If Bethel Was in the East and Not the West

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

3 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

An amazing find. Do you know that stuff holds up virtually forever in the dessert on account of the dryness?

That probably works especially well for a mummified pecan pie..

... that was, by the way, an example of dry humor.

( Merriam-Webster: Definition of dessert. 1 : a usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal.)

 

We have two security guards at our Kingdom Hall ....one sits in a chair at the entrance to our large glass front door, and one sits in a chair at the opening to the main auditorium.

I refer to them as "Sheep victim No. 1", and "Sheep Victim No. 2".

And speaking of something that is NOT an example of pansy festooned  sheepness .... this report from near Fort Worth, Texas, about eight hours ago:

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Dateline Sunday, December 29, 2019

Texas church shooting: Gunman kills 2, 'heroic' parishioners take down shooter

By Travis Fedschun, Bradford Betz | Fox News

Police: At least two dead, one critically injured in Texas church shooting

Christina Coleman has the latest update on the deadly shooting at a Fort Worth church.

A gunman opened fire in a Texas church on Sunday, killing two people and injuring others before two "heroic" parishioners shot and killed him at the scene, police said.

The shooting unfolded around 10 a.m. at the West Freeway Church of Christ, in the city of White Settlement, just outside Fort Worth, police said.

"It's all very tragic," Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Mike Drivdahl told reporters.

An FBI agent standing outside West Freeway Church of Christ after the shooting Sunday in White Settlement, Texas.

White Settlement Police Chief J.P. Bevering told reporters Sunday afternoon that the gunman entered the church and sat down with the parishioners. He then got up, pulled out a shotgun, and shot two parishioners who died at a nearby hospital.

Two armed parishioners who were volunteer security guards returned fire and killed the gunman.

"The suspect was stopped thanks to the quick and heroic actions of those safety members inside the church," Bevering said.

Separately, two people who suffered minor injuries were treated and released at the scene.

During a news conference later Sunday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick lauded the quick reactions of the church’s "well-trained" security team, calling their heroism "unparalleled."

He said, "This team responded quickly and within six seconds, the shooting was over."

He noted that the security team's quick response saved an "untold number of lives."

A large emergency response after a reported shooting at a church in White Settlement, Texas. (KTVT via NNS)

The victims ranged in age from 30 to 60 years old, according to MedStar, the ambulance service provider to Fort Worth and other cities in North Texas.

A witness to the shooting told KTVT the gunman walked up to a server with a shotgun during communion and opened fire before parishioners inside the church took him down.

Two people were killed in the shooting, first responders said. (KDFW)

“It was the most scariest thing. You feel like your life is flashing before you," Isabel Arreola told the television station. "I was so worried about my little one."

The church was apparently live streaming the service when the shooting took place, Fox 4 reported.

"Unfortunately, this country has seen so many of these that we've actually gotten used to it at this point. And it's tragic and it's a terrible situation, especially during the holiday season," Jeoff Williams, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at the news conference. "I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners who stopped short of just anything that you can even imagine, saved countless lives, and our hearts are going out to them and their families as well."

The shooting happened Sunday morning at the West Freeway Church of Christ, which is located in the city of White Settlement, Texas. (Fox News)

Images from the scene showed a massive emergency response. Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott called the shooting an "evil act of violence" at the church.

"Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life," the governor said in a statement. "Cecilia and I ask all Texans to join us in praying for the White Settlement community and for all those affected by this horrible tragedy."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted about the shooting, asking for prayers for "any victims and their families, this congregation, and the law enforcement officials at the scene."

Agents from the Dallas Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said they were responding to the scene of the reported shooting.

Local and federal law enforcement agencies were continuing to investigate the shooter's identity and motivation for the shooting. The identities of the deceased were not released.

White Settlement is located about eight miles west of Fort Worth.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[TrueTomHarley]

On 12/29/2019 at 1:53 PM, JW Insider said:

When I was talking to him last month, we talked about the current state of the Writing Department...He is still in contact with some of the writers from the old 1980's team. 

You know more people than me. It’s not fair—like when my brother beats me all the time in Scrabble. He does it by not playing fair.*

It wouldn’t have been on the watch of these guys, but a few years ago writers were driving me nuts with the overuse (so it seemed to me) of exclamation marks, as though they imagined one could take a dull sentence and make it an exciting one just by slapping an exclamation mark at the end. They don’t do that any more that I have noticed.

The full-length videos have vastly improved, imo. They won’t grab academy awards any time soon, but they head ever more in that direction. As an example that it was well to move on from, I think of the video where the prodigal leaves the family owned (carpentry!) business for the big job in the city that blows up in his face and the no-good “friend” he has made leaves him holding the bag after he smashes up the car. That video fulfilled every single Witness stereotype to the tee, but the new ones progressively get more realistic.

Then again, who’s to say? Life itself sometimes fulfills every Witness stereotype to the  tee. The person that became the public face for JW persecution in Russia—Dennis Christensen. Even his profession lines up with that of his Lord. Even his name does. What are the chances of that?

*I have gotten used to putting games on social media (I promise it won’t happen here again) and they have become favorites. Like:

“I Scrabbled! A brilliant Scrabble for a stunning come-from-behind WIN!!!! Except I didn’t. He beat me 337 to 335!

He had the Q, the Z, the X!! 

Oh, and did I mention he had the J?

How do you spell: “IDONTLIKEMYBROTHER!” ?

 

 

[JW Insider]

1 hour ago, TrueTomHarley said:

I Scrabbled!

I love Scrabble, and haven't played in literally about 5 years. And most of those were games on my iPhone/iPad. I splurged $5 for the app, but haven't even loaded it up again on my last couple of updated phones. I'm usually bored by board games, although my mother finds ones that she likes and sends them to my wife and me, and we feel obligated to play.

When I was at Bethel I played a few long-distance games by mail with a pioneer sister in another state who was obsessed with it. I came up with a post card version of the game by which cheating is required. Because otherwise the game takes too long. The rules require that you keep track of the same number of letters in the inventory, same 50 point bonus for 7, etc., but it's as if all the letters to choose are face up and the person who goes chooses whatever letters they like. So the person going first will always pick a word like QUETZAL, QUARTZY, SQUEEZY, etc. The one going second will try to use the K, J, X like JUKEBOX. Or some clever reuse of the existing word.  After that it's a good game of skill. You shouldn't even have to handicap the person who goes first. 

Anyone want to play? We don't need post cards any more!!!! because we could play the game on the forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TrueTomHarley]

7 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

Anyone want to play? We don't need post cards any more!!!! because we could play the game on the forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What?! I must think of God, and not of becoming “great in my own eyes” by beating your sorry rear end into the ground, as I undoubtedly would!    

Okay, this time here’s the emoji:  

[Anna]

Oh, I want to see this! TTH vs. JWI

 

On 12/29/2019 at 9:50 PM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter 

I know you can't wait to do this

[JW Insider]

17 minutes ago, Anna said:

Oh, I want to see this! TTH vs. JWI

Me too! Sounds like fun. Come to think of it, I'd play anyone. (hint hint) But I'm not implying I'd win. Besides, everyone gets to cheat. Maybe even find a website that will provide the best possible plays. So it might actually seem like two computers playing each other. In that case, the skill would be trying to keep limiting the other player defensively by strategically using up the letters and board space.

As an experiment I'd be happy to set up a manual game like this somewhere on the forum, to see if the idea can work.

[TrueTomHarley]

2 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

trying to keep limiting the other player defensively by strategically using up the letters and board space.

My [physical] brother is a master of defensive playing. He leaves nothing to build on.

Neither of us are stickers. I will sometimes go to the Scrabble dictionary to check on the spelling of a word. He will go there to check on its existence.

 

[Anna]

12 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

I'd play anyone. (hint hint)

Not me, too busy (studying 1914)

[TrueTomHarley]

Maybe Witness will play. Every other word will be ‘anointed’

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

38 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Maybe Witness will play. Every other word will be ‘anointed’

Not that Tom loves himself, no of course not. But he cannot resist a dig at others. 

[TrueTomHarley]

45 minutes ago, 4Jah2me said:

But he cannot resist a dig at others. 

It’s true. They do deserve it, though.

You certainly take enough shots at me

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

4 hours ago, Anna said:

On 12/29/2019 at 9:50 PM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter 

I know you can't wait to do this

... merely to cut down on the recidivism crime rate ....

Were I to be successful, the rate for that particular person, would be zero.

===========================================

From the Babylon Bee ... Dateline December 30 2019

" U.S.—The nation's media outlets announced they were grieving today as an armed citizen stopped a mass shooting.

"We grieve that this tragedy we could have exploited for weeks on end was stopped by a good guy with a gun," said one teary-eyed MSNBC reporter on the scene. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the shooter."

"We are absolutely heartbroken and in shock over here," said one New York Times journalist. "What could have given us weeks and weeks of frothing-at-the-mouth stories about gun control will now have to be suppressed since it does not align with our agenda."

News outlets also reminded the nation that they reserve the right to immediately bury mass shooting stories that don't help push their agenda.

Outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and ABC News confirmed that they carefully look over the facts of a given case to see if it lines up with the correct opinions before deciding to push it incessantly for weeks on end.

"While we usually would exploit a tragedy like this to push our gun control agenda, in this case, the facts don't really help us," said CNN reporter Bob Costanza, after a recent shooting was shut down by a citizen with a gun. "It's tragic that it ended that way, because we really could have gotten a lot of mileage out of that bad boy."

The media didn't even try to find children who were present during the shooting to parade around talk shows and put on the covers of magazines for a full year this time around."