Study Editions

[Tortuga]

9 minutes ago, Mike047 said:

Richard, you must explain IMHO, as I am not that well into acronyms

In My Humble Opinion.

[dove]

16 hours ago, dove said:

I vaguely remembered the reason they read the questions first was for the audience to look for the answer while the paragraph was being read. This article that was pointed out in paragraph 3. The way we do it now is an improvement.

 

imho. The organization is always trying different ways to do things. For example, I remember long ago that when a hh showed no interest in our message, we 'should not be so easily turned away because this may be their last chance to hear the message and their lives were at stake'. I remember a very zealous brother in our congregation that literally stuck his foot in the door when people tried to close it, thinking he was helping them by not being 'easily turned away'. Of course it's not the way we do things now, quite the opposite. There are many other examples of changes to our preaching and teaching methods over the decades, even our meetings and each one had a purpose that was not wrong, but learning what works. If Jehovah wants us to do it differently again, we will follow that direction. 

[Dages]

1 hour ago, Mike047 said:

So, changes in our study style have also been 'food at the proper time' but what about the Watchtower January 2024, with study articles for March 4 - April  7. It would appear that we may be reverting to the earlier style of study, as a text box is placed before the paragraph and not after it.

 

Could there be some reference to this in part two of the AGM, coming out in December?

December is Gilead. January is AM

[Landon1285]

17 hours ago, jwhess said:

In early times, we asked the question in the study and waited for the answers.  After several answers, the paragraph was read as a final summary and then we went on to the next paragraph. The assumption was....that you studied the article before you came to the meeting.  The reading was just to provide review and continuity for the rest of the article.

I would like this but with a twist of only reading the paragraphs that answer the review questions. Read Scriptures should always be the main focus. 

[Mike047]

If we are changing the study style, as the new format might suggest, the key scriptures are still key to the main points. The first article is preparing us for the 2024 memorial. 

[daydream]

5 hours ago, Mike047 said:

IMHO

In My Humble Opinion, Br. Mike

I too find it frustrating when I don't quite get some of the acronyms. 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Imagine

[SteveAus]

9 minutes ago, Imagine said:

In My Humble Opinion, Br. Mike

I too find it frustrating when I don't quite get some of the acronyms. 

Common acronyms used in text

[coolbrz731]

10 hours ago, Mike047 said:

Richard, you must explain IMHO, as I am not that well into acronyms

In My Honest Opinion

[truce]

3 hours ago, coolbrz731 said:

In My Honest Opinion

In my Haughty Opinion! (Or, High-minded, as the case may be!)

Edited November 27, 2023 by truce

[dove]

On 11/25/2023 at 7:14 PM, jwhess said:

In early times, we asked the question in the study and waited for the answers.  After several answers, the paragraph was read as a final summary and then we went on to the next paragraph. The assumption was....that you studied the article before you came to the meeting.  The reading was just to provide review and continuity for the rest of the article.

You said it so much better br. Hess

[Tortuga]

18 hours ago, Imagine said:

too find it frustrating when I don't quite get some of the acronyms

I learned a new one on this site several months ago.

TL;DR. It means, Too Long; Didn't Read.

Some of the comments posted here are very long and I usually just skip them. TL,DR sums it up well.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Tortuga

[htownmmm]

I start my study of the Watchtower on Monday(our meetings are Sunday & Wednesday):

 

a. I consider the theme, subheadings and read scriptures.

b. Thursday (Tuesday is for midweek mtng study), I look up the rest of the scriptures to see how they support the paragraphs.

c. Friday, read entire article, write down thoughts in my words

d. Saturday, listen to identify points I didn't read or slipped by me

e. Early Sunday morning highlight answers to the questions and secondary points being made.

 

This is not what others do, but what works for me. Fortunately, I'm now at a point where I only need to highlight 1 or 2 words for the answer. Looking at old issues,it's a wonder I could comment with the entirety of the paragraph being highlighted. 😅

 

[truce]

3 hours ago, htownmmm said:

I start my study of the Watchtower on Monday(our meetings are Sunday & Wednesday):

 

a. I consider the theme, subheadings and read scriptures.

b. Thursday (Tuesday is for midweek mtng study), I look up the rest of the scriptures to see how they support the paragraphs.

c. Friday, read entire article, write down thoughts in my words

d. Saturday, listen to identify points I didn't read or slipped by me

e. Early Sunday morning highlight answers to the questions and secondary points being made.

 

This is not what others do, but what works for me. Fortunately, I'm now at a point where I only need to highlight 1 or 2 words for the answer. Looking at old issues,it's a wonder I could comment with the entirety of the paragraph being highlighted. 😅

 

Thanks. That is such a thorough way to prepare. Glad it works for you. That's the most important thing. 

[Mike047]

Do you remember, way back now it seems, when we had a Group study meeting (usually for us Tuesdays), then we had the midweek meeting comprising the Theocratic Ministry School & Service Meeting, the we had the Sunday (usually) meeting of the public talk and Watchtower. Somehow we still managed to have family worship, even back then!

[Eejay]

2 hours ago, Mike047 said:

Somehow we still managed to have family worship, even back then!

 

Sadly though, many did not, including the families of appointed men. Even now it is still a topic for shepherding calls and an imprtant matter as the midweek meeting work makes clear  https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/202024246

[Doug]

2 hours ago, Mike047 said:

Do you remember, way back now it seems, when we had a Group study meeting (usually for us Tuesdays), then we had the midweek meeting comprising the Theocratic Ministry School & Service Meeting, the we had the Sunday (usually) meeting of the public talk and Watchtower. Somehow we still managed to have family worship, even back then!

 

Remember it very well.   I often said to myself on Book Study night, I go through the same effort and travel the same distance, for a one hour meeting as I do for the main meetings on Thursday & Sunday.   I thought the adjustment in 2009 was a great decision.

 

There's some buzz out there that there may be further consolidation?   If only to utilize the KH's better and keep the congregations smaller?

[Doug]

7 minutes ago, Eejay said:

 

Sadly though, many did not, including the families of appointed men. Even now it is still a topic for shepherding calls and an imprtant matter as the midweek meeting work makes clear  https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/202024246

 

I remember one elder would unplug his land-line phone during his family worship, so as not to be interrupted.   Someone felt it was wrong to do that.  Felt that he had an obligation to be accessible, even during family worship.    The old days  .   .  sigh  .   .    .

[truce]

19 hours ago, Doug said:

 

Remember it very well.   I often said to myself on Book Study night, I go through the same effort and travel the same distance, for a one hour meeting as I do for the main meetings on Thursday & Sunday.   I thought the adjustment in 2009 was a great decision.

 

There's some buzz out there that there may be further consolidation?   If only to utilize the KH's better and keep the congregations smaller?

Last paragraph 

[htownmmm]

Jehovah has helped us by consolidating the amount of times we meet. Sadly, our adversary has made sure to speed up the system to keep us busy, engaged, or distracted. It takes effort to study and takes desire to enjoy it. Thankfully, Jehovah will provide us with the strength we need to accomplish learning more about him, his purpose, and our place in it.