Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[Marigold]

I always check on Jessa because she is my favorite Duggar to discuss, in a snarky way, of course.

Jessa has been silent on social media after her video in the mustard dress and pregnancy speculation.  

Guess it is true. 

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, Marigold said:

I always check on Jessa because she is my favorite Duggar to discuss, in a snarky way, of course.

Jessa has been silent on social media after her video in the mustard dress and pregnancy speculation.  

Guess it is true. 

Maybe they're plotting a big super-exciting reveal about Counting On star Jessa's baby joy as a season-teaser or season-ender or something. 

Because how thrilling and dramatic would that be? Seriously. Hnh? Hnh? Hnh? 

[Ljohnson1987]

Jessa cannot stand it when others are in the spotlight. And she can barely raise the kids she has, and keep her home clean. What does she do all day? She certainly doesn't have a job. 

[GeeGolly]

Jessa is on her knees praying for identical girl triplets as we speak.

[Lunera]

If Jessa was smart she could have started her own brand. She should have started a YouTube channel where she vlogs about mommy life and her life as as fundie wife. She could have filmed herself learning how to cook, taking the kids on outings, going shopping etc. She would have gotten tons of a sponsorships and freebies. Leghumpers and curious people eat that shit up.

She has over a million followers on Instagram and if she had that many YouTube subscribers she'd be making bank from monetized videos. There are tons of young people in their 20s with over a million subscribers who make enough money from YouTube to live in fancy condos in LA. She wouldn't be as big as Joanna Gaines but she would be in the spotlight and making her own money.

[FakeJoshDuggar]

2 minutes ago, Lunera said:

If Jessa was smart she could have started her own brand. She should have started a YouTube channel where she vlogs about mommy life and her life as as fundie wife. She could have filmed herself learning how to cook, taking the kids on outings, going shopping etc. She would have gotten tons of a sponsorships and freebies. Leghumpers and curious people eat that shit up.

She has over a million followers on Instagram and if she had that many YouTube subscribers she'd be making bank from monetized videos. There are tons of young people in their 20s with over a million subscribers who make enough money from YouTube to live in fancy condos in LA. She wouldn't be as big as Joanna Gaines but she would be in the spotlight and making her own money.

That would have been brilliant. Except it’s Jessa and she’s just not that smart. Savvy? Maybe. Smart? No.  Lazy? Absolutely. 

[Sew Sumi]

I wonder what Ben had to say about this? It's quite the shake-up at the top. 

http://www.christianpost.com/news/moody-bible-president-coo-resign-amid-controversy-provost-retires-213319/

[queenanne]

1 hour ago, FakeJoshDuggar said:

That would have been brilliant. Except it’s Jessa and she’s just not that smart. Savvy? Maybe. Smart? No.  Lazy? Absolutely. 

Also so much for her vaunted ‘organizational skills’, which don’t seem to have any transferability... she could at least make a closet and home organizer.

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

I wonder what Ben had to say about this? It's quite the shake-up at the top. 

http://www.christianpost.com/news/moody-bible-president-coo-resign-amid-controversy-provost-retires-213319/

Oh, look! A "season of leadership." Ha. -- 

"However, we are unanimous in our decision that it is time for a new season of leadership."

Part of the flap is that some of these ousted faculty were going down a social-justice road, seeking human answers to some urban problems, rather than just focusing on the "conversion is the answer" view. I agree with the ousted on that! But I know that, from its earliest beginnings, back a hundred-plus years ago, Moody was established for the sole purpose of reinforcing the "conversion is the answer." Interesting to me that any faculty there would veer from that. 

"My greatest concern about this program is that it is not faithfully centering on the Word of God. Two specific examples I have of this are from discussions held in my Senior Seminar class. The first few days of this class, our department head had us gather together and discuss what he originally wanted to be a class project. He wanted us to create a booklet on inner city crime and the solution to the problem and then present it to the school as a practical action plan. There were around ten of us in the class, however, and he was unsure of how to go about this project because our passions within inner city injustice were so broad. After my class discussed a few ideas, I felt compelled to suggest that we center this project on the Gospel and use our various fields of interests within it to be vehicles for restoration because of its message. Our department head told me, “Yeah, we’ll definitely talk about loving your neighbor and stuff like that” but was uninterested in using the Gospel as the central place from which to find unity.
"The department head consistently emphasized human action and remedies over the Gospel, stressing the importance of living out our values rather than being explicit. When I said respectfully that the Gospel was the distinctive of Christian outreach, as non-Christians can effectively do social projects, he said, “We can care intentionally for people without caring for them spiritually.” I concluded after many discussions like this that his notion of the gospel is closer to liberation theology and the social gospel than it is to biblical concerns. His idea, expressed consistently in all the classes I took was that “ministry” is not about salvation; instead, the church must help others free themselves from society’s social and political constraints."

https://thebrokentwig.wixsite.com/snap/single-post/2017/12/14/Student-Exposes-MBIs-Liberal-Shift

Wonder what Bin thinks about this, if he understands it .... 

Edited January 11, 2018 by Churchhoney

[Sew Sumi]

Dying to know what the "controversy" was. 

[Churchhoney]

7 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Dying to know what the "controversy" was. 

Apparently part of it is that some of these people were maybe cutting administrative corners of some kind, some were sloppy and late for class and appointments and such .... But it appears that the one that bugs some people the most is that at least some of these people are acting like social-justice liberals and turning away from what's been the basic Moody principle from the beginning: that you should never seek human solutions to human problems but that human problems can and should be solved by converting people to the correct Jesus.  (see quote above)

Edited January 11, 2018 by Churchhoney

[madpsych78]

9 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

Apparently part of it is that some of these people were maybe cutting administrative corners of some kind, some were sloppy and late for class and appointments and such .... But it appears that the one that bugs some people the most is that at least some of these people are acting like social-justice liberals and turning away from what's been the basic Moody principle from the beginning: that you should never seek human solutions to human problems but that human problems can and should be solved by converting people to the correct Jesus.  (see quote above)

But isn't converting people to the correct Jesus a human solution? It would at least be executed by humans.

[Churchhoney]

Just now, madpsych78 said:

But isn't converting people to the correct Jesus a human solution? It would at least be executed by humans.

Well, only in the sense that you get them to give themselves to the Lord. But then you back off and let the Lord solve the rest of their problems. You're not supposed to give people the idea that anything other than Jesus can successfully tackle their problems, no matter what those problems are. 

What they're objecting to, as I understand it, is Christian workers saying instead of "you must convert," something like this -- "Even if you don't end up converting to my Jesus, we will help you work on practical and/or political and/or whatever human ways of approaching your problems -- and we have hope that those things can help solve them for you, whether or not you'll follow me and convert." 

Accepting the correct Jesus as your Lord is the answer to all things. and you're not supposed to indicate that anything else can help people. 

The original Moody stuff happened way back around the turn of the 20th century. And among the things that the Moody urban missionaries were fighting  were the idea that you should help poor laborers unionize to get better working conditions or that you should petition Congress for anti-child-labor laws to improve poor people's lives. INstead, according to the Moody movement, a Christian should staunchly insist that ALL problems of needy people are to be solved by conversion to Jesus and only by conversion to Jesus. They believe that this is what the Bible teaches. And they've believed it for many many years. 

I'd be very interested in what Bin thinks. 

[Marshmallow Mollie]

I listen to podcast whose target audience is Christian moms (the Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey - I recommend!). She's interviewed more than 150 Christian moms who are making real differences in their communities and the world at large. As the casual observer, we know that Jessa's ministry is a joke, but in the world of Christian moms - many who lean more on the fundamental side - Jessa's ministry is A JOKE. 

[queenanne]

9 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

Well, only in the sense that you get them to give themselves to the Lord. But then you back off and let the Lord solve the rest of their problems. You're not supposed to give people the idea that anything other than Jesus can successfully tackle their problems, no matter what those problems are. 

What they're objecting to, as I understand it, is Christian workers saying instead of "you must convert," something like this -- "Even if you don't end up converting to my Jesus, we will help you work on practical and/or political and/or whatever human ways of approaching your problems -- and we have hope that those things can help solve them for you, whether or not you'll follow me and convert." 

Accepting the correct Jesus as your Lord is the answer to all things. and you're not supposed to indicate that anything else can help people. 

The original Moody stuff happened way back around the turn of the 20th century. And among the things that the Moody urban missionaries were fighting  were the idea that you should help poor laborers unionize to get better working conditions or that you should petition Congress for anti-child-labor laws to improve poor people's lives. INstead, according to the Moody movement, a Christian should staunchly insist that ALL problems of needy people are to be solved by conversion to Jesus and only by conversion to Jesus. They believe that this is what the Bible teaches. And they've believed it for many many years. 

I'd be very interested in what Bin thinks. 

That's a good baseline summary of a certain point of view, but of course it's contentious which is why people have been arguing about it in different denominations from 1970's onward... namely, a large subsection of religious people and churches think there's nothing wrong with healing, feeding, etc. the poor and will do so gladly, as long as it also comes along with a heaping helping of the salvation message/the salvation message is primary and preeminent above and beyond the practical helping.  (Some on other threads have characterized this as having unappealing "strings attached" optics.)

Other churches and denominations believe in providing the physical helping with, conversely no strings attached in the form of a salvation message; and the recipients are, I guess, supposed to absorb the teachings of the correct Jesus if and when they do, by the event of simple osmosis, gratitude, or on the "parable of the sower" grounds. 

A third type of religious grouping believes that "charity begins at home", and that the first if not sole duty of the church is to minister to its own (presumably) "saved" members of the church body who are in material or physical crisis.  Sometimes churches and their individual members are so paralyzed by these discussions, that they wind up going to the default of "circle the wagons" either out of plain selfishness, laziness, or status quo inertia.

Edited January 12, 2018 by queenanne

[Churchhoney]

5 hours ago, queenanne said:

That's a good baseline summary of a certain point of view, but of course it's contentious which is why people have been arguing about it in different denominations from 1970's onward... namely, a large subsection of religious people and churches think there's nothing wrong with healing, feeding, etc. the poor and will do so gladly, as long as it also comes along with a heaping helping of the salvation message/the salvation message is primary and preeminent above and beyond the practical helping.  (Some on other threads have characterized this as having unappealing "strings attached" optics.)

Other churches and denominations believe in providing the physical helping with, conversely no strings attached in the form of a salvation message; and the recipients are, I guess, supposed to absorb the teachings of the correct Jesus if and when they do, by the event of simple osmosis, gratitude, or on the "parable of the sower" grounds. 

A third type of religious grouping believes that "charity begins at home", and that the first if not sole duty of the church is to minister to its own (presumably) "saved" members of the church body who are in material or physical crisis.  Sometimes churches and their individual members are so paralyzed by these discussions, that they wind up going to the default of "circle the wagons" either out of plain selfishness, laziness, or status quo inertia.

Definitely. And, with the Moody thing, the arguments actually began pretty loudly around the eighteen seventies.  

The fact that this controversy arose at the Moody Bible Institute -- which has been a chief proponent of the particular view I was describing for well over a century -- actually demonstrates that the controversy is, if anything, heating up, I think, with at least some people you'd expect to be no-practical-help-whatsoever hardliners shifting over into another position.

It seems that (at least some of) these people have been chucked out of Moody now, so they lost. But the fact that they were there at all suggests that the more charitable views may well be gaining strength, even in the most unlikely places. And that Moody itself could possibly harbor other, less high-profile, people with those views still, even after the chucking. That's quite good news to me. And kinda surprising, really, I think, in an institution that's been at the forefront of the no-help-just-conversion view all the way back into the Social Gospel era of the 19th century. 

[awaken]

Thanks for this discussion. I was brought up as a very sheltered evangelical, and had no idea growing up of the different shades of Christianity.  All I knew and was taught was us, going to heaven, and everyone else, wrong, going to hell, and in need of the salvation message. Only since I’ve been an adult and left the church have I begun to learn all of this history and the different viewpoints on serving the poor, aiding the disenfranchised, working for social justice.  

Thank you for being a part of my education and expansion of my world view!  

[GeeGolly]

4 hours ago, awaken said:

Thanks for this discussion. I was brought up as a very sheltered evangelical, and had no idea growing up of the different shades of Christianity.  All I knew and was taught was us, going to heaven, and everyone else, wrong, going to hell, and in need of the salvation message. Only since I’ve been an adult and left the church have I begun to learn all of this history and the different viewpoints on serving the poor, aiding the disenfranchised, working for social justice.  

Thank you for being a part of my education and expansion of my world view!  

And I grew up without religion and I'm a LICSW, and would also like to thank-you and all the other posters for being a part of my education and expansion of my world view.

[lookeyloo]

@GeeGolly - I am an LCSW - I don't do clinical work, never have, but when our state changed license requirements I grandfathered in.  I am retired but still do the CE hours to maintain the license.  Yes, the Duggars and opinions relating to them do help us to be aware of different ways of living.  

[Bayarea4]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Jessa isn't pregnant now, but wore that tunic top deliberately.  In her previous pregnancies, Jessa went out of her way to hide her bump until she was ready to announce. Maybe now she's trying to stir up an "Is she or isn't she?" online buzz so she can steal the spotlight away from Joy Anna, Kendra and Jinger and be the center of attention again.

[drafan]

19 hours ago, Bayarea4 said:

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Jessa isn't pregnant now, but wore that tunic top deliberately.  In her previous pregnancies, Jessa went out of her way to hide her bump until she was ready to announce. Maybe now she's trying to stir up an "Is she or isn't she?" online buzz so she can steal the spotlight away from Joy Anna, Kendra and Jinger and be the center of attention again.

...and not just "Is she or isn't she?".........also "Is it twins?....or triplets?" .....and doesn't she hide the gender too...and the name?  This is Jessa we're talking about, one of the original "sly" ones. She trickles out her info.

I think she was keeping Bin's hands from cradling her pregnant belly, so she can go full-on dramatic reveal when the deal/paycheck is ready.

[Rabbittron]

13 minutes ago, drafan said:

...and not just "Is she or isn't she?".........also "Is it twins?....or triplets?" .....and doesn't she hide the gender too...and the name?  This is Jessa we're talking about, one of the original "sly" ones. She trickles out her info.

I think she was keeping Bin's hands from cradling her pregnant belly, so she can go full-on dramatic reveal when the deal/paycheck is ready.

I don't think that they will ever get another paycheck for that.  If they are lucky they will get a 2 line blurb in a gossip rag. Yes I am looking at you People. 

[Arwen Evenstar]

And, we wonder why Jessa is jealous?

[Arwen Evenstar]

This one has better resolution 

[Fuzzysox]

3 hours ago, drafan said:

...and not just "Is she or isn't she?".........also "Is it twins?....or triplets?" .....and doesn't she hide the gender too...and the name?  This is Jessa we're talking about, one of the original "sly" ones. She trickles out her info.

I think she was keeping Bin's hands from cradling her pregnant belly, so she can go full-on dramatic reveal when the deal/paycheck is ready.

Jessa will tease us all day long and then boom she will be wearing pants while announcing her latest blessing. Double the attention. 

[Arwen Evenstar]

[awaken]

1 hour ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

This one has better resolution 

The flowered headband phase, geez, is she 4 years old?  My daughter wore those for a few months in pre-k and grew out of it. 

[madpsych78]

38 minutes ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

 

The curb appeal sucks in the mold house. They should plant some bushes in the front.

[Catfin]

I feel for her. It sucks knowing that your parents favor another sibling over you. My three sisters and I all have a horrible "birth defect," having been born without penii. Yeah. Our parents loved us but the golden child was greatly preferred. 

[Rabbittron]

Jessa will announce her pregnancy when Sia announces either the courtship or engagement ?

[Temperance]

Is that Jessa or Jill in the wedding vail? To me it's looks like Jill.

[Sew Sumi]

Yes, that's Jill, doing her best Marcia Brady impersonation in the meme.

[AUgirl]

13 hours ago, awaken said:

The flowered headband phase, geez, is she 4 years old?  My daughter wore those for a few months in pre-k and grew out of it. 

Let’s not forget the one she wore with “Jill” on it after giving birth to Izzy. 

[JoanArc]

13 hours ago, Rabbittron said:

Jessa will announce her pregnancy when Sia announces either the courtship or engagement ?

Maybe she'll just be classy and release 500 never-before-seen pictures of her kids to people.

[Rabbittron]

54 minutes ago, JoanArc said:

Maybe she'll just be classy and release 500 never-before-seen pictures of her kids to people.

She'll release 500 never before 3 or 4D ultrasound photos of her kids.

[Christina87]

21 hours ago, awaken said:

The flowered headband phase, geez, is she 4 years old?  My daughter wore those for a few months in pre-k and grew out of it. 

Wow, it's shocking how different Jill and Derick look. This should be the "before" picture warning against courtship, and the "after" picture should be the one of Jill and Derick scarfing down Dominos in the car! Jessa and Bin look about the same, which looks odd because it's like one couple is stuck in a time warp, while the other has aged significantly!

[QuinnInND]

On 1/13/2018 at 2:33 AM, GeeGolly said:

And I grew up without religion and I'm a LICSW, and would also like to thank-you and all the other posters for being a part of my education and expansion of my world view.

What is an LICSW?  

[Portia]

Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. I Googled it.

[QuinnInND]

Thank you!  =) Being a military wife, I was trying to come up with what it was. Thought it was something military. 

Edited January 19, 2018 by QuinnInND

[MichaelaRae]

Come on, Blessa, we're all talking about Jinger's bump and Joy's bump and Kendra's bump and Si's presumed courtship and we're not talking about YOU. Time to announce something or release previously unseen photos/video footage or we might think Counting On has stars that aren't YOU.

[GeeGolly]

43 minutes ago, MichaelaRae said:

Come on, Blessa, we're all talking about Jinger's bump and Joy's bump and Kendra's bump and Si's presumed courtship and we're not talking about YOU. Time to announce something or release previously unseen photos/video footage or we might think Counting On has stars that aren't YOU.

And she did. On their blog she quietly posted Henry's 11 month photos, yet with no Instagram post first. No side by side pic with Spurgeon's 11 month photo either. Henry is a blonde cutie.

Very curious as to why the low profile. Maybe renegotiations with TLC made her nervous about social media. I can see her at the TTH calling a family meeting and laying down the gauntlet insisting that no one ruin the show for her with SM. "Okay people, I've cut ties with Jill & Derick. Jing & Jer are doing fine. Josiah - be careful. Jana - be careful with the family posts. Like really, an Instagram about a grandchild with no picture? And keep the pictures of the Dillard kids to a minimum. And Josh - just no."

Or she's wanting folks to search out pictures on their own to keep getting SM hits.

Edited January 23, 2018 by GeeGolly

[Marigold]

I was thinking maybe jessa has the flu or something but then she'd post pictures of a puke bucket, used tissues and some phlegm. 

[kokapetl]

8 hours ago, MichaelaRae said:

Come on, Blessa, we're all talking about Jinger's bump and Joy's bump and Kendra's bump and Si's presumed courtship and we're not talking about YOU. Time to announce something or release previously unseen photos/video footage or we might think Counting On has stars that aren't YOU.

There’s just too much competition! 

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

And she did. On their blog she quietly posted Henry's 11 month photos, yet with no Instagram post first. No side by side pic with Spurgeon's 11 month photo either. Henry is a blonde cutie.

Very curious as to why the low profile. Maybe renegotiations with TLC made her nervous about social media. I can see her at the TTH calling a family meeting and laying down the gauntlet insisting that no one ruin the show for her with SM. "Okay people, I've cut ties with Jill & Derick. Jing & Jer are doing fine. Josiah - be careful. Jana - be careful with the family posts. Like really, an Instagram about a grandchild with no picture? And keep the pictures of the Dillard kids to a minimum. And Josh - just no."

Or she's wanting folks to search out pictures on their own to keep getting SM hits.

She gets a considerable amount of bile in her comments sections. Maybe she doesn’t want to deal with the inevitable accusations of exploiting her son for fame. 

[lookeyloo]

Her kids look well fed, clean, and happy.  Can't speak to their future, but they seem good now.

[Rabbittron]

Ok Jessa it's time to one up your brother because he is getting all the attention now because of his courtship. Announce your pregnancy already so yeah can be on top once again. 

[Sew Sumi]

I think she'll hold out until closer to the new season, which doesn't premiere for another month. Until then, I expect no shots of her below her shoulders.

[Lunera]

I still think she'll wait until after Henry's birthday to make it seem like a whole year before getting knocked up again. 

[galaxychaser]

On January 15, 2018 at 10:15 PM, awaken said:

The flowered headband phase, geez, is she 4 years old?  My daughter wore those for a few months in pre-k and grew out of it. 

Hilarious picture. Jessa 4th prized possession. Lol

jessa will announce she is pregnant with twin girls soon! That would make Jill's head explode.

[Sew Sumi]

SOTDRT strikes again with SHAPS. I wonder whose handiwork this is? Josie? Hopefully, she's past this, and it's maybe Michael's. 

[queenanne]

If it was Spurgey's, then I'd be kind of impressed. ;)  Otherwise it's horrible.  Clearly he must have had some part in it or he wouldn't have called the squashed house shape as a hexagon, no?