Melinda Mills

I just looked at the YouTube video of this and it just SCREAMS being "clickbait". The man has a six day stubble goatee, and is wearing a backpack, and is not carrying anything in his hands .... I have in over 50 years never seen any JW go from door-to-door without at least  a Bible in their hands, at the door, or nowadays  some electronic tablet.  The vocabulary and syntax and sentence structure is all wrong, and NOBODY is being identified.  With evidence like this there is NO fear of being sued  for truth, in a private home with the owner or renter's permission, so there is no reason NOT to identify the people.  It may be in fact real, but that is not the way I would bet, for the reasons stated.
Many people produce "clickbait" for money ( they may get 1/2 cent per "click" , but with 50.000 clicks that adds up . In this theoretical example ....  TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.   During the  2016 US Presidential Election Campaign  folks in the Ukraine were  producing a constant stream of absurd, outrageous political clickbait, and were getting 5 to 10 THOUSAND dollars a WEEK on 1/2 cent clicks from media advertisers, whose ads showed before the video started playing.
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6]
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6] -  -  from Wikipedia
 
 

I was about to explode over this but then I calmed down. I began to think it was not intended the way I, at first, took it. No matter. It lays groundwork for a good post:
After correctly assessing @Arauna's gifts, Srecko suggests she "could be very effective in a career or in volunteer work where you are handling people and serving in a humanitarian way." Oh yeah! Go for it Arauna! Why do you waste your time here? Ycu could amount to something. Your gifts could be useful. You could help fix the world! It's almost there; your talents might tip the balance. [okay, okay, so maybe Srecko was not recommending a career in the world but merely acknowledging she would be valuable anywhere, including right where she is.]
She could be one more talented person fed into the ever-open maw of a world that consumes them all without response.
Srecko is another strange bird to me - a lot of them are. It must be me. They are all normal and I am the weirdo! But he alternately says things very perceptive and very obtuse - confusing true tyranny with the traffic cop's direction to walk in the crosswalk. I can't figure it out.
If you leave God's congregation, you leave it. We all have free will. But it seems that if you do so you should take ownership of the world you have chosen. When you see mayhem on the TV - the fruitage of man's independence from God - embrace it! It's yours.  Witnesses will take ownership of Jehovah's organization, imperfect though it is. The only significant way I can picture a human organization doing much better is to banish the humans. You should take ownership of what you have chosen.
There is only one significant advantage from casting off the Christian congregation that I can picture - the delirious freedom of going where no one can tell you what to do! You can be frreeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It is intoxicating - like a drug. All other considerations - material and spiritual - go out the window!
And yet even that is not true - that you go where no one can tell you what to do. It may be true in the human sense, but that is the petty sense. By giving up on the sure resurrection hope, old age and death will surely tell you what to do. By giving up on the 'wisdom from above,' the 'schemes and trickery of men will surely tell you what to do,' for the air has authority. By giving up on the Bible's complete explanation of suffering, the 'shit happens' outlook of the world will surely tell you what to do.
By the time you pay your new master his dues, God's congregation and the GB will look positively like doddering indulgent grandparents in comparison. Witnesses sacrifice some petty freedoms for the sake of the large ones - no Witness would ever say otherwise. If you lose all faith in God's promises, however, those sacrifices seem for naught and people start complaining. It is no more complicated than that. 
 

Your clarity in explaining this dilemna indicates your experience of it , it would seem.
Others of us do not have this problem. We know the difference between those once among us who now oppose and condemn as does their father the Devil, and those once among us who may have succumbed to the "machinations" of that one. Do you?

That might be so, but I believe it would help if sisters knew how to use their feminine qualities (not necessarily physical) to attract brothers. Spirituality should of course play a big role, but if a sister warns a prospective brother she is interested in, that when she has her monthly days she has to lock herself in her room, eat chocolate and breaks out in pimples is not an attractive visual. This honestly happened to a friend of mine. Needless to say he struck her off his list, despite the fact they were both pioneers and she was physically attractive AND had a job.  If she had kept this to herself, I am sure he would have never noticed had they got married. Some sisters just don’t seem to know that too much information is just too much information.

I am assuming your husband would let you know ("consult") if he was going to send money to his relatives and not just do it without telling you, and not do anything that you are not aware of, it's called communication.  Marriage is a partnership, where both are equal but only one makes the final decision.
Unfortunately many husbands are quite happy to abdicate their responsibility as heads, as a lot of men can be quite lazy, and so it's easier for them Then there are others who think that the only way to exercise headship is to be a tyrant.  As for women, I would say they are much cleverer than men in matters of the emotions. Men (in general) want to please a woman (and I’m not talking about sex) and feel fulfilled as men when they succeed.  Women can take advantage of that and wreak havoc with men’s minds (Eve, Delilah, Cleopatra, etc. etc.)This is where women wield a lot of power over men and this can be misused much to the detriment of both sexes. A woman can make or break a household, that’s how much power they have, regardless of whether the man acts as the head or not. When the scriptures talk about a woman having respect for her husband, it goes both ways of course. When they respect each other’s God given positions, and respect each other as human beings, only good can come out of that.
Well, that's Anna's wisdom for today. Exhausted myself

I see we have a few feminists here.  If you investigate where feminism comes from you will not be so eager to promote this way of thinking! 
Any case I am female and I am very happy in the congregation.  Sisters have a wonderful opportunity to spread LOVE, look after the sick, preach, look after their husbands and children in a godly way and use their wisdom to advise the young sisters and accomplish much good in the congregation! 
One can support the young ministerial servants and just be a force for good and teaching the younger ones to care for others...... No, our job is much nicer than that of the older men who sometimes have to take sad cases of those who are disruptive etc. ..... We can help the disruptive ones before they can become a problem!  And if you do it in the right way..... you will never be a threat to anyone! 
And we have time to study and bring great honor to Jehovah in much preaching work and just teach the younger ones to be more grateful (not greatful!) for the things Jehovah has done for them.  Good women can be a powerhouse in a congregation !!- and don't underestimate the power of the bright side! ...... keep those lamps shining!
Single sisters have a hard time to stay single - and many never have the hope of a husband. Give them some attention because they can feel lonely and depressed!  How nice a kind hearing ear is.  They are eternally grateful and when they have a problem they know where to go!  Also the sisters who have an unloving husband.  They need to trust someone who will not say anything about it to someone else.  How nice when a mature sister can use her talents and knowledge gained from the scriptures in an upbuilding, positive way! ... or just give a hug! Difficult marriage can be very hard on people! One can give tips on what helped for you - but not in preachy way - in friendship way.  Reveal the problems you had and how it was overcome - it builds trust ...... but NEVER talk bad of anyone!
Older sisters have the maturity to spread themselves out and also see when younger ones are ailing or going in wrong direction.... give attention.... this is how we should look after each other.
I am NOT feminist!  I used to ask my husband if I wanted to send money to family members or anyone because he knows I will never do anything he is not aware of. (And I earned a pretty good salary at the time!)  I do it because I WANT to; because I think it is right; and I think it builds trust!  Trust is very important in life and yet many people underestimate its power.  He respects me for respecting him!... and he trusts me!
I tone down my talking (I love to talk) when I am around brothers who are still unsure of themselves or immature.  You get those who feel that they are supposed to know it all because they are  men - especially in spiritual way.  They still need time to help them grow.  I am quick to pick up when people are threatened -  it is a way of being kind to them and also to keep yourself out of trouble. 
There are many smart women out there - but if you have to show it off all the time - shame on you!   I think emotional smartness is better.  Learn to watch people and learn from their reactions.  
I have often said (my husband says it too!) :  If you meet a person - even if it is a worldly person - and they have not learnt to be compassionate and kind........ their life - the time they spent on earth has been in vain - they never learnt anything!
 

If you don't want the corrections, when the updates come in to the computer, you can tell it No.  And keep your bound volumes.

You are very good at evading. Those are not likes 

I don't really see that. There have always been waves of JWs coming and going since I have heard and/or remember personally. Quite a number left during Russell's days, then in Rutherford's days, a number around the 1975 debacle and then around 1995. But also many have "survived" those times. Now with the transparency of the internet and social media era there will be others. But really, it's only weeding out those who are disappointed over selfish things, why else would they be disappointed? Those who believe God's Kingdom will come, whether in their life time or not, are not disappointed, after all, those who endure to the end will be saved.

Hmmmmm....I have to disagree with you there I think. They are free to leave any time they want and not listen to a word you say. You are here to say what you feel is the right thing to say. We can't please everyone. This is not the Kingdom Hall

Given what most of us have learned about not  'saying a greeting' to ones like John spoke of, I don't fault him for it. Actually, he was probably right. A 'like' is pretty much of a greeting. Some might not take it quite that literarly but it is not for me to fault those who do.
it makes it a little dicey hanging out here, where all Witnesses who hang out are avant garde. I mean, they're not the typical Witnesses. But since they stumble across the site as did I, by chance, traipsing over from Twitter - and they have no reason to think it not a fine spot for spiritual discussion. But then they find it is not necessarily so - that it CAN be, but is not reliably so - I feel I should remember that those brothers are around and not insist upon my freedoms in their presence. 
 
There! Happy?

My uncle used to grow corn on his farm in very rural North Carolina, for him and to sell, and for pigs, and he made cornbread for his hunting dogs.  He had a well made of vertical concrete pipe sections going down, and you got water by pulling up a bucket on a rope.  He would let corn completely dry out, and I would hand crank a device that stripped the hard corn from the corn cob, when I visited him.
There was a bin of stripped corn cobs beside the outhouse, and were used as toilet paper, which required some considerable skill to avoid a ....*coff* ... disaster.

It is my personal belief that "dowzing" has NOTHING to do with spiritual ANYTHING. 
The principles of Quantum Entanglement  or some other phenomena might apply here.
There are many things in this world that are natural phenomena, that we cannot wrap our minds around ... the underlying principles of what makes your cell phone work would have gotten you burned at the stake as a witch  two hundred years ago, for even suggesting what Einstein called "Spooky action at a distance", which has to do with entangled things at a distance, but absolutely NOTHING to do with "spooks".
Of course, many people, to avoid being chastised,  go to great lengths to avoid dozing, and I am one of them.

"Never" heard of water witching so I looked it up. Note this nice, short article:
 
*** w63 7/1 p. 415 Water-witching and ESP ***
Water-witching and ESP
AFTER reading the article “Protection from Wicked Spirit Forces,” in The Watchtower of November 15, 1962, the president of The American Society of Dowsers, Inc., wrote a letter taking exception to the conclusion reached in the article; namely, that because of the link to extrasensory perception or spiritism Christians do well to abstain from water-witching or divining for water or minerals. Nonetheless, the president of The American Society of Dowsers, Inc., does give that society’s view as to how dowsing works. He writes: “The point of the article is, perhaps, well taken. We agree with the theory that dowsing is a form of ESP and that engaging in any form of ESP can lead to ‘possession’ or the involvement with ‘wicked spirit forces’ unless proper precautions are taken. . . . We prefer the positive approach of warning people interested in dowsing of the dangers.”
Even though the American dowsing society sincerely believes that dowsers can take precautions to avoid “possession” and that much good can be accomplished through forms of ESP, the thing that Christians must keep in mind is that any form of divination or spiritism is condemned by God because of its very nature. It is not holy angels that are behind this ESP but wicked angels or evil spirit creatures whose objective is to mislead mankind. Abstaining from ESP in all its forms is not only proper Scriptural precaution but it is also obedience to God.—Rev. 21:8.
 

Imagine a system where all one must do to enjoy the status of 'teacher' is to partake! Instantly, they are recognized as an authority! Genuine annointed Christians will follow this route, of course. But any Tom, Dick or Harry can do it, too. Afterwards, by talking a good game, they will convince many of their special credentials. It won't affect the running of things, because elder/servant bodies are formed on other considerations - but some of the local friends will be wowed.
I've known six locally. Only one was generally accepted. Witnesses don't judge such things, but one can become aware of a grapevine consensus. The one 'unchallenged' was a tireless pioneer who had been around forever and was always in harmony with theocratic organization - in no way did she 'compete.' (and even her acknowledgment was not universal)
Others were all unusual in one way or another, and one of them got to be so critical of things that another ceased association with her. Still another began partaking only after (not immediately after) being appointed an elder. The circuit overseer approving his appointment, said that he qualified - because he did - he met the scriptural qualifications to an acceptable degree. But he added as an aside: 'He's not the most humble person in the world.' He and the hyper-critical one became best of friends; he got to be critical himself, and they eventually departed together. He is still alive and is generally thought to be an 'off the wall' apostate. I think he has authored a book or two. For whatever it's worth, his family, before becoming Witnesses, included some who claimed psychic status and did water witching. 
I can't imagine a better arrangement than that of the current 'slave.' They must be of the annointed AND they must have been refined, with decades of full-time humble service. No harm done, then, if someone partakes through unbalance or self-deception. The path they take is only between themselves and God, which is how a truly annointed one would want it anyway.
 
 
 

So the organization must create a "special" place just for those who claim to be of the "righteous anointed" so the 'power' can work through them in a collective way? Or give them a prominent place in each congregation and allow some "deceivers" who claim to be anointed in amongst them?  How do you separate the deceivers who internally have a love of prominence and secret power.  ........ but wait ........... the anointed  already have an opportunity to serve as ministerial servants or elders on a 'body of elders ' in each congregation and can "contribute" their wisdom and humility by 'washing the feet of the others' and not taking prominent places! 
We already have a central organization in which these super-anointed with special insight  could be part and work together on the "committees" to send out the food at proper time and not just 'edify themselves'.  (oh yes - I remember now that ALL members on the committee must agree with all the points being published - otherwise they cannot be published - and they are NOT all anointed..... (too  bad the organization uses some of the non-anointed and do not use the ideas of one person only). But those who manage to stay humble and serve on the committees already contribute their lives to the washing of the 'feet of others' .... and not run ahead with their own information. (Direct order from bible)  
Jesus had all the information of his previous life...... I know only of a few places where he gave us glimpses of this in what he said but never to draw attention to himself!  I have known a few people who say they are anointed and I have also seen those who take their anointing so seriously as a "personal responsibility"....... I am a bit skeptical of those. The reason....... Jehovah will never choose people who have a good chance of breaking their integrity.  They will be tried and tested (suffer) before they are chosen...... and after this they also have to be proven before he seals them.  I think that Satan or self-delusion can make people think they are anointed and then take emblems unworthily . If they do not repent of their error they can find themselves outside the organization and working "against the other anointed". I am not saying you are - but the possibility exists. 
However, the impracticalities coming forward from your "complaints" against their use of the term "Zion" does not sound logical..... mostly self-centric......The GB is 'under' heavenly Zion (Hebr. 12:22)  - so as an extension of Zion they represent Zion on earth.... they recognize the direction they receive from Jesus and oversee the congregations and ensure they remain clean. When the elders work together properly (collectively) the spirit of Jehovah can operate freely in the elder body and direct matters - they do not need an anointed one to function.
All practical matters - organizational, legal and other directions (practical matters) come from GB for uniformity and also to keep us collectively informed..  In elder groups where one finds individuals with super-egos (unfortunately they do exist) - this body does not function as it should....... on this I agree with you. This is why we have so much material now which cautions elders that they are merely shepherds.  Jehovah eventually removes those who remain hardened in their ways.... I have seen this happen often..... they come off the self-made pedestal.  
Jehovah is love and is also at same time logical. In fact the logic of the bible is the reason I believe it is the only reality..... and the timeline etc. has convinced me of this. But the most important is the fulfillment of the warning work to the world - the preaching work.
The anointed cannot do this themselves - so we (lesser mortals) are organized and are citizens of the new "land" in which we receive the spirit as Jehovah measures out to our asking and our work. The way you are talking -  it seems you do not accept the fact that the preaching work is done by large armies of non-anointed people who are also following Christ.  The kingdom is going to benefit US after all!  We are the subjects!  (I do not see another organization of earth with future rulers and subjects now on earth? Do you?)  This is it..... the GB may be imperfect to you and not teaching everything the way you see fit..... but the warning work is being done!
Any case - Paul about -" You want to rule now do You?"  The rulers will rule only in heaven and they receive the "new name " which no-one knows... their job... their office.  Now is the time of extreme humility for men and women - must just know their place - not overstep the boundaries put there by Christ!    It was at the end of his life that Jesus suffered...... so we should not have the idea that we will be suffering all the time....The end is going to be terrible!  I do no think people have a clue what we will be facing..... but we will be thoroughly tested !  ... especially the GB and current anointed.
So we need to trust Jehovah to direct his work and angels - some congregations may have problems like the ones we read about in Revelation.... . If you do not trust Jehovah to oversee the knowledge he wants us to have now and to direct his angels in preaching work - you will find yourself outside this organization....... and it is the only organization with future kings and subjects.....  Do you think that some of the anointed in bethel are not going to suffer - you ain't seen nothing yet!  I think many witnesses will be shocked when they find the organization attacked by the political system - just as they did Jesus as a political seditionist!. 
All of us are asked not to spread out own ideas as if it was "doctrine" which can lead to much valse information being spread out there. We obey now because we view ourselves as being under the heavenly government and our cooperation is important. We have a channel and we should respect this channel - just as israel had to.   This is the reason they ask all of us not to form intellectual groups of study on our own...(not just the anointed).  One can study on your own as much as you like but do not be a dissenting voice and hinder the work we are doing - that is ego-centric. ... and we know who is the originator of that quality!

October 24 is also United Nations Day since 1948.  
 

We would assume that Michael, the archangel, became a fetus, a baby, then a toddler, then a young boy, then went through puberty, and became a young man, and then a full grown man who gave himself over to the authorities to be killed. This should give us a glimpse into the level of humility and love shown:
(Philippians 2:7-11) 7 No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and became human. 8 More than that, when he came as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, yes, death on a torture stake. 9 For this very reason, God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, 10 so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend—of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground— 11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Michael means "Who is like God?" and Immanuel means "With us is God." The Bible never makes a specific point about identifying Michael as either Jesus or Immanuel or Christ. But this is not so different from Matthew saying that he will be called Immanuel, and yet we never hear Jesus called Immanual anywhere either. He was mostly called Jesus, Savior, Rabbi, son of man, son of God, and Messiah (Christ), etc.
I know this wasn't necessarily your point in bringing it up, but a lot of people think we are the only religion that ever thought of claiming that Michael was the same as Jesus Christ prior to his earthly presence. The idea had been around for many years before Jehovah's Witnesses came along. 

Me too. Really like that book. Easy to read and appreciate the early history of the organization. 

I don't
I am not quite sure what you are implying Jesus did, that we don't so today, but as you say, he condemned the religious leaders because they were far removed from doing God's will, therefor their supposed authority to "disfellowship" had no value or meaning in Jesus's  eyes anyway. He talked to anyone who would listen and gave us a good pattern to follow, in that we will talk to anyone about God's Kingdom, just like Jesus did. My good friend talked to a homeless drug addict for several months, and saw that this person was very receptive to learning about the Bible, so a Bible study was started. Now this homeless drug addict is is no longer homeless, or on drugs, but is one of our sisters.
When Elders disfellowship someone from the Congregation, they do so with the authority from the scriptures. In order to have God's favor and in order to be used by God those who represent him must be morally and spiritually clean i.e. the whole congregation, otherwise as Jesus says, he would remove his favor. Rev 2:5, Jesus also said he hated the deeds of the sect of Nicolaus (which was probably trying to infiltrate the congregation). So it does matter to Jesus and God whether the congregation is morally and spiritually clean or not. "“Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.” (1 Cor 5:13)
Of course elders must not become like Diotrephes:  "I wrote something to the congregation, but Di·otʹre·phes, who likes to have the first place among them, does not accept anything from us with respect.That is why if I come, I will call attention to the works he is doing in spreading malicious talk about us. Not being content with this, he refuses to welcome the brothers with respect; and those who want to welcome them, he tries to hinder and to throw out of the congregation: (3 John 9-10)

Are Experts Always Right?
However knowledgeable they may be, experts in any field may have conflicting ideas and shifting opinions. Take, for example, the ongoing debate in medical science on something as basic as causes of illness. “The relative importance of nature versus nurture in illness forms the fabric of heated debate among scientists,” writes a professor of medicine at Harvard University.
Those in what has been called the determinist camp believe strongly that our genes play a decisive role in our susceptibility to various diseases. Others, however, contend that the environment and life-style are the major factors in human pathology. Both sides are quick to cite studies and statistics to support their case. Nonetheless, the debate continues.
The most renowned of thinkers have been proved wrong again and again, even though what they taught seemed at the time to be beyond dispute. Philosopher Bertrand Russell described Aristotle as one of “the most influential of all philosophers.”
Yet, Russell also pointed out that many of Aristotle’s doctrines were “wholly false.” “Throughout modern times,” he wrote, “practically every advance in science, in logic, or in philosophy has had to be made in the teeth of opposition from Aristotle’s disciples.”—History of Western Philosophy.
“The Falsely Called ‘Knowledge’”
The early Christians likely met many who were disciples of the noted Greek philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Educated people of the day regarded themselves as intellectually superior to most of the Christians. Not many of Jesus’ disciples were considered “wise in a fleshly way.” (1 Corinthians 1:26) In fact, those schooled in the philosophies of the day thought that what the Christians believed was simply “foolishness” or “sheer nonsense.”—1 Corinthians 1:23; Phillips.
If you were among those early Christians, would you have been impressed by the persuasive arguments of the intellectual elite of the day or overawed by their display of wisdom? (Colossians 2:4) There would have been no reason for that, according to the apostle Paul. He reminded Christians that Jehovah views “the wisdom of the wise men” and the “intelligence of the intellectual men” of the day as foolish. (1 Corinthians 1:19) “What,” he asked, “have the philosopher, the writer and the critic of this world to show for all their wisdom?” (1 Corinthians 1:20, Phillips) Despite all their intellectual brilliance, the philosophers, the writers, and the critics of Paul’s day had produced no real answer to mankind’s problems.
So Christians learned to avoid what the apostle Paul said were “the contradictions of the falsely called ‘knowledge.’” (1 Timothy 6:20) The reason that Paul called such knowledge ‘false’ is that it lacked one crucial factor—a source or reference from God against which their theories could be tested. (Job 28:12; Proverbs 1:7) Lacking that, and at the same time being blinded by the archdeceiver, Satan, those clinging to such knowledge could never hope to find the truth.—1 Corinthians 2:6-8, 14; 3:18-20; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:14; Revelation 12:9.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2000887?q=false knowledge&p=par#p12

@Melinda Mills
Thank you for your support!
Agape, 
Bible Speaks 
???

Jehovah spoke to Joseph in a dream  through an angel .
(Matthew 2:13-15) 13 After they had departed, look! Jehovah’s angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying: “Get up, take the young child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I give you word, for Herod is about to search for the young child to kill him.” 14 So Joseph got up and by night took along the young child and the child’s mother and went into Egypt. 15 He stayed there until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
In the case of Mary she was not yet married, though promised in marriage to Joseph. When Jehovah spoke to Mary it was also through an angel (Gabriel) not directly. 
 (Luke 1:26-38) 26 In her sixth month, the angel Gaʹbri·el was sent from God to a city of Galʹi·lee named Nazʹa·reth, 27 to a virgin promised in marriage to a man named Joseph of David’s house, and the name of the virgin was Mary. 28 And coming in, the angel said to her: “Greetings, you highly favored one, Jehovah is with you.” 29 But she was deeply disturbed at his words and tried to understand what kind of greeting this might be. 30 So the angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And look! you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule as King over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his Kingdom.” 34 But Mary said to the angel: “How is this to be, since I am not having sexual relations with a man?” 35 In answer the angel said to her: “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason the one who is born will be called holy, God’s Son. 36 And look! Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son, in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her, the so-called barren woman; 37 for no declaration will be impossible for God.” 38 Then Mary said: “Look! Jehovah’s slave girl! May it happen to me according to your declaration.” At that the angel departed from her.
Therefore I think you can leave out the word "directly". 
Point taken about Jehovah speaking to the head of the house, Joseph; but also through an angel. 

(Acts 28:1-3) . . .After we made it to safety, we learned that the island was called Malta. 2 And the foreign-speaking people showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and received all of us kindly because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. 3 But when Paul collected a bundle of sticks and laid it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. . .
Was a viper - a venomous snake, which lived among the sticks (wood).  Sea snakes are even more venomous but they live in the sea.

Thanks  for  your  always  so  good  understanding  answers / explanations !  A  special  gift,  having  such  of  Sisters  here  in  our  Forum !  DANKE,  dear  @Melinda Mills ...  you're  a  good  help  for  me   Thank  you  so  much !   Greetings  from  Germany....