SAD

Today we had the Special Assembly Day. In case you're not familiar with SAD, it's a yearly one-day convention that all Jehovah's Witnesses are assigned to attend. It has a series of talks, usually focused on a theme scripture. This year's is "Keep Watching the Ministry... That You Fulfill It" - Colossians 4:17

Most of it applies to Jehovah's Witnesses staying active in their preaching work. Here are some of my favorite points I wrote down.

Never allow unexpected challenges to paralyze your spirituality.
2 Corinthians 6:4-10 Says that we must recommend ourselves as God's ministers through [a long list of challenges]. Basically, we fulfill our ministry whether things are good or bad, no matter what happens.

Be 'Patiently Persistant' in following up interest.
We are not to resemble aggressive salespeople who want a sale within a few days of meeting you. Being 'patiently persistant' means we continue to show concern for the people we talk to, offering to come back when they are busy, and showing up when we promise to return. The point is to patiently cultivate interest in a person, because we can't force growth out of them.

The way we 'keep watching our ministry' is how we keep watching a toddler.
Of course I liked this point, since it hits close to home. You must constantly be aware of a toddler's wherabouts. If you were to stop watching for just a brief period of time, they'll be out in the parking lot somewhere. In the same way, we must always have an eye on our ministry, and not get sidetracked with personal affairs.

If we claim to be God's ministers, that gives others the right to examine us very closely.
If you pay for something at a register with a $5 bill, the clerk just takes it and gives you your change. However, if you pay with a $100 bill, they're going to hold it up to the light, examine it and verify that it's real. In the same way, if we claim to be worshipping the Most High, and the authority to preach comes from his Son, then our actions and conduct better back that up as not conterfeit.

So it was a nice day. We really enjoyed the program, and Filip was well-behaved. It really is motivating me to make improvements on the quality of my ministry, and also in just getting out and not finding excuses to stay home.