The other day I was at the Kingdom Hall and a friend of mine walked up to talk to me. We briefly talked about a difficult situation I am working through in my personal life and he could see that it was causing me some angst. Perhaps also through my words he could see I …
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Author:Joe Beckman
What makes a family?
When you think of family, who do you think of? Perhaps your mother or father? Siblings? Maybe you are a mother or father yourself and you think of your spouse and your own children. Many instinctively think that a family is defined by those traditional roles that we’ve given titles to. Society often considers those …
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Be happy with what you have
I have had this idealized version of life that I have strived to achieve. A life of travel, excitement, wonder and adventure. I’ve often dreamt of seeing the world by boat, and it has been such a big dream that when I started working that the goal of one day setting sail motivated me to …
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Perfect love casts fear out
Has anyone ever felt inadequate when approaching Jehovah in prayer? I have. Jehovah knows my thoughts. He knows all the things I’ve done. He knows the deepest parts of me that still struggles with the thoughts that 40-years of worldly living brings. Sometimes those thoughts can cause us anguish, they can cause us to hold …
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Renounce unrighteousness
As Jehovah’s people we are expected to renounce unrighteousness. One definition of renounce is “to declare that one will no longer engage in or support”. So, this scripture is telling us that if we are calling on the name of Jehovah that we are to no longer engage in, or support, unrighteousness. One might even …
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What’s on the menu?
I have been very grateful to Jehovah for the many blessings he has given me. One of them was the help he gave me in making many changes in my life as I was learning about him and forming a friendship. I had to overcome many bad personal habits in this journey to live by …
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Ribs!
One of my favorite meats to smoke is plain ole’ pork ribs. If doing spare ribs I prefer the St. Louis Style which basically just trims the ends off so you have rib bones and not all of that cartilage that holds them together. So just meat, and bones, and in an easy to eat …
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Backyard BBQ
I love smoking meat, and I love having friends and family over to eat it with me. Of course, eating it is the prize at the end, but the journey from start to finish is just as enjoyable to me. Maybe it’s because it gives me a reason to stay home and not run around …
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The Greatest Commandment
God’s law has standards and morals that he requires of those wishing to gain eternal life. Occasionally I get asked questions about my faith as it relates to this law. Often these are questions about specific actions and whether or not I hate someone who practices this or that. Sometimes those requirements would seem to …
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