Anna

I found it super interesting to see the unearthed walls of Nineveh.... 
I remember seeing the Assyrian burnt walls in the Louvre as well years ago.
Agape!
p.s. - I'll try to link this up to Jonah chapter 1 one of these days somehow.

Just to clarify a few things. I am not averse to cooperating with instructions. That is not what I am talking about at all. And I am very appreciative of the constant reminders in WT studies, talks etc. which help us to remain in pure worship. Very grateful for it, and I think the GB are doing an excellent job. And our family does have a backpack ready (ha!)
What really irritates me though is this constant need to harp on about the reason to obey now .....the reason being that if we get used to obeying now,  it will mean our salvation in the future when we have to obey this one last instruction (whatever "impractical" thing that will be) to get saved. That is wrong. It's like a veiled threat. 

What gets me is when we keep going on about obeying instructions in order to survive Armageddon. This weekends WT study mentioned it agaiin....comparing the GB to Joshuah and Zerubabel. (Otherwise the study was very good). "Sometimes God’s people received direction that did not appear to be practical from a human standpoint but turned out to be lifesaving". 
The WT gave a couple of current examples....just stopping short of mentioning getting vaccinated against covid (thank goodness).
Are we not putting too much emphasis on the organization being the saving power, in other words our salvation being dependent on instructions coming from imperfect men? Whereas salvation is clearly going to come from Jesus, and we may be anywhere doing anything when Jesus saves us. Or is the mark for survival from the secretaries ink horn contingent on having our backpack ready or hunkering down somewhere?? As if Jesus cannot save us uless we listen to these types of instructions. I always thought the criterion was dependent on pure worship. This whole life we live is a test of our loyalty to Jesus and Jehovah. Everything we do today and tomorrow, the choices we make with respect to pure worship is what places that mark on our foreheads. And after all these tests we encounter every day, then there will be another test to see how obedient we are to the GB?? Give me a break! Past Bible examples do show that there were certain procedures the people had to follow in order to survive, BUT the situation at Armageddon will be incomparable, it cannot be said to parallel any other situation before then. I don't know why we keep obsessing that it is the same. It's like regurgitating types and anti types again....drawing parallels where there are none.

Personally I am not comfortable with some of the comments the GB have made regarding faith in the organization, apparently putting it on the same level as faith in God. I do have a problem with that. On the other hand, if this reasoning is made in good faith, and has the effect of unifying the brothers, then as mentioned previously, that is the opposite of fragmenting, and fragmenting has been blamed as the cause of disunity and an excuse for Christendom.
A few broadcasts ago, (March?) one of the GB members in his talk, implored the friends to "trust the Governing Body". I thought to myself, well why not? You've got to trust someone right?  Of course, first and foremost we trust God, but because we trust God, we also trust that as long as we, as individuals, stick to Bible principles, he (Jehovah) will make sure we will be OK spiritually. On top of that, surely the GB know that trust has to be earned. You cannot trust someone if they have given you a reason not to in the past. I have not had such an experience to date. There are things I do not agree with, but they are not fundamental. I would like to see more transparency, but at least I have seen glimpses of improvement on that front. 
No we didn't, but as I explained, there was nowhere for them to gather. They were on their own. Stuck in their denomination, but usually they either fought against it, disagreed with it, or left it. By that, we judge they must have been the wheat.
Who is to say that Jehovah ever stopped finding wheat among the denominations and gathering them together with the other wheat within the confines of a physically defined denomination? I would assume that once true worship was restored, (or maybe at some point during the restoration) that was the point at which the wheat started to be gathered together into a group ..
and the Governing Body know that too.
I will address your other point about the glass of water later....

That is a shame.  A "people for God" or "ark of salvation" does have scriptural backing though. However, it's illogical to think that associating, on its own, would merit an automatic ticket to salvation. Surely they know that in the end each will render an account for themselves to God, individually?  I don't think the WT has ever taught that salvation is secured if you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses and associating with the org. only. Otherwise they wouldn't have to keep reminding us constantly with how to keep ourselves in God's love. We would just get baptized and that would be it. Pretty much like a lot of the "Christian" religions I know.
It doesn't in so many words but surely there are plenty of scriptural indications that this it does. And it follows a pattern from when God first chose a people for his name. It also stands to reason that it is necessary to be organized in order to preach effectively, to have united teachings, and to keep congregations clean. As far as I know Jehovah's Witnesses are the closest out of all the denominations to the original church established by Jesus. We don't need to make excuses like the above mentioned quote from the Christian website for why we do not keep unity and keep the congregations morally clean. I quote it again: " However, the early church was more diligent to identify and eradicate false doctrines than today's multi-denominational church. It was easier for the early church to discipline, or rid itself of those engaged in immoral activity. This could be because the early church was not as fragmented, or divided as the church of today".  What an excuse. 
In context Jesus was talking about a man who had been expelling demons in his name, but not following him. The Insight book page1029 vol 2 says:
During this time the Law covenant was in force, by God’s will, and God through Jesus Christ had not yet inaugurated the new covenant and the beginning of the Christian congregation of called ones. Only from Pentecost of 33 C.E. onward, after Jesus by his sacrifice had brought about the removal of the Law, was it necessary for anyone serving in the name of Christ to associate with this congregation, the members of which were baptized into Christ. (Ac 2:38-42, 47; Ro 6:3) Then, instead of dealing with the fleshly nation of Israel as he had done until that time, God recognized the Christian congregation as his “holy nation.”—1Pe 2:9; 1Co 12:13.
This is also mentioned in the quote I state in my post: "In other words, the end times church (the organization) will include those who profess belief in Christ but who are, in fact, children of disobedience. The Lord Jesus Christ foretold of this reality in His parable of the "wheat and the tares."  You know that Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the separation started happening after Russell and his associates began the restoration "movement".  Although not perfect, (as you mentioned) fundamental truths from the Bible were re-introduced on a much larger scale than had ever been done before, since apostasy first infiltrated the 1st century Christian congregation. If we were to believe that, then it would lend support to the belief that an only true church would be established, and it would be in the last days. If not, then as the quote states, true and false Christians would be dispersed throughout all of Christendoms denominations. I see a problem with that though. Christendom's denominations are stuck in a rut of beliefs which were introduced during the said apostasy. Their members, (lets assume we are talking about wheat like members) although believing they are true to Christs teachings, are in fact believing the lie. Can God and Jesus accept falsehoods that have been promulgated throughout centuries and have smeared their names? Can they tolerate the evil that has been done in their names? Although Russell made some embarrassing mistakes, we did not stay with those. 
Well the central governing body is Christ himself, he said so. And he also established what was acceptable in a Christian congregation and what was not and had it recorded for us in the Hebrew scriptures. Really, having a central human governing body merely makes practical sense for us humans living on earth. Providing of course this central governing body adheres closely to the scriptures and Christ, having Christ as their head. It prevents the fragmentation that is spoken about in the quote, excusing the non upholding of Christ's standards. I cannot imagine how else this could be done. In fact I can see how it fails if there is no central governing body that clearly adheres to the scriptures and Christ, I can see it in Christendom, and their own quote (above) confirms this. We do not expect this human governing body (who are following Christ) to get everything right, but we do expect to see good results, not just in individuals but as an organization on the whole. We do not see these results in Christendom's denominations. I can give many examples. I am not denying there are good people among them that try to live by Bible standards, and conversely I do not deny that there are JWs who live a double life. But I do believe that Jehovah does have a people for his name, and that these people are not scattered among various denominations as wheat, but the wheat has been gathered and continues to be gathered into one worldwide congregation.

I'd like to ramble a bit about the Watchtower Study linked here:
https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-november-2023/You-Can-Remain-Confident-During-Uncertain-Times/
I'm often too critical, but I thought this one was excellent. I'll try to include a balance of some things I thought about and some things I questioned along with the reasons I thought it was excellent.
It's a great way to introduce a past example from the Bible by tying it to our own experiences today, and they managed to include everyone with the opening:
DO YOU at times worry about the future? Perhaps you have lost your job and you worry about providing for your family. You may be concerned about your family’s safety because of unstable political conditions, persecution, or opposition to the preaching work. Are you facing any of these issues?
One thing I thought about first was how Babylonian Exile was presented as a punishment, just as the destruction of the Temple and removal from their land was a punishment. Still it was better than death, and Jeremiah had warned his countrymen that they should put themselves under the Babylonian yoke for safety because this destruction/devastation/desolation was coming no matter what.
Yet, historically, it turned out pretty well for a lot (most?) of the Jews who were taken captive. They did well for themselves. Started businesses, etc. And when it came time to leave, they didn't want to go, mostly because (evidently) they were doing fine economically and the move would be an economic hardship:
It took faith on the part of the Jews who had lived in Babylon all their lives to leave behind a comfortable lifestyle and travel to a country that most of them knew very little about.
You don't often think of captivity and exile as "comfort." 
Clearly, the importance of going back was to re-establish a center for pure worship of Jehovah. That was the priority of the prophets, Ezra and Nehemiah and later the scribe, Ezra. 
When they arrived, it was not long before they were affected by unstable economic and political conditions as well as opposition. Some therefore found it hard to focus on rebuilding Jehovah’s temple.
With the focus on "Remaining Confident" one might have thought this would be another article on showing confidence in Jehovah's Organization and the FDS. Not that we don't need some reminders in that regard now and then, but this did NOT focus on the leaders, it focused on the "people" the "rank and file" as it were. When the leaders are mentioned it's mostly about their encouragement and example -- and the people's response. Not about the importance of obedience. 
the encouragement given by these prophets proved to be very effective. Nearly 50 years later, however, the returning Jews again reached a low point. Ezra, a skilled copyist of the Law, then came from Babylon to Jerusalem to encourage God’s people to give priority to true worship.
More to follow.... later. . . . I just discovered I have to go somewhere.

I thought I would need three hands: one for the bread, one for the nuts, and one for the banana. After deliberating on the process for a few days, I chanced upon a ten-step solution:
Find a banana, a container of walnuts, and bread, and place ingredients in front of you. Peel a banana (requires two hands), and set it down.  Dip hand into a container of walnuts to grab a small handful (other types of nuts may work well, too). Set them down in a small pile next to the peeled banana. Grab a slice or handful of your favorite bread and keep in your right hand. Take a bite of the bread, but don't begin chewing yet. Take a bite of the banana and set it back down, but don't begin chewing yet.  Pick a few nuts from the pile and put them in your mouth, too. Begin chewing. Continue alternating among new bite-size portions of bread, nuts, and banana until all items are depleted. 

Anna is thinking that only a male would think of this!

Anna is thinking that only a male would think of this!

How about banana nut bread? I have a good recipe for that. 

How about banana nut bread? I have a good recipe for that. 

So true. I remember my mother baking "Date-Walnut Bread" and there was nothing better than tearing a fistful out of a warm, unsliced loaf -- fresh out of the oven. To recreate this, I have my own recipe:
First, I buy a container of whole, pitted dates, then I buy a loaf of Walnut Bread from a local bakery. As I begin chewing on a chunk of the bread from one hand, I simultaneously bite off pieces of the date from the other hand and chew them together. If the bakery only sold Date-Walnut Bread instead of just Walnut Bread, I wouldn't have to go through the complex procedure.
Next week, I'll share my secret recipe for Banana Bread. 

Thanks for pointing that out. So we were also then serving where there was a grater need.

Serving [tacos] where the need is greater.
My parents moved our family of 5 from California to Missouri to "serve where the need was greater" in 1964. The first things we missed were the leeks and onions and garlic of Egypt (Num 11:4-6). I mean, of course, the tacos of California. Rather than risk turning into a pillar of sodium chloride by longing for the past, we did just fine with Missouri cuisine. And driving back to California once a year over the summer. Even though in a fairly large University of Missouri township, no local stores within 100 miles sold tortillas in 1964. By 1966, my father went to the town Kroger's and guaranteed the purchase of 2 dozen packs of tortillas if they would just order them. They never heard of them. Finally, he talked some university students into making the same request and they stocked some around '67, I think. 
My brother and I liked taco nights on Wednesdays and sometimes Saturdays. These were the two nights my mother gave us to cook. I became OK at cooking spaghetti on Saturday and tacos on Wednesday, and nothing else. Still pretty true even today. 
Back then it was frying the soft tortillas in boiling oil and then laying them out to dry on napkins. When my brother and I shared the work, we could have instant gratification by sharing the chopping of onions, tomatoes, lettuce grading some cheddar, frying the meat with some random peppers and spices that filled in for taco seasoning. Then we topped them off with Louisiana Hot Sauce. 
Yesterday, also a Wednesday, I fell off my typical vegetarian diet, and had just bought a pound of fresh hamburger, a couple of vine tomatoes, a small jar of salsa, a pound of mild cheddar, salad mix, sprig of cilantro, and a jalapeno pepper, and a crunchy taco kit that has 12 pre-shaped tortillas, some mild sauce and a pack of seasoning for the hamburger. 
Then the race begins -- this time by myself. I start the hamburger to fry, then rush to get out some bowls, and chop, slice, and grade the ingredients. I no longer use "head lettuce" but just salad mix. By the time the hamburger starts browning, I toss in a half cup of V-8 along with the seasoning mix, because the hamburger is extra lean and doesn't produce enough oil and juice to mix the seasoning. That cools the pan enough to give me a little time to finish the ingredients, and start a cookie plate of tortillas to heat in the oven. By the time the oven reaches a good temperature, the meat is done, and all is finished in less than 15 minutes. 
My wife eats 3 and I eat 8. This was a bigger event when the kids still lived at home with us. But I had slacked off for a few months on taco Wednesday, and am starting it up again after ditching the vegetable-based cheese and vegetable-based hamburger. Somehow it's a lot better this time.
Yesterday. Good times. 

Good to know you can remember the ingredients and the methods.  Glad you enjoyed going back to old recipes but please continue with the vegetables and substitute them for some of the cheese, hamburger/mincemeat for their health-giving benefits and because of your age. Don't forget you were young then. I think you said grade and grading respectively in two instances, where I believe you meant grate and grating.
There is nothing like going back to eating foods you partook of when you were young.
All the best!

No, I have no challenge at all. 
I am the one who assumes it’s 100% true. AND I’m not asking anyone else to….
AND it’s only a best guess, anyway ….
You are the one who will disbelieve every photo until you see him in person.
….. forgot about that?

I’m on it.
(please be patient)

Combined with GB Update No. 2023-8, and the fact that I have no “fur” in the game, my best guess is that this is 100% TRUE.

Hopefully, the publishing of Governing Body Update 2023-8 on December 15, 2023 about beards will help heal some great injustices that have taken place over the last 80 plus years in the Congregations, and usher in an era of much needed and long overdue reforms. 
I am glad to have lived long enough to see it happen, where Liberty is proclaimed throughout the Earth.
In his second inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1865, during the final stages of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln emphasized unity and reconciliation. He famously stated, "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds." The address reflected Lincoln's commitment to healing the nation and rebuilding after a divisive conflict.
May we do the same.
When I saw the picture of Bro. Jackson with the goatee, I did not think it was fake.  I thought it looked good, and set a good example that Update No. 8 greatly needed to overcome 80 plus years of, as was admitted, unscriptural policy.

I dunno. He looks like a Bond villain about to order a nuclear strike.

A 2016 study published in the journal "Personality and Individual Differences" found that people with multiple tattoos were more likely to have used drugs and alcohol in the past year. Maladaptive behaviors have their tells.

For years I have been thinking about a large chest tattoo, about the size of a Hyundai steering wheel, A red heart edged in lace, with an arrow through it, with flowing script “Mammy! From Alabammy! Put on some Eggs and Hammy! And don’t Flim Flammy! - Mammy!”,  …. but it would require my nipples for punctuation…..

I look at it more that brothers are gentlemen and perform that task as a service to others including sisters. Like opening doors etc. 

I look at it more that brothers are gentlemen and perform that task as a service to others including sisters. Like opening doors etc.