James Thomas Rook Jr.

No one has ever accused me of being "Brother Watchtower".

1 hour ago, Shiwiii said:

On 1/2/2018 at 11:14 AM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

The Watchtower of January 19th is incredibly important in that regard ... for people of discernment.

This is wt talk at its finest. It poses the reader in the position of either you agree with the wt or you have no discernment. 

Shiwiii:

You got what I said completely backwards ... The people who have discernment are NOT the authors of the article .... It will be  the ones who read, and discern what is being said  "between the lines".

I am not one to believe ANYONE at face value, ... and I do recognize self-agrandisement fluffery when I see it.

I do not believe Jehovah's Witnesses are "The Only Game in Town", because the WT says so ... I believe it through process of elimination.

They (and 'we") ARE really the "Only Game in Town"

Deeply flawed ... arrogant... and clueless to the point of embarrassment about reality where the rubber meets the road ... naive to the point of absurdity ..... but the CORE Truths are available nowhere else .... at least since Sir Isaac Newton died about 400 years ago.

Jehovah is blessing his people... not BECAUSE of it's Leadership ... but in spite of it.

The article we will be studying this weekend is heavily nuanced in RESPONSE to the "elves getting uppity", and recognizing that Jehovah's Chariot, and the Circus Clown Car are not the same.... still not perfect... but getting better due to powerful OUTSIDE forces.

There is the expression ... "You do not fight a war with the Army you WANT .... you fight a war with the Army you HAVE."

And if you are a fan of the book "The Peter Principle", you know that in any society, Leadership gets elevated to the point it either becomes incompetent, or irrelevant.

Even Jesus and his parents had to flee to Egypt for awhile, during the "Crazy Years".

This is why people with experience, and discernment will recognize what is really going on in that WT article, as well as what is ostensibly being said.

The thought just occurred to me with

22 minutes ago, Arauna said:

Jehovah required 70 years by the time of their exile. The number 70 is mentioned too many times to ignore.  If Jehovah uses numbers so many times then he meant to have his 70 years…. Jehovah’s consistency of action based on his word is what gave Daniel trust in this words and he discerned that the end of the 70 years were close.

That the "official" designation of a "Generation", in Jehovah God's viewpoint ... IS 70 YEARS.

Hmmmm ...

... comments?

I still have a copy of "Defending" ... which guided me when I was faced with prison for refusing military service during the Vietnam War, when I was 18 years old.  I have no objection to any principles outlined in it ... at all.

Unfortunately, the "Truth" during the 60's was defined by principle, and refined by the fire of circumstance ... and the "Truth" we have today is defined by the Society's Lawyers, and Accountants .... even the "Blood" Issue ... crystal clear and unambiguous ... has been perverted by the accountants and lawyers so the SOCIETY WILL NOT BE SUED INTO OBLIVION.

As Dorothy said to her dog in the "Wizard of Oz" .... "we're not in Kansas, anymore, Toto".

I do not mind at all following Jehovah's Chariot ... but I do check the route and weather before following the Circus Clown Car.

On 10/29/2017 at 5:47 PM, Anna said:

That Dr. Jackson writes some flattering bios! At least Russell didn't write it himself. I am having to write my own bio and refer to myself in 3rd person, that's always awkward and weird....

Yeah, I know what you mean .... My Bio reads in part:  " .... Scoundrel for Hire, Royalty Abducted, Castles Plundered, Ugly Trolls Defended, --- No Brigandry too Small, No Fee too Outrageous. Flexible about interpreting the vagaries of Civilization, but has a sweet vulnerability for all Dogs, and most Turtles ..."

There is more ... but It would upset my digression .......

He apparently had two of the biggest leather watch bands I have EVER seen!

It is better to pray for endurance than strength ... otherwise you may wind up needing a shovel and a flashlight.

DATELINE JANUARY 10. 2018

WASHINGTON—In an attempt to ensure the federal benefit program is not taken advantage of, a new regulation announced Tuesday will require all organisms facing extinction to actively search for a new habitat in order to receive funding for their protection under the Endangered Species Act. “Effective immediately, America’s at-risk species must prove they are making an effort to find a different ecosystem to live in if they wish to obtain government assistance for their continued survival,” said Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, adding that endangered creatures such as the black-footed ferret and Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep should not be allowed to just sit back and live on public lands at taxpayer expense unless they agree to take steps to better their own situations. “An ‘endangered’ status isn’t a free pass, and it’s important we put forth policies that encourage a culture of personal responsibility among our nation’s plants and animals. We’re not doing the star cactus or the salt marsh harvest mouse any favors when we allow them to live on the government’s dime, which can create a disincentive for them to secure a place in another habitat and become self-sufficient.” At press time, the Department of the Interior announced further regulations capping the amount of time a species can remain on the endangered list at six months.

The Onion News

What is a Rooster"?

Certainly not a Duck, or a Bat.

... or even a Turkey.

IT'S A CHICKEN !

When people cannot stand the cold ... they move to Florida ..... when they cannot stand the heat, they move to Vermont. Turtles do the exact same thing.

It messes up your study you are getting paid to do ... but turtles have been around for many hundreds of millions of years, and during the Carboniferous Period, it was a LOT hotter than anything we have today, etc. .... FOR  MILLIONS OF YEARS.

I have seen beaches from an airplane where fish were stranded on the sand by the hundreds of millions .... mile after mile, after mile, rotting in the sun.

99% of all life that has EVER EXISTED on the Earth is now extinct.

..........................................................................................................................

STUFF HAPPENS

GET USED TO IT.

As the famous line in Jurassic Park, the Movie pointed out "Life finds a way".

and......

...sometimes it doesn't.

There are times to be soft ... and times to be hard .... times to fight gallantly

... times to die alone unnoticed.

It works the exact same way with physics and chemistry .... and astronomy.

At one time we thought an atom was indivisible ... hence the name ... but now we know even its parts have parts have parts.

at one time we thought there were canals on the planet Mars, and deep jungles on Venus.

... before that, the Earth was flat, and the center of the Universe.

At one time the rudimentary "Periodic Table of the Elements" only had  earth, water, air, and fire.

... and yes, people that did not believe these things were shunned, banished, and burned at the stake.

We learn from our mistakes .... sometimes.

The relentless search for the TRUTH always comes with mountains of innocent bodies as collateral damage.

 

... and just like the Sun ... the light DOES NOT grow brighter.  

Our Sun is a variable star, yes, but over a very long period of time ... but every morning it gets brighter BECAUSE obstructions are rotated out of the way.

... same with Theology.

The light was ALWAYS THERE!

It was HUMANS obscuring it.

Actually ... it's not the Sun coming up ... but the horizon going down..

Think about it !

At my age, I wonder about surviving until the end of next week.

I really need to work on being humble.

If I was humble, I would be almost perfect.

It seemed a "given" at the time ... that 5 of the animals brought onto the Ark in the category that required seven animals, would be food for the other animals.

7 minus 5 = 2.

This was before refrigeration, and Purina Lion and Tiger Chow.

The Kangaroos had to be especially healthy, to be able to hop and then swim all the way to Australia.

Noah's son was in charge of the check list, and checked off the Chickens , but forgot the Unicorns.

Well ... from the above picture it appears the Rooster IS SUPERVISING SOMETHING!

ka-ching!

But seriously folks .... could God make a rock so big EVEN HE could not lift it?

It is intellectual dishonesty to speculate to average people, many who do not know what the word speculate even means, and not make it crystal clear you are ONLY guessing. If you know they are simple, innocent people, and they have faith in you, and you do not make it crystal clear YOU ARE GUESSING ... THE INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY IS MORALLY REPUGNANT.

My best guess for the King of the North is Barack Obama, for no other reason that I don't like him, and LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE ON THIS PLANET ... I do not have the slightest clue who the King of the North Is.

It might even be Mukluk, the Eskimo Tsunami Surfer !

He had cards printed up "Mukluk - King of the North ".

The previous example was only a parody for illustrative purposes  -  do not try this at home.

.... do like I do... chew raw clams!

...not good for bubbles, though ...

Without getting into the logic and reasoning behind your detailed  explanation of "Which Came first, the Chicken or the Egg?', I would like to state as a side thought that the Chicken came first.

Chickens actually ... as it takes two to make a viable egg.

If you like to cringe and shudder at the new songbook changes ... here is one that will help out.

Every time I see our theology being adulterated by lawyers and accountants, it makes me cringe and shudder.

... be thankful dueling is no longer in fashion ....

38 minutes ago, allensmith28 said:

I know what's what when it comes to people hating me

I do not think ANYBODY hates you AllenSmitn (n) ... it's just that you are just too combustible, and trigger a "flight or fight" reflex. !

They are NOT going to flee, and they don't want to fight.

When conversation on the phone turns rabid, I have this button on my cell phone that avoids having to do either ...

As I was writing this someone called me wanting to sell me affordable group rate health insurance. I said that was all taken care of, and he kept right on talking.

I pushed the button.

4 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

There are various workarounds. Quoting from various pages I have only managed to work after a fashion. When editing, you also find not all options are open as were for the original.

Much as I hate to say it, probably JTR knows everything about everything on this topic, though no other one.

I don't even know what "Grammerly" is.

I am of course going to look it up ....

I find it embarrassing not to know everything.