More Bible Stories

 It's always exciting to start a new book in the Congregation Bible Study, where we analyze a faith-strengthening publication.  We just finished the exciting and impactful account found in the Bible book of Acts of the Apostles in the publication “Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom.  It reminded us that these men and women of the first century C.E. weren’t super beings.  Jehovah wanted us to see that they were just like us, trying to serve him to be truly happy.  Excellent book.

Now we are starting the book Lessons You Can Learn From the Bible.  It is a revised edition of sorts of a childhood classic, My Book of Bible Stories.  In the first study of the book, the brother conducting did an excellent job of introducing a new book, but also preparing us as we analyze it.  As stated in the letter of the Governing Body, the book has been designed to tell these wonderful stories in a way that a child can, not only understand, but also learn from.  But it also helps older ones that want to know a general idea of the stories found in the Bible.  AND it also helps even those who are familiar with Bible accounts.  It helps them to be able to explain certain lessons and truths in a simple and clear way.  A sister commented on how this will help her to remind her of the order of events and stories, as it can be a bit confusing as to what happened when.  So the brother conducting encouraged us to thoroughly study the information every week and offer comments, even if the answers are obvious.

So what was one thing I took away from the first lesson? In the letter from the GB, it asked parents to help their children appreciate the huge variety of what is found in Creation.  But that is a lesson for all of us as well.  To stop and smell the roses.  To take in and appreciate the variety that Jehovah has created.  He did not need to make so many species of flowers, but he did.  He did not need to make so many pleasing instrumental sounds, but he did.  A brother commented that the account shows how Jehovah trained his son to be his master worker. That shows us that we too need to train others, be it duties in the congregation or in the preaching work.  And another comment showed how Jehovah is always working and how we too need to be productive in all we do, but especially when working for Jehovah.

It seemed kinda tough for the brother conducting.  Not that he is not capable.  He is very capable and he did great.  But whenever there are question and answer sessions with no set question for each paragraph, the comments can sometimes go all over the place.  And there were a couple commenters that were getting ahead of themselves.  But the brother skillfully brought back the line of thought to where he was and asked great questions that kept the brothers engaged.  One loving elderly sister, pobrecita, was so excited that she reread one of the paragraphs.  But she read each sentence and each point so emphatically!  Great little moments.

Another great meeting overall, and much to medicate over so that we can apply lessons and benefit from it.

The journey continues

Well.  At my last post when I said "Til next time" I did not intend that the 'next time' would be 14 years later. 14 years.  Wow, how quickly time passes by (Psalm 90:9,10).

So much has happened since 2011. Um, let's see:

1. 2013 - We received the revised edition of the New World Translation! What an exciting moment in Jehovah's organization.
2. 2016 - I met my wife!  (But we were just friends for some time.)
3. 2019 - After 12 wonderful years, I moved away from Sonora and moved back to San Antonio.  I joined my younger brother, Rey, at an English congregation.
4. January/February 2020 - Rumors about a disease appeared somewhere in China.  Soon after, it was labeled COVID-19.
5. May 2020 - I got married!  I married my love, Ruth.  It was right dab in the middle of the pandemic.
6. 2020 - I moved to Mission, Texas where my wife is from and have been living here for the past 5 years.

There is, of course, much more, but those are just some of the highlights.

I plan to continue writing about the happenings of life and what I am continuing to learn in my new little corner of the universe.

First day of summer leads to spiritual banquets

Today is the first day of summer... Whoopi doo. It has felt like summer for 3 months already.

On a lighter note, we have our Special Assembly Day this weekend. "Refúgiese en Jehová" ("Take refuge in Jehovah") is the theme. These assemblies are awesome. Nothing new is given, really. Yet we are shown how to apply what we know. And the fact that our lives and the world are constantly changing (1 Cor. 7:31), we desperately need these reminders. For example Juanito Testigo is 15 years old. Just a kid. He hears at an assembly counsel for parents. He doesn't give it a lot of thought. 15 years later, Juanito is no longer Juanito. He's Juan and he's married and his wife is pregnant. They are at an assembly and counsel is given for parents. Naturally, he gives a lot of thought into that same information. Jehovah is so patient to do that for us.

And if that wasn't great enough, we have our District Convention in August. And in October, if I'm not mistaken, we have the Circuit Assembly. Wow. Jehovah is great.

I've had these conversations with this nurse here at work. She says she loves discussing Scripture. So we've discussed thigs like the trinity and how she beleives that we don't need works to accompanied by faith. She has been told that we, Jehovah's Witnesses, preach from door-to-door to win ourselves a place in heaven. After explaining that that is not the case, she cited Ephesians 2:8,9. It reads in The New World Translation: "By this undeserved kindness, indeed, YOU have been saved through faith; and this not owing to YOU, it is God’s gift. No, it is not owing to works, in order that no man should have ground for boasting." And by reading that alone, it may seem that works are not necessary. But what about James 2:14-26? It says, in part, that faith without works is a dead faith. This cannot be a contradiction for the Bible does not contradict itself. The key is in the context of Ephesians 2:8,9. The explanation was pretty interesting after I researched it.

Well, gotto go. Til next time.

Time Has Wings

Wow! How time flies! I can't believe that on January 24 will be the 5th anniversary since I was in Florida. So much has happened.

A few days ago, I spoke to my friends, my sisters, from Deltona, FL. I spoke to Lori. When I was there, I stayed at her aunt and uncle's house next door to her and she became the little sister I never had. She was 10 when I was there. Now she'll be around 15! Her sister was 13 and now 18. The brothers I stayed with now have 2 kids that weren't around when I was there. I miss them so much. I still remember when I first got there that night. I remember as if it were yesterday... [cue harp]

The brother who picked me up from the airport took me to the Daytona Beach Assembly Hall where the family I was going to stay with was going to pick me up. I had no idea who they were. As I walked in, I met my extended family. The only thing I regret is not regularly keeping in touch. But I do know that they are doing well and still serving Jehovah.

I have been thinking about visiting them for a long time now. But since a suitable and stable employment has been an issue, it hasn't been possible. But since I recently got a job that will more-than-likely be the one that will work with my schedule, I can now plan a much needed vacation. And if it be possible, also visit Bethel during the same vacation period! I had already visited about a year ago, but it did not go very well. That's a sad story that should not be brought up. Anyway, hopefully I could go.

As for the immediate future, I am going to my old stomping grounds to spend time with my family. And it turns out that they are having the C.O. and the D.O. visiting their congregation! So I will get to be there tonight and enjoy that special meeting! Then tomorrow, I will be spending the day with a very special friend. :D That, also, makes me very happy. Then I will return for field service on Saturday and have a great meeting on Sunday. We will be having a visiting speaker from San Angelo, a young brother. Then have a wonderful lesson from The Watchtower directed to the young ones.

Truly a wonderful weekend, as all are for Jehovah's people.

What spiritual gifts we have received in the past 3 months! We had the circuit overseer's visit at the end of October. We then had the Circuit Assembly a couple of weeks after that. Then the Special Session for the Pioneers a couple weeks after that. THEN we are having the Kingdom Ministry School next weekend. Wow! One blessing after another. Jehovah gives us what we need when we needed. And to top that all off, I finally got part-time! There are still a few bugs to work out, but thanks to Jehovah, i now have more time for service and other fun theocratic things to do. :)

But what does make me a bit sad is that we have one more visit by the brothers Ortiz. And they don't even know if they are going to be able to make it for the last visit. It has been announced that the circuit is growing and there are not enough weeks in the next 6 months to visit all of the congregations. But that is good news, in a way. Jehovah's organization is expanding rapidly. Since the year 2000, more than 276,000 dedicated themselves to Jehovah. And within that same amount of time, about 1,600 congregations were formed each year. Isaiah's prophecy is being fulfilled (Isaiah 60:22). And that is even with the opposition that Satan's world throws at us. It's like what the circuit assembly talked about. We are not part of the world and Jehovah gives us all of the tools to help us. We have the "complete suit of armor from God" (Ephesians 6:11-18). It's interesting that verses 11 and 13 both say of the "complete" armor. The brother Melendez enphasized that. It would be reidiculous for a soldier to go out into battle while missing a boot, or without his shield, or his chest plate. We too need all of the armor and each one was explained, as it is in our publications.

But it's been wonderful. I know I haven't written in a while. It's been busy. But it feels good to write a bit.

Until next time. And hopefully that next time is soon.

Mi mamá me mostró un artículo recopilado de la revista ¡Despertad!, el número del 22 de febrero de 1995, pág. 15. El tema del artículo es ¿Predicarán de puerta en puerta? Lo hallé interesante, como siempre son los artículos del "esclavo fiel y discreto" (Mateo 24:45-47).

“EL PAPA envía predicadores a las calles de Roma.” Así tituló el periodista Greg Burke una crónica en la que dijo: “El papa Juan Pablo exhortó a los católicos de Italia a copiar el ejemplo de sectas como la de los testigos de Jehová, que están ganando adeptos en el país, y a comenzar a predicar de puerta en puerta.

”‘No es momento para avergonzarse del Evangelio, sino para pregonarlo desde las azoteas’, afirmó el lunes el Papa ante un grupo de 350 predicadores itinerantes y profesores de religión [...].

”‘Espero que vuestra empresa de proclamar el Evangelio en las calles... sea muy fructífera —les dijo—. Vosotros habéis vuelto a descubrir una forma de predicación que llega incluso a aquellos que se han apartado de la fe.’”

Burke comentó: “La asistencia a misa ha disminuido bruscamente en Italia durante las últimas dos décadas, y, al parecer, el entusiasmo del Papa por los predicadores de puerta en puerta es, al menos en parte, una respuesta a la pérdida de influencia de la Iglesia”.

La exhortación del pontífice a “comenzar a predicar de puerta en puerta” no es del todo nueva. Uno de sus antecesores, Pablo VI, declaró que la Iglesia Católica “existe para evangelizar”. Y el propio Juan Pablo II publicó en 1991 su encíclica Redemptoris Missio (La misión del Redentor) para alertar a su Iglesia sobre la necesidad de cumplir el mandamiento de Jesús de predicar públicamente.

El escritor católico Peter Hernon, preocupado por la promocionadísima “Década de evangelización”, que ya cumplió varios años, planteó en el periódico londinense Catholic Herald la pregunta: “¿Qué le ha pasado a la evangelización?”. Al interrogar a un obispo sobre los escasos progresos, este respondió: “No hay por qué apurarse. La Iglesia apenas tiene dos mil años de existencia”.

Con razón Hernon preguntó: “¿Dónde está el sentido de urgencia que comunicó Jesús a Sus discípulos cuando los despachó a evangelizar las aldeas vecinas, o San Pablo cuando dijo: ‘¡Ay de mí! si no predicare el evangelio? (1 Co 9:16)’”. ¿Imitarán los católicos a los primeros cristianos, que predicaron públicamente “y de casa en casa”? (Hechos 5:42, La Biblia, versión de Salvatore Garofalo; Hechos 20:20, La Sagrada Biblia, versión del Pontificio Instituto Bíblico de Roma.)

Hernon reconoció que cuando se trata de evangelizar de puerta en puerta, “puedo oír a los escépticos decir entre dientes: ‘Pura teoría; poco práctico’. Pero no lo es —replica el escritor—. Para justificar tal afirmación, me veo obligado a emplear una palabra fea. Digo fea porque la última vez que la utilicé en un artículo católico, la sección completa fue suprimida (aunque todo lo demás quedó intacto). Esta es: testigos de Jehová [...;] a cada testigo se le enseña que la misma naturaleza de su llamamiento lo convierte forzosamente en misionero”.

A pesar de sus discrepancias con las creencias de los testigos de Jehová, Hernon admite que al examinar los métodos de predicación de estos, “cuesta trabajo no acordarse de la Iglesia primitiva que se describe en los Hechos de los Apóstoles”.

Los testigos de Jehová prosiguen con su celoso ministerio de puerta en puerta, cumpliendo así en este tiempo el mandato de Jesús: “Serán testigos de mí [...] hasta la parte más distante de la tierra”. (Hechos 1:8.)

Circuit Assembly 2009-2010 – Protect our spirituality (Rom.8:5; Jude 17-19)

We just had the circuit assembly this weekend and what an awesome pair of days it was! We got to meet our new district overseer and his wife, brothers Melendez. And got to see our circuit overseer and his wife once again, brothers Ortiz. What awesome speakers they are! Brother Ortiz is very enthusiastic and uplifting and brother Melendez is very “animated”, that talks with conviction and seriousness. He then softens up with a big smile from time to time.

Whenever a new traveling overseer is assigned, we get a chance to know a little about them through an interview. They explained what influenced them to enter the traveling work. But first of all, they both had to have been full time pioneers first. That prepared them and enabled them to then enter into the circuit and ultimately into the district. They expressed so genuinely how they love what they do, and how much they treasure the ministry. Even though having studies is more difficult to maintain in the service that they do, for they don’t pertain to a specific congregation, the brother shared how he does telephone witnessing and how he conducts Bible studies that way. That shows a lot of these traveling brothers, that even though they don’t have much time to preach, they do all they can to participate in it.

What a difference from other religions. You probably wouldn’t see leaders of other religions go out and preach to people. Much less teach them valuable things rather than "Jesus loves you". You most certainly won’t see the Pope do such a thing. No way. These brothers, including the anointed brothers of Christ, go and preach. They don’t make themselves to be gods or someone above the rest. They are humble, and that is beautiful about Jehovah’s people.

Anyway, resuming course. The sessions were so great that I would like to share some of my and others’ notes. Besides it’ll help me to remember and retain the information.

The first talk was given by Brother Melendez. It was called Why is our spirituality so valuable? At least three reasons:

1) It helps us to endure tough times. James 1:2,3 admonishes to “consider it all joy” when we are met with difficulties, because those times will test our faith and make us stronger.

2) Spirituality produces true joy and peace forever. Romans 8:6 says that being spiritual, in the true sense (Romans 8:5; Matthew 7:21-23) leads to joy, life and peace.

3) And most importantly, our spirituality pleases Jehovah God.

The talk Pioneering elevates our spirituality was given by brother Arredondo. He gave a most encouraging talk saying that not being pioneers doesn’t mean that we are not spiritual people. BUT, the HUGE advantage of serving as a pioneer elevates our spirituality and opens doors to other privileges. Sometimes circumstances don’t allow one to pioneer, but the question we have to ask ourselves is, “Can we change our circumstances?”

Brother Noriega, had the Baptism Talk. The talk brought out how it’s Jehovah who qualifies and prepares us to be ministers, not a man or organization (2 Corinthians 3:5,6); and the main work we have to do as witnesses of Jehovah, to preach the good news, for His “will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth”.

The first symposium was entitled Beware of the threats against our spirituality.

1st talk: Why be alert? Brother Pérez answered with 1 Peter 5:8: “Keep your senses, be watchful. your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour [someone].” But we are not ignorant of his methods (2 Corinthians 10:12). The information encouraged keeping a simple eye and avoiding distractions and overconfidence, which leads to permissiveness. The more we liken ourselves to Christ’s mind, the more spiritual we will be, resulting in happiness and peace (Acts 20:35).

2nd talk: Avoid distractions that consume time. Brother Cavazos spoke logically to us. He said that if one goes toward one point, he obviously moves away from the opposite point. The more we draw closer to Jehovah, the farther away we will go from distractions the world throws our way. He spoke of the importance of our time, that if we are not careful, it will seep out of our hands, as sand from a closed fist. Philippians 1:10 says, “Make sure of the most important things.” He interviewed brother Chapa on doing just that. He said that every night, he and his family sing Kingdom songs before going to bed and how his three year-old daughter knows song #29 “Forward, You Witnesses!”. So cute. The brother continued saying that some things are not bad to do, such as watching appropriate television or navigating the Internet for example, but the time that is spent on them is. Besides, what do they contribute to our spirituality? Hebrews 9:14 talks of dead works, that do not produce the fruitage of the spirit. He then concluded saying ‘the more we have, the easier it is to lose balance.

3rd talk: Protect your spirituality from erosion. Erosion – A gradual decline of something. Brother Rufinelli described symptoms of spiritual erosion:
1) neglecting personal study
2) envying the supposed “good life” of others.
Isaiah 5:12 describes the condition of the Israelites when unfaithful. They have allowed their spirituality to erode. In contrast, we want to have our spirituality strong as when King David wrote the 23rd Psalm.

4th talk: Fight to counteract permissiveness. Brother Castillo’s information cautioned that permissiveness leads to errors and immorality. Hebrews 3:13 talks about the “deceptive power of sin”. One might say, “Oh, this won’t affect me.” “So and so is not THAT bad of a person.” The “deceptive power” of sin led permissiveness, and that led to the death of some 24,000 Israelites (Numbers 25:1-9). Wearing all of the Christian armor, as described in Ephesians 6:13, will help us to counteract permissiveness.

Ok, that is it for now. In a couple days or so, whenever I get a chance, I’ll put up some of the points we took from the last two super-encouraging talks on Saturday: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and What characterizes a spiritual person? given by our circuit and district overseers... SO TUNE IN NEXT TIME!

Help find the very knowledge of Jehovah

October 5, 2009, Morning Worship, David Splane of the Governing Body conducted.

Brother Splane commended the Bethel family and mentioned how sometimes they didn’t realize how everything they do plays a part in getting the good news preached throughout the lands. He went on to relate this experience:

In June 2009 he traveled to a District Convention in Congo Kinshasa on the continent of Africa to release the New World Translation in their language. The brothers had tried to rent the Sports Stadium for years, but the Minister of Sports had said that a sports stadium should never be used for a religious convention. But now there was a new Minister of Sports appointed. The brothers made a request and he agreed to allow it. The brothers told him that 29,000 were expected to attend.

Soon thereafter the Minister of Justice found out about the convention. He was Neo Apostolic and said that if Jehovah’s Witnesses could have the stadium, why couldn’t his religious group? He said that the Witnesses could have it on Friday and Saturday, but his group wanted it on Sunday. After much negotiation, it was agreed that the Witnesses would use it from 7:00 a.m. – 12 noon on Sunday. They would have one hour to vacate and his group could have it beginning at 1:00 p.m. The Neo Apostolic group has a reputation for extracting money from the people in this country where money is hard to come by. The publicity surrounding the use of the stadium resulted in many in his group finding out that there was another convention Friday and Saturday. So many thought, “Why don’t we go and see what it is about?”.

Friday morning, to the surprise of everyone, the attendance was 45,000. When the New World Translation in their language was released, the applause was thunderous for 5 minutes. (Thunderous is 1000 times louder than enthusiastic, according to Brother Splane.) Neighbors from around the stadium heard the applause and wondered what team was playing. So many came in the afternoon to find out and stayed for the session. Those who had worked so hard on the translation had the privilege of distributing the Bibles throughout the stadium to those who remained seated after the morning session. The translators and the people receiving Bibles were weeping when they were handed out.

A Senator wrote a letter to the Branch office after the convention thanking them. He said, “Very little information has been translated into Congolese. Not only do you people translate, but you give everyone a free copy.”

Saturday 1,088 were baptized and amazingly 72,000 were in attendance. On Sunday the brothers didn’t mind the 7:00 a.m. start, since their congregation meeting normally started at 6:00 a.m. They were happy to be able to sleep in an extra hour. To everyone’s shock, 87,000 attended on Sunday. Brother Splane had prayed to get an indication as to what some of the people were thinking that attended for the first time, especially those of the Neo Apostolic faith. Were they seeing a contrast between their own faith and that of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

His prayer was answered. A man put a note in the contribution box that expressed gratitude for the convention. He couldn’t believe that with this group there were no collections taken and that he received a Bible free of charge in his language. He said, “I am going to study. I have already received more from you people than from my church.”

How did all of this come about? In January, Brother Splane received a call that with the production time and the shipping through England to the Congo, the Bibles would be received at their destination two weeks after the convention. One phone call to the printing department resulted in that overseer saying that they would drop everything and start printing the Bibles. Then the shipping department got involved and did some research. They found a company that could get the Bibles there sooner. As a result, the Bibles arrived in April instead of June. There is a huge difference in a promise of a Bible and receiving a Bible in your hands. Everyone pulled together and did their small part. The group effort of the Bethel family made this happen to the praise and glory of Jehovah God. They were doing their part helping others “find the very knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:5 – Text for 10/05/2009).

The Beauty in Dissimilarities

This past Friday’s daily text was 1 Corinthians 12:12 – “The body is one but has many members”. We are all different. We all have a distinct height, weight, skin color, and personalities. And especially because of the fact that someone else’s personality may differ from ours, we may be inclined to focus on their weaknesses rather than on their strengths.

The comment of “the faithful and discreet slave” (Matthew 24:45-47) gives the illustration of a camera. It is as if one has a camera with a lens to focus only on a small area, seeing only a small part of that person. But Jehovah sees the whole person, including all of the individual’s good qualities. He gave an awesome example with King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 19:2,3).

It may be difficult when someone’s personality may greatly be different from ours. And it could be that one may even use that as an excuse. “Oh, we don’t get along because we have a difference of personality.” And that may be why one just says their ‘hello’ and moves on. A district overseer once mentioned in a talk a wonderful point regarding this. He said how the reality of the situation is that there are going to be differences in personalities. No doubt. But, he continued, that the fact also is that a new personality, the one that replaced our old personality while we were learning about Jehovah, cannot be in conflict with another new personality (Ephesians 20-24; Colossians 9:10). Hebrews 4:12 also states how the Word of God is powerful enough to change one’s life for the better, helping us take off and destroying that old personality. If one is set on that they cannot get along with someone, the question is: “Ok, then what has the Word of God done for you in your life?”

Yes, we will not always agree and see eye to eye on something, but there cannot be a conflict between two new personalities. Two new personalities, even if they are different, will find a way to put aside those differences and remember that we are all brothers and sisters on the same side and that we need each other. Besides, there is beauty in differences. It’s like seeing a field of flowers of a great diversity. How beautiful! How boring if they were all the same. There is no one that we do not need. Some are happier, some are more serious. Some talk too much, some don’t talk at all. That is beautiful in Jehovah’s eyes, and it should always be in ours too. That is why the apostle Paul wrote under inspiration those words to the Christians in Corinth, that the body (the congregation) has many members (different kinds of brothers and sisters), and that we need each other.

The context of the daily text, in verses 14-26 shows us how we all need each other. It would be ridiculous if one picked up a saw and said, “You know what, I don’t like my pinky finger. It’s so small and kinda in the way”. And so this disturbed individual proceeds to cut off his pinky. How would he react? Pain and tears will follow thereafter. ‘If one suffers, we all suffer. If one is glorified, we all rejoice’ says the 26th verse. We all need each other. Especially in light of what Hebrews 10:24, 25 says: “And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, […] encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.”

“This is what the love of God means”

Today’s “Daily Text” was on 1 John 5:3 that reads in part: “This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments”. The comment from the “faithful and discreet slave” (Matthew 24:45-47) gives an example of this. Under the Mosaic Law, Hebrews that were slaves were set free at a certain time. But according to Exodus 21:5,6 such slave could say, “You know what, I don’t want to be set free”. What could possibly compel someone to do that? For love. If his master had been considerate with him, which was law, he could remain under his authority. That is also what compels us to dedicate our lives to Jehovah and live in accordance with that dedication. The apostle Paul wrote under inspiration in his letter to the Christians in Rome: “None of us, in fact, lives with regard to himself only, and no one dies with regard to himself only; for both if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. Therefore both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah.” BEAUTIFUL WORDS! That type of love does not look for its own interests (1 Corinthians 13:4,5). And so when we deal with others, our love of divine principles as well as love for our neighbor compels us to ‘consider them superior to us’, putting their interest ahead of our own (Philippians 2:2,3).

The rest of the scripture brings another point. The latter part of 1 John 5:3 reads: “And yet, his commandments are not burdensome”. This one circuit overseer brought out an interesting point on this scripture. He mentioned how we Jehovah’s Witnesses are busy people. We have five meetings in two days (Hebrews 10:24,25), which we have to prepare for; we deepen our understanding of the Holy Scriptures with a personal study (Ecclesiastes 7:12), if one has a family, a Family Worship Night is held weekly (Deuteronomy 6:6-9), which one also has to prepare for, we have our daily reading of the Bible (Psalm 1:1-3), we have three new magazines every month to read before we present them to the public (Philippians 4:8), we dedicate a certain amount of hours per week to preach the “good news”, cultivate interest by returning to the householder, and conduct home Bible studies, which we also have to prepare for (Matthew 24:14; 28:19,20), we dedicate time to offer heartfelt prayer to Jehovah to strengthen our faith (Luke 18:1-8), we dedicate time to visit our brothers and those who are ill and elderly (Galatians 6:10; James 1:27), and those who serve as overseers have other responsibilities as well as these mentioned (Acts 20:28).

The brother (mentioned above) said that one may think, “Well we have a lot to do!” And yes, we do. And to some it may seem like it’s too much, that it is ‘burdensome’. But the brother reminded us of what 1 John 5:3 says, that “his commandments are not burdensome”. He then continued, “Do you know what is burdensome? Neglecting such things. If we procrastinate, leave things for the last minute, or simply neglecting our study, preparation, etcetera, we will feel burdened. But if we have a theocratic schedule, which many do, these things bring so much satisfaction! Jehovah never gives us what we cannot accomplish. These activities invigorate our lives. By the end of the day, we probably will feel tired and exhausted, but with a gratification that NOTHING else can give us. A satisfaction that we accomplished something, and something that is worth the effort, for we strengthened our relationship with our Creator, proving the inspired words of the apostle John; and that we have pleased him. And that fact alone is worth the world.

¿Qué lleva a tantas personas a hacerse testigos de Jehová?

By Le Petit-Poucet - Last updated: Thursday, August 13, 2009
Esto se preguntan algunos clérigos, como muestran las siguientes citas.

Por ejemplo, en Bolonia, Italia, las autoridades eclesiásticas, con la aprobación del papa, celebraron un congreso para estudiar la manera de combatir el éxito de los testigos de Jehová. La Iglesia Católica levantó un “clamor de alarma”, según el periódico La Repubblica, porque cada año diez mil católicos se hacen testigos de Jehová.

El jesuita Giusseppe De Rosa dijo que “desde el punto de vista religioso los más peligrosos son los testigos de Jehová. Vienen completamente adiestrados; siempre tienen la Biblia en la mano”.

En un artículo de fondo que trataba específicamente de los testigos de Jehová, la revista jesuita La Civiltá Cattolica dijo:

“La primera razón para la difusión de este movimiento está en las técnicas de propaganda [es decir, en la predicación]. Por una parte la obra es esmerada, efectuada de casa en casa por personas a quienes se adiestra escrupulosamente en esta obra, y que están profundamente convencidas [...]”

“La segunda razón del éxito de los TJ es la fuerza de atracción del mensaje jehovista, porque puede satisfacer las necesidades, demandas y expectativas de la gente de nuestro tiempo. Ante todo, satisface la necesidad de certezas, algo que se aprecia mucho en un tiempo en que todo es dudoso e inestable. [...] Sobre todo, es una revelación absolutamente segura del futuro, y, por lo tanto, todos los que la aceptan experimentan liberación de todo temor y ansiedad y pueden enfrentarse al futuro con gozo, con la seguridad de que sobrevivirán a la destrucción que le traerá el tremendo día de juicio de Dios a un mundo inicuo, para vivir en felicidad eterna en la Tierra. En segundo lugar, el mensaje jehovista ayuda a vencer la inquietud del individuo frente a los ayes de este mundo, al anunciar que dentro de poco tendrá fin la situación insoportable de hoy día, y que pronto, por lo tanto, habrá una nueva era, nacerá un nuevo mundo del cual serán eliminados todos los inicuos que ahora triunfan. [...]”

“La tercera razón del éxito de los TJ es que ese movimiento da a sus miembros una identidad precisa y fuerte, y es un lugar donde se les acoge con afecto y un sentido de hermandad y solidaridad”.

El documento del Vaticano analizó las necesidades de la gente en la actualidad, y la cita anterior tomada de la revista jesuita La Civiltá Cattolica mostró que el mensaje de los testigos de Jehová es lo que satisface esas necesidades. Esto lo muestra también el escritor católico Vittorio Messori en su libro reciente Scommessa sulla morte (Una apuesta sobre la muerte), en el cual escribe:

“Pone a uno a pensar el darse cuenta de que una de estas sectas apocalípticas -los testigos de Jehová- es la confesión o religión que más rápidamente crece en el mundo. Está entre las religiones que más se practican en muchos países [...] y quizás está en primer lugar en lo que se refiere a fervor, celo, activismo, capacidad para hacer prosélitos.”

“Y su presencia, cada vez más acentuada, no se limita a países de tradición cristiana, sino que alcanza al mundo entero, donde, en el nombre de Jehová, y en poco tiempo, obtienen resultados que suelen ser superiores a los de misioneros católicos, protestantes y ortodoxos que han trabajado por siglos.”

“Esta impresionante fuerza expansiva se les hace incomprensible solo a los que no quieren admitir que [...] evidentemente el modo como entienden la Biblia los testigos de Jehová satisface verdaderas necesidades que otras teologías ya no satisfacen.”

“No se puede evitar la cuestión insinuando que los Testigos prosperan porque asustan a la gente. Sucede precisamente lo contrario: A diferencia de las iglesias ‘oficiales’, niegan la existencia del infierno, y predican aniquilación, desaparición definitiva después de la muerte, para los inicuos e incrédulos. Quizás esa sea una perspectiva desagradable; pero ciertamente asusta menos que la amenaza de dolores terribles por toda la eternidad”.

Sí, el Dios de los testigos de Jehová es un Dios amoroso, no uno que aterrorice a la gente.

La siguiente cita es de la revista católica Mondo erre de marzo de 1986:

“Debe decirse que los testigos de Jehová son los primeros que viven la fe que predican: No se encolerizan, no fuman, no acumulan riquezas, se mantienen fuera de las discusiones políticas, [...] pagan los impuestos, viven una vida virtuosa y honrada, son felices y serviciales. Todo esto ha hecho que la gente los aprecie”.

¡Manténganse Alerta! (Marcos 13:37)

Asamblea de Distrito de los testigos de Jehová 2009

We had our District Convention this past weekend. It was just what we... I needed! It was a good battery recharger. We had excellent talks, new publications, an emotional drama and new surprises. I won't say what surprises for those that haven't had their convention. The contrary happened to me. Someone told me one of the biggest and most exciting new gifts from Jehovah and it kinda ruined the surprise. I wanted to be astounded. I wanted a blissfull moment. But it was still huge. Then the series of symposiums on Saturday entitled Watch Out For Satan's Traps and Keep Your Eyes on the Things Unseen were very informative and captivating. The baptism talk was awesome! We had 39 total. 17 brothers and 22 sisters. 39 total. 2 of those brothers are from Sonora! So that brings the amount of publishers to 47! We're almost to 50! Wow. We have good brothers working hard. We also received 2 more pioneers from a nearby city, a married couple. And by next weekend, we should be recieving an MTS grad, all the way from Illinois! So, it's been exciting. Well, I would post pitures, except that my camera has discontinued functioning. It really bummed me out. :( But oh well.

I hope all that has gone to the convention enjoyed it as much as I did. And those that haven't attended, take good notes, and take in as much as you can. Why? So that you, and I and everyone can apply the counsel. Because we all know that Jehovah's precious truths makes one truly happy. But only if we apply them. There are those who leave the truth, but why? They get the same information as everyone else, including ciruit and district overseers. One reason may be that they don't apply what they hear and learn.

And especially this theme we have "Keep on the Watch!", its more of a reason to apply more what we learn. We will be happy, truly happy, if we do.

Psalm 128:1 "Happy is everyone fearing Jehovah, who is walking in his ways." (Proverbs 10:22)

"He's dead, Jim"

Last night, my brothers, some friends and I went to go see the new Star Trek movie at the IMAX and I've gotta say that I really liked. Coming from someone that has liked Star Trek since a kid, this was a good reboot or rethinking of the franchise. It needed a few years of rest. It has been on since the late 60s, so a good rest is what it needed. And along the way, Star Trek fans have been given a bad rep. Jokes of people in their 30s that live in their parents' basement and only watch Star Trek. I've never dressed up or gone to conventions. I never went that far. But really, how different is that from people that paint half their bodies and wear beer hats and scream and cheer at football games? Or people that wear jersies of their favorite players? Or Star Wars fans that do the same? And there were some at the theater last night, dressed up as Starfleet Officers. It was interesting.

As the movie started and throughout there were even some cheers and clapping. And it was a good movie. It captured the spark of the original series, just with a new take on it. What was best of the old series was not the special effects. If you see the old show, the effects, props and even the acting was SO CHEESY. But that's what made it cool. It was funny to see the incredibly fake aliens and effects. But it had a lot of character. It focused on character. And that is what makes something enjoyable to watch. It was the relationship that Kirk had with Spock, Spock with McCoy, McCoy with Kirk. Kirk is the emotional one. Spock is the logical one. And McCoy is the one that who enjoys speaking his mind. And putting those relationships with good stories made the show.

If you ask someone why they like this show, they might say that it gives hope for the future. That there could be no barriers that separate humanity. Because in the show, there is no war, no poverty, no hunger, no racial prejudice. But only on Earth. There is still problems with other races. So that is why many like it.

Of course, as Christians, we know what the future holds and don't need a TV show to give us some hope. The Bible gives a much better future to expect. But it's interesting that there are MANY Trek fans that like the show for that reason. It just goes to show that that is what people want: peace. I saw this report on the Internet announcing a 'march around the world' kinda thing, promoting peace throughout the world. And we all know what the 1 Thessalonians says. When peace is thought to be obtained, the end will come. But, again, it goes to show that peace is desired and for that reason many are responding favorably to the Kingdom Message.

Well, I guess what started to be a Star Trek post, ended with a Biblical point. Interestingly. But all in all, a good movie. Funny, exciting, sad, dramatic. A good example of this type of episode, is "The City on the Edge of Forever". The episode takes place mainly on Earth from the '30s. It's a story of friendship, love, and sacrifice. A huge sacrifice for the better good. It's a sad episode, but one of the best episodes, for me anyway. For your convenience and viewing pleasure, I have embeded the episode here from cbs.com. Just remember that it is from the 60s, cheesy special effects, not very good acting, but classic. It's a a good story. And folks, that's what it's all about.



If you can't see it, try following these links: cbs.com or youtube.com

This is what the 133rd Psalm is all about

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written. I’ve just haven’t had the time for it. But this past weekend was too great to not write about. Setting: Saturday, after morning field service. Place of incident: Dairy Queen. I was with Brother Jorge and he happened to notice through the window, some nicely dressed people step out of a couple vehicles. We patiently watched as they approached. As they did so, Jorge checked to see if he had his tracts in his shirt pocket, which they were.

So as they got near ‘our’ window, one of the brothers, Brother Brown, noticed and he had that familiar look on his face. The same look we all have when we meet new brothers and sisters at restaurants and stores.

They came in and we introduced ourselves. Literally, a minute later, one of the sisters invited us to sit with them. So we did and we ate, conversed, and laughed for about an hour and made arrangements to make them dinner later for that day. So they returned to the preaching work, because that is the reason why they came. Every so often we get brothers from English-speaking congregations to preach to the English-speaking territory, since it is seldom worked. These brothers are from Houston. We have also received some from San Antonio, Austin, and even Florida!

So a few hours later, the meat, mashed potatoes, spaghetti and meatballs, rice, and beans were ready. They came, about 12 of them, and we ate some more, conversed some more, and laughed a whole lot more. We even took this picture with them, and exchanged numbers.



The people that passed by the house, without a doubt, would’ve thought that our guests were family or old friends, by the way we were treating each other and all the pictures we were taking outside. - John 13.35 – “By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves.”


The brothers were awesome. It was an awesome night. I think that this experience really encouraged them to continue working seldom-worked territory, as well as encouraging others to do so. We had dinner with 13 people, whom we have never met before, and had a great time. And it all started with a tract in a shirt pocket.

Psalm 133 – “Look! How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the good oil upon the head, that is running down upon the beard, Aaron’s beard, that is running down to the collar of his garments. It is like the dew of Her´mon that is descending upon the mountains of Zion. For there Jehovah commanded the blessing [to be], [even] life to time indefinite.”

radio from a small town can leave you with a frown, and sometimes, turn it upside down. how does that sound?

Small towns are funny. They’re interesting. Take for example, the radio. I remember that when I got here, I would press the Seek button and it would get to 92.1. I press it again, and where do you think it would end up? Yes, sadly, it would end up at 92.1. And if that wasn’t all, it’s classic country. I’m not that much into country, but some of the songs are cool. I grew up listening to country music. The Judds, Kenny Rogers, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, George Strait. And even some of the older ones are catchy, like those of Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Jonny Cash, George Jones. But due to external forces unbeknownst to me, these are hardly played! I had no idea there was so many (I don’t want to say weird, …but anyway) weird-sounding country music back in the day. I knew there were some, but there are many. Now, back in San Antonio, if you didn’t like a song that was being played, you simply tuned in to another station. No biggie. Not here, my friend.

This is where a CD player is a must. Or satellite radio, which many Sonorians have. And it’s worse when you’re working using the company truck that has no CD player. And when we leave the town, toward the ranchos, whatever signal you may have, being that a pathetic or a good song is being played, the signal fades away, leaving you to play songs from the jukebox that’s in your head. But, fortunately, we got another radio station!! It’s 104.9, oldies. Now this is better. Although, it’s not KONO from San Antonio, it’s ok. Now THAT was an oldie radio station. And sometimes, more often when a storm is coming, we pick up stations from San Angelo, San Antonio, Del Rio, Abilene. So, you never know what’cha gonna get.

So even though some of the songs are cool, what I really like to listen to is the news. Kinda reminds me of NPR. Every few hours, the song that’s being played (and again, due to external forces unbeknownst to me, when a good song is being played), it is interrupted by the news. Like this morning. This cool song was finally playing and in the middle of it, it was interrupted by the National Anthem! No announcement, no nothing! I tell ya, they are out to get me. They are out… to get me. Anyway, first it’s TSN, the Texas State Network with interesting bits, followed by ABC News with Richard Davies. It’s been pretty cool, except for all of the presidential election stuff. Although, it does make me giggle when I hear President Bush speak. I always picture Frank Caliendo impersonating him. So, with the news, I keep up with some current events. Then some guy that calls himself Doctor Doppler, gives us updates on the weather. There is also this other guy, Paul Harvey, that gives news and commentary on anything and everything. I like listening to him, although he sounds like he’s in love with his voice. Lets see, who else… Ah yes, there is the local morning show. Now this is interesting. They mainly talk about local stuff. Not too interesting.

But what got my attention the other morning was how the radio persons refer to specific individuals of Sonora. For example, they always mention all of the names of people that have their birthdays and anniversaries, from Sonora, Eldorado, and Ozona. And this one time, the guy mentioned an anniversary and was making fun of the guy having the anniversary, saying that he probably forgot and he said, “Billy Ray, if you’re listening, don’t forget about your anniversary or you’ll be sleepin’ out in da’barn”, obviously because he knows the couple. That just shows how small this town is and how everyone knows almost everyone.

And no one knows street names (maybe because some streets are not named). I thought it was just a few, but the girl on the radio confirmed that. She said that no one knows the street names. Say, someone recently moves and so the direction-giving conversation would go something like this: “You know where the swimming pool is at? Ok, you take a left at the pool, you pass Fred’s little store, when you get to the corner where Annie May’s mother’s house is- oh, did you hear what happened with her… (gossip of the week is inserted here). Anyway, you take a right and you’re there. Oh, and watch out for the horse droppings.” And don’t think I’m exaggerating this.

It's like I said, small towns are interesting.

home is where the trailer is

Finally, I am settled in a home I can be comfortable in. I mean, the house I was renting was pretty nice. Check out the pictures.













But the bills were killing me. So that is when my wonderful parents came to my rescue. They helped me find a travel trailer, which our previous circuit overseer suggested I do. It would be a whole lot cheaper and I can take it with me if I ever have to move. So it is also convenient. When I saw the trailer, to be honest, I was a bit reluctant. It’s a trailer that is older than I am, but almost immediately, those thoughts withered away as I saw my parents faces. And what I saw was that it’s not the best thing, but it’s something better than what I had. And that was enough for me.

It needed work. And work is what was put into it. For about a month, my parents, along with other friends and family, worked arduously to make it Sonora-ready. And they did. When I saw it finished, when my uncle brought it over, I was wow’d. I was very content with it.

And soon after, I decided to name this fantastic trailer: Lucy. ‘Why?’, you ask. ‘Does the name ‘Lucy’ have a special significance?’, you ask. Well, no, not really, no. I think I was looking at a Peanuts comic strip and the name just popped into my head.

And then, there’s George.



I was at the store the other day, and this little feller was hanging around. So I decided to give him a home and to give me company. But don’t worry, I won’t talk to him as if he were a ‘Wilson’. (Actually, it’s funny that my brother, the funny guy that he is, was going to give me a Wilson volleyball.)

Anyway, I’m happy. And I really thank Jehovah for this. I thank him for my parents and friends that have done so much for me to be comfortable here. And although it’s not so big, what do I need so much space for? Everything I need is there. And it was the moment when my stuff was placed in its place, what was simply a trailer, now became my home.

a new beginning

As I mentioned in my last post on my previous blog , I am now posting here. You are welcome to visit past postings and pictures by going to royslilcorner.blogspot.com. Thank you, read on, and comment if you wish.