Leaderboard

In my business I lose lots of opportunities because I don’t want to do anything with Christmas, Halloween etc. Businesses similar to mine use these pagan holidays to earn extra cash. Another company just like mine earns a few degrees of magnitude more money than mine because they specialize for military contracts. So, it does affect my bottom line. of course, it’s still not worth anything in the long term.

A brother sent this to me and said I could share it. I don't know where he got it from or who sings the song but it is a great song about a brother getting older and still serving Jehovah. AUD-20260519-WA0010.mp3

I also agree. A visible "mark" or sign can be deceiving of the real internal mark, like the Pharisees. Look at the contradiction in the image --the Law in the forehead but his face expresses what it's in his heart. Like them, today people can go literal with Deuteronomy 6:5-9, in clothing, social media, stickers, banners and so on, but their acts and attitude shows who they really are.

Sigh, the cost of living is just getting worse and worse these days...

I agree. The mark is already here in a way, with people mindset (forehead) and actions (hand), and it will show during the GT, with how people will take a stand

Im extremely skeptical about any digital mark. One, because it has to be spiritual. Second, there’s not enough digitalization throughout the world. As for now only 58% of world population uses internet on their mobile devices. Unless you think the end will come in 50+ years (I don’t). however, I think the spiritual mark can have a physical extension like party card in Malawi or lack of ID in Eritrea for people who dont actively support the government. It could be just a pin with a flag.

report seems to say that the truth is now in top 10 of christian religions https://www.worldatlas.com/religion/largest-christian-denominations-in-the-world.html

I have the printed literature to look at. I have the same literature in digital format. I usually peruse the information in a search manner. For instance, I might hear a comment about a clarification of belief concerning Jude verse 7..."In the same manner, Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah and the cities around them also gave themselves over to gross sexual immorality and pursued unnatural fleshly desires; they are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire." I will try to remember what our belief about this scripture was when I first began to study. Then I will check the number of times we have adjusted that thought and when. Then I will look up the latest understanding and compare them. It is my version of 'research, study, meditate and relearn'...♥️ Whether I use the digital or printed material does not usually change the manner of search. The digital material usually only goes back to 1950 or less. I have the printed versions in electronic PDF files so I can use my computer. Our Index shows research back to 1930.

Curisouly were's also in the top 10 as regard to the US https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gtiBGgEw18

As a follow-up - this brother died Thursday. His family is doing as well as can be expected. They are looking forward to seeing him in the resurrection

It is important to be accurate. For example, the Georgia item ... yes, they were using water unmetered as the County was switching meter types, but the error was discovered and the site did pay for its usage retroactively - Georgia Data Center Secretly Used 29 Million Gallons of Water, Exposed by Residents’ Low Water Pressure So, the headline might be considered accurate - it leaves out a lot of details. Please don't be part of the sensationalism.

It's to be seen but geopolitical theory says, if Iran falls, the Strait of Hormuz belongs to US/Israeli. That cuts off 1 piece of energy to China. Something tells me if they take the Hormuz. China will be forced to go after Taiwan to blockade or fully control the Strait of Malacca. Also, this leaves Russia stranded needing to take over Odesa in Ukraine giving them at least the Black Sea for imports and water presence. Otherwise, US/Israel has a whole lot of southern ocean under West and East Asia. Easy targets and that's why Russia is doing what it's doing and China also. They cannot get cut off and they know it. The USA wants to control the America's and have the world dependent on "American" energy. If they can create choke points that could hurt economies and have them begging Americans for energy. That's like the ultimate end goal of sovereignty of the USA. This is Satan's system and Jehovah has a way with Kings hearts. But historically that's how it could/would be looked at. There is a lot at stake. But again to be seen.

The people in the places where I live were generally very calm and spiritually inclined. But now the situation has changed a lot. Last week, when we went for ministry, a Hindu man told me, “You Christians are not loyal to the country. Only Hindus are. All of you were Hindus before. You became Christians for foreign money.” I was deeply disturbed. But the brother who was with me handled the situation very well. Hyper-nationalism is now present in almost every country.

With so much of our activity conducted remotely, nowadays, it is refreshing to find that it is possible to associate with our brothers and sisters around the globe, through a site that is prayerfully and carefully managed. Welcome on board George!

One backup file for a large congregation shouldn't be more 2-3MB. Our 90 publisher congregation takes about 1.5MB. So assuming you do the backup monthly, an 8GB USB flash drive would allow you to backup monthly for 200 - 300 years... Assuming my math is mathin'. 😁

Yes, I still have the hard copies of the bound volumes, starting about 1950. (I inherited them from the very first Witness that I ever spoke to.) Once in a while I dig out a volume, just at random, and find an article I want to read. It's quite an uplifting feeling doing that.

Remind yourself that our 9 millions are religious equivalent to their "catechists" (religious teachers), so our real number should be the 21 000 000 of the Memorial. Also, we are top 1 in teachers , the catholic clergy has less than 1 000 000 people (and I'm counting the nuns), with their lay-catechist, it's not even 5 millions.

Organizations may significantly inflate their membership numbers for institutional reasons—for example, Seventh-day Adventists and Mormons. There are reports that Brazilian Adventists falsify baptisms because local pastors have baptism targets and receive financial benefits from the general conference. In the case of the Mormons, out of the roughly 18 million reported members, how many are alive and how many are deceased? This is because they practice baptizing deceased relatives of those who join their faith, which inflates the numbers. Brazil’s 2022 Census confirms this disparity here, showing figures that differ considerably from those officially reported by them, especially for Mormons and Adventists. In that Census, Jehovah’s Witnesses are approaching about 2 million members, whereas on the JW website the number is still not even 1 million. In the last 2010 Census, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brazil numbered 1.3 million people who identified themselves as belonging to Jehovah’s people.

So, I'm watching Young Sherlock, and in episode 2 there's a brief conversation about people in the Hebrew bible, and the actress Zine Tseng uses Jehovah's name. It kinda took for me for a loop because it's really weird to see non witnesses use the name.

First prayer at a convention... much stress, but very happy

What it tells us that Jehovah knows how to use energy right way and man know how to use it the wrong way. We should thank him that he confuse the language some 4,000 years ago.

Completely agree. Always cautious but enjoy the nice atmosphere

Friday, May 22 Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be made as white as snow.—Isa. 1:18. Jehovah uses word pictures to help us appreciate how by means of the ransom sacrifice, he wipes out the sins of repentant ones. It is extremely difficult to remove scarlet or crimson stains from a cloth. Yet, by means of this word picture, Jehovah assures us that our sins can be washed clean so thoroughly that they are no longer visible. Sins are also likened to “debts.” (Matt. 6:12; Luke 11:4) So every time we sin against Jehovah, it is as if we are going further and further into debt. We owe him a huge amount! But when Jehovah forgives us, it is as if he cancels the debt that would otherwise be charged against our account. He does not demand repayment of sins that have been forgiven. What a refreshing illustration to describe the relief we feel when Jehovah forgives us! w25.02 9-10 ¶9-10

In the US, it seems to me that the political fervor and nationalism has amped up quite a bit in these last few years. With the "250th birthday" of this country coming up, I expect it will add quite a bit to all of that. I always pictured the government in this country requiring all it's citizens to display an American flag at their home somehow, but I realize that probably won't happen. I live in a very small housing addition (moved here 18 years ago) and when we moved here not one home displayed a flag and now almost all of them do, some even had flagpoles installed outside to display the flag.

2026 Eternal Happiness Convention Notebooks View File Please enjoy! Notebook with Songs Notebook without Songs and the extra sheets. Bookmarks Submitter alecia2902 Submitted 05/20/2026 Category Regional Conventions  

Maybe it will be like during the pandemic. We had to have a government app on our device and show proof of vax to gain entry to various places. The government may compel citizens to have an app in order to "buy and sell" and carry out their daily lives.

NW are really bad at communication. I’ve been a translator for years, and they rarely inform translators about what is added, removed, or changed in the apps. I was manually checking if there was any new text for the NWP app when I got a message saying the file was in the owner’s trash. I contacted them, but they haven’t replied yet. Later I noticed a note on the website saying: “Note: NWS Desktop, NWS Mobile and NW Publisher app translation files are now all combined below.” It would be appreciated if translators were informed about changes like this beforehand. There is no changelog, no clear communication about updates, and no information on whether changes affect translations. At least now we know that all apps are combined into one translation document, which is good. But informing translators in advance would have made the transition much smoother. Sending a short email is not exactly a huge task, especially since they already have our contact information.

My wife and I have a secret of making our marriage last: Twice a week we go to a nice restaurant, have a couple of drink, eat good food and enjoy a good conversation. She goes on Tuesday's and I go on Friday's.

I hope things get better for all. https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/democratic-republic-congo/Ebola-Outbreak-Threatens-Millions-in-the-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo/

I don't doubt it's real. I also don't doubt there is an extremely boring explanation for this and other videos released. It's clearly meant as a distraction. Every time there is a big nothingburger story that gets put out after it is hyped up to be groundbreaking or life-changing... it causes a ton of discourse... which usually distracts from something needing to be lost in the noise... and I'll leave it at that.

Report from org about ebola in the congo , it was wise to stop ministry and meetings - covid taught us how to survive without direct contact https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/democratic-republic-congo/Ebola-Outbreak-Threatens-Millions-in-the-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo/

I assumed it woud be a lot more than 2-3MB. We have 165 publishers so comparing it with your congregation, you are likely right in the ballpark. Thanks very much for the help. P.S. I hope we don't need NWS in the New World!

I used to have bound volumes on the mid bookcase of my split staircase. My sons used to stop and pick out an article to cover, such well written and positive information of all sorts. I miss that set up, but am glad to have online research. I happened to recount that my study conductor had been dfd and left the truth again, so it seems I actually got the truth out of our literature.

Right now, I am rereading, and listening to, “Draw Close to Jehovah”. It’s been my goal for some time, and I’m really enjoying it.

We are not in membership competition with Satan's 'paramours' (I haven't used that word in years). It is just nice that someone noticed us. We are not just that little church at the edge of your town...😁

Saturday, May 23 Children are not expected to save up for their parents, but the parents for their children.—2 Cor. 12:14. Parents may need to receive some practical help as they grow old, and many children are happy to arrange for that. (1 Tim. 5:4) But Christian parents recognize that their greatest joy comes, not from raising children with a view to getting financial support from them, but from helping their children to become servants of Jehovah. (3 John 4) By your example, teach your children to trust in Jehovah as you help them prepare to support themselves. From the time they are young, show them the value of hard work. (Prov. 29:21; Eph. 4:28) As they grow, help them to do their best at school. Christian parents do well to research and apply Bible principles to help their children decide how to use education wisely. This will equip their children to support themselves and to have a full share in the Christian ministry. w25.03 30-31 ¶15-16

I can't wrap my mind around these stories or figures so I feel it is Jehovah's way of protecting me. He always comes through wether I understand or not so we all can be grateful over that. If he waited till I understood we would still be back in the garden.

I'm gonna need to see this from accreditated news outlets. Right now all I can find is this is unsubstantiated rumor.

I feel this iran conflict is going to escalate. Either one or two things will unfold. It is that the US concedes leaving iran as is. Or it will escalate. But iche habe a frage (i have a question)? But if religion is to be banned where does this leave iran? They will by no means concede. So I imagine iran will be totally defeated by the king of the south. I feel this is the only way going forward. Could you imagine the UN having totally authority and at the same time iran holding hostage to the world economy via the strait of hommuz? Death to America! Or maybe it might be death to iran. Who knows let see how this plays out.

As the song goes ~ To whom do you belong? Which god do you now obey? Your master's the one to whom you bow. He is your god; you serve him now. In the end your choice will depend On how your heart is prepared.

I think the mark of the wild beat will more political than digital. It can be happening now without even noticing it since it suppose to happen in the last days.

True . . but, taking a stand isn't really the same as "nobody can buy or sell except a person having the mark". "Nobody can buy or sell except" sounds like a form of literal control over society. We should know soon . .

Just in time! Thank you. (Our convention starts May 29.)

No, you can Refresh all Persons at once. In NWS, 1.) go to the NW Publisher screen, then 2.) choose Persons from the dropdown box, then 3.) click the Refresh Selected App Data button

Elon musk just said in 6 years there will be no apps on phones; will just be AI.

The Person PINs have not been removed. Both the heading and the PIN are still there (at least for now). If the PINS are missing, you probably just need to "Refresh" Persons App Data. They have been adding more features to NWS Mobile. I'm finding myself using it more and more. Let's see how long this post takes to get approved and you can actually see it. My last post took 20 hours to get approved. Does anyone know if needing to have each post approved is removed after a certain period of time or a certain number of posts? I feel like by the time it's posted, the forum had more posts on other things (in this case 8 so far), and the person/people I'm trying to help don't see my suggestions which are way back up the thread!

If you eat chocolate at a sanitarium, you have chocolate with nuts...

Many, but not all. There are some pretty poor countries out there, some that are not as technologically forward, and some whose populations are quite diverse and scattered geographically. Getting tribal people in the Amazon or billions of people in China and India to accept some literal mark (especially since Revelation is symbolic) simply may not be a reasonable feat. On the other hand, governments have always demanded exclusive devotion and people in general have been, according to our current understanding, displaying the mark of their favorite beast since governments began. Every time a person shows support of the government, they display their mark of the beast. Much easier to force everyone to accept an already established mark that does not require a technological component or physical sign of branding when that mark is the same one used since the dawn of time. Put this sign in your yard, buy this party card, hoist the flag, salute the flag, say the pledge, sing the anthem, vote, kiss the ring, give a hearty heil.

I definitely don't want to act as if I know better than the slave, because I definitely do not. I'm one of the domestics, and gladly submit to their direction. Lately, I've been thinking that since we’re so close to the great tribulation, and the mark of the beast will no doubt have its major fulfillment then, that we may get some refinements about this matter. But that's not the only reason. The slaves' teaching makes sense. However, some things cause me to wonder: Here's a post I made that I’m pasting from an old annual meeting speculation thread that I edited: I don’t want to speculate what I think the mark could be. But it appears it hasn't been fulfilled yet. Revelation 13:16,17 says the United Nations will put under compulsion all people, not just those they apprehend, to be marked, and that without this mark nobody can buy or sell. There have been some extreme pressures put on people by some governments to do things their way. But nothing like this from the United Nations. The United Nations has never demanded that all people comply with doing things their way so much that they prohibited people from being able to buy or sell. I know the slaves’ understanding on the prohibition to buy or sell, but I wouldn't be surprised if that ends up being literal. This may be one of those scriptures that is best understood while undergoing fulfillment. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a talk warning us to watch how things develop in the future. It’s true that some governments have jailed and even killed our brothers and sisters for their nuetrality. However, Revelation 13:15 says it will be the image, or the United Nations that will impose this “mark.” As far as I know, the United Nations has never pressured people to do such a thing. Satan is so bent on seeing to it that as many people lose out on everlasting life as possible, that it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he caused his political system to pressure everyone to essentially chose between God’s kingdom or his during the great tribulation. The easiest way to get humans to comply would be to threaten their livelihood, their lives, since self-preservation is probably the strongest human “instinct.” After all, he’s the same one that said no human would serve God when threatened with death and tempted Jesus with food. There was a morning worship with brother Jackson where he said, ‘We’ll have to wait and see what pressure is put on Jehovah’s people’ during the great tribulation when speaking about the mark of the beast. I'm not saying I'm right. I may be as wrong as two left shoes. But it wouldn't surprise me one bit if satan, given his murderous personality, literally forces everyone to decide between his kingdom or Christ’s in some way during the great tribulation.