Here I am in Minnesota, quietly minding my own business and being a general bum, thank you very much. It's spring break, and I've been taking some much needed R &R time, when lo and behold, some Jehovah's Witnesses come knocking and I have the privilege of answering the door.
 
A middle aged woman, and a younger looking man stand before me, nicely dressed and  politely smiling. (My friend had me answer the door b/c she had her pj's on and didn't recognize the people through the window). After I caught on to who they were and what they wanted (it didn't take long, and The Watchtower mag was right there), I was tempted to just politely say goodbye and let them leave. Instead I haltingly  told them I was a Bible college student,  part of the reason I was stuying there was so I could refute people like them, and could I ask them some questions. Brilliant, Crystal, brilliantly blunt.

Anyway, I guess my bluntness didn't scare them off too much and we started talking w/ the front door hanging open and cold Minnesota air blowing in on us. After a minute or two, I ran and got my Bible and my friend's permission to let them in. I was guarded. I hadn't a clue what I was getting into. I hate debates. It would've been a shame to let this opportunity just go on by though, wouldn't it?

We didn't get very far in question and answer time at the front door. They asked if they could come back the next day and, then that they would just stop by. I had a whole day to prepare.

It's not like I know that much about JW's other than that they're a Christian Cult who somehow get lots of people to follow them and I shouldn't agree with whatever they push at me. I spent three hours yesterday going over the stuff they gave me, my Bible, and websites on how to refute them. It was like school had never ended, but without a  grade or someone to tell me whether or not I was on the right track.

After cramming the night before and feeling like I still barely knew anything, they came again this morning. They came earlier, oh why earlier?- it's spring break after all! It was two women this time, one was the same as before. My friend said I could let them all the way in this time, so we sat down in the living room and went at it again, not really getting much of anywhere again. They could only stay for a couple minutes and I had five pages of notes! They left again, but I gave my e-mail to the lady I had seen both visits. Hopefully she writes me and  we can  keep the conversation going.

Some things I learned/ we got caught on in "conversation time":
1. They believe Jesus is deity, that He is God's Son, and that He is the meditator between us and God, but that He is not God Himself. I don't get that. It has to do with the Trinity, which they don't hold to. It's just "Jehovah- God the Self-Existing Eternal One" for them.

2. They believe that "Jehovah" is the only proper name for God. When people pray to "God" or "Lord" they are actually praying to Satan. This is crazy. The Hebrew translation for Jehovah is God or THE LORD. There are many other names that God is called by throughout the Old Testament as well, Jehovah-ra-ah ( the Lord  is my shepherd), Jehovah-jirah (the Lord will provide), etc. Jesus Himself in the New Testament instructed us to pray to God as "Our Father."
 
3. They believe that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice sent by God, but that He is not God Himself. How can Jesus be the perfect sacrifice, a human without sin and not be God? How could He raise from the dead if He is not God? He did comeback IN THE FLESH and not as just a spirit.
 
4. They celebrate Jesus' death, but not His resurrection. Actually, Jesus' death is the only holiday they do celebrate, because they say it is commanded in the Scriptures. We didn't get very far into that, we are commanded through the Bible to remember the Lord's Supper together as believers, but a Memorial service once a year? Why would they celebrate Jesus' death, but not His resurrection? They think celebrating their birthdays' are against Scripture also because Pharaoh and Herod celebrate their birthdays by killing a bunch of people. Both of these people were awful rulers who killed people at other times too besides their birthdays. Job's children celebrated their birthdays, and John the Baptist's birth was celebrated as well.
 
4. They believe that  Jesus was crucified on a stake, not a cross. This is a somewhat trivial matter, but it caught my eye as the first thing pictured on the "The Watchtower" mag they gave me. They hold this view because of the sense of shame they feel the message of the cross portrays, as well as the use of the cross by pagans in a different time period ( I don't remember what the pagans did with this object, but whatever it was it wasn't good). Up to date archeological evidence and complete studies show however that the Romans did in fact execute prisoners on crosses, the Greek word "stauros" often does refer to more complex constructures then just a pole, and the woodcut illustration they use from Justus Lipsius portraying Jesus on a pole produced fifteen other illustrations most of which picture various cruifixitions on crosses.

5. They also hold that the image of the cross is like a graven image, and therefore part of idolatry. A symbol is not the same as an object of worship. JW's themselves have the symbol of the "watchtower"- does this mean that their "watchtower" is an idol?  

6.. We didn't even get into our differing views on Christ's return and their beliefs about the coming "paradise on earth," but I'm sure it would have been another chocolate can of worms.

It's so confusing! They use the Bible. They use Scripture. It's not easy to catch the differences right off the bat.The woman repeated several times that they were all over the world and they weren't divided- things the Christian church can't boast of.   They even have a branch in India, so I might run into more of this down the road. I know they're lumped into the 2.3% professing "Christians" in India.

Like I said before, I didn't understand everything. I'm not good with debate or thinking on my feet. I've never confronted Jehovah's Witnesses before and I'm not a master at knowing where to find exact concepts book, chapter, verse, and phrase. But I know Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, born of virgin, worker of miracles, perfect sacrifice for sin on a cross for your sins and mine, risen from the dead, sitting at the right hand of God, and coming back for His faithful followers someday very soon. I believe this Jesus because He IS Lord. He has been proven over and over again.

These people I talked to didn't know Him. They knew OF Him, but not Him personally. I hope the woman I gave my e-mail to writes me, but if not it's ok. I'll just be another link on her chain, on her chain to hopefully knowing who Jesus really is.
-read  the book I posted. It's really good!




   

Trying to get away

get away from this imperfection

running, striving, pushing on.

Never resting, never gone

Put on my mask, don't say a word.

Then they might wonder at this odd little bird

Who can't fly and finds it hard to think.

Never quite reaching the bar

Never quite coming up to par.

Never reaching perfection.

But why then should perfection be the goal?

Shouldn't it instead be complete and whole?

To be mature and know one's limits

To know who one is

what one wants

 and the steps needed to get whereever that is.

Take the steps!

Know thyself!

Don't let others push you down.

Go after what you really, deep down want.

There's no hurt in trying, one step at a time.

Meeting perfection isn't the goal; it's in slowly becoming someone who

Through imperfection can shine a much higher Glory. 

I need to go do homework. I need to go read for OT Prophets- like it really matters anyway, I usually get about the same on the quizzes whether I read or not. But then, there's always the chance that reading could help me do better, and so therefore, I keep trying. It's getting late and I'm getting sleepy. This week was a good week. I got my car fixed (after putting it off for I don't even know how long), I went swimming twice at the Y, it was warrm enough to wear fliip flops, and -God be praised- I was able to get all of my homework in on time.

The support letters are still slowly getting around. I have about forty addressed to be mailed, except right before I was ready to lick them all closed I had the not to encouraging thought that these letters look like about the most boring things you ever saw. The first ones I sent out I was careful to write personal notes at the bottom of each one, and I didn't think I needed to do that again for update letters. So, I've been trying to make up prayer cards to put in the letters. It wouldn't be so bad, except I needed a picture, and in order for me to have a picture I needed a card reader. But, thankfully my good friends Ben and Jen had one and they graciously allowed me to come over to their house and use it.

Thank you God that/ for:

-good friends

-card readers:)

-good friends w/ card readers

-my last open dorms! 

-guitar hero 

-kareokee solos and duets

-swimming pools

-flip flop weather

-very kind mechanics

-a new muffler and struts!

- the outline for Senior Bible Seminar wasn't as hard as I made it out to be

-baby steps

-time w/ You

-sleep

-tutoring sessions w/ Jessica where we get to bond randomly over information on snakes

-rides to the mechanics by Kim

-people to love and who love me in return

-sunsets of purple and orange through raindrops

ttfn/ good nite