2023 Governing Body Update #8 / BEARDS!!!

[Percy]

2 hours ago, kejedo said:

a sister came by yesterday, She has a Bible student, elderly like us

who is starting her study on the subject of angels. I have a BS who is going on Chapter 4, enjoy life, after a review of Chapter 3. N o questions about beards, yet. Thankful to Jehovah for the blessings that have seen us all through the past few years.

At our meeting last night there are 2 'bearding' brothers to start it off so far. One of them said he was in Spain some years ago and they had a large number of brothers with beards so not an issue there, according to him.

[Pabo]

On 12/19/2023 at 10:51 PM, Pabo said:

 

I am a householder this week for a brother, however he is going to do his demo via Zoom due to an injury he had sustained and he cannot be physically at the KH. Thus I will be using a laptop at the KH in the spare room to be his householder. So we are thinking we are going to use the beard feature on Zoom so the congregation can be accustomed to some brothers having a beard.

 

At the MWM, as I was on sound desk dities for that night, I had the laptop setup in the backroom connected to Zoom for the meeting, but with the camera off. Just before we were to do our part, the other brother SMS to see if I was on as I just had "Hall" as the connection name. But as I turned the camera on, he saw the Zoom beard I was wearing and by the look on his face he tried not to laugh and sent another text "haha that beard". This brother had a 3 day growth himself but not really that distinguishable on camera, but my Zoom beard very noticeable. 

 

To set the scene, when we have brothers and sisters doing their parts from Zoom, we have the stage monitors act as when he person is speaking on Zoom, it is that person's camera is activated amd displayed on the stage monitors. If another person spoke, then their camera view will display up the stage monitors. Thus, whoever is the dominating speaker, it is their camera that is displayed on the stage monitors. We just do not "pin" just one person to the second screen, just display the main brother/sister who is the one witness at the door. We just let Zoom alternate between those doing the presentation. This will give you an idea of what displays on our stage monitors. However, I had purposely my microphone to be just more sensitive so Zoom will react quicker to my voice as my answers were very generally brief.

 

So when the chairman announced our part, the brother started off with his introductionary greeting. When it was mine turn to speak, when my face appeared on the monitors, I could just hear some in the congregation started to chuckle. The brother spoke his next line which the stage monitors would have shown his face, when I did my next line, I could hear the congregation just started laughing.

 

We just carried on with our part as nothing had happened. With each time my face would appear, I could hear a slight rise in noise from the main auditorium. When we had finished our part, the chairman acted as nothing unusual had happened and did his counselling on the point that was assigned. Then the meeting continued on as normal.

 

However, as the chairman was to introduce the CBS conductor up to stage, he announced that it was going to be shortened due to some announcements that were to be read out later, and mentioned that most would have seen the GB update and as some brothers had already demostrated of what we were not to be judging. The chairman's wife was sitting on the back row turned and looked at me with her rubbing her chin with her fingers as if she had a beard and she had the biggest smile on her face.

 

After the meeting, an elders wife came up to be and just started laughing and said that when as she saw my face, she starting to giggle amd when she saw it a second time, she looked at her husband and they both started to laughing. She couldn't control herself and was about to go into the spare room but then realised I was there. So she had to go out to the foyer to try and recompose herself. She had tears in her eyes from all the laughing she had.

 

Another elder came up to me and said that beard made me more distinguishable and he liked it looked on me. A brother who was on mic duty came up to hand me the mic to store away said, "Here you go Colonel Sanders".

 

There was discussions with a few after the meeting. Why have they changed their stance, and why in some places some brother were allowed to have beards etc. So I put forth my suggestion, "The reason why the GB wanted to allow beards back is so that they can grow their beards. When time comes when they are taken to heaven, they know what it is like to have one before they get distracted by getting used to having one before they assist Jesus in bringing this system to an end". Then there was a pause for minute and the elder was the chairman pipped in and said, "Now that raises a whole new set of questions now. What about those anointed sisters? Can they now have a beard too?" At that we just all started laughing.

 

My wife related to me on the way home on the congregation's reactions during my part as I couldn't them myself. She said that it had everyone laughing, but one sister who said that she was distracted by the information that was being conveyed, just like how now we here are discussing whether angels actually do have a beard or not on this topic.

[Dolce vita]

I had the meeting this evening. In my assembly only one elder whose hair is happy to grow quickly has a 6-day beard. The others kept a pink or matte cheek, clean-shaven. Perhaps with time or the razor strike...

[Kwabena]

You know what would be nice? Create a new topic about angels so that we can use this one for the beard. C'est simple!

 

 

What you are talking about is very interesting but it seems to be covering our actual convo about beards like the way a beard covers the chin 😁

[Tsheppar]

I was super polite. But im not gonna be now. Take that stinking talk about spirits to another thread ! you guys have totally hijacked this thread . And quit saying  this is the last thing your gonna say about it and then add another two cents....And im super interested in what yall are talking about - But Lord Baby Jesus - Enough is enough. 

 

Moving on.

 

Sooooo , I got a lot of texts today from people at their meetings that a LOT of beards are being grown in neighboring halls. 

[Tsheppar]

Whats interesting is that to grow a beard , you have to go thru an ugly stage. Any of you brothers out there thinking that this just isn't working. Give it at least a little time. It reminds me of when I was a teenager, my nose and eyebrows grew huge. No girl would remotely even consider me as interesting. But as time went on , my face got fatter and the nose though still big was not quite as huge. And the giant eyebrow looked a tad better on a bigger face. Point is...it takes time to grow into things. Same with a beard. You may have a teenager on you chin. Let the poor little fella mature some. 

 

And If you guys go back to spirits in heaven  with beards talk .....So help me lord . may your beards not grow. 😂

[Tortuga]

28 minutes ago, Tsheppar said:

So help me lord . may your beards not grow. 😂

[Cruzer]

 

Which of the following would be considered acceptable to wear? Years ago, before being a baptized witness, I had what looks like the extended goatee pictured in the attached image.

 

[Eejay]

1 hour ago, jayrtom said:

israelits wore piercings on the nose and today that's not a good thing for a christian

Still a personal matter.

[Eejay]

We have a number of bearded, bald-headed ones. I supposen there is a precedent: 2Kings 2:23.

But it raises a question, Can beards go bald?

Edited December 22, 2023 by Eejay

[Jwanon]

Some sisters are apparently permitted to wear a nose ring

 

https://jwtalk.net/topic/54566-can-a-sister-wear-a-bindi/#comment-922142

[TheKid23]

It just took me ages to catch up on this thread and only about 2% of it was actually on the right topic🙄😂

[ChrisC]

I’m anticipating some less-young brothers growing a beard, realising it is grey and makes them look older, trying to dye it for a while, then giving up and shaving it off!

(Happened to me a while back.)

[Esined]

I think it was really cool that for the update they put together a whole video about the history of beards and how they grounded it in scriptural reasoning. They did it with both respect and a sense of humor. Like, it's not just about beards, it's about recognizing change and maintaining unity among Jehovah's people through change so that "we may be completely united in the same mind and in the same line of thought." (1 Cor 1:10) How do you get thousands of congregations and 8M+ people from every imaginable culture and background on the same page as we adjust to changes in the world around us?

 

It's amazing how the GB has been able to use JW Broadcasting to promote more unity while getting Jehovah's people through a period of so much difficult change in the world around us AND so much positive change in the organization. I see an emphasis on being less dogmatic about things that are less important while being stronger in our faith and more compassionate, loving and aligned with Christian principles, not just when it comes to beards but through so many other things. This strengthens my faith. ❤️ 

 

 

[Brother_Bliss]

All 128 posts (good Lord!) about whether angels still retain their beards after dematerializing every other part of their body 🙄 has been split off into it's own thread here...

 

https://jwtalk.net/topic/56806-do-angels-have-beards-in-heaven-split-off-from-2023-gb-update-8/

 

[computerwiz]

20 hours ago, Pabo said:

After the meeting, an elders wife came up to be and just started laughing and said that when as she saw my face, she starting to giggle amd when she saw it a second time, she looked at her husband and they both started to laughing.

 

I guess that's going to be a common thing.  At least she didn't touch your face.  I had an "older" sister giggling and she couldn't help but touch my growing beard.  Without asking.  🙄 

 

[Hope]

2 hours ago, ChrisC said:

I’m anticipating some less-young brothers growing a beard, realising it is grey and makes them look older, trying to dye it for a while, then giving up and shaving it off!

(Happened to me a while back.)

Please... do not knock how handsome and "silver foxy" a grey beard can look if it's well-groomed 😍

 

 

[Friends just call me Ross]

Very true....

 

 

[Pabo]

3 hours ago, computerwiz said:

 

I guess that's going to be a common thing.  At least she didn't touch your face.  I had an "older" sister giggling and she couldn't help but touch my growing beard.  Without asking.  🙄 

 

 

My beard was a Zoom beard, not a natural beard.

[Tsheppar]

11 hours ago, computerwiz said:

had an "older" sister giggling and she couldn't help but touch my growing beard. 

SAME HERE ! Except it was a smooth face elder. He came up to me , pointed to my face ,  and said," Can I touch it" ? I said," Have at it" ....

 

 

 

 

And there we were - 

 

 

 

 

Back by the sound booth,  

 

One brother feeling the scrub whiskers of another.

 

 He said if I had a buzz cut he would rub my head as well. 

 

I thought , Ahhh Jehovahs spirit allowed to flow freely. I love it. 

 

PS. I do not judge him for being smooth faced. 🤭

Edited December 23, 2023 by Tsheppar

[Tsheppar]

The Current Stage of Whiskers -0- Rama ! 

 Im not a fan of posting myself online, but from my own hall , I see brothers dont understand they have to shape and trim. Ya gotta start early. At least I think so. 

I say ,  Begin trimming and shaping early my bretheren. Unless you are going for the  mountain man look. Which i do like at times by the way .. Then , ignore what I say ,  and just let 'er' run wild.😂 

[Percy]

1 hour ago, Tsheppar said:

The Current Stage of Whiskers -0- Rama ! 

I call it 'Bearding' instead of growing a beard. Really it just means you stop shaving as the beard is always growing and we have been stopping it by cutting it off regularly.

The early beards looked like this which are attractive though really needs the moustache, in my opinion:

[Floyd]

On 12/16/2023 at 6:59 AM, Floyd said:

I just want everybody to know I was right all along. 😉

 

Some people get it and some people don't.

[Lee49]

On 12/22/2023 at 1:07 PM, Hope said:

Please... do not knock how handsome and "silver foxy" a grey beard can look if it's well-groomed

That's it, I'm going for Connery look !   (👁 ͜ʖ👁)

[Hope]

33 minutes ago, Lee49 said:

That's it, I'm going for Connery look !   (👁 ͜ʖ👁)

Hear, hear! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽