John Shrader Part 12: Empty Baptismal, Empty Brains

[formergothardite]

John(or more likely his kids and few remaining followers) spent the day handing out MORE tracts. At this point when they are handing out 800-1000 tracts in the same city each Saturday, wouldn't pretty much everyone who wants one already have one or will already have one pretty soon?

Quote

 

Please keep praying for faithful men. We've seen so much hypocrisy, but I've told the Lord that these are His churches, and this is His ministry. It is His Work, for I can do nothing, and I am nothing apart from Christ.

My part is to stay humble, and stay faithful.

 

Of course nothing is John's fault. If things fail and converts say he is nothing more than a con man he can smugly sit there saying that it wasn't his ministry, it is God's. If God let His ministry fail then don't blame John! 

Well he has already failed at the stay humble part. 

[Gobsmacked]

So John boy is now telling God what to do?John can do no more, so if John's missioncation in Zambia falls apart, it's all Gods fault?

Am I reading that right?

[Grimalkin]

16 hours ago, Gobsmacked said:

So John boy is now telling God what to do?John can do no more, so if John's missioncation in Zambia falls apart, it's all Gods fault?

Am I reading that right?

   I'm sure God values John's advice.

[Howl]

Meaningful, thoughtful introspection is not John's strong point. 

[formergothardite]

16 hours ago, Gobsmacked said:

So John boy is now telling God what to do?John can do no more, so if John's missioncation in Zambia falls apart, it's all Gods fault?

Am I reading that right?

Yes, John told God that if stuff failed it wasn't his fault, it was God's. It is like he is asking for a bolt of lightening to fall from the sky. 

[anjulibai]

Hahaha, it's God's fault, that is just hilarious. Seriously, I hope he loses followers over that one alone. 

[clearingthingsup]

12 hours ago, anjulibai said:

Hahaha, it's God's fault, that is just hilarious. Seriously, I hope he loses followers over that one alone. 

He won't cause they're too dumb to realize what he's saying. 

[Gobsmacked]

Rain pouring down outside. I'm bored. Anything happening in John Land?

[Jellybean]

John's dad has lost an astonishing amount of weight and is still losing:

Spoiler

Who is going to win the battle to control your mind?

Spoiler

Isaiah (shraderling 10) just celebrated his first birthday. He is a total cutie but poor Esther looks more like his grandmother than his mother in a couple of the pictures. 

Spoiler

Howzat for a rainy Tuesday morning?

[Gobsmacked]

Thankyou Jellybean.      Hot tea for a cold wet June day.

John's dear old Dad has done well!  

Isaiah is cute. Hope he and his siblings are able to escape and write books about their adventures in Zambia one day.  Is Esther pregnant? Or am I confused? 

[ILoveJellybeans]

Yes, Esther is pregnant, I think there was an announcement a few months ago.

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

His father is as bad as John

why would he write a book about his weight loss when he just followed another book and did some excercise? Nothing to learn from him but of course he's an expert. If he keeps it off in 5 years time that's more impressive.

Agree Esther looks older than her years. She's a couple of years older than me but having 8 more kids than I have (and I'm DONE at 2!) and poverty and the stress of a shitty husband have aged her faster than most 

[CTRLZero]

Re:  The poster of John's idol A. W. Tozer.  They left out a line:

Somebody is Going to Control Your Mind.

Is it going to be the Son of an Independent Unaffiliated Baptist Pastor?

I would like to ask John why he can't squeeze the word "Christian" into his historical independent unaffiliated Baptist church in Zambia [subsaharan Africa, dontcha know, and beyond] title.  Maybe he runs out of breath.

 

[PopRox]

Is it me or does Isaiah look a little skinny for a one year old?

[Bethella]

19 hours ago, Gobsmacked said:

 Is Esther pregnant? Or am I confused?

Due in December

[Gobsmacked]

On 6/6/2017 at 8:25 AM, CTRLZero said:

Somebody is Going to Control Your Mind.

Is it going to be the Son of an Independent Unaffiliated Baptist Pastor?

Because his church isn't Christian? It's Johnistan, The church of John.

[gustava]

On 6/6/2017 at 4:18 AM, Jellybean said:

He is a total cutie but poor Esther looks more like his grandmother than his mother in a couple of the pictures. 

She does look old.

[Jellybean]

After looking at the pictures again, I think that part of it is the light reflected in Esther's hair, which makes it look a bit grey. Obviously she has to dress in a rather matronly way (I used to have to do the same), her hair is quite severe, and she isn't wearing make-up, but she really does have gorgeous skin. 

Even without the 'grey' hair, there's just something that I can't quite identify. I'm more-or-less the same age as Esther and far, far more grey under the hair dye, but she looks about 10 years older. 

I know it's not about looks, but this is clearly a lifestyle that is hard on the body as well as the soul. 

[Aine]

3 hours ago, Jellybean said:

I know it's not about looks, but this is clearly a lifestyle that is hard on the body as well as the soul. 

The poor woman has probably barely had a full night's sleep in 14 years with the amount of children and rate of birthing she does. I doubt John is much help during the night but she'd be having kids teething or going through sleep regressions at the same time as caring for a newborn. If it isn't the kids waking up during the night, pregnancy causes its fair share of restless night's sleep too. That would be more than enough to age anyone! I know I've definitely aged from two years so far in a doctoral program (more lines on my face, permanent dark circles) and I'm positive that my 5ish hours of uninterrupted sleep a night is much more than she gets. 

 

I feel so sorry for her  

[Georgiana]

A huge part of what we perceive as "aging" is the body beginning to deplete or lose its stores of essential building blocks that it collects during youth and young adulthood and then draws upon in old age.

ANOTHER process that depletes these stores is pregnancy.  Now normally a woman of childbearing age can replace these stores in between pregnancies or after she is done bearing children.  HOWEVER, that's nearly impossible if you are doing back to back pregnancies until menopause (especially if your diet is less than stellar).  There are very good reasons the overwhelming medical advice is to put time between pregnancies if at all possible.  

These grand multi-paras prematurely age themselves.  Michelle and Kelly have gotten VERY lucky so far, but Michelle is starting to look like my grandma in her 80s with the way she is shrinking (which with my grandmother was due to bone density issues, something that grand multi-paras are at an INCREDIBLY high risk for).  As time goes on, I think we are going to see more and more serious issues with the health of these women.

But there is a HUGE physical reason why the youth of these women seems to fade quickly.  Pregnancy is super rough on a woman's body, even if your pregnancies are relatively easy.  

[SoybeanQueen]

That shirt (in the pics where you can only see the top of it) plus her hair style make Esther look like an extra in a polygamist cult movie.

[formergothardite]

Stress can also age you and her life must be pure stress with John. Even when they lived here they were always on the brink of poverty with people having to bail them out and John refusing to hold a job. Having to depend on John would age anyone. 

[Howl]

4 hours ago, Aine said:

I know I've definitely aged from two years so far in a doctoral program (more lines on my face, permanent dark circles) and I'm positive that my 5ish hours of uninterrupted sleep a night is much more than she gets. 

Before retirement, I worked in an academic department at a large state university, providing administrative support (and sometimes a shoulder to cry on) for 100 grad students, 50 of whom were pursuing a doctorate.  It never failed to amaze me when I saw a student who had graduated a few years previous and gotten his/her academic job.  They all looked 10 years younger and so relaxed, although working one's way to tenure is no picnic.  And yes, they were sleep deprived in grad school, almost without exception.  I was especially amazed at the few women who managed to do it with one or more kids.  

@Georgiana re grand multi-paras.  First, what a great term!  Nicole Naugler, who we follow on FG, is pregnant with #12 (I think).  Her teeth are starting to fall out, which to me is an indication that her successive pregnancies, maybe 18 months apart, are taxing her body to the max.    Her diet can't be good to start with and her lack of prenatal care, abysmal living conditions, combined with endless facebook feuds and endless court appearances along with 11 kids at home, is stressful to the max. 

 

 

[Carm_88]

3 hours ago, SoybeanQueen said:

That shirt (in the pics where you can only see the top of it) plus her hair style make Esther look like an extra in a polygamist cult movie.

Oh my god!  She does look like an FLDS sister wife. That's nuts! 

[melon]

Esther just turned 36,and she does look older.And like she should be in a movie or documentary about polygamy.