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While preparing for the Watchtower study this week, I looked at a question from readers in this issue of the Watchtower (for February), and the last paragraph caught my attention here: In the meantime, what matters most is, not the timing of the future proclamation of “peace and security,” but our standing before God. We must “stay awake and keep our senses,” so that we may be fully prepared no matter how events unfold.—1 Thess. 5:6.

Some things to consider: We are not just called to be neutral, we are called to show respect and honor. If the comments you make in real life or online were told to the President, would it hinder your ability to preach to him? Would it cast a bad light on Witnesses? Would they say we only pretend to be neutral?

(This post was made especially for those who feel low, depressed, worthless or suffering due to a trial, or you have a chronic illness or disability) Mephibosheth (we will nickname him Mephib (for short) The son of Jonʹa·than, from King Saul (Grandpa) We remember the account, when he only was 5 years old, his nurse picked him up fleeing from danger, she was fleeing in panic, and he fell and was crippled." (2 Samuel 4:4) But then when we hear next about Mephib, he is living in some town called, "Lo-debar" So where is Lo-debar? After the tragedy when he was 5, Mephib thereafter lived in the house of Machir, at Lo-debar. This was far north of another town, Gibeah, which evidently was the first capital under King Saul. So likely Saul's family, including first son Jonathan, were living in Gibeah with their father the King, and therefore possibly this is where Mephib was born/raised So how would young, crippled Mephib ever be able to return home from far away Lo-debar? In Lo-debar Mephib may felt this his life was basically over before it really began! - Mephib's grandpa, Saul, was wounded in battle and then killed himself! - His father, Jonathan, was murdered in the same battle! - And Mephib was now permanently lame, crippled! - All these tragedies happen at a very young age. How traumatizing! - There were no hospitals, no Disability Services, No Disability Income - No help for depression and PTSD But when Mephib prayed for help, his life finally got better right? - Well his feet never miraculously healed - He was still stuck in a far away town in Lo-debar with no family - No family or relatives came to bring him home - The great "family business"(Dynasty) was destroyed, so no money or resources from the family business - His overall family situation was very tragic and super-complicated - Mephib likely developed very low self-esteem, deep "depression", childhood PTSD (before these words even existed) But then something that must have seemed like a miracle happened to him!!!! "Cheʹsedh" arrived! Cheʹsedh took the initiative to find and bring Mephib all the way back home! Cheʹsedh did not wait for Mephib to clean himself up, get "UN-depressed", and get more rehabilitated from his handicap Cheʹsedh did not wait for Mephib to somehow prove his loyalty to the new king Cheʹsedh did not wait for Mephib to do certain acts that "earned" favor Cheʹsedh sent for Mephib as he was, accepted him as he was Wow! So who is this awesome "Cheʹsedh"? Cheʹsedh is not a person Cheʹsedh is a multi-faceted GEM of a quality that is inside our loving Father Jehovah and was inside King David! Cheʹsedh is the Hebrew word for a humble quality, an exquisite blend of loyal love, loving kindness, mercy, which means then... that it was really Jehovah and His Cheʹsedh through King David's Cheʹsedh who then took the initiative to find and bring back Mephibosheth! Today it is Jehovah and His Cheʹsedh that does not wait for you to get your life fully together first before He comes to your side to help you It is Jehovah who does not wait for you to "earn favor" first before He will show loyal love to you It is your dear Father Jehovah who takes the initiative and seeks you out and finds you when you are in your lowly "Lo-debar" That town should have been called "LOW-debar" right? And it is your loving Father and His beautiful Cheʹsedh that will find you in your LOW-debar where you feel like nothing, worthless, and He will save you just like He did with little Mephiby! Do you feel lately... like you are in LOW-debar? that you have little to no future? do you sometimes wonder, "Why would the King care about a weak person like me? "I cannot do much for Jehovah, I can't pioneer, I can't attend all the meetings due to my sickness/weakness/disability? I can't donate very much! So why should Jehovah care so much about me?" Well the cheʹsedh inside Jehovah proves you so very wrong!

Jesucristo taught a crucial distinction that every true Christian must guard in both heart and speech: rejecting what is wrong is not the same as despising the person. The biblical principles make this very clear: * In Matthew 5:22, Jesus warns that contempt expressed through words (“You worthless…”) is not something minor, but an attitude of the heart that God takes seriously. * In Colossians 4:6, we are taught that our words should always be gracious and respectful, even when we disagree. * In 1 Peter 3:9, we are reminded not to repay evil with insult, even when others act wrongly. * And in Matthew 5:44, we are commanded to love even our enemies, which leaves no room for mockery, contempt, or a closed heart toward others. Therefore, the issue is not having a negative opinion or recognizing wrongdoing. The real danger lies in this subtle shift: From “I don’t like what he does” to “this person is repugnant” Once that line is crossed, the focus is no longer on judging actions, but on despising the person. And that kind of contempt—though common in the world—does not reflect the spirit of Christ. A true follower of Christ can be firm about what is wrong, but will always strive to speak and feel without losing the respect, dignity, and love that God expects.

(1 Peter 2:17) 17 Honor men of all sorts, have love for the whole association of brothers, be in fear of God, honor the king. https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&pub=nwtsty&srctype=wol&bible=60002017&srcid=share Honor men of all sorts. Including the icky ones. Honor the king. Including the bad ones. Where does the Bible say we can pick and choose? Please show me.

I’m afraid that no other president in history has been like Trump… and I think that it’s perfectly ok to say that you dislike the guy, he is a cringeworthy raging narcissist!! Does that mean that I’m not remaining neutral? Personally I don’t think so… I don’t even know the name of the party he represents… I’m that interested in it Lol As a person I don’t like him I find myself laughing and cringing at him in equal measure I do feel that he will possibly be in power during the GT and how that will go down is interesting in itself!

Its super corrupt.. billions of corruption of the govt.. the have and the have nots has wider gap.

And its getting closer.. with the fuel crisis and its impact . In our midweek meeting last week, we were told to store water, fuel and food.. I can feel that things are getting worse.

Another great article is the current headline ~ "My Kingdom is No Part of This World". I love the statement "Jesus refused to accept political power and stayed completely separate from the politics of his time. He never supported efforts to establish a human government , even under his own leadership".

I wasn't calling you out - they were just rhetorical questions for reflection. The topic of neutrality gets brought up frequently and we should remind ourselves of the edges. “Render to all their dues… to him who calls for honor, such honor.”

Seriously!! I’m saying I don’t like the man I didn’t once say that I don’t respect him, I don’t need to show this man honour.. I honour Jehovah. i am also not American, I live in Ireland… maybe we just have a very different outlook here and I suspect that’s the case and as Tortuga said I would love him to come into the truth, do I think he will? As Richard said it would be a modern day miracle. Sorry if I offended you.

I feel the same way Aine does, I dislike Mr Trump as a person, but I would control those feelings if I was able to witness to him. I would love to see him come into the truth, it would be a modern day miracle....

7,5 is no joke but there is not much damage as far as we know. Not there could be more quakes in the following hours/days, so people are careful.

Nice comment Sister! I have wondered how the slave can be neutral and at the same time publish articles like "No More Corrupt Politicians!" You just explained it very well. We point out the failure of imperfect, evil, greedy human leaders. But we don't judge individuals.

We were told the same here in Portugal

If it's anything like this site, they have a full time job keeping up with all the opinions they receive.

I don't have that answer but it does show that Hebrews was updated in 2025, however I checked an older device that doesn't have the recent update yet and the Title page is the same. So the Title page didn't change with the recent update.

https://www.jw.org/finder?srcid=jwlshare&wtlocale=E&prefer=lang&docid=1001070101 Its the Title page

Strong earthquake hits off Japan’s coast, tsunami warning issued https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/20/world/earthquake-tsunami-warning-japan-intl

Lu 13:32 And he said to them: “Go and tell that fox, ‘Look! I am casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will be finished.’ Some of the suggestions in the Study Note for the meaning of this are not really complimentary. But Jesus had the perfect measure of the man.

It flew?

But I still wouldn't invite Trump to my house for dinner...

I heard this when Bush Jr and Obama were in power sis. Do not be in shock if Trump is not. We need to remind ourselves that Jesus is in power. Revelation 11:15

Daniel's Prophesy of 1999 and Watchtower 2000 make reference to NATO at a time when there were 19 member nations. The King of the South has always been understood to be primarily the United States and the UK along with their associate allies. That would be allies who are members of NATO and allies who are not. Today, there are 32 member nations of NATO. When Finland joined in 2023, it doubled NATO's direct border with Russia. The expansion of NATO from 19 to 32 has not received any attention in our publications that I can see. I cannot recall any speaker even using the acronym NATO in a talk. So, yes, it came as a surprise to me when the local brother at the Circuit Assembly with Branch Representative said "while the King of the South is NATO and its allies". Apparently, no one else here heard that at their assembly. As I already said, he could have skipped a line of his manuscript. I don't believe he leaked anything that the FDS may share in the near future. I'm happy to wait for whatever the FDS has to say. But the expansion of NATO is a serious topic between the two kings. As of today, 6 NATO members share a direct border with Russia when you factor-in the enclave Kaliningrad. The "pushing" continues.

Pot, meet kettle.

I agree that the imagery is not worth sharing. However, they do seem to illustrate the speedy and barely imaginable descent into madness and destruction this system is headed. Who could even think of these things ten years ago? Not favoring anyone... but I cannot recall this level of gleeful public (at least) degradation, cruelty, and ignorance depicted in words or pictures by any other president or his administration; and I can remember back to Nixon. Yes - they are all bad, absolutely. The madness displayed every. single. day. of the current administration is one for the books, however. 😕 These are very good points and definitely something for us all to constantly keep in mind. It *is* the news of the day and some do pay attention to the news. I know it's challenging for me because I like to be informed... and this circus of world politics lately is dangerously entertaining. It's like watching a car wreck. I am so grateful to know where all this is heading and I do pray and work hard to keep my eyes off the newsfeeds. It's tough sometimes - because I can barely believe what I'm seeing. But, I have no doubt that among other things, Satan is delighting in making this system die embarrassed and humiliated. Future generations will hardly be able to believe the inanity we will tell them about these Last Days..

A note in the terms of service and use, require we be understand and loving, as the brothers and sisters that built it, are ALL in full-time service. All of the brothers are elders. The have not requested suggestions. They have created a volunteer network for personal support. You can even become a volunteer. You agreed to those terms when you installed their applications.

I cannot speak for the brothers that work on that app, but I can tell you from observation, They don't do anything that is beyond what the organization has directed the brothers us to do within the congregation. about six or eight years ago, the congregation was directed to stop holding copies of of persons, healthcare proxy or advanced medical directive. That was not the responsibility of the congregation. That is a person's personal responsibility between them and their emergency contacts. I wonder now, as I write this, if it also has to do with HIPPA. Dave

Tuesday, April 21 I will come again and will receive you home to myself.—John 14:3. Only genuine, faithful anointed ones will be received by Jesus into the heavenly Kingdom. Any anointed ones who do not remain spiritually alert will not be gathered with the “chosen ones.” (Matt. 24:31) By extension, all of God’s people, regardless of their hope, should view Jesus’ words as a warning to keep on the watch and remain faithful. We have come to know Jehovah well, so we trust his judgment. We are not concerned if Jehovah has chosen to anoint some faithful ones in more recent years. We recall what Jesus said about the 11th-hour workers in his illustration of the vineyard. (Matt. 20:1-16) Those who were invited to work in the vineyard later in the day received the same wage as those who began working in it earlier. Likewise, no matter when anointed ones are selected, they will receive the heavenly reward if they are judged faithful. w24.09 24 ¶15-17

That statement caught my attention this morning. 🤣 thank you for the morning smile.

Sadly, the opposite happened when some angels materialized human bodies and took wives on earth. It seems that life on earth has its own unique attraction, including @Dustparticle’s chocolate 😁.

What do I think .. I think.😎 I’ve always appreciated how clearly the Scriptures describe the hope of the 144,000. Their home, identity, and assignment remain heavenly forever. But at the same time, Jehovah has always been able to bridge the gap between the heavenly and earthly families whenever he chooses. Nothing limits him. And whatever Jehovah arranges for eternity will leave no one, heavenly or earthly, feeling distant, deprived, or wishing for something different. I often think of how Adam spoke with Jehovah “in the breezy part of the day” (Gen. 3:8). That shows how close the heavenly and earthly families were meant to be. There’s also the precedent of angels visiting numerous Bible characters in fully human form ..Abraham, Lot, Gideon, Manoah, and others. Those were temporary materializations, not a return to human life, but they show that such interaction is completely within Jehovah’s power. And look at Jesus. Even though he is now at Jehovah’s right hand, he is deeply connected to this earth and to the people he loved …including close friends like John the Baptist. His affection didn’t disappear when he returned to heaven. So will the heavenly and earthly families be deeply connected forever? Absolutely …. more than we can ever imagine. We are one family. A scripture that really captures this is 1 Corinthians 15:28: “But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone.” That’s the moment when the entire universe ..heaven and earth…. is perfectly united under Jehovah’s sovereignty. I can imagine a family reunion where every relationship is healed, every misunderstanding is gone, and every member feels completely connected, understood, and loved. Now magnify that to a cosmic universal scale. Mind blowing. As a side point, a close friend of mine Chris Tyler was of the anointed. She once told me that when the resurrection comes, she was going to ask Jehovah to be present when her daughter is raised. To me, that was a pretty good ask. .. it simply reflected the depth of love and connection that will always exist in Jehovah’s family. Just as Jehovah was involved with his sons resurrection .. a special time.

Our potted pups, Chip & Bruno, toy poodles

Dear brothers and sisters, One day, a little boy looked up at his father and asked him a question that sounded so simple… and yet was so deep: “Daddy… how big is God?” The father did not answer immediately. He looked up into the sky. There, high above, an airplane was flying—far away, barely visible among the clouds. He pointed upward and asked his son: “How big is that airplane?” The little boy looked up and said: “Very small, Daddy… almost impossible to see.” Then the father took him by the hand and brought him to the airport. There they stood directly beside a huge airplane. The boy looked up in amazement, his eyes growing wide. And his father asked: “And now? How big is it now?” The little boy said in awe: “Daddy… it is huge! You can’t miss it!” Then the father knelt down beside him and said: “That is how God is. Depending on how close you are to Him, that is how big He becomes in your life.” Dear brothers and sisters… isn’t that one of the most beautiful truths we can learn about Jehovah? Because Jehovah does not change in size. HE always remains the same. Infinitely great. Infinitely powerful. Infinitely loving. But how big HE appears to us… often depends on… how close we are to Him. There may be times in our life when Jehovah feels so close. So real. So loving. We feel His guidance. We see His hand. We sense His peace. But then there are also other times… Times full of pain. Times full of worries. Times full of tears. Times when problems suddenly seem bigger than our faith. When fears seem bigger than our hope. And when difficulties seem bigger than our trust. And in such moments… Jehovah can seem to us—figuratively speaking—as small as that distant airplane. Not because HE has become smaller… but because we have drifted away. Let us read James 4:8 “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” Notice: Jehovah does not say: “Maybe.” “Possibly.” “Sometimes.” No. He promises: “If you take one step toward me… I will take one toward you.” What a loving God. But why do people sometimes drift away from Jehovah? Not always out of wickedness. Often it happens very slowly. Through stress. Through worries. Through disappointments. Through hurt. Maybe we still pray… but not with the same heart. Maybe we still read… but not with the same depth. Maybe we still attend meetings… but inside we feel far away. And suddenly… we realize: “Jehovah used to feel closer to me…” Perhaps someone here today… feels exactly that way. Outwardly everything looks normal. But deep in your heart you wonder: “Where is Jehovah right now? Why don’t I feel Him the way I used to?” If that is how you feel… Jehovah lovingly wants to tell you today: “I did not leave.” “I am still here.” “I am only waiting for you to come closer again.” Think about Psalm 34:18 “Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted.” Not to those who are perfect. Not to those who have everything together. Not to those who never struggle. But to those with a broken heart. Those who cry at night. Those who fight battles inside. Those who sometimes wonder if they are still strong enough. Jehovah is especially close to those ones. Sometimes we think: “If Jehovah only knew how broken I feel inside…” But Jehovah says: “Precisely because I know how broken you are, I am near you.” Isn’t that comforting? Maybe someone today feels like a little child in the storm of life. Everything is too much. The pain. The responsibility. The disappointment. The loneliness. And you ask yourself: “Jehovah, where are You?” But perhaps Jehovah lovingly asks back: “My child… where are you?” “Because I have not moved away.” Do you know what this reminds me of? Peter. When he walked on water. As long as his eyes were fixed on Jesus… his faith was greater than his fear. But the moment he looked at the wind and the waves… he began to sink. Why? Because suddenly the problem seemed bigger than the Savior. And isn’t that sometimes true for us? When we constantly look only at problems… only at worries… only at pain… those things eventually seem bigger than Jehovah. But they ARE NOT bigger. They only seem bigger… because our focus has changed. That is why we read Psalm 121:1,2 “I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come? My help comes from Jehovah.” How beautiful. The psalmist did not say: “I stare at my problems.” He said: “I raise my eyes.” In other words: “I lift my focus upward again.” And perhaps that is exactly what is needed today. That someone lifts their eyes again. Away from fear. Away from worries. Away from self-doubt. And back to Jehovah. Because the closer we come to Jehovah… the bigger He becomes to us again. Then His love becomes bigger than our guilt. Then His strength becomes bigger than our weakness. Then His hope becomes bigger than our fear. Then His peace becomes bigger than our pain. And that does not mean problems disappear. But it does mean: Jehovah becomes bigger than the problems. Imagine a small child afraid of a barking dog. As long as the child stands alone before it, the dog seems huge. But the moment the father lifts the child into his arms… everything changes. The dog did not get smaller. But suddenly the child feels safe. Why? Because now someone bigger is with him. That is how it is with Jehovah. Our problems do not always disappear immediately. But when Jehovah carries us… our problems lose their power over our heart. Let us read in closing Isaiah 41:10 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.” What loving words. Jehovah does not simply say: “I see you.” He says: “I am holding you.” Dear brothers and sisters, if Jehovah seems small to you today… if you barely feel Him right now… if worries seem bigger than your faith… that does not mean Jehovah has gone away. It may simply mean: You need to come closer to Him again. In prayer. In His Word. Through meditation. Through trust. Because the closer you come to Jehovah… the bigger He becomes in your heart. And one day you will look back and say: “My problems were great… but my God was greater.” Never forget: Jehovah has never become smaller. The only question is: How close are you to Him right now? If you stay close to Him… His comfort will be greater than your pain. His love greater than your doubts. His strength greater than your weakness. And then every day you will feel anew: God is huge… you cannot miss Him. Thank you very much.

Thursday, April 23 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.—1 Tim. 1:15. Imagine giving someone you love a special gift that is both beautiful and practical. How disappointed you would be if that person simply put it in storage and gave it no further thought! On the other hand, you would surely be pleased if he or she put your gift to good use and expressed appreciation for it. What is the point? Jehovah has given his Son in our behalf. How happy Jehovah must be when we show gratitude for that precious gift and for his love, which moved him to provide the ransom! (John 3:16;Rom. 5:7, 8) As time passes, however, we could begin to take the gift of the ransom for granted. It would be like putting God’s gift in storage. We are happy to have it, but we keep it out of sight. To prevent that from happening, we must regularly renew our gratitude for what God and Christ have done for us. w25.01 26 ¶1-2

The same with my update however once I powered down and powered it back up the icon changed and the only way for me to tel which is which is by opening the app and whatever icon appears in the top left corner will tell you which version you run.

Do they list each Bible book there whenever it receives the study notes?

I don’t want to get involved with this discussion… but we do have guidelines on the use and misuse of A.I .that can be referred to.

I agree with this idea (using the same designation used on the DPA: 'Health Care Agent', in our state). It would make it a lot easier for elders to verify that each publisher had the needed information on hand. We had a real-life situation a few years ago where this would have helped. An elderly sister with no immediate family ended up in the ER unconscious, and no one knew who her Health Care Agent was. Yes, she should have had her DPA in her wallet, but she didn't. It took several hours of effort before the elders could locate her DPA at her house and get someone to authorize her treatment. There is a simple work-around, though, in NWP. In setting up an emergency contact, there is a field called "Relationship". The user can simply make entries like: "Sister and Primary Health Care Agent", etc.

Yes. And I thought of another comment but it was too late to edit. We don't judge individual authorities nor should we mock them.

I think it would be good if one of the Emergency Contacts in NWP was designated as Medical Emergency Contact. The elders would know who to contact if there was a medical emergency and the AHCD information wasn't available.

Afternoon all, I've neglected this thread that I started so thought I'd post a little update of where I am currently this year. As previous years, I have overwintered Onions, Garlic, Shallots and Broad (Fava/Faba) Beans to which I have so far added Potatoes, Leeks, Cauliflower, Turnips, Carrots and Beetroot (both unsuccessfully due to erratic weather, so more sowings required). I have also got Tomatoes and plenty of flowers to go out on 1st May (Calendula, Cosmos, French Marigold and Zinnia). At least the wife will be happy to have the conservatory back! Many of the spaces in the garden will be filled by the aforementioned flowers meaning by summer it should look colourful at least. On a personal note, I have been absent for many months due to tiredness and a bereavement in the family. Whether I've said previously, my wife and I lived with and cared for her grandmother for the past five years. Last October, her health deteriorated due to a number of urinary infections that also had a significant impact on her dementia. She passed away quite quickly in late January and those last few months and in particular weeks were extremely tiring. We are both okay, just getting used to the new reality without her and living in a big house by ourselves. I look forward to hearing about your gardening endeavours for the coming year!

I'm so happy we'll have the study notes for James soon.

AI .... Just a note about this ... My dad came into the truth in '73. He was anxious to get out of the air force as he didn't want to get eaten.

I don't think Jesus would invite Trump to dinner either, unless there were a lot of birds waiting....

1120 [emoji288] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk

Exactly…. Hope this doesn’t bother you.

If the president himself posted racist imagery, would you choose to share it with your brothers and sisters? I would not and I doubt you would, too. If the president himself posts pornographic imagery, would you choose to share it with your brothers and sisters? I would not and I doubt you would, too. Just because the president created and posted propaganda does not mean we need to share it. I don't want to see propaganda and I don't think my brothers and sisters want to, either. Trump did this. Trump did thst. I can't believe he dud this and that. Look how disgusting. Did you see the disgusting things? Here, let me show you the disgusting things. Did our brothers and sisters share the disgusting things Obama did? Or do we, in our hearts, feel Trump is so much worse than Obama? Were we as obsessed with Biden, Obama, Bush the 2nd, or Clinton as we seem to be with Trump and sharing every disgusting move made? If not, then maybe our neutrality is affected. If we treat or view this president any differently than previous presidents, then maybe our neutrality is affected. If this president affects our emotions (positive or negative) more than a previous president, then maybe our neutrality is affected. Sorry, I don't understand. Why is that any reason for Christians to spread propaganda generated by the King of the South? Are we it's mouthpiece? I know, it's just the news of the day. How does it affect others around you? If it doesn't register, good for you. It must be registering for others, though, because here we are discussing it on a forum dedicated to Christians. It graced my inbox on Facebook first thing this morning.