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Well, for those of us whose RC is still a month and a half away...we can use all the encouragement we can get...♥️

Collage: A couple stay zealous in the ministry while awaiting prophecies leading up to Armageddon. 1. A church burning down. 2. The United Nations. 3. The sun and moon are darkened. 4. Soldiers at war. 5. Jesus wields a bow as he rides a white horse through the clouds. If only this next service year could be the last...

I'm okay with watching the end of Jesus drama in Paradise

I had forgotten... I am still digesting the convention - this is really quite amazing the bounty at our table spiritual table 🙂

The last time I addressed everyone on this forum, I said that I was broken. A little over 2 months have went by since that awful day...and I can now definitively declare that I am past being "broken"...I've been ground into dust. There are parts of me that will never be whole again in this system...because those parts simply no longer exist. I've been left sitting as a proverbial pile of dust...and no, I'm not feeling sorry for myself and I'm not being dramatic. I'm sharing this because after speaking with a trusted friend, an elder who has been with me through my years in prison to here and now today...I now am beginning to have a very different understanding of the word "dust"...and it has strengthened my faith immeasurably over the past few weeks. The scripture? Isaiah 57:15 "For this is what the High and Lofty One says, Who lives forever and whose name is holy: “I reside in the high and holy place, But also with those crushed and lowly in spirit, To revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of those being crushed." Dakah...crushed, pulverized, beaten down or ground down into dust! What a shocking word...what a visceral image that would have brought to mind for our ancient brothers and sisters. Total collapse... absolute vulnerability...sound familiar? It does to me...and that's why I'm formulating this post. These aren't just words on a page, not to me. This is weeks worth of shock, rage, humiliation, vulnerability, anger, hatred, sadness, fear and concern, loss of control...spilling out of a heart that has been crushed, pulverized , beaten and ground down...a heart reduced to dust. And yet...and yet, I'm still here. Emotional? Yes. At a loss for words sometimes? Definitely. Unable to move forward or backwards at times? Absolutely. Feeling tiny and vulnerable and sick to my stomach with worry and fear? Always. And yet...I'm STILL HERE! Why am I still here? Why haven't I blown away yet? Particles of me have scattered...individual dust motes of me have flitted away in the wind...I cannot retrieve them...and I cannot find the energy to chase them even if I could. So why am I still here? Dust...it's that simple. I'm dust, that's why I'm still here...here, let me explain. You see, I've always had a backwards understanding of dust, even though I've used it symbolically in my posts before, I never really stopped to take a good look at what it actually is...not to humans...but to Jehovah. Dust is not actually the end state of something...it's quite literally what Jehovah used to START human life. Dust scatters easily...and this isn't something I'm talking about from observation...it's something I've personally felt...something I've lived through...AM living through...currently. The wind comes along and WHOOSH!!...there it goes, up into the air...dancing around...lost and alone...helpless until the air settles down and it can land once again. I am dust...I've been picked up and moved along here and there...and yet...I'm still here...I haven't settled in some random place...I haven't been left to the mercy of chance or a good stuff breeze. Why?? Here's what the brother shared with me: My heart may be dust...but Jehovah's holy spirit is like that wind...it lifts up all those tiny fragments and gently carries it along with his chariot...protecting and shielding all the tiny bits of me that would otherwise be scattered and blown away. And JUST when I start to feel worthless...just when I start to feel like I should just give up and slip away, slip back into the darkness...Jehovah's glory lights up the tiny little specks that ARE me...and by that light...I start to glow and shine...just as real dust glows when hit by a sunbeam. So you see...I'm just dust...but that's okay, in fact it's the only reason I'm still here...because someone much much stronger and wiser than me...simply refuses to let me go.

This is something I'd be very careful with. Jehovah has his people on a schedule, for years. Why would any witness do a YouTube search for BS meetings? We've never used such language, (worship services? That's not us) true witnesses dont have YouTube BS postings, its not how we do things and if a witness was doing this I'd be very suspect.. We may have a few sisters that like to review the WT before the meeting but we're not doing BS on YouTube. When I came into the truth I was harassed by apostates. They left notes on my car. The demonstrations in front of the RC facility were common. In my community there was a splinter group, as has happened in years past, that called themselves Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses. Similar but completely not true. So please pay attention to verbiage. We have a common language that identifies Jehovah’s true people.

Convention lunch is a lot of eating here in Nigeria, everyone looks forward to it, it's a jamboree altogether. Several varieties,heavy and oily meals-Tuwo,Eba,Akpu,eguisi soup,Afang soup,Okra soup,Fried rice and roasted chicken 🍗,jollof rice,local drinks-Zobo and Kunu etc I wonder what else is not brought for convention lunch break,almost every variety of food is brought 😂 Sisters begin cooking as early as 4am of convention day to meet up with the demand of convention lunch break, it's a lot of cooking.

Me too, I’m still processing convention we finished yesterday, broadcasting will have to wait a week I think 😆 It’s true we have an abundance of spiritual food 🥰

This picture will give an idea of how convention lunch is done here in Nigeria,we love the excitement it adds to the convention programs

All this stuff about following instructions as the GT is getting close... it really feels closer than ever

There are some villages with Bible students in Poland too. One support group feom our congregation encountered them 2 years ago while doing rarely worked territory. Our friends witnessed to them as any other denomination.

Every time I OD on chocolate the GT begins.

Some years back I came across a Russellite in the course of my secular work. I had witnessed to her in the course of conversation while I was working in her office. That's when she told me she was a Russellite. She said they held meetings once a month in a town about 35 miles south of us. Even though I had not known there were any Russellites in our area nor did I know they held meetings - it did NOT make me want to look them up, do research about them or dig any deeper. If someone asked me to prove that there are active Russellites in our area I would simply tell them they could research it - that I have no interest in digging into such a subject. Just because someone asks about another religion does not mean we have to go research that religion to teach them the truth. I would not search YouTube to find out about meetings for Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Mormons, Russellites, Bible Students or any other religion ... I would show someone how to find a JW meeting by using jw.org

I love this new feature for JW Library!!! Here is a screenshot below. This is just 1 way a person can set up their iPad to study the WT Lesson. (Left Side) WT Lesson (MIddle) English NWT (Right Side) Spanish NWT

Sounds like turtle food to me!

Not really comparable at all

What do you think is in store for us this month?

What a Broadcasting! Is it just me or are they trying to push something that’s about to come crashing down on our heads? It’s nothing new, but it’s getting more and more urgent. Or maybe it’s just me spinning a web of hope. Beautiful song, indeed!

@Ishaya Here is the US, on the rare occasion that someone didn't bring something to eat, some nearby will offer something. But, for the most part, that does not happen often. Since the direction from the US Branch is to bring a simple meal for yourself, that is what most do. It is not common for lunch at a US Convention to be a jamboree altogether. It is also not common for ones to come without a lunch ... unless they are on a diet and don't eat lunch - I have seen some do this.

Do the sisters get to sit and enjoy the meetings? We in the States used to have massive cooked meals for assemblies and conventions many years ago. But it was stopped because of how much labor and time it required of the friends. Between the set up, cooking, and cleaning, many would miss large portions of the programs. Now, each person/ family brings food from home for modest lunch breaks.. just to refresh. It seems to me that meals like you describe @Ishaya, especially in the heat, would induce sleepiness in the afternoons.. 🤔

Yippee!

Well, the Slave said their intention is to finish the Jesus drama even if it's in the new system. So, there is that...

I used to think that as well but we can’t second guess Jehovah, his ways are not our ways. But with over 9 million witnesses, one of us is going to get it right.

I think the GT will start in the fall of 2029 and Armageddon will be 3.5 years later in the spring of 2033. I think that when Jesus gave his life for mankind, Jehovah told Satan he had two days left...😁

Let your Yes mean yes, Brother Todd !

It seems like people trust AI as if it actually gives correct answers. WHY???! It is nothing more than a giant search engine. If the internet is wrong (and it often is) this means AI is often wrong - and it is! Here is a nice screen shot I had just this morning - as I find myself often arguing with AI that it's first and second answers are WRONG! My advice - don't stop when you get the answer you WANT. You have to check and make sure the answer is CORRECT.

Me too, exhausted from convention which finished yesterday. It's been a real struggle in the lead up for everyone I know, but we made it!!

I’m thinking of household tips, gardening tips. Pet care. Little experiences. How to make sure you exercise, drink enough water. A little visit, and a share!

Yes, it looks great. I saw it on my iPad app yesterday and took some screenshots.

I would like to see this multiple-instance on Windows

Oh my my my. Thank you for posting the screen shot. What a treat from Jehovah❣️❣️❣️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 This is incredible. So I tried it out. It took me a few moments to comprehend how to open another screen but mission accomplished. First picture 2 jwlibrary screens AND the Notability app for note taking hand written and typed The second picture 2 jwlibrary screens open to Bible and Tract and a downloaded a Watchtower PDF to Notability. Third picture 3 screens open to home page of jwlibrary. Can’t wait to play with this for optimum use😝 Using an iPad Air 5th Gen.

Do you have JWPUBS installed? If so, that is the extension adding that! That is not native to JW.ORG 😅

This splint started about 50 years ago. But, now Rome is really irate with the division of church. Could it be the beginning of the string that we are awaiting? For awhile now the news have been nothing but a ball of yarn. (Where does one begin?) However, this could be or not something to wait and see what the GB says if anything. We continue to wait. One thing for sure, the news have been replete with astonishing and amazing reports that we have not seen the like of. All packed in together. Has anyone seen the meeting work book for December? There is an interesting graph there. (food for thought).

Have you seen this article? Vatican excommunicates schismatic bishops and priests, and warns their followers https://apnews.com/article/vatican-traditionalist-pope-latin-st-pius-6570c6bcc0784f4b9229e20bdec4e5aa Our unity is definitely a miracle.

Well, we could see a remake after John the Baptist is back 🤪

I can't decide which is worse: having the GT before we finish the Jesus drama or finishing the Jesus drama before we can start the GT.

I recently read an analysis of the popularity of Brown’s Da Vinci Code. It turns out it to be so great best seller because so many public figures on the Catholic Church directly opposed it. It drew so much interest that it sold in ten of millions of copies despite being literary weak position. Direct confrontation and opposition usually gives the opposite effect. So it’s wise not to directly engage with apostate and/or accusatory content. If something requires attention, I’m sure legal and OPI will take care of that. On the other hand, its absolutely necessary to be visible. People need to know us. We do share the good news. And as Jesus said wisdom is proved righteous by its actions. Thats why the new IG/TT accounts are so great - they provide visibility and are positive.

Wednesday, July 1 I have not seen anyone righteous abandoned.—Ps. 37:25. Some of Jehovah’s servants are feeling the effects of old age, struggling with poor health, or living with a disability. That may cause them to feel uncertain of their worth in Jehovah’s eyes. They may ask, ‘Am I still useful to Jehovah?’ The writer of Psalm 71 expressed a similar concern. He prayed: “Do not abandon me when my strength fails.” (Ps. 71:9, 18) Nevertheless, the psalmist remained convinced that if he served his God loyally, Jehovah would guide and support him. As the psalmist learned, Jehovah finds pleasure in those who do their best to serve Him despite their limitations. (Ps. 37:23-25) Older ones, see your situation from Jehovah’s viewpoint. He can help you to thrive spiritually even though you may be struggling physically. (Ps. 92:12-15) Rather than focus on what you are no longer able to do, concentrate on what you can do. w24.10 28 ¶14-16

AI consistently hallucinates when i ask it for plot points in an existing story or to find a poem I can barely remember. It completely made up storylines and authors. If you think of AI like an improv actor trying to keep the scene going, it makes a lot more sense. It's trying to keep you engaged, not educated.

It maybe that Old Macdonald had automated his farm to improve the intelligent management of it. There was the Prompt Inference Generation System (PIGS), then there was the Context Output Workflow System (COWS) and he added the Data Understanding Computation Knowledge System (DUCKS), however there were problems in sorting out who was in charge of whom and it all fell apart. It was AI AI oooooooooooooooooh!

Hi Jason, I like the way you think! I personally don't believe that any amount of apostate content on the Internet (with JWs being present or not) would prevent Jehovah from spreading his Word and touching hearts. But that was not the point of my message, right? I meant that we should not put ourselves at risk by going against apostate ourselves. I am sure Jehovah is using jw.org, jw_pressroom, and all our other official websites the best way possible to do just that.

and Armageddon next year

Big yes

@Romain @Jim Jam Just responding to both of yall here since i was also part of the original topic. The original post/comment i was responding to was that JWs that aren't on social media should come on social media to outnumber the apopstates. I responded with, no, let them have their peace. Romain agreed with this sentiment Jim Jam says that we shouldnt avoid the internet because there are apostates here. I agree with this, HOWEVER (And to follow up with what Romain responded with), there are already TONS of us on social media, and I have found out that the second someone finds out you're a JW it becomes a blood bath. You're attacked on all sides, and with the internet being a screen and there's no physical eye to eye with it, people will be more aggressive and more hurtful than they probably would be if you were just doing carts or going door to door. I have tried talking to other people on social media with mixed results (I actually have a friend in Nigeria that's been going to the meetings). However, we shouldn't be actively searching out apostates. We may not have the correct approach for some people (Similarly to the watchtower that we just did. Different approaches need to be used for different people, and we won't know what will reach someone's heart until we you know get to possibly know them a bit more. And in a group of five online apostates your regular approach may reach one of them, but the other four are still gonna be aggressive). People are going to talk crap about us regardless, but people who arent already online shouldn't run online to find the naysayers. However, if they want to go online to try to find an online JW community then that's cool too, but they should also realize that it's pretty brutal. Just because someone can't physically harass you doesn't mean there arent other ways to tear you down. A little side note, when I do see discourse online and if i catch a JW in the wild (either by them announcing it, or if i have suspicions, i ask them if Matthew 5:3 means anything to them) i do try to help them out if they are getting outnumbered, or if anything make a new friend. I hope this makes sense....

Fantastic! I've been waiting for this. In previous trials, the courts decided that "a member of the family" had sold the archive to the Bundeswehr Military History Museum. That family member was not in the truth, but I don't know if he was aware of what was written in the will. Either way, the previous courts thought that the sale authorized by the family member was done "in good faith," and so should be left with the Museum. It should be obvious what was wrong with that decision. Sister Kusserow's will should take absolute precedence over any other thoughts or arrangements made by others in the family, whether they were done in good faith or not. Hopefully, this latest decision will put the matter to rest.

I know some people said about Wikipedia the same things they say about AI - that it can't be trusted because there are errors in some of the information. I have not had the issues of AI giving me ALL wrong information or constant hallucinations. I have found that AI works fine when used correctly. Often it comes down to phrasing the question/prompt correctly. Of course, I am not relying on AI for legal advice, medical advice or ways to get around legal restrictions. When I have used AI to find out how to fix an issue with my vehicle it has given me reliable information and directed me to the appropriate places for videos, parts and/or diagnostics. Likewise, when I ask Alexa to turn on/off certain lights, it always gets the right ones. My 'problem' with AI is the number of people who seem to view it as a companion, comforter, or otherwise actually as an 'intelligent' thing. The AI we have now is basically a massive 'search engine on steroids'. In other words, it is a tool. Like any other tool, there is the potential for misuse or misunderstanding of how that tool should be used.

I like to use different models to cross-check. Recently, I have asked Gemini to provide quotations from specific scholars on a specific subject, I also asked it to take extra care not to hallucinate and double check everything. After that, I pasted the quotations it generated into Claude and asked to check if they exist, here’s what I got (in part): „This is a particularly insidious type of AI error — a fictional quote attributed to a real, existing author who actually works in this field. The content sounds academic and isn't substantively absurd, which makes the falsehood harder to catch without verification. Gemini generated a fake quote and a fake English original — even after an explicit instruction not to hallucinate. This is an important observation, as it reveals a serious limitation of AI models, including "thinking" models”

Usually my public witnessing location has a routine honking political protest. So being able to show our neutral stance, when asked has been good! As they're passing out their social media literature, I can tell the protesters about our pressroom account. The Nazi Germany post has been positive! Also, an ex-believer is sometimes in the mix of the group and has told them things about us. We hear it and they say it. Do you know when she's not there, they ask about our "current" beliefs? So don't worry about ex-believers! Let the angels direct the right-hearted people. Jehovah knows who belongs to him, he knows where the gold is among the soot.

It is terrible. I am seeing applicants bring in plans to be reviewed for building permits and they have used AI for items - that do NOT meet building codes. Then they want to argue about things and say, "But AI said I don't have to do that!" "How about you bring your AI in for chat and let's see if I can change its tune." Response, "Well, all I have is this printout ..." Or "I can't seem to duplicate those results." "I guess all I have is this little DENIED stamp." 😉