the Weekly Okie
April 20, 2009 4/20
Vol 1, Issue 9
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The Weekly Okie is one of three publications of Free Minds, Inc. The Free Minds Journal is a PRINTED publication published three times a year, and you can read more about it HERE. LIFELINE is a more intimate, behind the scenes look at Free Minds, Inc. and is only meant for the regular supporter. It is sent either by regular postal mail or email (depending on preference) to regular supporters of Free Minds, Inc. Typically that means someone who has chosen to contribute $100 or more per year to Free Minds, Inc., a registered non-profit organization. The February-April issue of the Free Minds Journal came out late, due to assembling all the blog stories and making sure everyone had their material ready. A few voiced concern over a couple of the articles featuring an atheist's viewpoint or an evolution theme. Please keep in mind that Free Minds is now a portal, much like a newspaper, and although it may seem obvious to most I have a Christian background, and I love Jesus and am born-again, we are an outreach to all. The name FREE MINDS was chosen with this purpose in mind many years ago. Starting with the next issue which will be printed in May, I will be writing more of the Journal articles and the themes will be familiar to those accustomed to the Journal for the last 25 years or so. The next issue will be out in June. Don't miss it! I have already lined up a good article from Christy Darlington on The Paranoia Fear Of Jehovah's Witnesses. I will be writing more about what tricks and shortcuts make an exit-counselor effective, and things you should know. Get the Journal!
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| Update on Finances |
Since our previous call for help, Free Minds has received over $1500 in emergency funds, and we are gradually becoming more stable in a volatile financial world. Thankfully, we have lost only a few contributors, and we have also gained a few! Welcome on board if you are one of those persons.
In our new Free Minds Store you will see links at the top for contributions (this is also on the front page of freeminds.org). We can now process automatic donations on a monthly basis from both Paypal and credit cards. Please consider becoming a monthly supporter, even if it is just $10 per month. Secret hint: Soon we will be offering tiers of service on the site, from free to special privileges for those who spend a little extra. Those already on the LIFELINE list ($100 or more per year) will receive the full levels or perks without having to sign up. My friends deserve it!
At present we are running about $1000 short per month in order to keep going. Ad revenue will bring in about $200 per month on the Google ads alone, and we are also offering advertising space for ministries, authors of new books, etc. . But our main source of income is from you, our readers. We are a non-profit, educational organization and all contributions are tax-deductible. Our current budget is about 60% from that of previous years, and though we have obviously cut out a lot of expenses, we don't want to lose what is the best to come before it even gets implemented.
We also desire to set up a donor page for those who like to be publicly listed as regular contributors to Free Minds. Normally donors are never mentioned on the site or in emails, etc., but for some, with their permission, it holds various personal advantages, so stay tuned! We would like other people to know who stand up for us. We are also seeking corporate grants to Free Minds, Inc.
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| Kerry Louderback-Wood joins our Bloggers |
Kerry Louderback-Wood has joined our blogger team! She tells us,My personal story is that I am a third generation Jehovah's Witness. I left the religion at about seventeen years old, to pursue a college education which the religion did not promote. When I was born, my mother almost died of hemorrhage, but a relative secretly permitted her to have platelets. In her 70s, she refused a blood transfusion for anemia and suffered a fatal heart attack. Her death prompted me to revisit the religion's stance on blood. Take a look at her main blog page and see how valuable her work is in our effort to change the disastrous "no blood transfusion" policy of Jehovah's Witnesses!
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| Navigating the Free Minds site |
Navigating the new site is easier than you think! If you are frustrated because you can't find articles that you used to read or would like to recommend, and have tried the SEARCH button, you will most likely find them by clicking on the new RANDY button at the top of the new site. There you will find a link to the old menus. This will eventually all be integrated, but we are still under construction! Note that most of the top menu buttons has levels of drop-down menus to help you find things better.
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| Advertising on Free Minds! |
Many of our readers are up and coming authors who have published books about Jehovah's Witnesses (or related subjects) and would like to try out paid advertisements on the internet. Free Minds offers affordable rates for many various size ads that can be placed on the front page, specific pages, or most pages on the site. In most cases there is a small set-up fee if you don't already have an ad, and then some fairly low monthly rates, considering the high amount of traffic we receive, with thousands of page loads every day. Additionally, you may wish to advertise a special seminar, an event, a meet-up group, church or whatever. Many size options are available. email Randy for more information. |
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Wilbur Lingle has a great new book published by CLC (Christian Literature
Crusade) entitled,  What the Watchtower Doesn't Want You to Know - A Glimpse Behind the Walls of the Kingdom Halls.
Give our new shopping cart a try. It is Paypal-based but you can use any major credit card as well. GO HERE.
Designed for (1) people who are studying with the Witnesses and want to know what they are getting in to (2) For Jehovah's Witnesses who need a better way of life with God and spirituality, and (3) for those who have lost loved ones or friends to the Watchtower and want to understand what goes on inside the kingdom halls. Designed to be given to Witnesses. 230 pages, paperback.
PRE-ORDER NOW, will be shipped by the end of April.
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| Randy will be out of the office from April 23-27th visiting his whole family for his 85th birthday in Arkansas. Read about Ken Watters and his story of going through the Great Depression in Oklahoma and his most interesting life.
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| FREE OFFER! |
Try out our new Free Minds Store! Make an item purchase over $25 and you will receive a free copy of the CD-rom with it's accompanying spiral-bound book, Tetragrammaton Downloadable Research Library (list $25) by Lynn Lundquist. Just mention the offer in the final checkout phase of the Paypal shopping cart where it says, Add special instructions to the seller. This offer will not be automatically added, so don't forget to let me know you want to use the "coupon." This offer is only good for those on the Weekly Okie email list. Each issue of the Weekly Okie will have a new coupon worth $$$! Email me if you have a question about this or wish to add it to your new order.
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Offer Expires: May 1, 2009
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