Beggar for the Spirit

Hi Lee, As of now it seems to be a personal conscience decision. Most NFL, NBA, soccer jerseys for any team have a player's name on the back. So some brothers/sisters may buy a jersey just showing support of their favorite team and the jersey may have a player's name on the back. Now if a brother/sister feels uncomfortable having a player's name on the back, they can order a jersey with no name or have their own name put on the back. But if a brother/sister has a jersey, it does not automatically mean that they worship or idolize the team. And if a brother/sister has a jersey with a player's name on the back, it does not automatically mean that they worship or idolize this player. Now if a brother/sister has MANY types of pictures, posters, jerseys, etc, of 1 specific player, they may need to meditate on this and consider if they are "idolizing" that player? However, we can all be a little excessive about things. So even if a brother/sister has many "fan" items of a specific player, while they need to be cautious, this still does not mean they "idolize" the player and are guilty of a serious sin. Remember the famous tennis player Boris Becker ? For some Witnesses who enjoyed tennis in past decades when Becker was playing, he may have been their favorite player. Maybe some brothers/sisters even had some "fan" items of Becker, like a shirt, a racket, etc, with Becker's name on it. But was that a form of "idolizing" a player"? Here is more of what "idolizing" a player may look like.

Hi Eryk, Thanks for this new plugin! I tried your example. I downloaded the 2026 Program but in PDF But the output was in another language and had mistakes in formatting. Maybe PDF does not work so well since it has pictures?

Hi David, Nice topic about Jehovah's "Fungi" creation And your title made me think of the following: We have several hot topics currently about the recent adjustment concerning "blood" and conscience. I dont want to start another discussion about this, but I just wanted to share a simple thought. I hope you like this. Often when we think of Jehovah's marvelous creations, we tend to think of the large -- the blue whale, Jupiter, Milky Way Galaxy, etc. But as you nicely expressed in your post, there are also very tiny, incredible "fractions" of Creation. While this sacred fluid inside all of us is vital for life and Jehovah taught us that this precious red fluid represents life, we must also appreciate and value the special designed "fractions" that composes blood. We could easily get so caught up in debating issues concerning blood, the 4 components, the small "fractions", transfusions, medical procedures, etc, etc, etc, that we might forget to meditate on the incredible design and value that each component and every tiny fraction serves to make our bodies perform as super efficient -- organic machines! This post was made to support this good topic about the marvelous "fractions" of Jehovah's creation found all over the universe, on Earth, and deep inside our human body! Just looking at these images above makes me think of David's words (Psalm 139:14)  I praise you because in an awe-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful... Your eyes even saw me as an embryo; All its parts (including all tiny fractions) were written in your book

Hi Everyone, This past week I sent several small gifts to other states here in the U.S for my friends. 1 package was fairly small, about the size of a mini tablet but did not weigh much at all. However the post office charged me around $9 which surprised me! I was expecting to be charged maybe $3-4 Another package I sent was in a flat but larger soft package. The package had only 2 medium T-shirts that were very light in weight. But the post office charged me around $16 I was very disappointed. But I paid the amount so that my friends could receive the gifts. But are these prices normal for shipping items? I have little experience in recent years mailing packages. If prices are this high for shipping where you live, have you find ways to reduce the costs? I would appreciate any advice, thanks! I just was not expecting to pay this much for shipping small items.

Hi Tim, Your nice story made me think of this illustration. I hope this connects to what you have been thinking about concerning this dear older brother ENTROPY In physics, scientists came to learn there is a very profound but negative law about the universe they termed "Entropy". I say it is a "negative law" from the human perspective. Because every human dislikes that everything in the universe is fading, weakening, deteriorating, as time passes. YET all the sterling qualities that Jehovah has so unselfishly given to us -- like faithfulness, loyalty, love, etc -- are the only these things in the universe that improve with time! So is it possible that Jehovah designed the entire universe with entropy so that His human creation could observe the universe and gain great wisdom if they could come to the accurate conclusion that... "Since everything in the universe fades, weakens, deteriorates, with time, these material things must not be very important. So therefore the things that only improve with time --- MUST BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE --- faithfulness, loyalty, love!!"

OUTSTANDING!!! The hundreds or actually thousands of specific sentences/paragraphs/quotes I have copied from WOL over many years in my research --- now ALL have the citation at the top of the quote transformed into a direct link back to the article on WOL thanks to your update to the in(REF)ens plugin! If I had to go back and add a direct link to WOL for every sentence, article, quote I have in my notes, it might take years! But the moment you updated in(REF)ens, you saved me years of work. Great job Eryk!

"Happy is the man who is always on guard" How similar are those words to Jesus' command to... “Keep on the watch and pray continually, so that you may not enter into temptation.” MT 26:41 The FDS gave a couple of great suggestions: "Even during periods when you feel strong, continue to avoid situations that can lead to temptation" "...we guard ourselves from sin by keeping far away from the circumstances that lead to it. This might include avoiding certain situations or activities that are not off-limits for Christians in general but that are known to lead us into temptation." Matt. 5:29, 30. Here are some examples I was thinking of when we might "feel strong" spiritually:

This is a really good idea! Because anytime we hit the little copy button for a paragraph on WOL and then paste it on Obsidian or any word document, the citation is always like this: *** w26 March p. 5 par. 10 *** So if you implement this citation format, that means in Obsidian --- ALL of our already copied sentences or paragraphs from WOL (and I have hundreds) will suddenly have a direct link!! That would be so very helpful

Yes it worked now!! Thanks This is a really good plugin you designed. Much appreciated

Thanks Eryk for deigning this! Can you give us some simple instructions for in(REF)ens to show how this plugin will automatically find references to our publications? For example, I already have many notes that have a copy of a paragraph from an article and it has the citation, like this: But after I installed in(REF)ens I then attempted to see how this plugin would find the reference, but I could not see how to do it?? Thanks for your help

Hi Brother Lewis, There have been many brothers/sisters who have deeply desired to Regular Pioneer like you. However for those who have no choice but to work full-time, then it takes much wisdom and modesty to know whether or not pioneering is possible. Jehovah is glad if we can serve full-time. But Jehovah is also glad if we cannot serve full-time but do what we can within our circumstances. However, Jehovah does not want us to serve him without modesty, being exhausted, too tired and with no joy. So if we try to pioneer full-time, but we have a full-time job, plus we have other important family responsibilities, would it be modest to pioneer? Would we have enough time and energy to do personal study, prepare well for all meetings, care for other responsibilities, etc? However, some who may have the circumstances and energy to work full-time and pioneer full-time can do what @Dages suggested above --- going out in the ministry in the evenings after work and on weekends. Here is another suggestion you could consider: Some who want to regular pioneer but need to work full time have tried this: Accepted the full-time job Applied to Auxiliary Pioneer to see if they could easily meet the hour requirements If it was easy to meet the Auxiliary requirements after many months, then apply to Regular Pioneer!!!

Good suggestion, thanks Richard!

So he wasn't positive for Covid after all?

Hi Everyone, Could use your help. Apparently many brothers/sisters got sick after a recent International Convention here in the U.S. I have a friend who is now very sick also. He said he has been sick the past few days and he has a terrible cough that won't go away. And that his lungs feel like they are on fire or at other times it feels like knives are in his chest! Could this be more than just a cold or flu? Could this be a strain of Covid? Has anyone heard about similar symptoms? Any advice, suggestions, to help this brother? Any advice/help is appreciated Thanks

Jeremy @computerwiz mentioned, Dr. Strange "... gets his powers from one of the infinity stones (at least that's what was explained to me). " Does anyone know if the "Infinity Stones" originate from some kind of "god" or gods? Or do the these stones involve any kind of sorcery, spiritism, etc?

Hi Tim, As I read your post, I thought of the many accounts/stories we have read about in the Bible or heard about in our modern day concerning various brothers/sisters going through very difficult trials. And it seems that some or many of them were able to find something "good" in the disaster that had impacted their life. So is there any "good" that can be found for you in this disaster? Yes it seems so! Look at your words above in bold! There are a number of married couples today, who are living together, who have not been torn part like you and your wife. Yet, while you would give anything to be able to bring your wife back home, there are some who take their wife or spouse for granted. Why? Because they see each other everyday, so they may take their spouse for granted. All that some see in their spouse now is their everyday mistakes and flaws . And so as a sad result, some have even become sort of "tired" of their spouse. But look at you! Do your expressions above show a deeper warmth and strong yearning for your wife? Do your expressions show how you "see" more of your wife's wonderful qualities like you did when you first married her compared to those who are now tired of their spouse? We would never want a tragedy or disaster to strike any couple. But if a husband or wife who is inside such a "Tornado" like you, is now able to see their spouse in a much better light and to have their flame of love ignited even hotter, then to me, now you have found at least something "good" in this disaster

Did this Spider-man movie have any sorcery or "magic"? I ask because I never saw one of the most recent Spider-man movies with Dr.Strange, as I had heard that Dr.Strange practices sorcery/magic.

Hi Eryk, I was able to download conVERsum, thanks. However, I am not sure how this plugin works? I read the description that Bible references are turned into a unified concordance and indexes/links scriptures across my notes. But how? When I press on a scripture in my Obsidian notes, only "traVERture" appears showing the scripture. But where is the "concordance" or "links" to other scriptures for conVERsum? Sorry I am not understanding. But I appreciate your help, thanks

Hi Tim, It took a lot of humility and courage to finally admit there is some "hidden" anger inside you toward Jehovah. So I sent you a PM. Please let me know if you received it, thanks!

Hi Brother Eryk. Thanks for creating "con[VER]sum". Can you please make this an easy download from the "Community Downloads" in Obsidian?

Wow Sister Ross I think you expressed this perfectly about collecting!! That is how I feel. Throughout history people have enjoyed thrill of the "chase", the "seeking of gold", "archaeological digs finding items of historical significance", etc. But even today on a small scale, when finding something we enjoy collecting, it may not be gold, but whether it is a music CD or an old record, or the colorful feather of bird, or a well-designed bookmark, it is the "chase" and the "find" that can be very fun! (BTW - I have always liked the Bee Gees! )

This is what I was hoping for. To hear the variety of very interesting things our dear brothers/sisters collect! A Saxophone and Guitars from the 1970s & 60s I really like instruments, I just wish I could play them Various bookmarks, post cards,and fridge magnets I never thought about collecting Bookmarks. Good idea! Bird feather collection I love birds!! So finding different feathers of various colors would be fun to collect Judge Rutherford Rainbow books I also like collecting older literature from our organization. It is fun building a Theocratic library!

Are you a Collector/Hobbyist/investor? How did you start collecting? What are your favorite collectibles? What’s your favorite item you own, and why is it special to you? How do you usually find good deals—shops, shows, auctions, online marketplaces? I have a collection of sports cards and music CDs. I thought this topic might be fun! A chance to have some enjoyable discussions and walk down "memory lane" about various things we have collected over the years!

Why some of us are hesitant to recommend a specific mate is... - because unlike recommending a car or job - marriage is "sacred" and eternal in Jehovah's eyes - so we want to be very, very careful in overly influencing, motivating, pressuring a brother/sister toward another mate, even if they are seeking recommendations. However, we want to help our single sisters/brothers if they want/need. But rather than recommending a specific person as a marriage mate - we would try to recommend "qualities" - the good spiritual and loving qualities we have observed in someone - another single brother/sister we know well may have certain qualities our friend is seeking. - so since our friend has asked for our help, it would be a kindness to share our observations it is not carrying another person's "load" of responsibility to simply give some guidance and "recommend" qualities we observe in others. In the end, it is our friend who makes his/her own personal decision. Are there any Bible examples that can help with the question of whether it is right or wrong to give some help/guidance to singles ones who seek a mate? So a single brother/sister who is interested in finding a mate... - may have to "inquire" of others, like the article mentioned. - some single ones may need help from others in finding a mate because they find no one in their area - or some may need help, not just finding any mate, but a good spiritual person. - But what good would "inquiring" do if everyone "shut their door" to this single brother/sister? - What if no one was willing to share any "favorable comments" about the qualities they have observed in another person to help their friend find a potential mate? Yet, we still have to be very careful... - influencing or pressuring our friend to marry someone we know - our friend may view us like an "Uncle", "Big Brother", "Father Figure", "Big Sister", "Mother Figure" or we have a measure of authority in the congregation, and so any opinion, advice, recommendation we give to our friend, may have much more impact or influence on our friend's decisions than we could know! Even if we feel a certain sister or brother would be a "good match" - it is better if we are only recommending certain qualities we have seen. - that is different than recommending a specific person for our friend to enter into a sacred marriage with! So it is not "wrong" to help a single friend seeking help/guidance in finding a mate. However, as mentioned above, what will our recommendation be? - To motivate our friend to marry our cousin or some brother/sister we know in another congregation? - To try and quickly set up a "date", to be a "matchmaker"? - Or to ask our friend what qualities are important to him/her? - and to help them by sharing some good qualities we have observed in a "Ruth" or "Boaz"we know

Here are some other factors we could consider as Christians in evaluating whether or not Jehovah would approve of our entertainment choice of reading or watching the "The Odyssey" The "divinities" or gods in the the Odyssey (Info from Encyclopedia Britannica and Stanford University) The “divine” means the Greek immortals (gods/goddesses and other supernatural divine figures) who intervene in human lives—sometimes helping Odysseus, sometimes blocking him, and sometimes demanding punishment/revenge after wrongs. Athena — protector/strategic counselor; supports Odysseus and Telemachus Poseidon — sea god; Odysseus’s main divine antagonist (especially because of Polyphemus) Zeus — chief god; supreme authority; intervenes to allow Odysseus’s release and later sends storms after appeals Hermes — messenger/facilitator; helps in crisis situations (e.g., mediating for Odysseus’s release) Helios — sun god; avenges his cattle being harmed by sending catastrophic consequences (via Zeus’s storm) Ino (Leucothea) — a sea goddess/supernatural helper who rescues Odysseus at sea Other immortals/supernatural powers (important in the plot) Aeolus — “master of the winds” (a supernatural power who provides winds that are mishandled) Circe — enchantress/different divine-sorceress power who transforms men (clearly a supernatural “immortal-level” figure in the story) Calypso — nymph who keeps Odysseus captive for years; release is secured through divine intervention