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Tuesday, March 24 I gave her time to repent.—Rev. 2:21. The elders try to determine the circumstances that led up to a sin. For example, did the Christian slowly become weak because he neglected personal study or the ministry? Have his prayers to Jehovah become infrequent or superficial? Has he been allowing wrong desires to guide him? Has he made unwise choices in his associations or entertainment? How might such choices have affected his heart? Does he recognize how his recent decisions and actions have affected his Father, Jehovah? By asking meaningful questions without being unnecessarily intrusive, the elders kindly draw out the wrongdoer and help him to reason on his course. (Prov. 20:5) In addition, they might use illustrations to help the person to reason and to see the wrongness of his actions. Perhaps during the first meeting, the person will begin to feel real sorrow over the course he has followed. He may even repent. w24.08 22 ¶9-11

One sister yesterday said she would love to sing with Elvis. We laughed but realized, hey, this is a real possibility. One interesting she said about hom was when or where he found dead was a copy Th Truth book. This was surprising to me.

TLDR

And I forgot to mention divide. That’s a big one.

War burns fuel → releases CO₂ + black carbon But global emissions are dominated by power, transport, industry War emissions are small and short-lived → they don’t shift long-term totals much So impact = high locally, minor globally

Hubble Revisits Crab Nebula to Track 25 Years of Expansion 23 March 2026 10am Release ID: 2026-009 Movement in the Crab Nebula is clearly detectable between Hubble images In the year 1054, careful observers of the stars noted a new light in the sky, which was so bright it could be seen during the day for 23 days, and remained visible in the night sky for more than a year afterward. It was a supernova, a massive star exploding 6,500 light-years away. The remnant of the supernova was first seen through telescopes in the 1700s. It was eventually, and somewhat puzzlingly, nicknamed the Crab Nebula, likely a result of leggy-looking filaments extending from a central mass as seen through early telescopes. In the mid-twentieth century, Edwin Hubble was one of several astronomers who connected the Crab to Chinese astronomical records. On the cusp of a new millennium, the telescope named for Hubble captured an intricately detailed portrait of the full supernova remnant, and 25 years later it has turned again to the ancient site to track the nebula’s expansion and ongoing evolution. Article link: https://www.stsci.edu/contents/news-releases/2026/news-2026-009.html Video link: Pic Description: This 2024 image that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured of the Crab Nebula, paired with its past observations and those of other telescopes, allows astronomers to study how the supernova remnant is expanding and evolving over time. Image: NASA, ESA, STScI, William Blair (JHU); Image Processing: Joseph De Pasquale (STScI).

I would love to learn how to play.

Such a relief to know this. I'd like to think most of us could do an adequate job of explaining our beliefs, and this movie disturbed me mainly because they painted the parents as fearful and the 17 year old as not very spiritual.

Looking for medical context. I was researching our publications about blood fractions to update my DPa. Red blood cells are 65% water. 33% is hemoglobin. 1-2% is Heme. The hemoglobin and heme are allowed as fractions which make up 34-35% of red blood cells. The only other component is just water. Similarly plasma is 92% water. 7% is proteins like albumin and globulin which are acceptable fractions. The other 1% is composed of hormones, sugar, proteins, electrolytes, nutrients, gases like oxygen nitrogen and carbon dioxide. These are things we intake all the time. What am I missing? It seems like we can accept the the components of blood without the water. Can someone explain this to me?

Dear brothers and sisters, just imagine something for a moment… It is completely dark. Not just for a moment… not just for one night… but for an entire lifetime. No colors… no light… not a single face you have ever seen. That is how this man lived. He was born blind. He had never seen a flower… never the sky… never the warm light of the sun… And yet… he lived. He went shopping. He took care of his responsibilities. He moved through this world. A world… he had never seen. Why? Because he had learned… to trust. To listen. To feel. To believe. One day… it was a particularly beautiful, warm day… he wanted to visit his mother. Perhaps he was looking forward to it… perhaps he could already hear her voice in his mind… perhaps his heart was drawing him there… Step by step he went… until he reached a busy intersection. He stopped. He could not see it… but he knew: here he had to wait. Next to him stood a man. A man who could see. And then the blind man asked a question… a simple question… but one that goes very deep. He asked: “Do you believe that God exists?” The seeing man answered immediately: “No. Absolutely not.” Perhaps a bit confident… maybe even convinced. The blind man asked calmly: “Why not?” The answer came quickly: “I only believe what I can see.” Dear brothers and sisters… how often do we hear exactly that today? “I have to see it to believe it.” Maybe we encounter this thought in the ministry… in conversations… or even in our own thoughts… The seeing man continued: “I have never seen God. So I don’t believe that he exists.” And then… something completely unexpected happens. The blind man… turns… and simply starts walking. Straight into the street. Right into traffic. Cars are coming from all directions. The seeing man is shocked! Immediately he grabs his arm and pulls him back onto the sidewalk. “Are you crazy?!” he shouts. “You can’t just walk into the street!” And now… comes a sentence… that goes straight to the heart. The blind man says very calmly: “I have never seen an intersection. How should I know that it really exists?” Silence. The seeing man is confused. “Well, the cars!” he shouts. “You can hear the cars! That’s the proof!” The blind man replies: “I have never seen a car either.” The seeing man becomes almost desperate: “I’m telling you, it’s there! You just have to believe me!” And now… it becomes very quiet. The blind man… smiles. And says softly: “Yes… I believe that God really exists. I cannot see him… but I can hear about his wonders.” Dear brothers and sisters… what a profound thought. Is that blind faith? Or is that a faith… that sees more than eyes ever could? The seeing man… could see everything. And yet… he could not recognize the most important thing. The blind man… could see nothing. And yet… he understood. Why? Because he had learned… to see with his heart. The Bible describes exactly such faith. In Hebrews 11:1 it says: “Faith is the assured expectation of what is hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities that are not seen.” Do we notice that? “Evident demonstration”… of things that are not seen. That is not blind faith. That is deeply grounded trust. Let us think about an illustration… A small child stands at the edge of a swimming pool. It cannot swim yet. The water seems deep… maybe even a little frightening. In the water stands the father. He looks at his child with love… stretches out his arms… and says: “Come… jump. I will catch you.” The child hesitates. It looks at the water… it may feel a little unsure… It does not understand how it works. It does not know what exactly will happen. But then… it looks into its father’s eyes. And in that look there is something… Trust. Love. Security. And then… it jumps. Why? Is that blind faith? No. It is trust. Trust that has grown. The child may know from experience: “My father will not let me fall.” “He is there for me.” Dear brothers and sisters… that is exactly how it is with Jehovah. We do not see him… we do not always understand everything… sometimes life feels like deep water… uncertain… frightening… But Jehovah, in a sense, stands there… with open arms… and says: “Trust me.” And when we “jump”… we do not do it because we see or understand everything… but because we know: He will catch us. The blind man said: “I can hear about his wonders.” And what about us? We hear so much. We read the Bible… we listen in the meetings… we experience Jehovah’s guidance in our lives… Are these not all “proofs”? The seeing man said: “I only believe what I see.” But is that really enough? Can you see love? You can feel it… experience it… but not see it. Can you see the wind? No… but you see its effects. And it is the same with Jehovah. We do not see him… but we see everything he does. Maybe someone today feels like this blind man… or even like the seeing man. Maybe there are moments of doubt… moments when one thinks: “Is Jehovah really there?” Then remember this scene. At the intersection. The cars you can hear… even if you cannot see them. And remember: Jehovah gives us reasons to trust every single day. Through his Word. Through his love. Through the hope he gives us. Dear brothers and sisters… true faith is not blind. It sees deeper. It hears more. It feels more intensely. It trusts more strongly. Finally… imagine this blind man once again… He stands there… calm… smiling… full of peace. Why? Because he has something… that many who can see do not have. A strong faith. A trust that does not depend on eyes… but on the heart. Do we want such faith? Then let us learn… not only to see with our eyes… but with our heart. Let us listen… feel… and trust… Because even though we cannot see Jehovah… his love… we can clearly recognize. And it is… absolutely real.

Question: what about the war in Iran? The amount of black carbon that the United States, Israel, and Russia are burning through during wartime, as well as burning petroleum plants in the Mideast can't be good for the GHG index.

True

Ian McEwan's novel did pick up on the key issues, both legal and moral challenges. One of the source cases was a 15 year old boy with Leukaemia, another was a 16 year old refusing certain treatment. The reversal of those early court decisions, where the judge went with the decision of a minor, has been another indication of Jehovah's guiding support.

I was thinking recently about how we organize the Memorial. Every year, we basically do the same things: brothers passing the emblems welcoming at the entrance seating assistance audio/technical support cleanup afterward But… the planning often ends up being a bit “ad hoc”. So I thought: why not treat the Memorial as a fixed set of activities, for example: Welcome Seating Talk Prayer (bread / wine) Emblems (bread / wine) Audio Cleanup And then for each Memorial: simply assign people to those activities Nothing complicated — just clear and structured. You could even use a standard template each year and just update the names. Do you already plan it this way, or keep it more flexible on purpose? I’ve been thinking about how to structure the Memorial in Baruch, and one idea that makes a lot of sense to me is to model it similarly to the Circuit Overseer Visit. In the CO visit, you have a set of fixed activities (like Meal, Lunch, Field Service, etc.), and then you simply assign people to those activities. So instead of treating it as something “special” or ad hoc each year, it could be handled the same way: define a set of standard activities and then assign people to them per Memorial event Would you model it the same way, or do you feel the Memorial needs a different approach?

Never heard paddleball or Typti but I'll look into those! There are lots of pickleball communities here but I don't know other brothers and sisters who like playing 😅 They mostly do badminton or just stay at home

Nice. Now it should be put on the website

esd_march_23.mp3

That's so sweet, Fluffy will keep living on by memory and stories of him. Not for one second will he and his little traits be forgotten by God. He is a very cute pet indeed. I also have a rabbit named Onkel George if you would like to see a picture or two of him as well.

It's based on a novel, that is based on several cases during the 90s where the ruling decided to override the refusal. Interesting note: in 2024, the judges went the other way and respected the refusal.

First of all, I would not recommend this movie. The lawyer for the defendant (JW couple) does a better job of explaining why Witnesses don't accept blood than the couple or their 17-year old son does. Having said that, does anyone know the real facts behind this UK court case?

This is what Chat says: The movie your father is probably thinking of is Love on a Bet. Here’s why it matches the clues: It’s a black-and-white comedy from the 1930s. The story revolves around a wager. The main character makes a bet with his wealthy uncle that he can leave New York with no clothes or money and reach Los Angeles in 10 days, arriving with a new suit and $100. Early in the journey he has to improvise clothing and survive with almost nothing, which includes scenes where he uses a newspaper as clothing and convinces people (like a tailor) to help him. Much of the comedy comes from him talking his way into help and opportunities while completing the challenge. It stars Gene Raymond and Wendy Barrie. 🎬 Basic premise: A broke playwright makes a crazy bet that he can cross the country with nothing and arrive successful and well-dressed. Along the way he uses charm, clever tricks, and persuasion to survive. ✅ The bet, improvised clothing, black-and-white comedy, and talking people into helping him all line up with what your father remembers.

My son goes to play every Sunday afternoon with a group from our Hall. The group has expanded a little to include friends from nearby congregations. They love it!

Monday, March 23 Look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.—Phil. 2:4. How long should your courtship last? Hasty decisions often bring negative consequences. (Prov. 21:5) So your courtship should be long enough for you to get well-acquainted with the other person. However, you should not prolong the courtship unnecessarily. The Bible also says: “Expectation postponed makes the heart sick.” (Prov. 13:12) What can others do while a couple is courting? We could invite them to join us for a meal, for family worship, or for recreation. (Rom. 12:13) Do they need a chaperone, help with transportation, or a place where they can talk privately? If so, could we offer to help? (Gal. 6:10) If you are asked to chaperone, why not consider it a privilege? Be careful not to leave the couple completely alone, but also discern when they need time and space to talk privately. w24.05 30 ¶13-14