Leaderboard

The BBC's Russian service has done a press review for today. One of the topics covered in it was on JWs in Russia. A prominent Russian business daily, Vedomosti, has published an editorial on the persecution of JWs. When it asked Putin's spokesman, Peskov, on why Russia was persecuting JWs, he said: "Russia cannot use common sense for state purposes". This has consequently become a quote of the day on the BBC Russian website. This explains the inner workings of the Russian government. It simply has no common sense. No wonder it is in such a mess. Here is the part of the press review on brothers in Russia: Quote of the day: https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-47145483 Press review: https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-47167668

I had heard this on the scanner when it happened. This “Old Indiantown” Road is the crossroad off my road Indiantown...about 5-6 miles from town. I’m hoping it’s not the house where the couple was my RV. https://jwtalk.net/forums/forum/12-secular-news-in-the-mainstream-media/?do=add The Alger County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a house explosion today around 1 p.m. on Old Indiantown Road in Munising Twp. The Alger County Sheriff’s Office, Alger County EMS, Munising Twp. Fire Department and the City of Munising Fire Department were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, the structure had totally disintegrated. One person was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Well, I message the lady that was my RV and she replied that it wasn’t their house. She filled me in tho on who it was. I use to know the elderly man quite well (he past away sometime last year). His daughter gave him the cute little dog I gave her, which was the best thing she could have done.And I would enjoy seeing him quite often walking around town with Petey. Worked with his daughter for many years. The lady they found inside was airlifted to Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has some serious burns, front, back, in her mouth and also broken ribs. I wish i could see and talk with Kittie. ☹️

Dedication is going to be in 2 weeks, 24th February. The day before will be a special day for visitors and 23 neighbor congregations who invited to attend.

A friend escaped from Wisconsin in the nick of time. Her husband delayed too long and is mired in deep snow. Here is the picture she posted on Facebook to let all know she is safe in paradise. No! not that paradise, our local version! The bench sits at the edge of our property in a park area. Down the road abit:

It's sad to have a great amount of creative energy that you can not use in this system of things to any wide benefit. I love designing space-ships and space-stations in 3D but it's so time-consuming. I love acting or role-playing and I am great at slipping into roles but I would never want to be a paid actor in this system. I love creating things from wood, clay, or drawing things and graphics design but again, sooo time-consuming. I really hope that in the New World, there will be more opportunity for me to live out this amazing aspect of being a human.

I hope they counter sue for receiving a defective product...

I'm generally not annoyed by, like, you know, over use of repetitive and hackneyed phrases. But, I've been looking at some you-tubes for those of us who self style our own hair. Watched one that started out with 'Hey, you guys.' Now, I'm not offended when folks use the generic 'guys' for all genders, but I wanted to get through to the cut/color/style part. Almost every other sentence used the phrases "You guys' or 'all you guys.' She eventually concluded with, "I'd like all you guyses' opinion on this vid." I don't give feedback on you-tube, so I'm expressing my small opinion, here. I'm glad we are encouraged to use respectful speech. "You know wha'm sayin?" Y (self-cutting)S

A sister recently told me an experience she had about how Jehovah can do things that solve so many problems in just one transaction. I think it’s a nice example about showing love to our neighbor. The sister said the vacuum cleaners in her Kingdom Hall were not being treated very well, the filters weren't being put in properly and the cords were ruined so she was going to have the vacuums repaired. The brothers decided to buy two new, cheaper vacuums instead of repairing the two old ones. They were very expensive commercial vacuums that were in great shape they just needed to be repaired and serviced. The brothers told the sister she could have the older vacuums and she decided to sell them and recover some of the expense. She took them to the repairman that happened to be two and a half hours away and asked him to help her find a buyer. Nearly two weeks later he found a woman who was willing to buy them and would pay for the repairs. The sister drove the 2.5 hours to get the vacuums and then another 20 miles to deliver them. The woman was so happy that she grabbed the sister, hugged her and told her how much that it meant to her. The woman was a victim of two robberies in which $7,000 worth of her janitorial equipment had been stolen and had property damage done to her in the last two weeks. She was struggling to try to replace the equipment and very grateful she had the opportunity to buy the vacuums and extra supplies. The sister had felt bad that brothers had decided not to keep the commercial vacuums but was grateful that Jehovah may have put people together that have a surplus to help those who have a loss. She felt so good to be able to do so much to help the woman. She used the money to cover her own expenses and put the rest in the contribution box.

Hmmm. Looks something like Richard. Maybe it's his brother whom he always told to "Suck It Up" 😛

Actually me after regular coffee Had coffee at a sister's place once when our car group had dropped back for coffee. She wasn't used to making coffee ( it was her son's instant coffee ) and was it ever strong. 1/2 hour later had to stop at the parents of a young brother with me and take a dose of baking soda to stop the literal buzz from the caffeine. I could feel it starting in my feet moving up my legs.

I hope someone consoled them.

Everybody has a different sense of humor, if this is not to your liking, than no need to re-hush the quote... I am not here to defend my sense of humor to everybody...Please move on....

That's what I heard too Lynn, I'm glad my circuit assembly is not this weekend or next weekend. I've made the drive from here to the assembly hall pushing snow with my bumper on I-5! Soon as we got to the assembly hall they canceled the program and I had to make the 3 hour drive back home! Do you remember John Palmrose? He was a truck driver and he was in the car ahead of me and he kept taunting me you can do it you can do it as my Volkswagen is pushing the snow up over my hood. Naughty man

I saw the French one, too -- I loved it so much. I can't imagine how it could have been made objectionable.. and "Upside" is rated PG-13 so, it's not like naked, bleeding people will be everywhere. But people have their own consciences. I've always believed it would be impossible to film the Bible accurately in a way that would not be shocking to most people.. yet, we read it in context every day.

This week a letter from our branch was read at the meeting. They thanked us all for our support to the construction work being done at the branch. Some have made themselves available, others are giving support by means of donations or prayers. Then the letter said that, although children are not allowed into the construction site, they had found a way children can collaborate too. They invited all children to make a drawing of themselves doign their favorite construction work, or what they think the new branch should look like, or some building from the Bible, then give it to one of the elders to send it to Bethel. The brothers have set up a place to exhibit all the drawings so that the friends working there can be encouraged by them! What a wonderful idea! I almost feel like sending a drawing myself!

Great live performance of one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands of all time... Actually inspired me to buy a mandolin and learn how to play, though I haven't been able to learn as of late, life's too busy. Hopefully one day, and if not now, definitely in the new world...

Russia can not use common sense.. couldn't have said it better. 😄 I mean, seriously, we are on the extremist list with ISIS. While everyone else is free to worship, including people who worship at satanic temples.

Here are are a couple guys you may have heard of. Love this song....great jazz guitar player. Great song great voice.......outfit, not so great!

Wow, whoever drew this no longer thinks in 3-dimensional terms but on the quantum plane.

Luke 21:12, 13 “But before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and governors for the sake of my name. It will result in your giving a witness." "The record in the Acts of the Apostles shows that such persecution did come upon those early Christians. Why? Because they were busy doing God’s will, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom message to all.... Instead of withdrawing into inactivity so as not to become the targets of the enemy, they have gone forward boldly with their work in all lands, yes, even in Hitler’s Germany and now in Godless Russia, even though forced to operate underground. They have withstood confiscations, threats, arrests, sadistic beatings and tortures, and braved the danger of death, ‘rejoicing because they have been counted worthy to be dishonored in behalf of Christ’s name.’ (Acts 5:41) They draw great comfort from Jesus’ assurance: “It will turn out to you for a witness.” (Luke 21:13) Is not that the main purpose of their lives, to bear witness to the name of God and the kingdom of his Christ? Persecutions, court appearances and imprisonments only widen the opportunities to bear testimony to the truth. Court officials, jail keepers, judges and rulers all have heard the Kingdom message under circumstances that have served to impress it upon their minds, whether they accept it or not." This was from 1964 WT w64 12/1 pp. 709-711. So, nothing's really changed. Still no common sense.

If it only could help somehow.....

At the Russian government press conference, journalists asked about the case of Dennis Christensen, who one day prior had been sentenced to over 6 years in prison for practicing his faith. Journalists asked whether Jehovah’s Witnesses can really be considered an extremist organization from a common sense point of view. The president's press secretary said: "We cannot rely on concepts of common sense for governmental purposes." Of course! The knee-jerk response of any jaded person in nearly any country on earth is to chuckle and say “Yeah, it is just like that here.” But there is much more to be seen here. The Russian government is plainly befuddled. The press secretary goes on to explain that the greater issue is not whether Jehovah’s Witnesses are extremist. The greater issue is that Dennis Christensen was found guilty of violating the law that says they are. Surely this is kicking the can down the road. Two months ago, at another meeting, President Putin stated that he really didn’t understand why Jehovah’s Witnesses are persecuted, indicating that the law itself makes no sense to him as applied to Witnesses. To slightly misapply the words of Jesus, “something greater than Capernaum is here.” What? Two scenarios can be advanced—one for all persons, and one for persons of biblical bent. The purely human one is that a powerful and cunning anti-cult movement takes the Russian government unawares. It takes them unawares because it is a Western import, not Russian at all, finding roots in a humanist French NGO dedicated to freeing people from ideas considered socially destructive, and nothing is more destructive to them than religion that includes the concept of authority among its members. The anti-cult movement finds its counterpart in all developed lands, though its methods will differ. There are even divisions among them. The anti-cultists in the West consider the anti-cultists in Russia to be doing it all wrong. One of them says (sigh – it is my nemesis, but there are many others): “Jehovah’s Witnesses need persecution for their beliefs to make sense. With their thuggish behavior that violates human rights, Russia is blowing a huge gust of wind into Watchtower’s sails, fueling another generation’s worth of propaganda.” Of course! They have a “persecution complex” over there—often the charge is made by Witness opposers. Why would their fellow anti-cultists—brothers in spirit if not in technique—be so stupid as to validate it by persecuting them? It is as though he says: “Look—we want what you want, the destruction of the Witness organization. But that is not the best way to do it.” ***~~~*** The second scenario, for those of biblical bent, and it may not be of interest to those not, so they have "permission" to skip this and two succeeding paragraphs, involves the fact that the Witness organization has identified Russia as the biblical “king of the north,” an entity found in the prophesy of Daniel (chapter 11). It is a complex prophesy which many students of the Bible have tackled, involving specific powers (kings) that pass their respective mantles to succeeding powers in often shifting geographical areas, commencing from Daniel’s time down to the present. Does it complicate matters with the Russian government for someone to tell them that the Witness organization says that they are the northern king? Emily Baran, who wrote the book Dissent on the Margins, about the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses during Soviet times, said that it did. It genuinely confused the irreligious Soviets and enabled them in characterizing the Witnesses as a political movement masquerading as a religion. The Witness organization goes where it goes in furtherance of its mission to live by and advertise Bible principles, largely oblivious to ones who may think that their toes are stepped on—barely aware of it at all, because they ‘don’t do politics’ at Witness HQ. There is a king of the south, too, these days associated with the United States, and neither king is overly friendly to the interests of Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, because the concept of human rights finds soil more fertile in the West than in the East, Witnesses face few legal impediments to their work in such lands. In fact, the most frequent participant in U.S. Supreme Court proceedings has been the Witness organization itself—sometimes as plaintiff and sometimes as defendant. Of them, Justice Harlan Fiske Stone once said: “I think the Jehovah’s Witnesses ought to have an endowment in view of the aid which they give in solving the legal problems of civil liberties.” The entire prophesy as seen though Jehovah’s Witnesses eyes is most recently discussed in their 1999 publication Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophesy, which is a discussion of the entire Bible book, not just the chapters involving the two opposing kings. Regardless of who interprets the prophesy, and of what time interval is covered, the kings of the north and south are continually at loggerheads. What is remarkable about the present—and this is only this writer’s perception—is that even when the “kings” declare that they would like to get along, outside forces intervene to keep them "on script." “Wouldn’t it be nice if we actually got along with Russia?” the current American president said during his campaign. President Putin has spoken similarly. At which point, the American press intervenes to virtually ensure that they will not—it is widely recognized that east-west relations are subsequently more strained that in even Soviet times. This dovetails so well with certain biblical passages (Ezekiel 38:4, Revelation 17:17) to the effect that world powers will do things not of their own devising that the similarity is impossible to let pass without mention. One must wonder if former Witnesses, upon seeing unexpected world developments that violate even “common sense,” yet are exactly in accord with long Witness expectations, do not think sometimes that they may have deboarded the train too soon—for in the aftermath of the final contest between the kings of the north and south, a contest whose biblical role has been developing for 2500 years, the “people of the covenant” at last find deliverance. It is to be noted that enemies of Jehovah’s Witnesses present themselves, not as enemies of individual Witnesses, but of the organization that they have chosen, which they somehow portray as having “enslaved” them through various psychological techniques of “control.” In Russia, Jehovah’s Witnesses as people are not banned. Only their organization is. However, most persons are not sophisticated enough to tell the difference, because essentially there is no difference. The Witness enemy is befuddled by it and beats members up with impunity. The police stand by and do nothing because they, too, are befuddled by it. The government is befuddled by it, as noted above. The Witness him or herself is befuddled by it. Everyone is befuddled by it because it makes no sense. It is like this writer saying that I love the Russian people—it is only the Kremlin that I seek to destroy. It is like my saying that the Russian people are free to drive the roads—it is only the roads that are banned. It takes a while to get one’s head around such a notion. Guileless ones are particularly disadvantaged because the presentation itself is steeped in guile. It doesn’t even matter the reason for opposition to the Witnesses. The anti-cultists of the West latch on to different reasons to destroy the Witness organization than do the anti-cultists of the East. A common trigger for denunciation in the West is that Jehovah’s Witnesses are unsupportive of gay rights, and within their community, do not allow for gay sex. This makes them absolute heroes in Russia, which also persecutes gays. Just after the Russian ban was instituted, Angela Merkel even mentioned the two populations in the same breath to Putin—questioning him of his harassment of gays and Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Many Western sources, such as the BBC, edited out Jehovah’s Witnesses so as to focus on gays.) So Russia must scramble to find different reasons. Some Russian sources commenting on recent Witness events mention as a specific objection only that Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions. Even the most staunch advocate of blood transfusion will concede that the group refusing them are not to be equated with ISIS terrorists. No, on so many levels, Witness persecution defies common sense. Whenever things do that, people can be forgiven for wondering if something supernatural isn’t at work as well.

Elijah teasing the Baal priest always cracks me up: I too get deep in thought when I am sitting on the toilet

I was reading 2 Samuel recently, the part where David's forces fight his son, Absalom and his forces in the forest. This part made me laugh. "Abʹsa·lom eventually found himself facing the servants of David. Abʹsa·lom was riding on a mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a large tree, and his head got entangled in the big tree, so that he was suspended in midair while the mule he had been riding kept going. " - 2 Samuel 18:9

I don’t know if he studied or not but his brother is a witness. Notice what Wikipedia said about him: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Ingram

Ok...my dear brother ... (so many points covered..so much to remember LOL)

https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/Russias-crackdown-on-jehovahs-witnesses-hits-critical-milestone-op-ed-64427?fbclid=IwAR3xopn_-xk-mW4f23RciefvCkeo8XulQUov7rimSYIV84H1QJlvo4LhcIo

Then chill and take it easy for a bit. It’ll solve itself.

https://jw-russia.org/en/news/19020712-594.html “To Be Released Immediately and Unconditionally”—Statement by the European Union A few hours after the announcement of the sentence on Dennis Christensen, the European External Action Service issued a statement regarding the verdict. “Today, a Russian court in the city of Oryol sentenced Mr Dennis Christensen, a Danish citizen, to 6 years of imprisonment. Mr Christensen was arrested in 2017 when Federal Security Service agents raided a peaceful religious meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in Oryol. He has been convicted on grounds of ‘organising extremist activity’, which amounts to exercising his right to freedom of religion as a Jehovah's Witness. A number of other criminal cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses are also currently pending,” says the statement. “No one should be imprisoned for peaceful acts of worship in the expression of their religious beliefs.” The statement continues, “The European Union expects Mr Christensen to be released immediately and unconditionally.”

He's not alone, he's part of a movement that is against having children because they say people are only born to suffer. Basically this is just a product of the selfishness of this world and the way children are grown up believing they are the center of the universe. If I were the judge I would solve this by giving that idiot a big fine for hindering the judicial system with stupid claims.

They did something similar for the 1995 ‘quick build’ at Hookwood. ‘Send us your suggestions for the internal decorating.’ (Mine wouldn’t be much better.)

Mmmmm....mmmmmm....mmmmm

Duct tape, superglue, silicone caulk, there are countless ways.

 Well, I wasn't a moderator I got the call two days later...

Most here have already answered your question, but if I may add a couple of things...? The moderators do their best to keep this site free of unsavoury creatures like apostates. But just like you and I, they do not personally know everyone who signs up as a member. Because of that, they cannot control who becomes a member here. But they can control content. If they spot a post that looks questionable, they can take the appropriate action. But what if no moderators see the suspicious post? This is where you and I come in. At the top right of every post, there is a "report" link that you can click on if you think the post should be checked out. That will immediately alert any moderators who are online at the time, and they will look into it. They will not necessarily delete the post in question, for maybe that person is a little depressed at the time and their post could be simply "wild talk."(Job 6:3) They will simply "keep an eye" on that person's future posts to see their behaviour over a period of time, and act accordingly. However, if both you and I catch sight of a questionable post, and we both "report" it, from what I understand that post will immediately be hidden until such time that a moderator can look it over. (Please let me know if I'm wrong on that, mods.) We're well protected here, and that can be seen in another way too. The following is a true story. A few years ago, one of the moderators here sent me a private message. As a moderator, he was able to see the name of my congregation in my profile. He said that someone had applied for membership, and had written that her congregation was the same one that I happened to be in! However there was something about her application that didn't add up (I don't know what it was), and he wanted to verify something. He gave me the applicant's name , and asked if she was really in my congregation. I had never heard of her! I think you can easily figure out what the moderators did with that application! (Some time later I happened to see this "sister's" Facebook page. There was nothing overtly suspicious about it, but her "Freind" list was filled with known apostates!) I was happy that I had contributed in a small way to the safety of our haven.

Thats what Im thinking.. Philippines is an American territory but the Pres has visited China, and invited Russian soldiers for military exercises.

It is hard to believe it, but it could. In Asia, Duterte certainly looks like someone who could take a leaf out of Putin's book.

Thanks for the link Sister Hope. I found this article most informative. Well worth clicking on to read.... 😁 It appears as the article points out the Russia has met a critical point. 🤔 This is a fact they are now facing. Hopefully their dialogue will lead to action and quick. I am hopefully guessing that Brother Christensen's appeal will be successful. Thanks again @Hope for posting the link. Mac 🤠

Yes you're right! We don't know whether he is seeing psychologist or psychiatrist?

Not being disrespectful but I recommend watching the Annual Meeting again, and again and again.... [emoji6] Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Ah, well -- I haven't experienced any problems with that process. How else will I see what's in the news?? The link is an opinion piece about the implications of the conviction of Bro Christensen. It's very good.

It's snowing in India today. Which is insane.

Even Swedish new media reported on how Russia cracked down on a number of Witness families immediately following the conviction of brother Christensen despite demands from groups such as Amnesty to set him free right away and cease this persecution of peaceful citizens for exercising their right to worship in peace. Of course, the comment from the Scandinavia Branch was that we are determined not to cease preaching. “We might not do it openly on the streets, but we’ll continue to preach to our neighbours, albeit a bit more carefully.” We are not afraid!

Below is a poem by a well-known author, written from a Dictionary's point of view. How much of it can you translate? I think I prefer the 'undefined' version.

There's a deeper lesson here, on treating people as "souls" and not machines. Over time, people in neuro science and psychology have tried to treat us like our brains are just machines to be programmed, and products of random evolutionary changes and that all of our concepts of love, free will and so on are just "chemicals" without deeper meaning. When you try to treat a person like a mindless machine, a large and important component goes missing, which is vital in someone's mental health and overall understanding of people themselves, and what it means to be made in God's image. This post is like a visual representation of that.

Two Pictures with our new Bible.

Yes, excellent idea. I love every opportunity to talk about my congregation. I love being in it. This is my Salon del Reino. This is San Jacinto, the little fishing village where the salon is located. The equator, Middle of the World (Mitad del Mundo) is located further north, just north of Quito Ec. My photo attached was taken from atop the tower in the Google maps image.

Middle pic, tall brother with tucked sleeve, is Trent from Atlanta ( came to our congregation to help): went back to the US last month. I am nowhere near that camera,

Munising, Michigan Congregation meets here: Inside Outside