James Thomas Rook Jr.

In all things where you are getting advice from someone else .... especially those who pay NO PRICE WHATSOEVER IF THEIR ADVICE SCREWS UP YOUR LIFE ... you have to consider their history of being right ... and being wrong. 
What is their overall credibility?
Is their thinking sound.. or delusional?


Gravity Electricity Wind .mp4

There is a LOT of money, prestiege, accolades, and status  to be had  in making yourself into a fortune teller, Shaman, Witch Doctor, Snake-Oil Salesman, Prophet, Prognosticator, Savant, Priest, Counselor, Governing Body, or Elder.
A LOT of money!
Technically ... it may not be yours ... but you control it ... without any accountability whatsoever, to those footing the bill.
Not your "followers".
Not even the IRS.
... even if you have taken a vow of poverty ... you fly Business Class, and stay in very fine hotels, sleep warm, eat well, and have a staff to do anything you want done.
It is a VERY FINE OCCUPATION, much to be sought after, .... if you can keep up the razzle-dazzle .... and keep down your gag reflex.

Yeah, I know .... I guess I am a "work in progress"
One night in Downtown Charlotte,  some brothers and I were doing midnight "Hotel to Hotel" Witnessing, talking to bored Night Clerks at the front desk, and when it was the other Brother's turn to do the talking, I would, to cover some expenses,  go outside and roll some drunks.
I am 6'-6" tall, and they are de-ruuunk, so no one gets hurt, and I get a lot of loose change.
.... never had any complaints.
I like to think of it as an impromptu Alcoholics Anonymous encounter.
.... after subtracting for expenses, and a small surcharge, I do contribute half to the Worldwide Work.
 
 

The scripture you quoted has nothing to do with allowing yourself to be taken advantage of in that kind of circumstance. It's talking about bad people taking advantage of you. Someone wicked slapping you. And if a person wants to wrong you, then you let yourself be wronged. If someone wants to rob you, don't resist because it could cost you your life. And if someone in authority (the boss) asks you to do a job, don't just do the basics, go above and beyond.
The land owner is neither wicked (or is he) nor is he your boss. He might be a robber though
 

I agree..... and in order to further your altruistic viewpoint, and upbeat perspective on life,  and to help in any way to assist you in remaining humble, I would like to invite you and your wife to come to my home and do free yard work for a year.
I do not live in a dilapidated mansion, but there is also plenty of carpentry work and painting to do.
When you return home in 2020, you can bask in the glow of a job well done.
I know it's a lot to expect, but I will do my best to work you hard every day.

@BillyTheKid46 The reality, activism plays little to no role in the decision with governments and is evident.
Um really ? 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/26/mps-demand-action-over-jehovahs-witness-abuse-allegations
https://nltimes.nl/2018/05/02/nearly-300-reports-sexual-abuse-among-dutch-jehovahs-witnesses
https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2018/08/protest-highlights-abuse-and-cover-ups-among-jehovahs-witnesses
Although i didn't really agree with the London protest, it still got the info' out there to the public and to the JW's that had been hidden from it all. 
More organisations putting on more pressure will get the message out there more, that is obvious.
And more pressure on governments and authorities will get things done.
Remind me of a scripture about a man knocking on his neighbours door at midnight, asking for bread to feed to a visitor. 
I think it was Jesus said, it wasn't that the other man wanted to get out of bed but the continuous knocking on his door moved him to action.
Yet another scripture about a woman that kept going to a judge and asking for justice. in the end the judge heard her case.
Keep knocking, and believe me the protesters will keep knocking and gaining support Earthwide. 
I think you are a sad person Kid, and I do have concerns about which side you are on regarding Child Abuse. Do you support the Victims or the abusers ?  Very worrying indeed.  

I'm not sure that he is a Millionaire in the true sense, but he is definitely a big business man. He had to sell off some of his London apartments to finance this 'project', hence a lot of the furniture that went to auction was from those apartments.  Modern horrible stuff  that i wouldn't give room in our house. 
As for being taken advantage of, yes probably. But like i say it's all in line with the scripture I quoted. It helps to keep me humble in a way. 
Does everyone in the USA just do everything for money ? Yuk, what a horrible lifestyle.  

oh yes, I totally understand this point. To assimilate the jw elders to police, while a very accurate analogy, is going  a bit far. Without going into the qualifications of these "police elders", they aren't even versed in the ways they are supposed to be, ie CSA. They are merely told to call someone else. I don't even buy the whole "well they are imperfect people", that is a complete cop out and a perfect excuse for the blunders they've committed. If they are not qualified, then they're not anything more than advisers. Advice is great if it is accepted and put into practice, but in reality that's all they are is advisers. 
again spiritual cops? hardly. In the end we, individuals, are held accountable for what we have done, not a group of uneducated men dictating the "standards" of an organization. While on this topic of standards, Can anyone show me in the Bible where beards are looked down upon? how about higher education? birthdays? and the list goes on. Its not found anywhere, its man made. 
 
isn't this where parents and the Bible come in? It is.
Integrity is learned by following the morals instilled in you from either your dedication to the Bible/God, your parents (family), friends, observation, etc. Even then, some choose to disregard those morals and thus do not have it. 
that is wishful thinking. We already know people are flawed. Sure we all make mistakes, get speeding tickets, lie, cheat, steal, etc. Its our human nature, but to give authority to a group of men who are no more trained than I is absurd. To be held accountable and receive discipline in the magnitude that is dished out, merely based on standards imposed by men, is just plain foolishness. I guess that may also be why the gb doesn't want people to go and receive higher education, to learn to think for themselves. 
I apologize if I may offend anyone with my statements here, but it is "the truth". 
 

That is exactly what happened to me.
It was cleared up in less than 20 seconds.

And that my friend is only half of it.

that protest too much under the same circumstance for children?    Can a person really protest too much about Child Abuse ?
Sorry Kid, but child Abuse is something worth protesting about. Unless a person is on the other side of course. 

Can it be the rebuke of a gentile to defend another none Jew that protest too much under the same circumstance for children? A voice from a distance that portrays itself as a member with a no reflection.
@BillyTheKid46  I note that you changed your original comment from 'none Jew' to 'gentile'.  Are you anti-Semitic ?
And as for the link, bad information i think.  
Never mind Billy keep taking your tablets, you'll be ok. 

There is a LOT of money, prestiege, accolades, and status  to be had  in making yourself into a fortune teller, Shaman, Witch Doctor, Snake-Oil Salesman, Prophet, Prognosticator, Savant, Priest, Counselor, Governing Body, or Elder.
A LOT of money!
Technically ... it may not be yours ... but you control it ... without any accountability whatsoever, to those footing the bill.
Not your "followers".
Not even the IRS.
... even if you have taken a vow of poverty ... you fly Business Class, and stay in very fine hotels, sleep warm, eat well, and have a staff to do anything you want done.
It is a VERY FINE OCCUPATION, much to be sought after, .... if you can keep up the razzle-dazzle .... and keep down your gag reflex.

At what moment "The Truth" has ceased to be "The Truth"?
 
In a nutshell .... "The Truth" has ceased to be "The Truth", when best guesses, and opinions are represented as exclusive direction and revelations from God ...... without qualifying clearly and unambiguously that they are ONLY best guesses, and considered opinions.
There is of course a VERY serious problem with being direct and honest with people with whom you publish your opinions to ... IF ... if  you DO NOT represent your thinking as the directed " Voice of God" ...
.... they will not give you money, and you will miss meals, and sleep cold at night ... or have to get a REAL job... and you will not be revered as a wise person (or persons).
The next thing on the list is that you have to seriously disparage getting more than a basic education to those you are deluding ... for fear that they will become smarter than you, and figure this out.
... and you lose MONEY!
 
 
 

If you control all speech in every medium ...
you get NO WARNING when fuses are lit.

On Saturday, gunman Robert Bowers allegedly killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Moments before, Bowers posted on social network Gab, "Screw your optics, I'm going in."
Zoom out before we zoom in: It's the latest tragedy to shine a light on social media's role in acts of terror and violence—especially since Bowers had a history of antisemitism on Gab.
What Gab is: It started in 2016 as a no-holds-barred alternative to Twitter. There are few restrictions (as opposed to Twitter), so that's earned Gab alt-right users including Milo Yiannopoulos and Richard Spencer.
Now companies are rethinking their relationships with Gab...
PayPal banned Gab from its payments platform. "When a site is explicitly allowing the perpetuation of hate, violence, or discriminatory intolerance, we take immediate and decisive actions," PayPal told The Verge. And even before Saturday's tragedy, Apple refused to host Gab on its App Store, Google removed Gab from its Play Store, and Microsoftthreatened to bar Gab from using its Azure cloud service.

I am obviously not on that social network... but does this action against an entire people (group of thought) bother anyone else?
Talk about corporations exercising censorship and stifling free speech!
I am NOT comfortable with draconian tactics by corporations.

I think it strange that people seem to view Self-gratification? as only being of a sexual nature. It isn't of course, it's just desire to obtain pleasure for oneself.  
As for all this talk about sex on here it makes me wonder if some people on here have serious problems with it.  The GB seem to talk about it a lot too. I suppose it's like Water. Whilst the water will run from the tap when you need it, all is well. But when you turn on the tap and there is no water, that's when people talk about it.  I wonder if this is the same with sex  .
 

My opinion is like everyone ELSE'S opinion ... except that I cannot make a living, eat well, sleep warm, and fly first class for MY opinion ... nor would I want to.
Opinions are .... to paraphrase ... like "body orifices".  Everyone has, and is entitled, to at least five .... depending on your opinions of how they are counted.  Should belly-buttons (navels) be counted as orifices?  I think not.  Opinions vary.
Let's say you are 100% right ....... or wrong ....... about this " time, times, and half a time" matter.
How will that have any effect on reality?
In the 5th or 7th grade I was told that in Medieval Europe, people used to discuss "forever", how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. 
How is this any different?
Even if we knew incoming Russian Ballistic Missiles were coming next week, details make all the difference.
About the time, and times ... NO ONE has the slightest clue.
NO ONE.
And there is nothing anyone can do about it if they did .... except donate LOTS of money to the pretenders.
 

Now you've hurt my feelings ...
I WOULD hesitate.

Because of Quantum Entanglement, and the speed of light in a vacuum being set, and the fact that all time is a LOCAL thing, and runs at local speeds, depending on local velocity and the gravity well acting upon the local matter, it is possible to communicate ( with pulses of on/off/on/off ... which can be made into Morse code, or constructed and deconstructed to and from speech ...) to and from the future, but not to travel there .... IF .... you can accelerate to near relativistic speeds.
To get one atom up to the exact speed of light would require all the energy in the Universe. This is why "light" travels in waves, and becomes a particle when it hits something.
The reason I don't, is I can't afford the long distance phone bill.
 

Because of Quantum Entanglement, and the speed of light in a vacuum being set, and the fact that all time is a LOCAL thing, and runs at local speeds, depending on local velocity and the gravity well acting upon the local matter, it is possible to communicate ( with pulses of on/off/on/off ... which can be made into Morse code, or constructed and deconstructed to and from speech ...) to and from the future, but not to travel there .... IF .... you can accelerate to near relativistic speeds.
To get one atom up to the exact speed of light would require all the energy in the Universe. This is why "light" travels in waves, and becomes a particle when it hits something.
The reason I don't, is I can't afford the long distance phone bill.
 

Because of peoples' reactions, I even had to stop digging holes in the back yard, at night by flashlight, in the rain.

Now you've hurt my feelings ...
I WOULD hesitate.

That is a semantics problem, and I disagree with that simplistic answer.  Velocity is measured by the distance traveled in a particular unit of time.  If you change the definitions, you can justify ANYTHING, as was done above.
For example, laser light through a particular Bose-Einstein condensate can be slowed down to about 38 miles per hour ... and whether it is passed along through quantum effects, or by Keebler Elves who got the day off from making cookies, it is STILL 38 miles per hour.
Time ON a photon is always ZERO, because at the speed of light, time stops.
That is why Quantum entangled particles can communicate instantly across ANY distance ... not limited by the speed of light.
Understanding WHY Cerenkov radiation makes that beautiful blue light in the water at the bottom of a swimming pool atomic reactor is the key to figuring it out.