David Normand

Very nice. I like that. Acronyms are much easier to remember.

I cannot read what his shirt says, but like so many opposes they are quick to criticize us, yet have nothing uplifting or meaningful to offer as an alternative. He shows by his use of a megaphone that he is not interested in what anybody else has to say, but is only interested in making sure that he is heard. 

Well, his shirt is accurate. (1 Timothy 4:8)  For bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come. Jogging is beneficial, but even that can only prolong life for so long. Godly devotion last forever and can preserve your life forever. 

What was that crazy guy saying? I did make out, "Read your Bible," a couple of times, but most of what he said was unintelligible to me. I would give the brother and sister high marks for maintaining their composure during the verbal onslaught. 

What was that crazy guy saying? I did make out, "Read your Bible," a couple of times, but most of what he said was unintelligible to me. I would give the brother and sister high marks for maintaining their composure during the verbal onslaught. 

Very nice. I like that. Acronyms are much easier to remember.

Very nice. I like that. Acronyms are much easier to remember.

What was that crazy guy saying? I did make out, "Read your Bible," a couple of times, but most of what he said was unintelligible to me. I would give the brother and sister high marks for maintaining their composure during the verbal onslaught. 

What was that crazy guy saying? I did make out, "Read your Bible," a couple of times, but most of what he said was unintelligible to me. I would give the brother and sister high marks for maintaining their composure during the verbal onslaught. 

Perhaps he will continue jogging.
It's hard to fight a megaphone. But sometimes it works against them. People say 'why is he making trouble for the Jehovah's? They're nice people.'

Well, his shirt is accurate. (1 Timothy 4:8)  For bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come. Jogging is beneficial, but even that can only prolong life for so long. Godly devotion last forever and can preserve your life forever. 

One of satan's tactics is to frame mischief by law and in Russia they do it exceedingly well. Of course, the pleasant thought here is this is the only thing they can be guilty of. There is no question of their honesty, moral uprightness, or any other quality. All they can find against them is their worship of Jehovah just like Daniel of old.

One of satan's tactics is to frame mischief by law and in Russia they do it exceedingly well. Of course, the pleasant thought here is this is the only thing they can be guilty of. There is no question of their honesty, moral uprightness, or any other quality. All they can find against them is their worship of Jehovah just like Daniel of old.

One of satan's tactics is to frame mischief by law and in Russia they do it exceedingly well. Of course, the pleasant thought here is this is the only thing they can be guilty of. There is no question of their honesty, moral uprightness, or any other quality. All they can find against them is their worship of Jehovah just like Daniel of old.

While this information is encouraging, we need to remember the admonishment from the faithful and discrete slave regarding posting public talks for public consumption.
 *** km 4/10 p. 3 Question Box ***
Question Box
▪ Should Jehovah’s Witnesses circulate recordings or transcripts of talks?
We are strengthened and encouraged by Bible discourses. (Acts 15:32) Therefore, it is natural to want to share such encouraging information with those who were not present. With the advent of various recording devices, a talk can be recorded and distributed to others at a moment’s notice. Some have maintained a collection of recorded talks, including talks that were given many years ago, and with good motive they lend these talks or reproduce them for friends. Others have created Web sites and posted talks there for anyone to download.
Understandably, there is no objection if we record talks for personal use or for members of our family. In addition, elders may arrange for talks to be recorded for infirm members of the congregation who are unable to attend the meetings. However, there are good reasons for us not to circulate transcripts or recordings of talks.
Because talks are often delivered with local needs in mind, we could easily misconstrue points from a circulated recording, since we would not be aware of the setting in which the talk was given. In addition, it would be difficult for us to verify who gave the talk and when, so that we can have confidence that the information presented is up-to-date and accurate. (Luke 1:1-4) Further, circulating transcripts or recordings of talks might tempt some to give or accept undue attention and honor.—1 Cor. 3:5-7.
The faithful and discreet slave works hard to provide spiritual food in the right “measure” and at “the proper time.” (Luke 12:42) This includes the arrangement for talks to be given at local congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses and audio recordings that can be downloaded from the official jw.org Web site. We can be confident that the faithful and discreet slave and its Governing Body will provide what we need in order to be made firm in the faith.—Acts 16:4, 5.
In addition to the above, unless the talk is a manuscript that is read word-for-word there is the possibility that the information given is incorrect. How so, many brothers add personal examples or may misapply some of the given information due to their own misunderstanding. Imagine the harm that can be caused by misinformation being posted in the name of Jehovah.
Just my two cents worth.
Cheers my friends.
 

I cannot read what his shirt says, but like so many opposes they are quick to criticize us, yet have nothing uplifting or meaningful to offer as an alternative. He shows by his use of a megaphone that he is not interested in what anybody else has to say, but is only interested in making sure that he is heard. 

Very misleading title for the article. Poor word choice in this day and age. Might be better described as young ones doing their part to help spread the Kingdom message.

 

Very misleading title for the article. Poor word choice in this day and age. Might be better described as young ones doing their part to help spread the Kingdom message.

 

Sadly, most people do not want to hear such things. At one place I worked, one of my coworkers was so upset when the topic came up that she stated that she would punch anybody in the face if they told her young children the truth about christmas and ruined it for them. 
Some years later I was speaking with a close relative about it and she acknowledged that Jesus was not born on December 25th. Her comment was, "Sonny boy, nobody really believes that Jesus was born on December 25th." I had to tell her that contrary to her belief, I have met many individuals over the years who were adamant the Jesus was born on that day. People with college educations who were supposedly taught to use their reasoning ability were just as easily mislead as anybody else. So is the power of satan in this world where lies are paraded as truth.

8 “And it must occur on the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice that I will give attention to the princes, and to the sons of the king, and to all those wearing foreign attire."
 9 "And I will give attention to everyone that is climbing upon the platform in that day, those who are filling the house of their masters with violence and deception."
( Zep.1:8,9)
What Is Wrong With Christmas Customs?
Christmas has long been described as a traditional Christian festival to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many of the customs used in this celebration, however, make us wonder how they came to be associated with Jesus’ birth in the first place.
For one thing, there is the myth of Santa Claus. The modern-day jolly, white-bearded, rosy-cheeked, red-suited Santa is known to have been a successful Christmas advertisement created for a North American beverage company in 1931. During the 1950’s, some Brazilians tried to replace Santa Claus with a native legendary figure—Grandpa Indian. The result? 
Santa Claus not only defeated Grandpa Indian but even “defeated the child Jesus and became the official representative of the feast of December 25,” says Professor Carlos E. Fantinati. But are myths such as Santa Claus the only problem with Christmas? For the answer, let us go back to early Christianity.
“During the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus,” states the Encyclopedia Britannica. Why? 
Christians viewed birthday celebrations as a pagan custom, something to be avoided altogether. In fact, no mention of the date of Jesus’ birth can be found in the Bible.
In the fourth century C.E., despite the stand taken by the early Christians against the custom of celebrating birthdays, the Catholic Church instituted Christmas. The church wanted to strengthen its position by removing one of the main obstacles in its way—the popularity of the pagan Roman religions and their winter solstice festivals. Each year, from December 17 through January 1, “most Romans feasted, gamed, reveled, paraded, and joined in other festivities as they paid homage to their deities,” says Christmas in America, by Penne L. Restad. And on December 25, the Romans celebrated the birth of the Invincible Sun. Instituting Christmas on that day, the church cajoled many Romans into celebrating the birth of Jesus instead of the birth of the sun. Romans “were still able to enjoy the trappings of these midwinter festivals,” says Santa Claus, a Biography, by Gerry Bowler. In reality, they “continued to mark the new days with old ways.”
Clearly, then, the main problem with Christmas celebrations lies in their unsavory origins. In his book The Battle for Christmas, Stephen Nissenbaum refers to Christmas as “nothing but a pagan festival covered with a Christian veneer.” Christmas, therefore, dishonors God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Is this just a trivial matter? The Bible asks: “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) 
Like the trunk of a tree that has grown crooked, Christmas is so twisted that it “cannot be made straight.”—Ecclesiastes 1:15.

Very misleading title for the article. Poor word choice in this day and age. Might be better described as young ones doing their part to help spread the Kingdom message.

 

Child Labor is a rather emotive term in this day and age don't you think??
What we are seeing is an example of Ps.148:12-13 or Matt.21:15

Last Sunday for us. I am not sure what congregation you attend if that is not happening for you.
Really, the contributions for the Worldwide work are managed by Jehovah's organisation with due attention given to relief measures where needed. And I read many reports regarding specific JW relief measures taking place in many parts of the world, in the international press, on jw.org, and even on this forum. The web page linked below is a good place to start if you want some detail.
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/assist-with-disaster-relief/

@Diakonos
I visited the Warwick property in the early summer, and I visited (and stayed at) the Patterson facilities two years ago. Warwick was still in a kind of torn up mess, and it was rainy/muddy, so it was hard to call it luxury at the time. Patterson, however, is gorgeous! I love the property, and I think it leaves a pretty good impression in the surrounding neighborhood. It both blends with and improves on the landscape. 
If all of it had been for the purpose of building up new buildings to live and work in "luxury" this might have been more questionable, but I think the point was to make a beautiful and comfortable environment for the working brothers and sisters, and also visitors and those who stay for training or temporary assignments. I believe that the basic idea is to create something that is practical but also gives "homage" to the goals of the earthly hope. It was rather incongruous to run a worldwide religious organization from an upscale urban neighborhood when that organization emphasizes the idealized pastoral setting as an eternal goal. A setting that emphasizes the beauties of Jehovah's earthly creation is more appropriate than factories in the shadow of the Manhattan skyline. (Although I think that can be beautiful in its own way, too, and I loved my 10th floor corner apartment in the Towers Hotel.)
So I have no complaint about the appearance of "luxury," as long as the costs were kept down as low as possible by volunteer labor and volunteer donations. Quality workmanship, quality design, and constant maintenance and cleaning sometimes gives the appearance of luxury when that isn't the real goal. Also, a lot of the cost and expenditures of these new buildings was based on the anticipated sell-off of prime Brooklyn real estate, and could have been, in effect, zero cost.
I can defend it in another way, too, where I see the Organization as a practical business that operates efficiently in the world through its ability to gain economies of scale in purchasing power, and gaining respectability from governments as a legal and business entity through its size and appearance and "clout." In the world, this kind of respect is gained through sheer size, expenditures, purchasing arrangements, lawyers, property, etc.
(Luke 16:8,9) And his master commended the steward, though unrighteous, because he acted with practical wisdom; for the sons of this system of things are wiser in a practical way toward their own generation than the sons of the light are . . . 9 “Also, I say to you: Make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous riches. . . ."
So, it's not that I think any of this building activity is "necessary" in a Christian sense (the stones could cry out) but it is sometimes "wiser in a practical way" to use unrighteous riches in ways that will not always get all of these funds out to the poor.
(Matthew 26:8-11) 8 On seeing this, the disciples became indignant and said: “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a great deal of money and given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them: “Why do you try to make trouble for the woman? She did a fine deed toward me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
I'm not one of those people who confuses the Governing Body with Jesus himself, although I've met and conversed with some who apparently do make that mistake, and you might even meet one or two of them here on this forum. The reason I bring up the verse just quoted isn't to tie it to Matthew 25:40 (‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’) It's to point out that "voluntary" giving can go to whatever projects we "volunteer" to give it to. If we volunteer it to a building project during the time that we are aware of what's going on in Warwick, we know that's where it's going. Not even Ananias would have been judged for how he contributed his money, or how much he held back from contributing:
(Acts 5:4) 4 As long as it remained with you, did it not remain yours? And after it was sold, was it not in your control?. . .
Most who are giving at this time actually want to see it used for something "almost luxurious" or jewel-like in Warwick or at various other current Branch projects in the UK, etc.
Beyond these points just made however, I have also been disappointed that there have not been more opportunities for voluntary giving to specific areas where there is hardship that needs to be alleviated. There are places where Witnesses are undergoing extreme hardship, suffering, hunger, relocation, exile, etc., and I don't like to learn how bad it was a year later in the Yearbook. There are many things we can do locally with our funds and resources, or when we travel to "third world" lands and donate directly, but we also know that an international religious society could organize this more efficiently and find ways to directly provide what's needed to the right people. (The WTS often does this, too.) If too much is given for one relief project, then what's remaining can go to the next, and less is wasted. Rather than 1,000 haphazard donations which can be hit and miss and overlapping, each relief effort can be turned into a project that efficiently cares for everyone in need (and especially those related to us in the faith, so I don't think there is anything wrong with a focus on just JWs first, if the money came from JW donations).
(Galatians 6:10) 10 So, then, as long as we have the opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.
I agree with the sentiment that the primary "good works" that most early Christians were involved in referred to charitable works not spriitual work. It was fine and appropriate for a specific small group to be more concerned with "doctrine" than the work of "waiting on tables."
(Acts 6:2-4) 2 So the Twelve called the multitude of the disciples together and said: “It is not right for us to leave the word of God to distribute food to tables. 3 So, brothers, select for yourselves seven reputable men from among you, full of spirit and wisdom, that we may appoint them over this necessary matter; 4 but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The work of the ministerial servants here was the physical distribution of charity, and therefore the reason we do not forsake meetings is so that we can all know where to participate in the needed "good works" of charity.
(Hebrews 10:24, 25) 24 And let us consider one another so as to incite to love and fine works, 25 not forsaking our meeting together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you see the day drawing near.
Those taking the lead in the congregational context, the ones we "obey," are the ones who help us to prioritize and coordinate charitable relief efforts helping us to make the most of our "gifts" and our "ministry." We do better when we work together and encourage one another in this way. Our spirituality, our very religion, should be defined by love and fine works. Those "fine works" include ministering to the sick, the hungry, those who lack sufficient clothing. Naturally, not all the ministries are about charitable relief, but these are the most important ones for most of us:
(James 1:27) The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.
 

Sad that the police have nothing better to do. It is the same everywhere to lesser or greater degrees. People complain the police have to respond. Some people are not content to leave people alone, but are determined to make trouble for anybody who thinks differently.