2007 District Convention

[DoubtingThomas]

I will be leaving in just a few days for the 2007 “Follow The Christ” District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in San Francisco, California (June 1-3). Has anyone else attended a convention yet? Will anyone be in San Francisco at this one?

[eyes&ears]

Hi Ya DT,

Have a great time OKEY DOKEY.

My convention is in August. I will be looking forward to your input DT.


E & E

[Shibboleth]

all the talks were really good. Lots of good info. take lots of notes. The new book is uplifting. They are doing some new things and have some great additions to the spiritual lineup.

[Orchid]

Its Friday, I just got back from my first day at this years convention. I just wanted to give my opinion, if its worth anything.

All of the talks were pretty encouraging, and I really love talks about Jesus and his actions and how they reflect Jehovah and how we should imitate him. It's always a great reminder, and I'm always interested on talks on about him and his life, heavenly and earthly. Also there was an audio only drama and that was awesome. I love any kind of visualization of scriptures. A nice reminder to use your imagination when reading and meditating on the scriptures.

I got kind of ill on the second half so I was irritable and having trouble concentrating. Then the last talk entitled "They Keep Following the Lamb no matter where he goes" was it for me, it just torn me down.

This talk had a lot to do with the "Anointed" followers of Jesus but then turned into down right worship of the Faithful and Discreet Slave.

I'll leave some of my notes here.
<blockquote>First off, he said there were two points of evidence that is proof that Jehovah and Jesus trust the F&DS.

First he quoted Psa 32:8
“I shall make you have insight and instruct you in the way you should go. I will give advice with my eye upon you."

Then the second point was that Jehovah is blessing the F&DS with holy spirit. (Due to all the spiritual food we receive)

Then after talking about these two points, he asks the question and I quote him "Don&#39;t we have the evidence that Jehovah blesses the F&DS?" (everyone claps)

Some more quotes from him I wrote down.
(Talking about how there are nearly 816 baptized everyday) "Isn&#39;t this proof Jehovah and Jesus TRUST the F&DS? Shouldn&#39;t we do the same?"

(Talking about being imperfect) "Fault-finding in the F&DS is a lack of faith"

"Jehovah and Jesus will bless all of you who follow the F&DS"</blockquote>
Honestly, I felt terrible after that, it was not up-building to me at all, but it did make me happy to think of one thing. The day when Jehovah sets everything straight, unfolding his purposes as he want them. I just keep trusting in that and thinking of that, and praying for that and that helps me so much. As for the tomorrow and Sunday, still looking forward to it, then I&#39;m sleeping in on Monday :P

Sorry for the long post.
Orchid :40:

[Jeshurun]

<blockquote>
(Talking about being imperfect) "Fault-finding in the F&DS is a lack of faith"[/b]


I&#39;m shocked that they even mentioned this. What it tells me is that people are confronting them, and it&#39;s their little way of saying don&#39;t dare think about it, or prepare to be discarded as trash. What manipulation!

Thanks for posting this Orchid, and yes it&#39;s worth a lot!

Agape
Lou



</blockquote>

[Candace]

Thanks for posting Orchid. I&#39;m looking forward to hearing about Saturday and Sunday.

[watchman]

I am curious as to what prophetic book the WT is covering this year, as it is their custom every year to feature one of the Hebrew books of prophecy. Or maybe they have finally given up on prophecy. LOL :icon_neutral:

[Berean]

I&#39;m still waiting for a book on the Song of Solomon. :unsure:

[Eliyahowah]

I&#39;m still waiting for a book on the Song of Solomon. :unsure:[/b]

They dont need anything on the book of Solomon.
There have been plenty of elders who saw women as palm
trees and have thought of climbing the tree to grab those dates.
Or grab the gazelle by the thigh. Thats a quote.

[DoubtingThomas]

I think they are getting out of the prophetic interpretation business Robert. There was absolutely NOTHING this year in any of the talks on attempting to explain any prophecy in either the Hebrew or Greek scriptures. They don&#39;t exactly have a great track record you know!

DT

[watchman]

I think they are getting out of the prophetic interpretation business Robert. There was absolutely NOTHING this year in any of the talks on attempting to explain any prophecy in either the Hebrew or Greek scriptures. They don&#39;t exactly have a great track record you know!

DT[/b]

That&#39;s unbelievable! I was just making a joke. As long as I can remember the Society always featured a specific prophetic book at every annual convention. Amazing!

[joyful]

"Jehovah and Jesus will bless all of you who follow the F&DS"[/b]

I was not impressed too well with those elders&#39; preaching on Sunday worshipping. they gave me impression that they are the elect ones and I felt too much pride in their organization.

[billy]

hello Joyful :wave: - I like your name

I have to agree with you on your observation on pridefull delivery of the talks - I dont get the sense of humility -which is a very appealing quality - the speakers are very condecending - the wts seems to be guilty of the same things they condem christendom for

i suppose what keeps me still attending is their good points -

Use Jehovah&#39;s name

dont go to war

dont get involved in politics

promote high moral standards

i have alot of conflict with the lack of love though - i thought this was supposed to be the identifying mark of true disciples - on the other hand i get told that this may be because the scriptures fortell "the love will cool off" - there seems to be a contradiction here :190:

[joyful]

i suppose what keeps me still attending is their good points -

Use Jehovah&#39;s name

dont go to war

dont get involved in politics

promote high moral standards

i have alot of conflict with the lack of love though - i thought this was supposed to be the identifying mark of true disciples - on the other hand i get told that this may be because the scriptures fortell "the love will cool off" - there seems to be a contradiction here[/b]

I stopped attending the congregation because of the prideful impressions the elders are showing in their preaching and meetings.

I agree that moral standard is very high and that is the best thing they have. Jesus also says that without love everything else is meaningless.

[panda]

Its Friday, I just got back from my first day at this years convention. I just wanted to give my opinion, if its worth anything.

All of the talks were pretty encouraging, and I really love talks about Jesus and his actions and how they reflect Jehovah and how we should imitate him. It&#39;s always a great reminder, and I&#39;m always interested on talks on about him and his life, heavenly and earthly. Also there was an audio only drama and that was awesome. I love any kind of visualization of scriptures. A nice reminder to use your imagination when reading and meditating on the scriptures.

I got kind of ill on the second half so I was irritable and having trouble concentrating. Then the last talk entitled "They Keep Following the Lamb no matter where he goes" was it for me, it just torn me down.

This talk had a lot to do with the "Anointed" followers of Jesus but then turned into down right worship of the Faithful and Discreet Slave.

I&#39;ll leave some of my notes here.
<blockquote>First off, he said there were two points of evidence that is proof that Jehovah and Jesus trust the F&DS.

First he quoted Psa 32:8
"I shall make you have insight and instruct you in the way you should go. I will give advice with my eye upon you."

Then the second point was that Jehovah is blessing the F&DS with holy spirit. (Due to all the spiritual food we receive)

Then after talking about these two points, he asks the question and I quote him "Don&#39;t we have the evidence that Jehovah blesses the F&DS?" (everyone claps)

Some more quotes from him I wrote down.
(Talking about how there are nearly 816 baptized everyday) "Isn&#39;t this proof Jehovah and Jesus TRUST the F&DS? Shouldn&#39;t we do the same?"

(Talking about being imperfect) "Fault-finding in the F&DS is a lack of faith"

"Jehovah and Jesus will bless all of you who follow the F&DS"</blockquote>
Honestly, I felt terrible after that, it was not up-building to me at all, but it did make me happy to think of one thing. The day when Jehovah sets everything straight, unfolding his purposes as he want them. I just keep trusting in that and thinking of that, and praying for that and that helps me so much. As for the tomorrow and Sunday, still looking forward to it, then I&#39;m sleeping in on Monday :P

Sorry for the long post.
Orchid :40:[/b] I don&#39;t follow the FDS if they treat the sheep unfairly if they put the org before the welfare of the sheep. I do not and won&#39;t put the FDS before Jehovah or Jesus Christ. The GB are in fear of losing people baptised and interested because of the net, the net is their greatest worry, because you don&#39;t have to go onto apostate sites to read truth about the unloving treatment of abuse victims and the history of the org.
I have been looking forward to this convention in the hope that following the Christ meant showing love, treating each other with respect, and kindness. Could you imagine if someone (a child) came up to Jesus distraught and in tears because they had just been abused by an older person of trust, could you hear Jesus say how many witnesses were their, did you scream, don&#39;t go to the authorities, sit down and tell me every thing all the details, did he, how he, ect. The society had bought far more reproach on Jehovah&#39;s name than anyone or anything because of their failing prophecies their mistreatment of abuse victims and puting the interests of the org ahead of human lives.

[Sketch]

I just got back from my DC... It was actually rather boring... but, I have a 20 month old that is only going to sit own if she is sick or injured... so between my daughter getting aggitated and my own need to walk and wake up, i missed probably 2/3rds of the program.... I did catch the drama and it was very good. Much better than some of the ones in the past...

Yes, people were knocking eachother over to get through the doors to get the seats they wanted. literally knocking people to the floor for a CHAIR. I&#39;m amazed every year at how ghetto people act... sad really... oh, and we had our obligitory picketer... something about john 16:4... didn&#39;t really make sense in regards to the sign he was holding...

The coolest part was the Hawk outside... he grabbed a mouse/rat and a pigeon while we all stared at him.... beautiful bird... but then... REAL birds eat meat... :)

[Shibboleth]

I just got back from my DC... It was actually rather boring... but, I have a 20 month old that is only going to sit own if she is sick or injured... so between my daughter getting aggitated and my own need to walk and wake up, i missed probably 2/3rds of the program.... I did catch the drama and it was very good. Much better than some of the ones in the past...

Yes, people were knocking eachother over to get through the doors to get the seats they wanted. literally knocking people to the floor for a CHAIR. I&#39;m amazed every year at how ghetto people act... sad really... oh, and we had our obligitory picketer... something about john 16:4... didn&#39;t really make sense in regards to the sign he was holding...

The coolest part was the Hawk outside... he grabbed a mouse/rat and a pigeon while we all stared at him.... beautiful bird... but then... REAL birds eat meat... :)[/b]

I hear ya Sketch on the seat grabbing that is still done. Unbelieveable. At least taking a blanket and covering rows of seats has been curtailed. What still gets my goat is people still don&#39;t discipline their kids properly concering kicking the back of people&#39;s seats. I had one kid continuously put his feet on the back of my chair and hitting my head and kicking my seat. His parents didn&#39;t do a thing. When I would turn back and give dirty looks at the kid they still didn&#39;t do anything. Pretty pathetic that people choose to ignore what their kids do. It happens every year. Last year it happened to my dad who has trouble with his back and neck. The kid kept kicking the chair. Even when my dad turned around to tell the kid to stop, the kid still kept it up. the attitude of some people at the conventions just make me sick. It&#39;s not everyone, just a select few. Most the times I can pick them out of the crowd and make sure I don&#39;t sit in front of them.

[Candace]

I didn&#39;t take a whole lot of notes at this year&#39;s DC because it was held outdoors (at least we had a roof overhead) and it was cold, windy, and rained most of the time. I had on my winter hat, leather gloves, a windbreaker, and wrapped myself up in a blanket. I also had a hot thermos of chocolate capuccino with me. :koffie: Most people were not prepared for the cold weather. After freezing Day 1 they showed up Days 2 & 3 with the blankets from their accommodations. Sometimes they were even wrapped up in sleeping bags!

Even though Orchid forewarned about the talk They "Keep Following the Lamb No Matter Where He Goes" I was still shocked when I heard it. The term Faithful and Discreet Slave Class was repeated about a million times in this talk. Some key points that stood out:

-It&#39;s a matter of life or death to listen to "their" voice.

-The FDS class are leading the other sheep to righteousness.

-Jehovah and Jesus trust and support the FDS class, so should we. Our everlasting life depends on it.

Like I said, even though I knew it was coming, I was still shocked when I heard it.

Most of the talks were encouraging and upbuilding, and I really enjoyed hearing more about Jesus&#39; life and getting valuable reminders of how we can be more Christ-like. There was a talk warning of the dangers of seeking a higher education. They used fear and guilt to persuade young ones not to pursue getting a degree. It was a very forceful talk, and one I found not appropriate for the theme of the convention. I think Jesus set a good example for young ones to follow....be sure to have a marketable skill which will prepare you for being a responsible adult. We know Jesus was a carpenter, and that required learning the skills to be a carpenter. Who knows how many years he spent as an apprentice? Likely, he started picking up a hammer when he was a very young boy and learned gradually over the years how to do carpentry work. How many young ones today have that kind of situation where they can be trained from a young age to have a marketable skill by the time they are an adult? Use your own Bible-trained conscience to determine how much schooling you need to prepare yourself for the responsibilities that come with being an adult. In my opinion, that&#39;s a personal, individual matter. I find it really sad that the WTS finds it necessary to pressure people on this issue.

Okay, now for something on a more happy note. There was a talk on how to be milder and more humble. John 13:14 shows how Jesus set the pattern for us. The brother mentioned how Peter denied Jesus 3 times, yet Jesus never mentioned the incident to Peter, and later on entrusted Peter with the keys to the Kingdom. That really drove home the point of how forgiving we need to be towards others, and how we shouldn&#39;t let their shortcomings diminish our view of them. We were reminded how forgiving others helps to keep unity AND allows Jehovah to forgive us (a good point to remember!).

The most comforting scripture I heard was Proverbs 1:33, " As for the one listening to me, he will reside in security and be undisturbed from dread of calamity." This scripture made me think of all the friends here in this forum, and how you ARE listening to Jehovah....so there&#39;s no need to fear the future, even though we know the GT is coming and it&#39;s going to be worse than anything the earth has ever seen. Think of this scripture if you ever get fearful or anxious.

Since we were getting rain every day, I wondered how it was going to affect the drama, since the area for the drama was uncovered. We had light rains off and on the whole morning and into the early afternoon. As soon as the drama was announced, the rains stopped. The drama was well done and even my 5 year old was paying close attention! As soon as the drama was over with, the rains started up again. It was as if the angels were holding back the clouds for the duration of the drama. During the very last talk on the very last day, the sun came out and warmed everyone up. When we drove to Copenhagen the next day the weather was warm and beautiful. It figures that the weather would turn nice at the very end of our trip. But it was nice to have good weather for traveling and the flight home was safe and uneventful.

It&#39;s good to be back home. I really missed the encouraging association I get here, it&#39;s a precious possession for sure!

[Berean]

Thanks for the recap, Candace, much appreciated. And to the others posting their comments as well - now I&#39;ll know what to expect in August. :)

[Orchid]

Candace, thanks for posting your take on this talk. It&#39;s really good to hear from you, as your posts always up-build me. If I ever travel to Finland, gonna look you up :P

Sisterly love
Orchid :40:

[Candace]

Candace, thanks for posting your take on this talk. It&#39;s really good to hear from you, as your posts always up-build me. If I ever travel to Finland, gonna look you up :P

Sisterly love
Orchid :40:[/b]

I&#39;ll have some makkara waiting for you on the barbie, and some olut on ice, lol.

[Reader]

I just got back from day one of my convention (Hamilton Copps Coliseum).

Overall, I enjoyed much of the first day. It was quite encouraging. Then to echo Orchid&#39;s sentiments, whammo, the last talk of the day.

What self-agrandizing drivel. I could not help but shake my head and roll my eyes. I do have it recorded, so I may disect it and post the breakdowns.

One that stayed with me was that Jehovah trusts the &#39;faithful slave&#39; and its GB so much that he is willing to confer upon them immortality. If Jehovah trusts them this much, then why shouldn&#39;t we. <<TIMING ERROR>> Jehovah doesn&#39;t trust them so much that he confers immortality upon them NOW. No, once they have proved themselves faithful to death, then if he has anointed them, THEN he grants them immortality. If Jehovah trusts them that much, why does he not just give that gift to them now?

An exacerbated Reader.

[watchman]

Can anyone tell me what time the afternoon program begins today? I thought I might drive up to Saginaw this morning.

[Sketch]

Can anyone tell me what time the afternoon program begins today? I thought I might drive up to Saginaw this morning.[/b]

Sunday Afternoon Schedule:

1:30 - Music
1:40 - Song 224
1:45 - Drama - Clothe yourselves with lowliness of mind
2:35 - Watchtower summary
3:05 - Song 209
3:15 - Keep following the christ, our invincible leader
4:00 - Song 4 & prayer.