The Holiday and stuff...
We had a good time in Scarborough last week, house-sitting for Becky's family as they holidayed in Scotland. It's the "house that Mike built", and as I've said before, it's impressive. To think that you can certainly build your own house and have occupancy...it's so Isaiahian. Well, it takes - it took - a better "man" than me to live that dream. For me it would have to be "get others to build your own house and actually have occupancy". And then lo would I enjoy the fruit of their hands, as I did last week.
The only problem was the weather, it was too damn hot. I mean, 32 degrees, that's just not on! On the walk we enjoyed (pictured below) it was a case of short-term pleasure paid for with long-term pain...we played with fire, and got burnt: yes, our shoulders and backs cooked in the heat of the sun and have been cooling down ever since...it's a week since the walk, and I swear my skins still glowing, the skin that wants to stay on my body that is, and it seems most of it doesn't - what a lovely picture I paint, in fiery-red and flaky-white! And yet I would say it was worth the price - to swim on an almost deserted beach in an almost green sea, an almost warm sea (never in England will you find a truly warm sea), was wonderful. Searching for living treasure in huge rock pools was wonderful - finding crabs and setting them down scuttling over rocks to Joni's screams of "SPIDER! SPIDER!" was wonderful. Seeing, for the first time in my life, an adder - an adder basking on a hot path slither off into undergrowth - was wonderful.
So those were the highlights, and what will stick in our minds about the holiday. On a negative note, we did scrape the car along a bollard in a shop car-park, and taking the car for its test yesterday I was sure we'd be stuck with a big bill - in vain did I fret! The car passed first time. Phew.
As it was a sort of do nothing much holiday, I was able to get through the marvelous book (mentioned in the last blog) which is the authors account of his experiences with the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. A lot of what he said rang true, as the expression goes, even though it was written nearly 40 years ago. I've put some of the best pages up on these links: 1 2 3 4 5 6. I especially like the comments (34-35) on how Witnesses conduct Bible Studies, and can affirm that this is true, and also, that this "study the society's books and give the society's answers to the society's questions" is the general format a meeting in the Witnesses' church (kingdom hall) takes, so much so that I actually recall - it was so unusual - when someone once, perhaps some 15 years ago, raised their hand at such a "question and answer" meeting and asked a question! "Question and answer" being "we ask the questions and you answer them" obviously. I love the way the society's own words (a very Christ-like method) are used against them (35) - if conformity is mind control, why look outside the society for it?! Cleanse first the inside of the cup, you who would be teachers. Also, how (a very small example from many) the society's views have changed, their interpretations of prophecy molded to fit whatever happens to be the current world situation (80-81) such as the quoted books reference to Russia and America as being central to God's outworking of things...or is this just a reflection of the time it was written? Do the society still view Russia, splintered and weakened, as the all powerful "King of the North?". Who knows. The discussion (146-147) of the evolution of the Bible Students into a business-like organization under president Judge Rutherford, so far removed from what first president Pastor Russell intended, is also enlightening.
Yesterday we went to the hospital to get our first hazy glimpse of what the future - around January 12th as we now know - holds for us, but for one person especially: the little baby in the ultrasound picture below (above the pictures of his/her Mummy, Daddy and Sister ;-). Becky reckons, actually I do too, that it looks like a boy, but who knows...
The only problem was the weather, it was too damn hot. I mean, 32 degrees, that's just not on! On the walk we enjoyed (pictured below) it was a case of short-term pleasure paid for with long-term pain...we played with fire, and got burnt: yes, our shoulders and backs cooked in the heat of the sun and have been cooling down ever since...it's a week since the walk, and I swear my skins still glowing, the skin that wants to stay on my body that is, and it seems most of it doesn't - what a lovely picture I paint, in fiery-red and flaky-white! And yet I would say it was worth the price - to swim on an almost deserted beach in an almost green sea, an almost warm sea (never in England will you find a truly warm sea), was wonderful. Searching for living treasure in huge rock pools was wonderful - finding crabs and setting them down scuttling over rocks to Joni's screams of "SPIDER! SPIDER!" was wonderful. Seeing, for the first time in my life, an adder - an adder basking on a hot path slither off into undergrowth - was wonderful.
So those were the highlights, and what will stick in our minds about the holiday. On a negative note, we did scrape the car along a bollard in a shop car-park, and taking the car for its test yesterday I was sure we'd be stuck with a big bill - in vain did I fret! The car passed first time. Phew.
As it was a sort of do nothing much holiday, I was able to get through the marvelous book (mentioned in the last blog) which is the authors account of his experiences with the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. A lot of what he said rang true, as the expression goes, even though it was written nearly 40 years ago. I've put some of the best pages up on these links: 1 2 3 4 5 6. I especially like the comments (34-35) on how Witnesses conduct Bible Studies, and can affirm that this is true, and also, that this "study the society's books and give the society's answers to the society's questions" is the general format a meeting in the Witnesses' church (kingdom hall) takes, so much so that I actually recall - it was so unusual - when someone once, perhaps some 15 years ago, raised their hand at such a "question and answer" meeting and asked a question! "Question and answer" being "we ask the questions and you answer them" obviously. I love the way the society's own words (a very Christ-like method) are used against them (35) - if conformity is mind control, why look outside the society for it?! Cleanse first the inside of the cup, you who would be teachers. Also, how (a very small example from many) the society's views have changed, their interpretations of prophecy molded to fit whatever happens to be the current world situation (80-81) such as the quoted books reference to Russia and America as being central to God's outworking of things...or is this just a reflection of the time it was written? Do the society still view Russia, splintered and weakened, as the all powerful "King of the North?". Who knows. The discussion (146-147) of the evolution of the Bible Students into a business-like organization under president Judge Rutherford, so far removed from what first president Pastor Russell intended, is also enlightening.
Yesterday we went to the hospital to get our first hazy glimpse of what the future - around January 12th as we now know - holds for us, but for one person especially: the little baby in the ultrasound picture below (above the pictures of his/her Mummy, Daddy and Sister ;-). Becky reckons, actually I do too, that it looks like a boy, but who knows...
posted by John Doran-Armstrong at 4:41 PM
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