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All of these comments on recognizing Jesus reminded me of an old Country gospel song..."Would You Recognize Jesus" (I like the Statler Brothers version). The chorus says, "Would you recognize Jesus if you met him face to face Or would you wonder if he's just someone you couldn't place He may not be coming in a chariot of the Lord Jesus might be riding in a '49 Ford"...😁

A brother in my congregation is visiting Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the moment. He was at the International Convention there, and said Stephen Lett told them about the brother playing Jesus. He had been serving where the need is greater in Türkiye, and the brothers brought him back to Australia while they're filming the series. So he's only temporarily in an Australian congregation. Brother Lett said the brother really is a carpenter, just like the real Jesus.

It's said that some single sisters from Sydney have moved into His Cong, thinking they could have a chance of marrying Aussie Jesus one day.

43 now +33 = 76 Some of family died in cancer in their late 30s. Im having problem with my stomach and im having a tumor in different parts of my body .. I dunno if they're benign or cancerous .. Life is shorter these days..

https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/342189/Multiple-new-wildfire-evacuation-alerts-for-Vernon-Coldstream-Swan-Lake-RDNO 39 brothers and sisters displaced 3 brothers homes gone .. just got an update from our CO.

Speak for yourself lol

True, we don't know the date but sometimes it's fun to guess as long as no one takes it too seriously. My latest guess is the GT will start in 2029, 2000 years after Jesus baptism and Armageddon will start in 2033, 2000 years after Jesus death. But my guesses are just for fun, it gives us something to look forward to and you can tease me if I'm wrong 😁

“Then Jehovah’s spirit empowered him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands.” — Judges 14:6 Just picture the scene for a moment. A young man is walking along a dusty road. The sun is high in the sky. Vineyards stretch out on both sides of the path. It seems like a completely ordinary day. No war. No battle. No danger appears to be anywhere in sight. That morning, Samson surely did not wake up thinking, Today I’m going to fight for my life. He simply wanted to continue on his way. But then something completely unexpected happens. Suddenly, a deafening roar shatters the silence. Not somewhere in the distance. Right nearby. A young lion bursts out of the vineyards. Hungry. Powerful. Fast. Its eyes are fixed on Samson. There is no fence. No tree to climb. No weapon in his hand. No one there to help him. In that moment, everything is decided. And that is exactly how life sometimes feels for us too. We wake up in the morning, perhaps read the daily text, pray to Jehovah, and expect it to be just another ordinary day. Then suddenly... ...the doctor's phone call comes. ...a job loss. ...a painful disappointment from someone we trusted. ...a diagnosis. ...news that completely knocks the ground out from under our feet. Or perhaps we suddenly realize that our own courage is fading. That doubts are growing louder. That worries have taken hold of our heart. No one goes looking for those lions. They simply appear. And very often we ask ourselves, “Jehovah... why now? Why me?” Maybe that isn't the best question. Perhaps a better question would be, “Jehovah, what do you want to teach me through this lion?” Because one thing stands out immediately in Samson’s account. Jehovah did not keep the lion away. He certainly could have. Jehovah could have caused the lion to run in another direction. He could have prevented Samson from ever meeting it. But he didn't. Why? Not because Jehovah is cruel. Not because Samson didn't matter to him. But because Jehovah knew: Beyond that lion, something even greater was waiting. Sometimes Jehovah protects us, not by removing every difficulty, but by giving us the strength to walk straight through it. How often we pray, "Jehovah, please take this problem away." Yet Jehovah may answer, "I will give you something even more precious. I will give you strength you don't even know you have yet." And that is exactly what happened to Samson. The Bible does not first say that Samson was strong. It says, “Then Jehovah’s spirit empowered him.” That is the key to the whole account. The hero of this story is not Samson. The hero is Jehovah. Samson did not possess superhuman strength on his own. His strength came from Jehovah. And that completely changes the way we look at the lions in our own life. Because we do not have to defeat them by our own strength. How often do we think, "I can't do this anymore." And you know what? Maybe that's actually true. On our own, there really are some things we simply cannot do. But Jehovah has never asked us to fight with our own strength. He doesn't say, "Be strong." He says, "I will make you strong." What a tremendous difference! Perhaps right now you are facing a lion that no one knows about except Jehovah. Maybe you smile at the Kingdom Hall. Maybe you share in the ministry. Maybe no one realizes how much your heart sometimes aches. No one sees the sleepless nights. No one hears the quiet prayers. No one knows about the tears you try so hard to hide. But Jehovah knows. He sees every single one of them. He hears every unspoken prayer. And that is exactly why he can give you the precise strength you need today. Not tomorrow. Today. There is something else that is interesting. The lion did not disappear simply because Samson had faith. He still had to face it. That is often true for us as well. Faith does not mean that our difficulties disappear. Faith means that Jehovah walks through them with us. And sometimes we experience God's nearness most deeply in the very places where we least expected to find it. Many servants of Jehovah could tell you that. They would probably say, "The hardest period of my life was also the time when I felt closest to Jehovah." Isn't that remarkable? Very often, our darkest valleys become the places where our faith grows the deepest. Later, Samson passed by that place again. The roaring lion was no longer there. Instead, he found honey. Sweetness. Nourishment. Something precious. What a beautiful picture. Where there had once been fear, he now found something sweet. Danger had become a blessing. Pain had become something valuable. How often we don't understand that until much later. While we are in the middle of the struggle, nothing seems to make sense. Only years later do we look back and say, "Now I understand why Jehovah allowed me to walk that path." Perhaps without that illness we would never have learned to pray so earnestly. Perhaps without that disappointment we would never have discovered how faithful Jehovah truly is. Perhaps without that loss we would never have experienced the love of our spiritual family so deeply. Perhaps without that lion we would never have discovered the strength that Jehovah could develop within us. The lion was meant to destroy Samson. Yet in the end, that very lion became part of his story. Not because of the lion. But because of Jehovah. Perhaps one day your greatest struggle will no longer be the chapter of your life that fills you with shame. Perhaps it will become the chapter that gives someone else courage. Perhaps one day someone will ask, "How did you make it through?" And you will be able to answer, "Not me. Jehovah carried me." Isn't that the most beautiful answer of all? So let us change where we focus our attention. Not constantly on the lion. But on the One who is stronger than every lion. The lion roars loudly. But Jehovah's voice is stronger. The lion brings fear. Jehovah gives peace. The lion wants us to give up. Jehovah wants to show us that, with his help, we can accomplish far more than we ever thought possible. Perhaps today you are standing right in front of such a lion. You don't know what tomorrow will bring. You feel small. Weak. Perhaps even alone. Then remember Samson. Not his muscles. Not his courage. But the one sentence that changed everything: “Then Jehovah’s spirit empowered him.” That same Jehovah is still alive today. He has not changed. He knows your name. He knows your story. He knows your tears. And he also knows the lion standing in front of you right now. So don't step into tomorrow filled with fear. Walk into it with Jehovah. Perhaps he will not remove the lion immediately. But he will never leave you to face it alone. And perhaps one day you will look back and realize: The lion was never proof that Jehovah had abandoned me. It was the very place where Jehovah showed me more clearly than ever before just how close he had always been.

We have a brother and sister in our congregation that worked on the first 4 to 6 video's and they said he wears a "topper" basically and it's not because he has thinning hair, it's so that his hair looks consistent from scene to scene. This brother also told us that the brother portraying Jesus has always been single (his choosing) but now that these video's have been released, it's been a lot harder for him (I imagine sisters are coming out of the woodwork). So this brother could actually use our prayers to help him stick to his choice to remain single.

I feel like the AI hallucinated too much in here 😉

I do see you point but I’m more concerned about present day. This side of Armageddon Satan for sure wants to exploit our imperfection to stumble the actor or others. Under GK there will be only our imperfection but now we have to deal with Satan and the spirit of the world. That’s why I often include in my prayers the cast so they continue to be humble and loyal because I’m sure they are being targeted by Satan.

This is what the West Coast looks like today.

REASONS TO CONCLUDE THAT EVERYTHING INDICATES WE ARE IN THE LAST OF THE LAST DAYS, AS THE FAITHFUL AND DISCREET SLAVE HAS WARNED US Prophecies in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Timothy, Daniel, and Revelation Since 1914, these prophecies have unfolded detail by detail. A century later, beginning in 2014, striking events happening one after another seem to confirm that we are truly living in the last of the last days. On a global scale, the fulfillment is undeniable—the ride of the horsemen of the apocalypse is evident. Wars marked by extreme violence, pestilences such as COVID‑19, famine, and death through natural disasters have become part of daily life. Meanwhile, the love of pleasure, including sexual immorality in all its forms, has grown worse than the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Prophecies of Daniel The closing stages of Daniel’s visions about the king of the north have unfolded dramatically—Crimea in 2014, the Glorious Land in 2017, and Ukraine in 2022. The king of the south has also pushed back, striving to secure his role as a global power, just as Daniel’s symbolic statue foretold. This Generation Will Not Pass Away Current understanding points to a generation of anointed ones who will not pass away. Those anointed up to around 1992, who overlapped with the first group from 1914, are now aging. This suggests only a short time remains before Jesus’ prophecy is fulfilled. If many were about 30 years old in 1992, they are now nearing 70. Just as in the first century, those around Jesus’ age saw the prophecy fulfilled 40 years later, in 70 CE. It is not necessary for this generation to become very old or few in number before the prophecy is fulfilled. Even though longevity may reach 120 years, it is possible the great tribulation could begin while some born around 1914 are still alive. Satan’s Short Time The Bible does not specify how long Satan’s “short time” will last. Genesis 6 suggests Jehovah allowed 120 years before the Flood. Could this be a parallel? We cannot say for certain. What is clear is that life under Satan’s influence is becoming increasingly unbearable, and enduring much longer seems inconceivable. The Third Millennial Day Jesus was raised on the third day. The dawn of the third millennium after his death may align with the close of 6,000 years under satanic rule. It feels like a fitting moment in history for the gathering of the chosen ones, Christ’s arrival as Judge, his ultimate victory, his heavenly marriage, and the beginning of his millennial reign. 6000 Years of Imperfection and Satan’s Rule Human history appears divided into three periods of 2000 years, totaling 6000 years. Revelation identifies the beast with the number 666, emphasizing the imperfection of human governments. Six multiplied by a thousand highlights the flawed nature of Satan’s rule. While symbolic, the thought of entering a seventh millennium under his dominion feels unbearable, prompting the cry: “How long?” Modern History – 40-Year Cycles Numbers like 40 often symbolize completion in the Bible. Modern history also seems to follow 40‑year cycles: 1874–1914: The release of the Photo‑Drama of Creation in 1914 was the historic milestone marking the first 40 years of our modern history. 1914–1954: The film The New World Society in Action and the book Jehovah’s Witnesses in God’s Purpose marked the second cycle. 1954–1994: The Proclaimers book closed the third cycle. Training for Governing Body assistants began. 1994–2034: Organizational refinements, doctrinal adjustments, the revised New World Translation, the study Bible, and the Life and Ministry of Jesus series have prepared the organization for the great tribulation and Christ’s reign. In recent decades, the organization has undergone remarkable restructuring—new headquarters, Ramapo, remodeled branches, schools for evangelizers, and translation offices worldwide. This legacy of knowledge and resources will serve the great crowd and the resurrected ones. The faithful and discreet slave has worked diligently since 1919, and perhaps new publications or videos will soon mark this fourth cycle. Conclusion We cannot be certain whether there will be a fifth 40‑year period in modern history. What we do know is that Jehovah wants us to serve Him out of love, with eternity in mind. Our greatest hope is to be part of the great crowd that will never die. Older ones like me, who have been waiting for the end for more than 50 years, share this same expectation. Yet this does not depend on us. Even Jesus experienced death and was gone for three days. We can hope that those who die last in this present era will be the first to be resurrected in the glorious history of Jehovah’s people during Christ’s Millennial Reign. In that case, we will have lost almost nothing compared to eternal life—the best part will only be beginning. After all, who would insist on gaining just 5, 10, or even 50 more years when eternity lies ahead? Everything that has happened will be carefully remembered by the survivors, who will share it with the resurrected ones—along with JW videos that record these events. Jesus urged us to stay alert. Jehovah’s ways are not our ways. He chose not to reveal the exact timing of the end—for our own good. Based on the Bible’s revealed information, the modern history of the organization, and recent world events, we may sense that only a few years remain and that we are truly living in the last of the last days. This is the conviction of the Governing Body, and it is ours as well. It is impossible to pinpoint a specific year or even decade when the final events will unfold—the great tribulation and Armageddon included. Jehovah, despite His perfect timing and symmetry, as the almighty, wise, and loving Sovereign, reserves the right to choose the exact moment Himself. He can adjust or break any pattern we might imagine in our imperfect minds. The only certainty is that He will not delay even a single second beyond the day He has set for His Son to judge the inhabited earth—just as a World Cup referee does not delay the final whistle by even a second. And that last second seems to be very, very, very close.

What is art? There are the paintings done by the "great masters". They lived in a time when some of them even had to make their own paint. Nost are probably familiar with paintings like this I enjoy watching Bob Ross paint. We did "wet-on-wet" painting and could complete an entire 18"x24" painting in less than 30 minutes. He used specially formulated oil paints on a prepared canvas using a variety of paintbrushes with the paint being on a special made plastic pallet. Then, there are those who use spray cans to paint. Have you seen some of their art? Of course, since all of the above art was done using modern tool of the day, an argument could be made that they are not really art. That the only true art would be something done without the use of any tools. Something like this This is a "finger painting". No tools, just fingers. However, most would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was, indeed an artist and that his work is art. The same could be said of Bob Ross. And, if we are being honest, even though someone uses a spray can of paint, the results can be considered art. Music is the same way. A pan flute or hollow log can be used to make music. Neither has any moving parts and they are made from natural material. A piano, on the other hand, has been estimated to have between 8,000 - 10,000 parts that can be classified as moving. Doies that make a piano not a real musical instrument? What about an electric guitar or an organ? They both use electronics to make their sounds. The tools used to make music vary considerably. AI is just another moder tool just like the saxophone or trombone were modern tools when they first were invented. One thing all these tools have in common, and this includes the tools for art and music, is that left to their own, they just sit there and cannot produce art or music. They need input from a human to produce art or music. AI is the same way. Without input from a human, AI does not compose any music at all. It just sits there the same as a piano that no one is playing. When a person sits at the piano and begins using the 88 keys, they create music. What they create comes from their thought processes and skill. The same is true for AI produced music. When using AI, the song is only as good as the prompt the person feeds the AI and the sound is determined by properly worded commands. Without the input from a person, neither the piano nor the AI can produce music. So, if we are going to determine that "art is an expression of the God-given gift of your imagination and skills" we must allow that that gift includes all the tools we have designed to make visual or audible art, be that paint brushes, spray cans, drums, pianos or AI. Man made the tools and man has to operate the tools to get results.

I was suppose to go to a Ski resort for service work today, had to cancel due to the very bad air quality from the wildfires, there was a Code Orange warning in place.

That's what I'm thinking. We have all of the signs that we are in the last days so whether Jehovah has a predetermined date or not really doesn't affect us, it will happen right in time, whatever determines that time is.

Sorry to hear. These are truly difficult times hard to deal with.

using ai for art is never appropriate art is an expression of the God-given gift of your imagination and skills

Update A relief center boutique is now established at the Okanagan Assembly Center in Vernon, BC to assist evacuated families with practical items that they need. Clothing… from ages 8 and up Tools for brothers in the trades like plumbing tools and construction.

A sister of my congregation is going to Australia in vacation, she may visit his cong, but she would not want to be with him, it's too much of a partner

Lots of structural damage.🙈😢

At least 20 dead following 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Colombia https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/10/world/live-news/colombia-earthquake-san-jose-del-palmar

I agree. If price needs to be adjusted, I can understand that. But a software you pay for cannot have a support like that. There are programs I have bought for $25 or $50, one single payment, not a subscription, and when I ask a question I receive a kind answer. I am not required to read the whole working manual and write a composition about it before asking. If many users ask the same questions, that means the interface is not clear enough. Fix the issues and the number of support tickets will greatly decrease.

I have had quite the opposite experience. But at the same time because I also work in tech support I know the value of gathering all the evidence and screenshots. I do that anyway even if they did not ask for it. I have check many of my replies and this is usually what I get.

well, purely statistically speaking, none of us will experience armageddon in our lifetime..

Exciting and interesting, but it is good to remember that "no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation." (2Pet.2:19). All these time references are just a product of human chronological categorization. Our key focus has to be Jehovah's mercy (Is.55:9), and its relationship to why the end of this system has yet to come, 2Pet.3:9.

Don't forget to put a case of beer in your survival kit, it could save lives! 😁

Featured on our Home Page is the article What Does the Bible Say About Nuclear War? A few snippets from the article say ~ There is the fear that the use of just one small-scale nuclear weapon will ignite a full-scale nuclear war that will devastate our world. Will God permit nuclear war? The Bible does not say. It does say that "fearful sights", or terrifying events , would occur in our day. Even if man were to use nuclear weapons again, God would not allow the situation to escalate to the point of global annihilation. In the news today is an article about the Pentagon drafting a new nuclear strategy designed to give the USA more options for using shorter-range nuclear weapons. The theory is to have credible limited-response options short of an all-out strategic exchange. Our website provides us, and the public, with the comfort of knowing this planet will not be destroyed, even if there is some use of nuclear weapons again!

Some things I used AI for recently: Parking_Operations_Field_Kit_V5 (1) For this RC, I was assigned as a keyman for parking in two lots. As you can appreciate, I get a master assignment list from oversight. I am only interested in my role and assignment with the brothers that are assigned to me. I do not communicate final assignments to my crew via texts, WhatsApp, or phone calls. Everyone receives this, so there are no questions about what they are supposed to do, where, or when. Everyone has a copy of this; some have a paper copy. After I compile my thoughts, notes, and ideas, I start talking to an AI. I do a complete brain dump, and then give clear instructions of what I want it to design and how I want it laid out. I attach the parking lot maps provided by oversight; then tap. I got back 80% of what I wanted. After some tweaks, well, you see the finished work. Oh, before I shared this with you, I had AI redact the brothers' names. parking_safety_guidence I created the image of the correct way to direct a vehicle into a parking space using AI. USPS_Mailing_List_Benmore_Drive When I get a LWT (letter writing territory), I search for the current resident for each address. I make a record of names and addresses. I use AI to format the information into a USPS (United States Postal Service) mailing sheet. It helps my frail brain.🤣 Parking_Operations_Field_Kit_V5 (1).pdf USPS_Mailing_List_Benmore_Drive.docx

I've used AI programs for excellent graphics and illustrations for work presentations. I added original AI must to it, too. Not everyone has "skills" - God-given or otherwise. But imagination is needed to instruct the tool to produce what is needed. It will doubtless be used by brothers for their talks. Also - "art" is subjective, isn't it? It is helpful and very fun. But no one is obliged to use it if they don't want to.. 😌

Friday, August 7 Great persecution arose against the congregation that was in Jerusalem.—Acts 8:1. Hebrew Christians living in Jerusalem and Judea went through hard times in the years following Jesus’ death. Soon after the Christian congregation was formed, intense persecution arose against it. Then some 20 years later, Christ’s followers faced serious economic hardships, possibly caused by a famine that had previously afflicted the land. (Acts 11:27-30) However, about 61 C.E., Christians were experiencing a time of relative peace compared with what was to come. During that period, they received an inspired letter from the apostle Paul—a letter that would prove to be very timely. The letter to the Hebrews was timely because the peace that the Christians were experiencing would not last. Paul provided practical counsel that would help those Christians to endure the tribulation that they would soon face. w24.09 8 ¶1-2

article about evangelical preaching or lack of...mentions that JW called on his doors thttps://baptistnews.com/article/where-did-the-evangelism-of-evangelicals-go/ evangecil

It just occurred to me earlier today that this is an auspicious day for me. It's a milestone moment in my life. It's the 60th anniversary of my baptism. Time flies when you're having fun .... I guess. Amen! Come, lord Jesus! 😟

Wednesday, August 12 By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness.—Eph. 1:7. As a perfect man, Jesus was the equal of the first man, Adam, before he sinned. (1 Cor. 15:45) So by Jesus’ death, he was able to atone for Adam’s sin, that is, to replace what Adam had lost. (Rom. 5:19) Jesus thus became “the last Adam.” There is no need for another perfect person to come and pay for what Adam lost. Jesus died “once for all time.” (Heb. 7:27; 10:12) What, then, is the difference between the atonement arrangement and the ransom? The atonement arrangement is the action God takes to restore a good relationship between him and mankind. The ransom is the price paid to make atonement possible for sinful mankind. This price is represented by Jesus’ precious blood poured out in our behalf.—Heb. 9:14. w25.02 5 ¶12-13

Greetings Brothers & Sisters I've just launched a new, 100% free, field service tracking app for Android called Super Simple JW Field Service (<---Click here to download). I wanted something simpler than the other apps. Just a month's calendar view, you click the date add your time, and you're done. It tallies up for the year, tracks your service year & monthly goal, and can send your time to group overseer using any messaging app. It makes it easy to visualize the days you actually preached so it's easy to see if you forgot to put in time on a normal preaching day. Maybe later, if there's demand I might make an iOS version too. Because it is so simple, I was able to automate AI translation into 92 initial languages, but am open to adding more if requested. If you see any translation mistakes, please let me know so I can fix the translation files. I've only had a half dozen manually checked so far, the others are just Gemini translations. Supported languages so far: Afrikaans; Albanian (shqip); Amharic (አማርኛ); Arabic (العربية); Armenian (հայերեն); Azerbaijani (azərbaycan); Bangla (বাংলা); Bemba (Ichibemba); Bulgarian (български); Burmese (မြန်မာ); Cantonese Chinese (粵語, 繁體); Catalan; Cebuano; Croatian (hrvatski); Czech (čeština); Danish (dansk); Dutch (Nederlands); English; Estonian (eesti); Ewe (eʋegbe); Fijian; Finnish (suomi); Fon; French (français); Galician (galego); Ganda (Luganda); Georgian (ქართული); German (Deutsch); Greek (Ελληνικά); Hausa; Hebrew (עברית); Hiligaynon; Hindi (हिन्दी); Hungarian (magyar); Igbo; Iloko; Indonesian; Italian (italiano); Japanese (日本語); Javanese (Jawa); Kamba (Kikamba); Kazakh (қазақ тілі); Khmer (ខ្មែរ); Kikuyu (Gikuyu); Kinyarwanda (Ikinyarwanda); Korean (한국어); Kyrgyz (кыргызча); Latvian (latviešu); Lingala (lingála); Lithuanian (lietuvių); Lozi; Luo (Dholuo); Macedonian (македонски); Malagasy; Malay (Melayu); Marathi (मराठी); Mossi; Nepali (नेपाली); Northern Sotho (Sesotho sa Leboa); Norwegian (norsk); Nyanja; Nyankole (Runyankore); Oromo (Oromoo); Polish (polski); Portuguese (português); Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ); Quechua (Runasimi); Romanian (română); Russian (русский); Serbian (srpski, latinica); Shona (chiShona); Sinhala (සිංහල); Slovak (slovenčina); Slovenian (slovenščina); Southern Sotho (Sesotho); Spanish (español); Swahili (Kiswahili); Swedish (svenska); Tamil (தமிழ்); Telugu (తెలుగు); Thai (ไทย); Tigrinya (ትግርኛ); Tok Pisin; Tonga—Zambia; Tsonga; Tswana (Setswana); Turkish (Türkçe); Ukrainian (українська); Urdu (اردو); Xhosa (IsiXhosa); Yoruba (Èdè Yorùbá); Zulu (isiZulu). Please give it a shot let me know your thoughts, even if you don't plan to use it. Especially if you can help critique the translation. Screenshots: In case any mods are reading this, I already got permission from Carlos to post about it here. Thanks Brothers & Sisters!!!

Antarctica now at 2nd lowest. Massive Ice losses for 3 days straight during refreeze season. Melting season starts around Nov 1st. Ocean are at its hottest ever since record keeping began.

I'm in agreement with many who post here that there's definitely an air of condescension in much of their support communications, along with a feeling that they would much prefer not to be bothered with sincere questions from users. I must say that I have experienced a higher quality of response when I email them directly using the support email address, as opposed to the process through the website. Having said that, on one occasion when I was not satisfied with the tone or the level of help that I experienced, I emailed back in a very professional but direct way as I would with any commercial software outlining exactly what I expect and how I expect to be treated as a paying customer. The response I got was very satisfactory.

I have to live stream mine, been doing it for about 5 years now. Nothing like being there though. I have to say I like live stream. I feel like one of the crowd, I see what they see and I get to know the brothers from my new circuit.

I wish they would charge more. This is global enterprize software that needs better development, support, etc. Their motives are good and the basic foundation of NWS is more stable now than I have ever seen it. We pay $45 for one year and have 16 brothers as shared persons. I am not aware of any other robust global software that is this inexpensive. I commend NWS for trying to keep the costs to a minimum especially in poorer areas. There needs to be a recognition though that they are often not providing first-rate software and support. If an electrician or a plumber comes to my home and he is a brother, I don't expect a discount. He has to make a living. Our entire servant body would happily pay a little more to avoid all of the time spent in troubleshooting and fixing things. Maybe it would be fair to charge the annual congregation fee but add an annual $1-2 dollar user fee for each brother that would be using it. That way smaller congregations would pay less and larger ones would pay more. With some additional revenue they could consider adding another developer, some experienced beta testers so new versions wouldn't get launched with so many bugs, and a dedicated crew for a help desk. The last time I looked they mentioned all the developers were pioneer elders. That is great and very commendable but this is commercial software and needs serious business attention. Part-time workers can be great but only if you have enough of them to do the job right. If they need more money to do that, maybe they could poll the users of the software to come up with the best way to increase the fees. Just some imperfect brainstorming...

I have contacted them several times for issues, suggestions and questions and my experience in general reflects yours. The support system comes across as patronizing and is definitely designed to make you feel that you are bothering them. It's commercial software that you pay for, but they try to present it as if it were freeware. Sometimes they give snarky answers to try and make you feel stupid for wasting their time. Honestly, our congregation uses NWS because we are not aware of any current alternative that does everything it does, but if there were another with friendlier support I think we would switch without hesitation. On the other hand, whenever I have contacted them they replied within one or two days, or directly solved the issue with an update in the same term, which is good.

I had to cook today. If I do a big cook once in a while I can have an easier time when I make food for my man-child Adam. He is a BIG eater. He's 6 foot 4 and 270 pounds of muscle. His lunch box is a big Stanley chest. So today I made 2 baked potatoes for twice baked spuds this week, 8 deviled eggs, egg salad for sandwiches, 4 pounds of roasted bacon, baked spaghetti squash to eat with the spaghetti sauce in the freezer, 1 pound of fried beef kielbasa, Mac and cheese, 11 slices of French toast in the freezer for later. I hope breakfast and lunches this week will be a bit easier.

well stats can fail 😄

NWP 4.1.4 is out and I like the way the last page has been organized. The Aux Pio application page has been simplified too.

All real.

I live in South Wales not too far from the fire that has been burning for several weeks. I heard some people have been arrested for starting one. Another started yesterday on another mountain nearer Pontypool. Sad to see this happening. Weird to have such a strong smell of smoke for days at a time in the summer. Locally we have experienced some really bad floods in the last couple of years and now fires. Nevertheless, we are fortunate that neither is to the extreme. It's heart breaking to see videos in other far flung places to see flames and floods engulfing homes knowing there has been loss of life. It is devastation to Jehovah's creation all around but a wildfire in South Wales is nothing compared to the fires that have raged in places like California, for example. Awful knowing they are continuing in France, Spain and Greece at scale.

Tuesday, August 11 Since Christ suffered in the flesh, you too arm yourselves with the same mental disposition.—1 Pet. 4:1. “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole strength and with your whole mind.” (Luke 10:27) Jesus acknowledged this as the most important command in the Mosaic Law. Notice that our love for Jehovah involves our heart, which includes our desires, feelings, and emotions. It also involves our whole-souled devotion and our strength—including our energy. However, loving Jehovah also involves our mind, which includes the way we think about matters. Of course, we can never fully understand all of Jehovah’s thinking. But we can better understand God’s thinking by studying “the mind of Christ” because Jesus perfectly reflects the thinking of his Father.—1 Cor. 2:16. w25.03 8 ¶1

Wow, so based on that logic, the last known earthly resurrection was nearly 2000 years ago, so we have to wait another 2000 years before the next resurrection? I don't think so...🤣