Category: Bethel
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Journal Entries of the Past : Plans to be Happy
I started looking though old journals as I started writing my posts centering them around my time at Bethel. I found this journal entry from February 2008 that was written while I was there. “Get close to the congregation. Have a set plan for service during the month. Be prepared for ministry, arrange to work…
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My JW Life : Lets Chat About Partaking
In the words of Seinfeld, My next chapter is a pretty big matzah ball I’m just hanging out here. Navigating one’s spiritual journey can often feel like traversing a winding path, with each turn presenting its own set of challenges and revelations. This was particularly true for me after leaving Bethel and for several years…
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My Bethel Love Story : Part 4 : Judgment at Bethel
My existence and life were unraveling as the plane touched down in New York, my mind a battleground of contradicting desires, fears, and heartbreak. The knowledge that the next moments and months of my life would be untidy was as certain as anything I had ever known. Jonathan‘s confession to the elders had positioned me…
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My Bethel Love Story : Part 2 : The Unspoken Language of Us
In one of my previous entries, I introduced you to Jonathan*, he was part of a chapter of my life that unfolded in the crazy world of Bethel. Today, I pull back the curtain a bit more to reveal the depth of our bond, a connection that was as unexpected as it was intimate. Jonathan…
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JW Culture : Reflections on Bethel
Bethel was supposed to be a spiritual haven, the peak and highlight of my religious journey, where the most spiritual and dedicated lived a wonderful life of special full time service to Jehovah. It was in my mind a place shrouded in an aura of holiness and expectation. Yet, as I time there went on,…
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My Bethel Love Story : Part 1
In the heart of Bethel (a Jehovah’s Witness monastery), where my devotion had turned to depression, I found an unexpected treasure—a connection that would shape my heart for years to come. This is the story of meeting my first love, Jonathan* whose memory is etched into my being as deeply as the scriptures were into…