Where's our patch?

[Doug]

Remember when we had the Tetragrammaton sticker in our car window, or as a piece of jewelry?  It was our way of connecting with one another. If you knew what those funny-looking letters were (and not to mention reading them right to left), then you were one of us, more or less.

 

Well, according to today's text - we are an army.  As such, shouldn't we have a patch for our sleeve?  I propose a patch that simply offers the following:  43:10. No more, no less.

 

Only one of Jehovah's servants would get it. As in Isaiah 43:10. "You are my witnesses".

 

My license plates are:  TV JW ORG.  That's an official California license plate.  I resisted the temptation to add my own dots. That could be deemed tampering with State property.  Nevertheless, wouldn't you agree any of the friends would 'get it'?

[Precision]

Personally I don't mind seeing the Tetragrammaton on stickers,  JW.org pins or brothers personalized plates .  We had a friendly reminder from the FDS WT article about that a few years ago.  

[Precision]

Sorry I didn't mean an article about JW.org pins... just the use of gods name on our cars and certain bumper stickers. I just cannot find the article.   

[Tortuga]

We use gang signs. Fold your little finger toward your palm so your thumb and first three fingers look like a JW and then shake it in front of your heart three times...

 

[Stormswift]

When I had just left school - I was baptized and looking forward to spending time in the Pioneer service, but I had to please my Father first who had paid for my courses and was not a Witness, so I agreed to work fulltime for a few years first and I was a receptionist of a large local factory.   Well one day, we had to call in an electrician and I remember seeing him up the ladder and I waved out to him and acknowledged him - as I do - and he got down from the ladder and came up to me and said - You are a Jehovah's Witness aren't you?

I said yes - How could you tell?  Well he said I'm a brother, I have just moved down from Auckland and I could tell by your kingdom smile - that you were a Jehovah's Witness. I will never forget that.

 

There is our badge - our beautiful Kingdom Smiles!

[tekmantwo]

1 hour ago, Precision said:

Sorry I didn't mean an article about JW.org pins... just the use of gods name on our cars and certain bumper stickers. I just cannot find the article.   

There was a letter to the B.O.E. about not using the 'official ' sign, it is copyrighted. 

 

My pins are round--

[Doug]

5 hours ago, Stormswift said:

When I had just left school - I was baptized and looking forward to spending time in the Pioneer service, but I had to please my Father first who had paid for my courses and was not a Witness, so I agreed to work fulltime for a few years first and I was a receptionist of a large local factory.   Well one day, we had to call in an electrician and I remember seeing him up the ladder and I waved out to him and acknowledged him - as I do - and he got down from the ladder and came up to me and said - You are a Jehovah's Witness aren't you?

I said yes - How could you tell?  Well he said I'm a brother, I have just moved down from Auckland and I could tell by your kingdom smile - that you were a Jehovah's Witness. I will never forget that.

 

There is our badge - our beautiful Kingdom Smiles!

That's a great experience, Stormswift. A real compliment.

My new trick is, when someone asks for my email, I tell them it's 'doug@jw.org' and wait for a reaction.  Is that what is meant by 'trolling'?

[Qapla]

As I remember, the thrust of the direction follows along the lines that, if we have an identifying decal, bumper stickers, window stickers, license plate(s) or other objects "displayed" to make it clear that our car belongs to a JW - we had better make sure we NEVER speed, change lanes without signaling, cut any one off, park illegally, leave a shopping cart in an empty space instead of the cart return when we shop, play our music loud, play the wrong type of music (whatever that is) or do anything else that may perceived as something that could, by any on-looker, bring reproach on Jehovah's name ... and our vehicle better be in "show room condition" at all times since a dirty, unkempt or otherwise unsavory looking car could also bring such reproach. Even one that is too old, too new, too cheap or too expensive could, by many in the world, bring such judgements.

 

Since my truck is a "work truck" and I have tools in the back, I would never use such on my vehicle - after all, have you ever tried to keep a shovel looking brand new all the time. especially when you use it almost every day?

Edited March 29, 2016 by Qapla

[Miss Bea]

I see so many things on vehicles. Decals, bumper stickers, plates, identifying them as Purple Heart reciepents, whatever. I just have a hard time putting anything regarding the truth where others put that stuff. 

And, it just might complicate our life. We talked to a man who was rude, mean, and the control he had over that dobie was scary. As we drove off, he went to his vehicle, a sheriffs rig. He showed hatred for us. They marked him as a DNC. And, I tell you, religion would not come up if he pulled me over. We try really hard to obey traffic laws. But, being imperfect...he pulled over one of our brothers, a former CHP. And ran a make on him. The brother, who knew the man asked why. The officer just said, "you never know". He pulled our brother over because of a tail light needing replaced.  

It shocked us. The law people are trying hard not to be what the media blasts them as, and does this to ones who come with bibles, (or devices) in their hand. Trying to make a better community. Not taking from the community, but giving to it. 

I am of the generation that put WT's in the window as we headed off to the convention. So, I know both sides. I think yay, then I think nay. Indecisive. 

[tekmantwo]

13 hours ago, Miss Bea said:

I am of the generation that put WT's in the window as we headed off to the convention. So, I know both sides. I think yay, then I think nay. Indecisive. 

I remember back in 1968 we had bumper stickers advertising the assembly we were going to.  We drove from Santa Ana down to San Diego,  about 2.5 hrs. I recall it being recommended we remove the stickers as there had been some problems reported. I'm thinking we put magazines in the back window on the way home,  just so we could wave at the other Witnesses we saw.

[Stormswift]

Yes ... I remember two years ago when we were assigned down to Dunedin for our Convention - I'm half way up the North Island, so most of us weren't familiar with the roads down there ... and there was this one car who almost caused an accident going the wrong way around a roundabout ... it turned out to be an older brother who had got confused. Now if we had had stickers on our cars it could have produced a bad witness. How many times have we accidentally done something wrong - I would be doubly embarrassed if I were carrying a jw.org emblem somewhere visible. 

 

 

[Old]

1 hour ago, tekmantwo said:

I remember back in 1968 we had bumper stickers advertising the assembly we were going to.  We drove from Santa Ana down to San Diego,  about 2.5 hrs. I recall it being recommended we remove the stickers as there had been some problems reported. I'm thinking we put magazines in the back window on the way home,  just so we could wave at the other Witnesses we saw.

In 1958 the Branch provided (for a contribution) bumper stickers, one to a car. Some brothers stuck them all over the back of their vehicles. It was fun seeing the others on the way to the convention. When we were getting close to NY there were so any we quit tooting the horn, just waved.

We weren't a very affluent group in those days. Few new cars, some rigs looked like they came out of the Grapes of Wrath, but they made it to tent city, bumper stickers and all.

The instructions were to stick them on the rear bumper, a point ignored by those with many bumper stickers. They got a lesson on obeying the slave. The adhesive pulled the paint right off.

[tekmantwo]

39 minutes ago, Old said:

The instructions were to stick them on the rear bumper, a point ignored by those with many bumper stickers. They got a lesson on obeying the slave. The adhesive pulled the paint right off.

I can see how that would happen.  Ours was on the chrome bumper but I  do remember that the glue was very effective,  it was a bit of a chore getting it all off....funny how I can remember that,  I was 14 at the time. I'm. ..older, now.lol.