

From 1999 in one of Paul Young's last performances as he would die in 2000 from a sudden heart attack. Mike and the Mechanics performan All I need is a Miracle. From that same group we also have a heartache of a song, sung by Paul Carrack when he was with Mike and the Mechanics "The Living Years"

Well at least I found it. There is so much great music and we just need to find it. I have loved listening to the jazz station when I volunteer! I am sure I will continue to find gems that I have never heard before.

liking Strange New Worlds like TNG and Voyager DS9 see all the show and really didn't care for it Discovery, yeah, I've seen a few episode,s and that did me in for the show

You tube link

35 Years of Hubble Release Date: April 2025 Hubble 35 year book: (134 very pretty pages) This book unfolds Hubble’s long-ranging story decade by decade, highlighting each era’s contributions to astronomy. It showcases Hubble’s important “firsts” that changed the way we understand our universe, and also explains the groundbreaking scientific concepts that Hubble studies, like mysterious dark matter and our universe’s accelerating expansion. (80MB pdf or 70MB ePub) Book link: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/multimedia/e-books/hubbles-beautiful-universe/ Pic Description: Rosette Nebula The Rosette Nebula is a vast star-forming region, 100 light-years across, that lies at one end of a giant molecular cloud in the constellation Monoceros. The nebula is estimated to contain around 10,000 solar masses. The nebula is located about 5,000 light-years away from Earth. Intense radiation from the young stars inside a cluster in the nebula causes the gasses to glow. The background image is from the Digitized Sky Survey, while the inset is a small portion of the nebula as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image. The colors come from the presence of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Explore the nebula's multiwavelength appearance on Viewspace.org. Hubble- 35 years (6:18 mins with music) Video link: This video highlights some of the images and discoveries from the Hubble Space Telescope's 35th year in Earth orbit. https://youtu.be/9VhWnJC9nkk

Indeed. Though the funny/ironic part is it could be way less stressful than before (for most) if one just disconnected. So much stress comes from the news, social media, caring too much about the opinion of others, etc. that much stress is self-inflicted. A lot even comes from the higher intellect we have these days... My wife & I just started this new things about a week ago: "What would a 'dumb' person do?" for any situation that stresses us. And it works! Case in point: she had an assignment for our recent assembly. Brother texts her the contact of the brother that is her oversight. No further info. "Do I need to contact him? What is my exact assignment? When do I need to show up?" All thoughts running through her head. So then we put it to practice: "What would a 'dumb' person do?" The answer: just shrug & show up. Figure it out as we go. What happened: The brother contacted her the night before. All her questions were answered. She just needed patience. But that silly question is helping eliminate some stress. Yeah this is the big one that could have some unprecedented elements. Especially with regards to the trans movement. But again....Sodom & Gomorrah? It is hard to call anything truly "unprecedented", by the very definition of the word. No argument here! And even if we can find our peace (as mentioned above about the "mostly" self-inflicted stress [see also 1 Tim 6:8 & Matt 6:25]), seeing all our dear brothers & sisters going through so much will certainly impact us, no matter what.

Saturday, April 26 When anxieties overwhelmed me, you comforted and soothed me.—Ps. 94:19. In the Bible, Jehovah compares himself to an affectionate mother. (Isa. 66:12, 13) Just imagine a mother who lovingly cares for her little child and makes sure he has what he needs. When we are in pain, we can count on Jehovah’s love. He does not give up on us when we do something wrong. (Ps. 103:8) The nation of Israel disappointed Jehovah time and again; yet, he expressed his unfailing love to his repentant people with these words: “You became precious in my eyes, you were honored, and I have loved you.” (Isa. 43:4, 5) God’s love has not changed. Even if we have made serious mistakes, when we repent and return to Jehovah, we will find his love for us intact. He promises that “he will forgive in a large way.” (Isa. 55:7) The Bible describes this forgiveness as bringing “seasons of refreshing . . . from Jehovah himself.”—Acts 3:19. w24.01 27 ¶4-5

As in "Why is he being so critical"?

And these times are critical. More critical, I'd say, than in the past. Yes, I understand (and sometimes agree) that unprecedented is overused. You cited three major moments in the past that are equivalent to now. However, the life of the average person is way more stressful now than then. During WWI and WWII, for example, most families were single income in the US. Even after those wars and through the 50s up to the early 70s dad worked, mom stayed home, and the nuclear family was normal. Starting about the 70s to now it's different. The norm seems to be broken homes. Both parents (if there are two) work. Even teenagers need to get a job if they want clothes. Drug abuse is common. Alternate lifestyles, porn, and LGBT culture is overwhelming. The moral decay and bankruptcy is blatant and overwhelming. Political crisis have always been shocking. Now, in addition, we have the complete collapse of the family and the ability to meet our basic needs. These are truly critical times.

Because you're fairly new here. I posted this video on June 5, 2018, almost seven years ago!

Modern society feels like a beautiful house built on weak foundations. On the surface, we enjoy comfort, technology, and global connection. But underneath, there are serious cracks: social inequality, climate change, political instability, mental health struggles, and a growing sense of disconnection. These are not just personal problems—they are signs that the system itself is fragile. Even though we’re not living in the worst time in history, the combination of global crises makes us feel like we’re standing on the edge of collapse…

No, because it accurately describes the times.

Do you feel the same way about word "critical?" 😉

That word is used far too much. No offense, just a pet peeve of mine. It's more based in sensationalism than reality. Because in reality, there is nothing new. Perhaps to our generation. But I think those that have lived through WW1 or WW2 and/or the Great Depression would say "we haven't seen anything yet". As far as warfare is concerned, definitely not the worst we've seen. Even COVID compared to past pandemics, has not been as bad. So indeed, there is past precedent to look at. Don't get me wrong, that does not in any way diminish the signs of the times. The culmination of many signs, even if to a lesser degree than previously, points to where we are in the stream of time. And especially the characteristics of people, as 2 Timothy 3 points out, is a clearer sign than anything else. All that just to say I really don't like the word "unprecedented". It's used incorrectly 95% of the time. If there has been anything similar that has happened before, we have "precedent". What we do see is "historic" events (record breaking, something noteworthy in our history, or unusual for our time/area). Or another similar word....I'm sure a thesaurus can help.

And part of Paul's letter to the Hebrews

And all the Hebrew scriptures, of course.

Brothers, the Study Bible is missing study notes for the following books: James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. Am I right?

How did I miss this gem of a song, written by Sting performed by Gregory Porter? Gregory Porter performs "It's Probably Me"

Stuff I didn't know ~ India, Pakistan and China are the only three-way nuclear junction in the world. China and Pakistan are strong allies. US and India are strong allies. In response to the massacre of tourists, India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty, which governs the free-flow of six rivers into Pakistan.. If India restricts the water it would have a devastating impact on agriculture. Pakistan says it would consider any restrictions of water an "act of war".

According to Wikipedia, As of 2024, the country had a population of 1,795,834. The country ranks 144th on the 2019 Human Development Index,[13] with less than 1/2 the population having access to clean drinking water and 7.9% of children dying before the age of 5 Since the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea has become one of sub-Saharan Africa's largest oil producers. It has subsequently become the richest country per capita in Africa, and its gross domestic product (GDP) adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita ranks 43rd in the world; however, the wealth is extremely unevenly distributed, with few people benefiting from the oil riches.

struck dead like Anannias and Sapphira

Who are they fooling? Jehovah? Jehovah can read hearts, no one is going to fool him.