I asked a guy why he wast attending fellowship with full glory of how I a better and he was wrong for not going.
He smiled at me and said "I have to wash my hair" and fluffed up his five or six left on his bald head.
I laughed out loud and admired him I truly did.
it had never ever crossed my mind of having a choice till that day.
He had never taken pfal just had some friends that did a fellowship, they always protrayed him as a lesser human you know not a real believer and as wise as us .....
but he was ok with not going he was not afraid of breaking the silent rules he smiled and he was happy.
oooh I wanted that for my life. a choice without guilt to wash my hair or go to fellowship. without feeling like crap, or coming up wth a excuse.
If you can't be honest with the people of twi, then maybe you could stand behind the innies that are witnessing and descreetly make goofy faces to the victims to scare them off. Or, maybe you can have some pre-printed info on the back of one of those twi witnessing cards to give to the people after they've been witnessed to by the innie saying, "I don't agree with The Way International, quick, run right to a computer and look up greasespotcafe.com on the internet!" RUN!
Tell them that you've exchanged emails with your pagan buddy Oakspear which makes you unworthy to speak the "rightly divided Word" due to contamination of some sort :D-->
Oakspear
"We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling"
Wayward, I don't have any good ideas for getting out of going, because I was married to a nazi-spouse who wouldn't DREAM of letting me stay home "just because". (And at that point we had mandatory witnessing at least 3-4 times a month! --headaches and sick kids only worked about every other month)
So, I just looked for ways to make the best of a bad situation once I was there. I would window-shop, and try perfumes, and play with the toys in the toy store and chat with folks but not bring up twi at all, and just basically try to have my own good time. Then I'd just report back that I had xx amount of contacts but no one was meek to hearing the Word.
Aside from the twice-a-year chewing out over not bringing anyone new to fellowship, it worked like a charm.
Why not just go witnessing! You might meet some meak people who want to hear the Word! There is nothing wrong with that is there? Jesus sent people out by twos didn't he? Well, that's what the Word say anyway.
Wow! I didn't really read these posts before I posted. Now I have read them. Did TWI really make witnessing mandatory? When I left because things were getting a litel bit crazy things werent like that at all. But two by two is what the Word says but you shouldnt have to go! Only if you want to go I think.
Sogwap that's great if Wayward wants to do it, but it's different if people are pressuring you to. Personally I've never been comfortable with people approaching me like that. Besides, it's not like were living in the times of Jesus, the Word is all over the place. Radio, TV, EVERYWHERE. If people want to hear it it's quite easy to seek it out.
BTW welcome!! :)-->
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
First cup of java is on me................then you gotta buy the next??????????????rounds :D-->
Your story really had impact and it took a lot of guts and heart to post. When I go to bed tonoght and fall asleep there will be no more thought of you in my mind
But when I wake on the morrow's day, you will be there and my thoughts for your healing & heart will be there too
OKAY- you all know my serious side so don't get yur' panties in a bunch when I suggest...
"Tell the BC your sleepin with the RC that night"
hahaaaa---they wouldn't have a clue what to say...could you imagine...
Anyhow, I didn't mind mall stuff to much...mostly I just shopped...FOR REAL...if I happened to talk to someone and IF I happened to get around to the bible....it was a miracle...ifn' my partner was a real religious zealot...I just shut-up and let them gab and I shopped....If you have one of those that will rat on you....well, tell them...you always believed it was more spiritual to shop and end up witnessing, than to witness and end up shopping.....WHICH I STILL THINK IS TRUE.
Sogwap it seems we were posting at the same time. I'm curious about the two by two thing. There must be a reason for it. I'm wondering if it isn't more appropriate for missionaries in a dangerous land. For protection? I don't know.
But it seems like the Jehovah's always witness like that. I get em at least once a year.
PS Napkinlady didn't your napkin used to fold?
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
I am pretty sure that it comes from when Jesus sent people out two at a time. which if it was good enough for Jesus it was good enough for people in TWI because its in the Word.
One time I went with a partner who was afraid to talk and I kept telling him that he was going to do the next one but then he wouldn't talk again. So I would talk and tell them about TWI. He kept chickening out. It was the fear I think. One time I told him that he was going to talk and I was going to keep my mouth shut no matter what. When the man answered his door and said can I help you, I kept my mouth shut but so did my partner. The man kept loking back and forth at us. I was kind of smiling but my partner was looking real scaird. Then the man said Well? What do you want? And I wanted to talk real bad because it was getting real weird but I didn't talk, and my partner was still looking real scared. Then the man finally said real loud, what do you want? Finally my partner began to speak and he went and blurted out, Do you live around here? The man was really laughing when he closed the door.
Maybe witnessing together is good so you can pray for eachother to not be so afraid. But it sounds like maybe it wasn't that way lately in TWI. It seems as if things in TWI got weird
Eaglehouse, I LOVE that idea. Since we have a website now I COULD say something like, "Check us out on the Internet. www.theway.org or just do a Google search for The Way International" wink wink wink .... the would get the idea and my partner would be none the wiser.
I've heard a rumor that there are door to door days planned too and I AM NOT going to go to those unless my spouse drags my a$$. They bit** about the Jehovah's Witnesses coming to their door, but they want us going to theirs? Come on!! Even TWI knows it's annoying as he**.
Oak, I'd gladly tell them I've corresponded with you and have a few questions based on the research you and I have shared, but I'm afraid they'd treat me like they are Hopper and keep me around anyway, too. I DO still do quite a bit for them and they probably aren't too sure about my spouse and other family members' choice if they were to push the divorce and M&A route. Honestly, I do look forward to the day we can all get out of that horrible organization.
Good points about the "by their works". How DO you combat that with a TWI-brain? Any ideas?
Sogwap: There's nothing wrong with having fear. Fear keeps you from doing foolish things. In that case I would say he probably felt uncomfortable and humiliated. I don't see going up to people and preaching The Word as being very effective. First thing they think is "religious weirdo." People have natural boundries that others need to respect. Regardless of the fact that someone may feel it is their Christian duty. Much of that is self serving anyway.
I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings but I get very aggrivated when people do that to me. At best it's annoying.
btw: You're friend asking "do you live around here?" is very funny. :)-->
Wayward: Good luck to you! I really mean it. I don't know if you can combat a set mentality. I know this cause several years ago I had a bad one myself.
The best thing I did was walk away and let the fog lift, then I could start seeing a little clearer. But as long as people keep feeding into there own little mindset, and have a group to back up there thinking..well...there's really not much you can do..except pray. --> Don't you hate it when people tell you to do that? It sounds like such a copout!
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
[This message was edited by RottieGrrrl on January 31, 2003 at 6:51.]
I see from your profile you left twi in '88 and mostly had a good experience. You'll find things changed DRASTICALLY in the '90s. Spend plenty of time reading through the older threads, or if you want the quick version, feel free to email me: dobbyisfree@hotmail.com
Yeah Oaksper that was really wierd! He just kept standing there and not saying anything for a long time and it was obvious that I wanted to but he swore justbefore that that he would talk so I just let the silence go on. We both laughed real hard when we walked away though with me going bok bok bok like a chicken. We had tears rolling down are eyes! I wonder if that guy looked at us out his window?
But he must have been real scaird and that's not good either but he talked more and more after that. I know one girl though who got door to door witnessed to who had been living in her apartment with the lights out because because her electricity had been shut off and she had been real depresed because of no money and a divorce and when a WOW came to her door she only opened it a crack and there was this smiley person with something good to tell her about God and the light of His Word and she eventually let him in (it was just one witnesser that time maybe thats better?) and she let him talk and she believed the Word of God that he spoke and he prayed for her too. When I met her she was one of the funniest freest people I knew in TWI. So it helped her a lot, the door to door thing. I used to say when I did it, heard anything about God lately that made sense? Mostly they said no so then I told them what I knew. I got invited in alot. I liked going alone though. Whats wierd to me is that you all are saying tht TWI is making them go by twos? Nobody used tomake us go when I was in.
Sogwap why did your friend go then? Is this something he wanted to do, and overcome his fear of witnessing door to door? I don't know if any religious group can make someone go,(well, maybe some, if you want to be a part of the group) but it is a peer pressure thing. ie: it's your Christian duty etc.
Some people do have a knack for that sort of thing. But it's done in such a way that you don't feel so pressured or put on the spot. But that I think is a rare gift.
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
Well that was what our Twig was doing that night so we went. We just thought it would be good to tell more people about our Twig fellowhip because of the Word there and because of how lots of prayerswere answered there and because our fellowship with eachother was sweet and it fit with the Word to tell others. My friend might not of wanted to go and felt pressured to go but he didnt say that. When we went out the door togo he was happy enough. He coulda been real scaird for all I know but when it was done he didn't seem too hurt by it. I didnt tell the other people in the Twig though because maybe he would have been embarrassed. Later on down the road we talked about it because he brought it up and we all laughed again but it wasn't hurtful. We really loved eachother in that one. That Twig I mean.
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mj412
I truly recall this as a moment of deliverence.
I asked a guy why he wast attending fellowship with full glory of how I a better and he was wrong for not going.
He smiled at me and said "I have to wash my hair" and fluffed up his five or six left on his bald head.
I laughed out loud and admired him I truly did.
it had never ever crossed my mind of having a choice till that day.
He had never taken pfal just had some friends that did a fellowship, they always protrayed him as a lesser human you know not a real believer and as wise as us .....
but he was ok with not going he was not afraid of breaking the silent rules he smiled and he was happy.
oooh I wanted that for my life. a choice without guilt to wash my hair or go to fellowship. without feeling like crap, or coming up wth a excuse.
I got it.
hahaha
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Eaglehouse
Hey guys,
If you can't be honest with the people of twi, then maybe you could stand behind the innies that are witnessing and descreetly make goofy faces to the victims to scare them off. Or, maybe you can have some pre-printed info on the back of one of those twi witnessing cards to give to the people after they've been witnessed to by the innie saying, "I don't agree with The Way International, quick, run right to a computer and look up greasespotcafe.com on the internet!" RUN!
Kinda silly, but could be fun. EH
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Oakspear
Tell them that you've exchanged emails with your pagan buddy Oakspear which makes you unworthy to speak the "rightly divided Word" due to contamination of some sort
:D-->
Oakspear
"We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling"
Henri Poincare
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TheHighWay
Wayward, I don't have any good ideas for getting out of going, because I was married to a nazi-spouse who wouldn't DREAM of letting me stay home "just because". (And at that point we had mandatory witnessing at least 3-4 times a month! --headaches and sick kids only worked about every other month)
So, I just looked for ways to make the best of a bad situation once I was there. I would window-shop, and try perfumes, and play with the toys in the toy store and chat with folks but not bring up twi at all, and just basically try to have my own good time. Then I'd just report back that I had xx amount of contacts but no one was meek to hearing the Word.
Aside from the twice-a-year chewing out over not bringing anyone new to fellowship, it worked like a charm.
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Hopefull
"But I do not belieeeeve in your Jeeeeeezus".
Seriously my last few years in, there were so many scheduled witnessing events that it was easier to just go along with it than deal with the reproof.
When in Rome you're kinda choosing to do what the Romans do.
Good luck and please get out of twi.
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firebee
Sorry guys, I got the runs.....
-->
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Sogwap!
Why not just go witnessing! You might meet some meak people who want to hear the Word! There is nothing wrong with that is there? Jesus sent people out by twos didn't he? Well, that's what the Word say anyway.
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Sogwap!
Wow! I didn't really read these posts before I posted. Now I have read them. Did TWI really make witnessing mandatory? When I left because things were getting a litel bit crazy things werent like that at all. But two by two is what the Word says but you shouldnt have to go! Only if you want to go I think.
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RottieGrrrl
Sogwap that's great if Wayward wants to do it, but it's different if people are pressuring you to. Personally I've never been comfortable with people approaching me like that. Besides, it's not like were living in the times of Jesus, the Word is all over the place. Radio, TV, EVERYWHERE. If people want to hear it it's quite easy to seek it out.
BTW welcome!!
:)-->
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
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Watered Garden
What was this Rev's Scripture reference for they will know us by our works?
Lessee...The dog ate my Bible.
I'm developing symptoms of ___________ (fill in the blank with some loathsome disease.
God gave me revelation to stay home tonight (let's see how they argue with that one).
I'm getting my chest hair dyed and permed (if you're a guy with a hairy chest).
I have to floss my cocker spaniel's teeth.
I have to stay home and sew buttons on a bear's behind. Wanna come help?
Okay enough of this silliness. I just thought of another reason I'm so glad to be free of this mob of perverted weirdos. I hated witnessing nights.
So forced, so calculating. No love(which we indeed will be known by, IMOO.
Gack!
WG
Um...
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firebee
WG...............
welcome to the wacky world of GS Cafe.
First cup of java is on me................then you gotta buy the next??????????????rounds
:D-->
Your story really had impact and it took a lot of guts and heart to post. When I go to bed tonoght and fall asleep there will be no more thought of you in my mind
But when I wake on the morrow's day, you will be there and my thoughts for your healing & heart will be there too
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RottieGrrrl
Witnessing and having classes is what they consider works? Well..I guess in Wayland it is.
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
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washingtonweather
OKAY- you all know my serious side so don't get yur' panties in a bunch when I suggest...
"Tell the BC your sleepin with the RC that night"
hahaaaa---they wouldn't have a clue what to say...could you imagine...
Anyhow, I didn't mind mall stuff to much...mostly I just shopped...FOR REAL...if I happened to talk to someone and IF I happened to get around to the bible....it was a miracle...ifn' my partner was a real religious zealot...I just shut-up and let them gab and I shopped....If you have one of those that will rat on you....well, tell them...you always believed it was more spiritual to shop and end up witnessing, than to witness and end up shopping.....WHICH I STILL THINK IS TRUE.
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napkinlady
I want to go witnessing with Eaglehouse. I would pay money to see it!
Napkinlady
Fold TWI, Fold!
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RottieGrrrl
Sogwap it seems we were posting at the same time. I'm curious about the two by two thing. There must be a reason for it. I'm wondering if it isn't more appropriate for missionaries in a dangerous land. For protection? I don't know.
But it seems like the Jehovah's always witness like that. I get em at least once a year.
PS Napkinlady didn't your napkin used to fold?
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
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Sogwap!
I am pretty sure that it comes from when Jesus sent people out two at a time. which if it was good enough for Jesus it was good enough for people in TWI because its in the Word.
One time I went with a partner who was afraid to talk and I kept telling him that he was going to do the next one but then he wouldn't talk again. So I would talk and tell them about TWI. He kept chickening out. It was the fear I think. One time I told him that he was going to talk and I was going to keep my mouth shut no matter what. When the man answered his door and said can I help you, I kept my mouth shut but so did my partner. The man kept loking back and forth at us. I was kind of smiling but my partner was looking real scaird. Then the man said Well? What do you want? And I wanted to talk real bad because it was getting real weird but I didn't talk, and my partner was still looking real scared. Then the man finally said real loud, what do you want? Finally my partner began to speak and he went and blurted out, Do you live around here? The man was really laughing when he closed the door.
Maybe witnessing together is good so you can pray for eachother to not be so afraid. But it sounds like maybe it wasn't that way lately in TWI. It seems as if things in TWI got weird
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Oakspear
Sogwap:
That wasn't weird what you just described?
Oakspear
"We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling"
Henri Poincare
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WaywardWayfer
Eaglehouse, I LOVE that idea. Since we have a website now I COULD say something like, "Check us out on the Internet. www.theway.org or just do a Google search for The Way International" wink wink wink .... the would get the idea and my partner would be none the wiser.
I've heard a rumor that there are door to door days planned too and I AM NOT going to go to those unless my spouse drags my a$$. They bit** about the Jehovah's Witnesses coming to their door, but they want us going to theirs? Come on!! Even TWI knows it's annoying as he**.
Oak, I'd gladly tell them I've corresponded with you and have a few questions based on the research you and I have shared, but I'm afraid they'd treat me like they are Hopper and keep me around anyway, too. I DO still do quite a bit for them and they probably aren't too sure about my spouse and other family members' choice if they were to push the divorce and M&A route. Honestly, I do look forward to the day we can all get out of that horrible organization.
Good points about the "by their works". How DO you combat that with a TWI-brain? Any ideas?
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RottieGrrrl
Oak. lol.
:D-->
Sogwap: There's nothing wrong with having fear. Fear keeps you from doing foolish things. In that case I would say he probably felt uncomfortable and humiliated. I don't see going up to people and preaching The Word as being very effective. First thing they think is "religious weirdo." People have natural boundries that others need to respect. Regardless of the fact that someone may feel it is their Christian duty. Much of that is self serving anyway.
I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings but I get very aggrivated when people do that to me. At best it's annoying.
btw: You're friend asking "do you live around here?" is very funny.
:)-->
Wayward: Good luck to you! I really mean it. I don't know if you can combat a set mentality. I know this cause several years ago I had a bad one myself.
The best thing I did was walk away and let the fog lift, then I could start seeing a little clearer. But as long as people keep feeding into there own little mindset, and have a group to back up there thinking..well...there's really not much you can do..except pray.
--> Don't you hate it when people tell you to do that? It sounds like such a copout!
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
[This message was edited by RottieGrrrl on January 31, 2003 at 6:51.]
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TheHighWay
Sogwap,
I see from your profile you left twi in '88 and mostly had a good experience. You'll find things changed DRASTICALLY in the '90s. Spend plenty of time reading through the older threads, or if you want the quick version, feel free to email me: dobbyisfree@hotmail.com
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Sogwap!
Yeah Oaksper that was really wierd! He just kept standing there and not saying anything for a long time and it was obvious that I wanted to but he swore justbefore that that he would talk so I just let the silence go on. We both laughed real hard when we walked away though with me going bok bok bok like a chicken. We had tears rolling down are eyes! I wonder if that guy looked at us out his window?
But he must have been real scaird and that's not good either but he talked more and more after that. I know one girl though who got door to door witnessed to who had been living in her apartment with the lights out because because her electricity had been shut off and she had been real depresed because of no money and a divorce and when a WOW came to her door she only opened it a crack and there was this smiley person with something good to tell her about God and the light of His Word and she eventually let him in (it was just one witnesser that time maybe thats better?) and she let him talk and she believed the Word of God that he spoke and he prayed for her too. When I met her she was one of the funniest freest people I knew in TWI. So it helped her a lot, the door to door thing. I used to say when I did it, heard anything about God lately that made sense? Mostly they said no so then I told them what I knew. I got invited in alot. I liked going alone though. Whats wierd to me is that you all are saying tht TWI is making them go by twos? Nobody used tomake us go when I was in.
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RottieGrrrl
Sogwap why did your friend go then? Is this something he wanted to do, and overcome his fear of witnessing door to door? I don't know if any religious group can make someone go,(well, maybe some, if you want to be a part of the group) but it is a peer pressure thing. ie: it's your Christian duty etc.
Some people do have a knack for that sort of thing. But it's done in such a way that you don't feel so pressured or put on the spot. But that I think is a rare gift.
...It's hard to be humble when you own a Rottweiler...
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Sogwap!
Well that was what our Twig was doing that night so we went. We just thought it would be good to tell more people about our Twig fellowhip because of the Word there and because of how lots of prayerswere answered there and because our fellowship with eachother was sweet and it fit with the Word to tell others. My friend might not of wanted to go and felt pressured to go but he didnt say that. When we went out the door togo he was happy enough. He coulda been real scaird for all I know but when it was done he didn't seem too hurt by it. I didnt tell the other people in the Twig though because maybe he would have been embarrassed. Later on down the road we talked about it because he brought it up and we all laughed again but it wasn't hurtful. We really loved eachother in that one. That Twig I mean.
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Zixar
Top Ten Ways To NOT Be Asked Back For Witnessing Nights:
10: Point to random people in the Mall and scream "WITCH!!!"
9: Stand in the fountain and yell, "All right, who's going to Hell??? Chop chop! Time's a wastin'!"
8: Say "I just had a colostomy--will you help me change my bag?"
7: Don't bathe for a week.
6: When the Coordinator asks, say nothing and just stare at them. Put your "Manson lamps" on.
5: Show up with a shaved head and an orange toga. "Hare Wierwille! Hare, hare!"
4: When your coordinator is chatting a woman up, walk over and say, "Yes, the MOG will enjoy her ample breasts...send her to the harem!"
3: Put a sock on your hand and tell the coordinator you'd love to go, but he has to ask "Mr. Fletcher" NICELY.
2: If you and the coordinator are both male, tell him he looks "extremely moist", while licking your lips and winking.
And the Number 1 way is: [drum roll please....]
1: "The three of us don't want to go."
"THREE of you?"
"Yes," (cocking revolver) "Smith, Wesson, and ME!"
God bless!
Zix
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