Maxwell Conferences

[CanadianHippie]

I'm seeing just a spot of light.

And Caelem, your right, those kids look like they are trying sooooooooo hard to be happy but just can't get their.

[CanadianHippie]

The questions have to be written down and placed in a box before the session, so there won't be a chance to catch Stevie off-guard. I have no doubt that he takes that box, quickly goes through it, and "loses" any questions that he doesn't like.

He doesn't have to lose them, just claim that there is limited time to answer questions and that he's "picked the best".

[sparkles]

So basically Steve is a coward.

[CanadianHippie]

So basically Steve is a coward.

Not a huge surprise, is it?

[sparkles]

Sadly, no.

I feel so bad for those poor girls and don't look forward to the day when the light goes out of Mary's eyes. She still actually looks happy but that won't last.

[E Street Fan]

(Unrelated) Sparkles, your avatar scares the hell out of me! :lol: It's the stuff of nightmares, for sure!

[sparkles]

Thanks! I was looking for the perfect FJ avatar and then I remembered Kid Farm. Kills me every time.

[Rosie]

The women need to trim their hair. It looks scraggly.

Yep.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

The questions have to be written down and placed in a box before the session, so there won't be a chance to catch Stevie off-guard. I have no doubt that he takes that box, quickly goes through it, and "loses" any questions that he doesn't like.

My thoughts exactly too. Political appearances do exactly the same thing for exactly the same reasons. Letting the audience ask unscripted questions is just death to events that are mostly advertising and need to be "on message."

[sparkles]

I don't know if they've only answered pre-approved questions before, but if they haven't I'm sure the new rule has a lot to do with Joseph's failed courtship. Although according to Steve, it didn't actually FAIL, god just said "never mind" in his best Emily Litella voice.

[Zoom]

And again with the passive voice!!!!!!!!!

[Guest Anonymous]

That's hilarious that they mentioned twice that there will be no question time (for the free jingers) at Pittsburgh. :)

It must be getting increasingly hard for Steve to explain away the things he changes in response to FJ. I wonder how many of them know about us? It must be very disconcerting for Steve to know that countless FJers are considering attending this season's Maxwell Show. Nathan's fb page is no longer public since we discussed it on here, either... Wonder if Daddy has taken his sports away AGAIN...

[tressea]

As an educator, I find it incredibly telling when someone giving a presentation does not allow questions. To me, it virtually always means one of two things: (1) the presenter is unprepared, or (2) the presenter is not confident enough in their position to be able to address tough questions articulately and confidently. Either way, I find it incredibly unprofessional. If people are taking time out of their day to listen to you speak, you should respect them enough to allow them to ask questions openly.

I look forward to the tough questions in my classes and I appreciate it when a student is willing to challenge something that I've said. Not only do such questions mean that I've engaged the audience, they create opportunities to discuss the subject more fully. I can't count the number of times that I've strongly felt that the audience actually agreed with me MORE after I was given the opportunity to defend my position in response to a tough question. Similarly, I've often felt that I was able to articulate something more clearly in response to a question than I was during my lecture. Those opportunities would have been lost if I either forbid questions or screened questions before I answered them. I am a better professor because of the tough and hostile questions. They strengthen my skills rather than reduce them.

Steve is really missing out on important opportunities by screening questions in advance. More troubling, I feel that he is both disrespecting his audience AND indicating that his confidence levels in what he is preaching are lower than might be expected. If someone asks an obnoxious or threatening question, so what? If he truly believes in his message and the power of his presentation, he should be able to field such questions deftly, articulately, and with confidence. And when a presenter is able to do THAT -- maintain composure and thoughtfulness in the face of hostile questioning -- they almost always gain the sympathies and loyalties of the audience more so than they would have in the absence of such questions.

On a separate note, I find this yet another instance of the Maxwells desperately trying to cloister themselves in a world where no one challenges their viewpoints and where they are surrounded by people who believe exactly the same things that they do. Christ did not live his life that way. He went out of his way to hang out with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners of every variety. And he ANSWERED the tough and extremely hostile questions. He did not run from them.

[tressea]

Oh, and as for the "there's just not enough time" argument, I don't buy it. Good presenters adjust their presentations to allow ample time for questions at the end. Again, I strongly feel that this is the professional and respectful thing to do. If time is tight in Pittsburgh, the Maxwells should shorten their presentations accordingly.

[justakitten]

I find it funny as well, especially since they have THREE open dates for conferences (more actual days than that) in between PA and Louisiana.

[Palimpsest]

Hmmm, two things I notice today:

1. After we made gentle fun of it here Joseph changed the title of his presentation from "Who Really Is Jesus To You? to "Who Is Jesus to You?"

2. They seem to have removed the whole itinerary for their Fall conferences from the blog. People now have to contact them for information on where they are speaking.

It's not just Pittsburgh Steve's worried about -- he's expecting an FJ infiltration at any moment! I wonder if there will be bouncers ready at each location to throw us ebil feminists out. ;)

[Sweetpea1]

If they ever come to North Dakota, I'd be more than willing to crash their presentation. I can fake fundy (quite well, if necessary.)

[kunoichi66]

The photo of those kids.....there is something weird about it....

[OkToBeTakei]

The photo of those kids.....there is something weird about it....

Their eyes. It reminds me of those awful pictures that came out of the Romanian orphanages.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hmmm, two things I notice today:

1. After we made gentle fun of it here Joseph changed the title of his presentation from "Who Really Is Jesus To You? to "Who Is Jesus to You?"

2. They seem to have removed the whole itinerary for their Fall conferences from the blog. People now have to contact them for information on where they are speaking.

It's not just Pittsburgh Steve's worried about -- he's expecting an FJ infiltration at any moment! I wonder if there will be bouncers ready at each location to throw us ebil feminists out. ;)

Wow, Steve really is running scared. The Lord Jesus must be too busy organising good night's sleeps at that RV park to be reliably employee keeping the ebil feminists out of the titus2 roadshows. ;)

[twin2]

I call shenanigans on not having a Q&A after the Pittsburgh conference because there is not enough time. According to the Pittsburgh schedule the show ends at 2:45 in the afternoon on Sat. the 29th. They then have the next few days in Oct listed as "open". There is plenty of time for a Q&A.

Liar, liar Steve. You made the baby Jesus weep. :naughty:

PS: I was still able to see the fall schedule on the blog.

[fundiefan]

Sarah, darling, get a Thesaurus. We know that everything is a joy and delight. But, please, learn a new way of saying it. Every post of yours is as predictable as the time my alarm will go off Monday - Friday. While you're at it, why don't you learn a whole bunch of new words and phrases. I know it's hard to have a new conference report, since all your conferences are the same, but if you try, I am sure you can find new ways to same the same thing. I've been reading your blog, thus your conference reports, for about two years now. LORD knows I could have stopped after the first one because they are all the exact same as the one before.

Also, so, it's Joseph who does the session 'who is Jesus to you'? I wonder how quickly they threw that one together, a night? Like, the night Elizabeth dumped him and they had to come up with something to fill that time instead of parading the newlyweds and Stevie's superior courting ways?

[twin2]

Sarah, darling, get a Thesaurus. We know that everything is a joy and delight. But, please, learn a new way of saying it. Every post of yours is as predictable as the time my alarm will go off Monday - Friday. While you're at it, why don't you learn a whole bunch of new words and phrases. I know it's hard to have a new conference report, since all your conferences are the same, but if you try, I am sure you can find new ways to same the same thing. I've been reading your blog, thus your conference reports, for about two years now. LORD knows I could have stopped after the first one because they are all the exact same as the one before.

Also, so, it's Joseph who does the session 'who is Jesus to you'? I wonder how quickly they threw that one together, a night? Like, the night Elizabeth dumped him and they had to come up with something to fill that time instead of parading the newlyweds and Stevie's superior courting ways?

And maybe another way to describe the families you meet other than sweet.

[Patsy]

And maybe another way to describe the families you meet other than sweet.

Didn't you see the mother and the baby? They're 'tender'.

[fundiefan]

The schedule is still up.

If it weren't a Thursday night, I'd be at the one in Oshkosh. I debated, then decided yes, I'm going! Until I went to confirm the date and it's a weeknight and Oshkosh is about 2 hours from here. The show that night goes until 9:30. I can't be out til midnight on a work night and it's doubtful that I'd get there in time with traffic since I work until 5. And, as much as I'd like to crash a Maxwell dog & pony show, they are not worth taking time off work.

See, Maxwells, even feminists raised without your brand of control, er, Christianity, have priorities and know their responsibilities. Even we know when work comes first.