Tuesday, 31 July 2018

It's the last day of July... I have been sorting through some of my monthly and goal files, revising what I had to, getting things useable.   I still have a lot to get done, but it's going forward for now.  Budgeting is always the biggest challenge.

I looked up some of the poverty guidelines for the federal government because of a local discount option for poverty households in transit fares.  They allow DOUBLE the federal guides and the amount they shared seemed like it was the single amount I had seen elsewhere.  In the process, I discovered that

poverty for one person is listed at $12,140 per year and $1012 per month. 

One form stated that the estimated hourly wage for that income level would be $5.84.  That isn't much, is it...  I recently discovered that agricultural workers are suppose to get paid the federal minimum wage, but there are added loopholes that make it much less in the final analysis.  Loopholes are the way people legally hurt others.  I don't know of too many good loopholes.

I have mentioned my battle with income needs before, but it seems timely to remind everyone that, with retirement money and food stamp/SNAP benefits, I live on less than $600 a month.  It is more than one or two dollars a day, like others suffer through, but in our country it is still a problem.

I can really get into these issues, but that is not what I want to do today.  I am trying to find a way to supplement my income through personal online sales and wages through Working Together... so far, none of my efforts have worked out.

I came across an article on writing in an email so I printed it out to read and think about.  The title is "Seven Reasons Why You Should Consider Writing for Magazines" (by Susan King)… It is something I have been trying to work up to for many years, but it takes more than I can accomplish yet.  I write mostly for and about WT, causes associated with WT, etc.  Lately, there have been other challenges that GOD has not helped me overcome yet... but I am always hopeful I will leave the world with at least ONE good, classic, CHRISTIAN book by me.

This article gave me a sample biography to use as I work to create my own.  I don't know if I have the kind of accomplishments that rate a bio piece, but I have done quite a bit in my time here on planet earth... just not income-producing, headlining, and world-shattering things that anyone knows about or would really care about.  Mostly related to my life and efforts, especially for Working Together.

I am going to try to promote the purchase of TRIAL MEMBERSHIPS with the PayPal link I created for it (http://www.work2gather.us/PayPal.TRIALmembership.html) as a way for Working Together to reach Christians and as a way to build up the income needed to grow it into a global resource.  This link offers the opportunity to purchase a gift subscription/membership for someone you know, too.  At just $10 USD, it is a good deal for all of us.  Remember, the

Trial Membership is one year of quarterly email newsletters.

I can handle that until we can hire help, and it will let you grow with us.  I hope you will decide to join today, and invite other Christians to join as well.  You will start your membership with the next scheduled newsletter... March, June, September, or December.  December is also our yearly campaign for regular membership purchases.

If you can't purchase a membership for yourself, or anyone else, please pray that GOD will lead others to do so.

Well, that has me wanting to get going with my planning efforts, and probably start posting some social media requests to the Christian populations around the world.  I am not sure how to get this message going, but I will keep trying.  This is the only business or organization I know of that even wants to care about the future of Christians.  I don't know why I haven't been able to sell its products when I tried, but I know that GOD is able to provide... even when the Enemy opposes Him... and us.

Remember that Working Together is not a charity... it is a business operating as a ministry because of the needs of the End Times.

I hope to see your purchase on my PayPal account soon.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD guide and provide for Working Together and myself as I try again to build it from the ground up.

May GOD bring only the most dedicated Christians to be its staff, when the time comes.
May we find each other and protect each other as we prepare for what prophecy tells us is coming.
May I be able to find the best way to hand this ministry forward when I die.

In the holy and blessed and wonderful Name of Jesus, Amen.


JOIN NOW!  Then we can all grow together...
http://www.work2gather.us/PayPal.TRIALmembership.html
http://www.work2gather.us/PayPal.TRIALmembership.html

Mondsy, 30 July 2018

Catching up with the weekend, working on my August budget, and reading business articles as I plan some more changes.  I'm recovering from Sunday...

Picked more blackberries today... some are wonderful. I eat too many and wonder if it will mess with my body.  :-)  I'm freezing most of them right now.  Last year I tried storing them in freezer bags and they leaked when thawing out. What a mess.  I am trying to use 2-cup heavy plastic containers this year, ones made for freezing.  I see I will need to buy more!!!  I am hoping the 2-cup size will work out for smoothies and small batches of ready-to-use jam as the year goes by.

I was able to read the local paper, surprisingly.  It was sad to see the head of Chrysler died.  I read about him when he was in the thick of his effort to save the car companies he took on as leader. I was very impressed.  Something happened after a surgery and it caused him to die.  Only 66, I think they said.  I remember being surprised, but then I realized his heavy load must have taken a toll on his body.  I imagine he made a lot of money, but it doesn't help him now.  I really liked what I read about him, and was so impressed.  It is sad to lose him.

I caught part of a special news conference with the President and the Italian Prime Minister. The trade deficit was a big topic.  It is good that Trump was able to increase our country's income level through trade relationships.  We are as much in need of fairness as every other country.

Later in the day I heard the "Politics Monday" section of the PBS News Hour program where they were talking about the things our President was saying.  With elections near, everything is a political strategy.  In my view, a business man in the top office may not be normal for us, and it has its challenges, but we NEED new eyes in government.  I continue to pray and hope that he will be able to change the status quo that is killing our nation.  Our financials are the greatest issue, but that doesn't seem to be important now that an election is looming... farm subsidies, border walls, and who knows what else... we need to see our country in dollar terms that will protect our future.  I don't know if anyone who runs for office is going to be able to slay the dragon of greed here or elsewhere.

I continue to pray for change that helps America and its people... fairly.

It's my End-of-the-Month (EOM) time.  I am working on things that I have let go, trying to work out the details for August.

Still trying to find a solution for shipping.
Still trying to stretch my dollars.
Still trying to find the photo miracles for selling.
Still working on my monthly letters.
Still thinking...
Still planning...
Still praying, hoping, doing as much working as I can...
Still believing that GOD is able to do all that needs to be done, so I trust Him for what I can't do, don't have, want, and need.

It's a real one-day-at-a-time life I lead...
Sometimes it is a hard path, other times it is just OK.

I am only one person, and poor, and striving to do the best I can in my current situation.

So, now that I have said all that, I better get going before I really can't stop!! :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD surprise us all and shower down blessings on those who are wanting to serve Him with their lives … naturally, that includes me.  :-)    Amen.

Thursday, 26 July 2018

This has been a strange day... lots of thinking about GOD and how He works in the world... now and always.  I discovered someone in the Christian community died unexpectedly, linked to some properties that really share the differences between the big bucks and poverty, read some articles on success and finding your way to it, and thought a lot about what it means to be a Christian in our times.

I was listening to Christian radio in the background this morning and barely caught a special announcement with the name Tony Evans and pray for everyone in the family... I thought, Oh no, someone has died.  When I finally found the related information as I searched different places, I discovered it was one of his relatives that died, and discovered how many of his family are in the news.  It took forever to find an article that even mentioned how she might have died (a possible heart attack), and when I checked back tonight there was a mention that she died in her sleep.  The fact that she is dead at a young age is really a painful reminder of how fragile our lives, and dreams, and souls are.  No matter how she died, she is gone, forever.  Her family is gaining a large blessing at GoFundMe... I hope it helps.

I flipped through an online article of photos about the 25 richest people or families in America... many of the names I didn't know about, others were interesting because I discovered how things went with the generations that follow the ones that make the wealth they enjoy.  There was one man who died without a will, so the kids went to court.  I would think that a wealthy man would have a Will.  Poor people don't have anything to fight over, and can't afford a lawyer, so Wills are not the main concern... surviving another day is the main concern.  I think they were all billionaires, but I can't remember that detail.  I mostly remember the family details.  In this list the Walmart family was number one, with Alice Walton noted as the richest woman ever.  I looked at the photos of her, and of pretty much all of the ones that showed the people mentioned, and wondered what life meant to her.

We think that money is the answer to every misery, when we don't have it.  In my own quest for funds to build Working Together, I wonder what would happen to me when I built it.  I also flipped through a photo article about all the people who were destroyed by winning lottery millions.  I guess I don't see that happening to me because I have a purpose in life and the money would just let me reach my purpose.  I guess it would be the "other" people who might mess up my plans.  One man had a brother who hired a hit man to kill him so he could inherit the leftovers.  Some went back to their real lives once the money was gone, others killed themselves because of the pain it caused their lives.

Money is not just a problem with the wealthy... I have seen that people will kill a person for their Social Security checks, or just because they THINK they have money in their purse or wallet.  Usually drug addictions are involved in poverty crimes... I think they call them "poor on poor" crimes.

The Bible has the answer to this problem, too... I like the part where there is a "prayer" to not be rich or poor....   (I had to search for it, but I finally found it!)

[Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV]
https://www.blueletterbible.org/

7 Two [things] have I required of thee; deny me [them] not before I die: 
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 
9 Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who [is] the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God [in vain].

I have always thought about this in my life, especially in the harder, homeless, poverty-related tragedies we faced.  I don't know about the wealthy, but I see how their lives are affected by the money that makes their meaning in life... and the tragedies it causes them.  Finding that place in the middle seems to be important.

The other part where the Bible warns about money is the need to choose between GOD and money...about the love of money being the root of all evil.  (1 Titus 6:10 KJV)

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1ti/6/10/s_1125010

It will be interesting to see how this post publishes with these copy and paste efforts...  :-)  This must be at least one of the "things I learned today."

I haven't really decided yet how I feel about multi-million dollar properties... they are all quite different and yet the same sometimes... maybe it is the type of properties that become the same.  I looked at expensive California properties after linking to an article about the Hearst history... Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica, downtown LA, and I don't remember where else.  Then I discovered more at YouTube from a link... Oregon, Texas, Montana, and ??? (can't remember).  I don't know how to value that kind of property financially, yet... so I don't know if the prices are reasonable or just a seller's dream.  I did think, again, that it would be better to build my vision than to remodel these structures... kind of.  The water and electricity and other things like that matter, but the housing is often not right for what I would want to use it for...

The bottom line is going to be how much GOD provides for the task.  Once I know, then I can work out all these details.  And if I die without getting there, it won't matter anyway.  

It was a long day, and I need to end this post.  I am still thinking about all these parts of life, and money, and death, and meaning, and GOD, and dreams.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May we find our way to the future with GOD as our strength and provider and guide.
Amen.

Wednesday, 25 July 2018

I have been too long at the computer today... so I need to get this done.

I was working on my budget file, guessing how I can find some money and how I would spend it if I did.  I read a small article last night about funding a business and part of the article mentioned the tax-free GIFT amount for 2018 -- $15,000.  More than the last time I checked on it.  I started wondering how I would spend that much in one year, then three years, if I found someone to help me that way.  It is becoming a great challenge, a kind of modified business plan.  :-)

I have considered that Working Together could use the GIFT option to support people in the future.  I expected to be further along by now, but the concept is still a good way to take care of Christians who will not be able to work in the ministry. I have been pondering the boundaries and options for it since.  Reading that article just woke up the challenge again.

In deciding my own needs, I came to see that $1500 a month would be sufficient.  And, not wanting to go past the gift limit in the full year for anyone, I am supposing that $1000 a month would be a safe amount in this tax climate.  Naturally, I have other opinions on the taxes we pay, but this is the government we have to work with... for now.  That would mean a support budget of $12,000 for each person we would want to support, whether in cash or in-kind benefits like housing and food, etc.  It means a huge need for business profits and that means we must create a product base that will be an ongoing source of revenue.

I think the products we need will be a great place to start the process, especially in a membership format.  Food, shelter, clothing, transportation, etc.  Food is a big one... and that is why large properties for farms and ranches will be essential... small communities of Christian members as staff, local hiring options, global spaces, etc.  Working Together is a big goal, but a necessary one.

So, last night I started a file to work on it... again.

Using myself helps me see if my basic needs can be applied across the business plan.  These are USA budgets and dependent on a lot of other factors... a growth goal for WT and taking care of Christians as we go.

I have always had a general idea of what to do to reach these goals, just never any money to get started.  I feel that GOD has to provide, and will do that at the right time.  As our world grows worse, my prayers for provision increase... and protection.  I see how we are being hurt and there is nothing I am able to do about it.  Then I try to remember the characters we know of in the BIBLE and history who also suffered, and died, for their faith.  We want to be different, but we are just as bound to stand for our faith as they were.  Finding inspiration and motivation and courage is sometimes a hard place for me these days.  In those hard moments, I cling to GOD and my relationship with Him over the years... and think of heaven.

Somehow, I will find my way to the future GOD has made me for...

So, right now, my budget has the income I already have, and I am working on the income I might have with an added $1000/month as a GIFT income, and then projections for wages as an employee of Working Together, and the increased possibilities for online sales income through my crafting efforts.  My GIFT income would be replaced by the other sources of income I would be able to generate through wages and crafts... and I am still guessing what the final amount would be after three years of GIFT income as a base... maybe more than my $1500 goal for a monthly income, but the taxes and expenses for food and healthcare would take care of the increases, for now.

Budgeting helps me to clarify the places I spend... what my goals can be... how I can change my past into a better future.  It has always been a challenge, worse in the early years of Welfare poverty, but the goals we have change, too.  We seem to expand our needs as our income expands.  I am hoping to keep myself in a regular kind of life and do some of the other things I have always hoped to do.

My first year would be gone in a flash on supplies and equipment and missing basics I have been seeking for years.  The second year would be the big change... I would be able to invest in the spaces that need it most, and make a real "emergency fund" for what I am not planning to happen.  The third year seems like a transition year into self-sufficiency... going from government poverty to a reasonable life.  Of course, this all depends on my health... what I can do both physically and with adaptation to any senior issues that come up.  :-)   There are always problems to deal with.  They have changed to senior issues from youthful dreams.

I don't know how long this will take, or how to share it (if I decide to).  I need to find the foundations that fund individuals, or an individual with money to fund an individual with none.  Maybe someone who wants to explore poverty changes through my efforts.  Maybe this would work for crowd-funding...  hmmm, I will have to think on that.

Let me know if you can refer anyone!  :-:

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us


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May GOD guide and provide for these deep financial needs.  Amen.

Tuesday, 24 July 2018

I discovered the NOTEPAD option on my new (used) computer this morning... which led to making "instant access" files on my desktop!  YES!  Such a great change.  I hate searching for files when I have to go into the main storage pathway.. this will help my daily process.

I already created my shopping list file, my monthly budget file, and a daily meal file (so I can work on my portion control issues in eating).  I also created my ongoing to-do list file and a file to make a long list of things I want to get done sooner or later... just a main list, I guess.  It should help.  I hope to plan my day with these as a quick-access reference points.

I made the daily meal file printable, with a daily goal limits at the top.  I hope it helps.  I am getting better with my choices, now I need to work on my total consumption.  I keep remembering that statement from Dr. Lustig :: "A calorie is a calorie."  How much we eat is as important as what foods we choose to eat.  In the long view, having my beloved treats will not matter, just so I make the bulk of my calorie choices in the healthy ranges.  Lessening my animal-related foods helps me a lot.  I think the process is taking me to a better place in healthy eating.

It is a good day already!  :-)

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I was awakened at about 5:30 again, so my current duties were done... even a little faster today... only one hour and a quarter!  I tried some "short cuts" today... hope they were OK to do, nothing critical.

Focus on the Family has another program on today that is noteworthy.  It is part one of a recorded message by a comical person (Ken David, I believe) who shares some deep topics that can really be difficult to deal with in the normal process of family and church life in a way that even teens can benefit from. It is hard for teens to navigate our secular world, especially when they get to college.  I went to college as an older adult and I was astounded, and that was back in the late 1980's.  I can't imagine how hard it is now.

One of the goals for Focus is to have this program shared with teens.  In checking the web link, it seems to be a DVD option for the entire presentation.  I would share it with as many teens as I could, if I had the money.  I have accessed their free resource program in the past, with items I still remember, so it has always been a giving goal for me to return the blessing when GOD allows me to... so others can ask for the items from Focus they need.  Keep that in mind as you order... it might be a life-changer for your youth groups... or just some individual teens GOD has put in your life.

I listen to KPDQ almost every day, so I hear these programs often.

Family Life is part of the Campus Crusade for Christ organization... renamed CRU, I guess.  That is what I understand it to be.  They have an author on this week that is also dealing with young women going off to college... and how to handle the problems they might encounter.  This would be a book gift, if you have someone to share it with.  I think the principle that we become like those we hang with is so critical to remember... and it has been stated in one of their two programs for this presentation.

This is why GOD talks so much about being careful who you associate with, who you marry, who you become yoked with in any way (friendship, partners, business, etc.) - schools can also be a minefield of problems if you don't think about your future before you get there.  Secular institutions are in a war with godly principles, but I hear that Christian institutions are also being overcome with the values of our world.

It is really hard to work through the lonely times of moving to a new place.  When people are drinkers, it always seems easier to go to a bar or night club and meet new people, especially with the false bravery of drugs and alcohol inside your body.  It really is a stupid choice.  You meet people that base their lives on addictions, and no one is really themselves.  Going to a Christian group has problems, too, but they are completely different in the need to find good people to be friends with.  I have searched out both, and I would say you are much better off with a group of Christians and a commitment to GOD, patience for the process of making friends, and wisdom to work through the false fronts everyone has as they search for their future, too.

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I guess that was enough seriousness for now.  I came across an obituary this weekend, of a young man who took his own life, a Catholic young man, a struggling young man who had a great future in GOD's Kingdom.  We needed his talents.  I don't know how the issue of suicide works in our planned existence in GOD's realm, but I know it is a great loss, and I wish we could stop it.  Emotions are hard to work through.  Sometimes the future takes too long to get to us and the pain we are living through is more than we can bear.  I keep searching for some way to stop this process but it is part of life, it seems.  Young people are easy to victimize.  I hope we can find ways to protect them as we go to the future.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD watch over those we love and care about, who have not found Him yet, and keep them safe until they can find their place in His Body here on earth.

May Christians gather and support one another.
May our future become shared, powerful, supportive, dedicated to the things of GOD, and blessed.
May we discover a new way of being Christian together, and fight the battles of our secular world together.

May GOD have mercy on the suffering.
May we see others in need, and find a way to help them.

Amen.

Monday, 23 July 2018

I have conquered the yard today...

I am in charge of watering the garden and taking care of the chickens right now... so I woke up at about 5:30 this morning and noticed it was already light outside.  UP!  I had to let the chickens out of their little coop!

Then the dogs needed to get out for their potty break before I could go back to bed. So letting them get their business done while I watered the garden seemed like a great idea. In the process of watering the garden spaces, I got all the way awake... so, I continued my yardwork challenges.
It took a good hour and a half to finish the watering part... surprising to me.
Then it took another hour later on to do some clean-up at the berry vines from yesterdays mess.
Then I decided to collect blackberries and that took an hour.

Somewhere along the way I took a shower, and then started the laundry.  I ate too much in little pieces of time... micro-baked potato, salad, popcorn... interesting breakfast plan.  :-)

Now it is after 11 and I am ready to stay inside and thinking about a NAP!

The sun is going to be very hot today, which was my motivation to keep going in the coolness of the early morning.  Once you get going, it isn't so bad.  I don't mind the early hours. I actually prefer them.  I just can't seem to get my schedules going.

I hope to recover my strength and get more accomplished inside the house.

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Focus on the Family had a guest writer who made the comment, "A half truth is a whole lie."  A nice way to clarify the problem we have throughout society and the church.  I think the "little white lie" is the reference point many would understand as a half-truth.

I remember the distinction in the Catholic church I was raised in between mortal (BAD!) and venial (little) sins... but the Bible says a sin is a sin...and they are all BAD!  I don't remember if they teach that both kinds of sins can be "worked off" in "purgatory," but that concept is also NOT in the Bible.  Once we die, our judgment is settled... we can't be baptized into heaven (the belief of the Mormons, I think) and we can't eliminate our sins, or change our faith.  This life is all we have.

Another statement in the program today, that I noticed, was about retaliation or retribution... defining it as "returning the punishment" -- or, "getting even."  I hadn't heard this definition before... and it sounded right... what we want to do as human beings.  Leaving the consequences of our pain to GOD is a very hard thing to do... but that is what GOD requires.  I keep reminding myself and others that if I decide to do something to hurt another person, no matter how justified I think I am, it means I am putting myself in sin and making GOD responsible for judging me as well.  In order for GOD to be true to His Word, He has to treat all of us the same.  I found this a hard reality to accept.

I guess it is the same difficult reality to accept as the forgiveness of GOD through Christ.

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Well, that's about it for today... If I need to, I will return later.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD help us to meet the needs of our week... to grow us into better people... to help us to find our way into goodness and GOD and heaven.
Amen.

Friday morning, 20 July 2018

Well, I was involved in searching out properties available in a number of areas in the US... I got carried away, link to link, video to video.  I am amazed at what I find.  Large spaces in the middle of nowhere for millions of dollars.

I have the view that when you don't have money everything looks good but, when you have the money to buy, nothing is good enough.  I discovered this habit in my own life from window-shopping when I couldn't possibly buy anything and then changing my mind when I actually had the money to buy those things I needed in my own life.  I am thinking it is the same at the higher budget numbers.  I keep wondering which properties I would really buy if I had the money.  :-)

I have always expected GOD to provide the big amounts, I just don't know when... or how.  This is why I buy the occasional lottery ticket when the amounts get very high.  I am still working on my budget goal for this process... by the month, by the year... so it has been a challenge.  It isn't the lottery I am fond of, just my lack of options in financial resources.  I want to let GOD bless me if the lottery is my only option in this current world.  Of course, I always hoped it would be sales, but that didn't work out (yet) either.

Working Together is a BIG goal... bigger than me.  I suppose it is bigger than TBN or other major million-dollar ministries.  It's global, which brings in a lot of issues in finances and administration.  The tax structure is a mine field, a disaster.  I think GOD will have the people in each region to minister to their needs.  I am working on the structures, connections, protections, provisions.   Membership is the key it all is built on... the members in each area will eventually be responsible for their needs and how to protect their people.

I have been thinking I need as many acres as GOD will provide... especially for the Wilderness project in Missouri.  I have no idea how many acres a big event would need, plus it needs to be income producing the rest of the year... farms for food, ranches for animals, or both in one spot.  The ranch parts can be modified for a summer event... that will probably be the answer to that question.

One of the properties I discovered is central to several MAJOR urban areas in that state.  This makes it a ministry jewel.  :-)  In the vision for it, at least.  It has been birthing other options in my mind.  How many properties will each region need to provide for the Christians in that region?  I don't know.  I am starting with the USA region and then will work toward the other regions in the world... learning as I go.

I have been thinking about all the ministers of my generation that are heading into retirement... would they be the right ones to build a resource for their people in the same general area.  Texas would be a great learning space for that.  There's a property in Colorado that would be great for the Christians in that part of the country that I know about.  It is quite a space in my mind these days... what is GOD going to do to make this vision real?

Of course, I can't even afford to make an office in the city where I need to be... so, where is GOD in all this?  I don't know.  I just know that it is what He has built in my heart and life to do.

So, pray for all of us.  We are going to need Working Together.  Sooner than we think.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD provide for His people and Working Together.  Amen.

Wednesday, 18 July 2018

This seems to be a hard week... good morning weather, too much yardwork!  :-)

I moved the birdbath bowl to a tree base farther away... kind of by the "seasonal creek" we have here at this property.  It is really gutter run-off, but it shows you how much water isn't getting soaked into the ground here.  Not good.  The new location is temporary... After I figure out where to put my plant collection for winter, I will probably move it there... or maybe the ivy patch, after it gets cleaned up.  Who knows... I may make a better one if things don't work out... with my cement experiments.  :-)

The robin parents were stressed out today when I had to do some work on the porch, making a lot of noise!  I had to figure out how to get a LOT of old nails out of old wood pieces.  I managed to get all but one nail from my first 12 boards... tomorrow I will work on the next batch.

I was cleaning up one of my berry vine piles from last year this morning and decided it was time to go ahead and get rid of all the berry vines going into the neighbor's yard.  They have their own batch of vines to contend with, I don't think they need more of ours.  It became a path between the big bush that is in that part of the yard and the fence... nice.  Still not done, but I filled the cart and started several new piles to take to the debris pile.  (By October that pile may be so big we will need a fire engine to supervise the burn!)  (Actually, I think a "chipper" machine might be better... I wonder how much those cost to rent...)  I got bloodied by that effort... all over my arms and legs.  So much fun.

It is so much nicer with cloudy mornings... bearable.  If I can just get going earlier, I will be better off.  I am almost through my list of things I want to get done... then the ivy patch will be last.

My yellow plums look yellow, but they have a ways to go.  After I finish the berry vines by the fence, I may head over there to thin it out some more.

In this weather, I am not getting much else done... it depletes my body and I have to rest.  I am working on it.

I did get my caramel molds today... so that will be on the list ASAP!  :-)  I so love soft caramels and have wanted to make them better for years.  Today, on Start Up, there was a chocolatier in Detroit in one segment... the flavors I heard were amazing.  I am wondering if they ship well for Christmas!  The young woman who owned the shop has worked hard and seems to be growing well, as a business.  She called it "bon bon bon" because it has some kind of meaning in France about being an especially good treat.  :-)

I am trying to get better at sharing the links and connection information... in time, I will get it all figured out.

Time goes by too fast... it is already 9pm.  So early for some I bet -- haha -- so late for me!

WELL...………..
Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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I am reminded lately that even those who hurt us are sometimes the tool of GOD to accomplish His Will...  I think of Pilate, who didn't want to be involved at all, becoming the force that Jewish leaders used to make Christ our Savior.  Moses is always a great reference for things like this... GOD saved him in the very house of His enemies, those who wanted to kill all the Jewish babies, and later Moses became the tool to take the people of GOD to their promised land.  GOD is always raising up the people who will make His Word come true.  Keep your faith in GOD, even when it looks like GOD isn't involved.

May we find our future in Working Together, building what the people of GOD will need as times get worse.  ONE Body in Christ.

Amen.

Tuesday, 17 July 2018

I guess I'm a little early, for me.  It's hot, I need to go shopping for food tonight, and I am already tired...  who knows what the day will bring.  I better write this post now.  :-)

Not much to say today.

I decided I better move the birdbath to a farther location so other birds don't hurt the little ones... or other animals looking for water.  It was nice where I had it, but too close.  The thing is so heavy I don't know how to get it anywhere... I may just lay it on the ground for now.

I will have some shade for a little yardwork.  Joy, joy.  Maybe.

Sent out five letters today, two more are ready to mail tomorrow.

I was checking my emails and came across a great video about a man in New York that changed his health with the Forks Over Knives (FOK) diet... He was diagnosed with diabetes and needed to take insulin.  After four months on the diet, the video says he was off the medications and healthy again.  You need to watch it for yourself.  My recollections may not be exact, but I do recall he said he went off his meds after four months.  That is good.  He was a NYC Borough President... last name Adams. (Found It!!  --  Brooklyn Borough, Eric Adams,  https://www.forksoverknives.com/bpadams/ )

They showed a book from FOK and I tried to find it for a cheap amount... but couldn't.  I will keep looking. I did decide to buy a 21-day weight loss plan from Dr. Barnard, another of my favorite food people.  I hope there will be some good ideas in there.

I am going to have to work on my shopping discipline skills.  I had been writing about my weight loss goals this morning... it seemed a good idea to see what kind of healthier foods I could try to lose more weight faster than I have been.  It is always a hard call for me... should I, shouldn't I?  I really need (want) to lose more weight before I go clothes shopping, by fall.

I took my frozen cherries and boiled them to see what happened... I ended up separating the cherries from the juice... added sugar to both parts... boiled the juice some more to try to make some jelly.  Not sure it worked... yet.  :-)  The cherry part was so good I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing!  I see peaches are next... I have some in the freezer waiting.

I am such a food person.

That's about all for today... I will return if there is more to say later.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May the GOD of all be kind to me.  :-)  Amen.

Monday, 16 July 2018

Mondays, what can you say about Mondays... they are like a catch-up day for the weekend and a what am I going to do with this week kind of day.

Yardwork.  I finally got to my ivy patch today. What a challenge.  Those ivy vines are a mile long!  (pretty close to it, I think!)  I start to pull them and the ivy across the patch starts to move!  So I made some new piles to clean up later in the week.

I don't remember if I shared this, but the egg shells I found were from new baby birds... so, there are at least two little mouths to feed in the robin's nest.  :-)  The parents work all day to get them fed.  It is so amazing how they are still and quiet when they are gone, but as soon as they return with some food, all you hear is little birds screaming for it.  :-)

I moved an old birdbath top (the bowl part) over by the nest to see if it gets used.  When I make my cement to try it out, I hope to repair the bird bowl.  It holds a little water, but it would be great if it held it full of water.  I am thinking of putting some small stones in the bottom, too... to make sure they can all stand in it and take a bath if they want... I need to check out what other bird bath bowls look like online...

My blackberry bushes are getting filled with darkening berries... :-)  Most are still too green, but I'm hoping to go check every morning... if I can drag myself out of bed.  I am always so tired in the morning.  I didn't get outside until about 9:30 this morning... and it was hot already.  Yuk!  I'm trying to decide what to do with the berries if they turn out good.

I forgot there is a yellow plum tree, too.  I found a broken branch today and trimmed it off.  It had so many plums on it I was sad, and tried to see if I could save them somehow.  Then I saw a bunch of spotty things on most of them so I figured they had been dying for awhile.  I barely got any plums last summer. This summer there are tons... if they all get ripe and edible.  I think thinning out the patch area helped them this year.  I hope to thin out the bad branches after they get ripe.  Next year it may really be a good tree for food.

I keep seeing a reddish tree with small fruit that looks like a plum, but they are so small I don't know for sure.  I didn't eat them last summer.  I'm not sure the tree is doing well this summer either.  Maybe, after all the fixing I do this summer, it will grow better next summer.

I am deciding that water is the key in July... So, that means I will try more watering from the beginning of July or when I see the flowers go away.  That's the goal... experiment... learning exercise... for next year.

My son has let me harvest a bit of their garden this week.  It looks like zucchini and yellow squash are coming in great.  The chard is huge.. I may freeze some more tomorrow.  And the lettuce is a new experience for me.  I am trying it out.  They have the normal tomato plants and I think I saw a butternut squash plant.  They have some tall ones I have no idea what they are.  And there are some corn stalks. I think corn has a hard time growing in Oregon... here, anyway... the eastern side of Oregon is a lot hotter.  I hear they grow sugar beets there.

It was a long day, I had to rest in spots.  I keep trying to find my "zone" and haven't made it there yet.  Back to finishing my monthly letters tomorrow, working on my list, and trying to get my crafting done.

I did work on a way to store my projects this weekend. And made my first online order at Hobby Lobby.  I'm anxious to see how it goes.  I plan to make my caramels after it gets here as I ordered a mold to try out with them.

I decided to make my own molds for my cement and plaster projects.  That is work-in-progress.  I am using old wood I have - some scavenged along the roads - for cement and plaster, and looking through my crafting molds for other plaster options.  Once I make it, I want to try several different projects I have been thinking about trying.  Plaster is so amazing in some of the works I have seen online... shaped like flowers and other things on walls, used with fabric to make shapes... and other things.  I have to get everything figured out and have the supplies handy to try.

My resin projects are nearly ready to do.  This is a new craft for me, so I want to have more to do than I need... to make sure I don't waste the resin.  It is very expensive for me.

So, my ongoing saga continues.  :-)   We shall overcome!  As long as I keep living, anyway.

That's about enough for now... I hope tomorrow is a good day.  My smoke detector started beeping in the middle of the night last night and it took awhile to figure out why.  The battery turned out to be the problem.  I wasn't going to turn it off and then have a real fire show up!  I am glad it was only the battery.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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Thank you, Lord, for the good ending to the lost woman on her way home...
Help us to see the purpose in our lives.
Make us worthy of your blessings.
Help us to find the good in life.
Amen.

Thursday, 12 July 2018

I am here early because it has already been a busy day and the heat is making me stay inside right now.  :-)  I was out with the dogs earlier so I did a few chores and thought I was going to do whatever people do when the heat gets to them.  I think the next dog break will be a quick trip to the nearest tree.

I found a batch of ripe berries... well, they were dark and seem to be pretty ripe.  I am watering the vine bushes hoping that it will help make large sweet fruit for the picking season, which I think is mostly the end of July and August... not sure, but they are starting to get ripe.  I need to make a plan for canning or freezing them... and remembering the lessons of my first summer effort.

Been working on the budget... and the list of things it might be used to do.

Crafting is on the list after this.  I have more painting to do, and maybe some polymer clay molding... or some freehand efforts to make earrings or pendants.  I'm behind in my gift-giving, so I need to catch up ASAP (as soon as possible).  :-)

If I want to enter a watercolor contest, I have to get something done by the end of the month.  I'm not sure I am ready for a competition, but I might enter just for the experience.  Looking at the entries that were already submitted (online), it's a wide level of experience there... but, the sample is way up on the talent list!!!  It looks like a photo!!!  I keep reminding myself it is a process and I am just beginning.

I was browsing the "news" stories on my opening page a bit... Papa's Pizza and a misleading story content about the use of the "N-word" in sensitivity training... it would have been better to be clearer about the use of the word and why it was reported... not actually having to say it in full detail, but verify that a real problem existed and that the media was not misreporting for their own agenda purposes.

Brad Pitt and Katrina housing was another link I followed because housing in New Orleans is a constant reminder to me of the great problems we face in disasters.  Ten years later.... and still there is so much undone.  These are subtle signs about the financial health of our country at a lot of levels.  I played a video at the link, but without the audio, so I don't know exactly what was said.  It was an ET report, that's all I remember.  I also remember there was a Foundation attached to Brad Pitt and the housing cause.  The accusation was that his promise was still unfulfilled... I imagine he was a bit busy with his own trials since 2007.

I discovered a great photo of a shipping container house and I couldn't find it again after not being able to save it.  I did find out there is a container selling place right in my own area!!  I had no idea.  I have occasionally looked online for them, to see what the prices were like, but the companies were all far away.  Now I have found a local resource.  That means more hope for my own housing development goals through Working Together.

My quest to hold off on making some caramels is waning... I may break down and do some this weekend.  I'm not sure if that qualifies as Sabbath rest though... I forgot I am working on that task, too.  :-)  So many things to remember and figure out.

Well... that is my life so far today... with a lot of details omitted.  :-)   If I can get some more tasks off my list later, I will try to do that, but this is a 90+ degree day here... it will probably be hot way into the darkness of the night.  Next week those temps come back...  summer is here.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us


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May GOD be good to the poor who need Him, provide for their summer protections, help them with their daily lives and chores and hopes.

May the summer be filled with cool memories... maybe water fun, lots of working fans, air conditioners and paid electric bills, family that cares, friends and neighbors to look in on the homebound, and shared times of joy.

In GOD there is hope, and we all need to find Him in the middle of a struggling humanity that doesn't always see anyone or anything other than their own hurting hearts and lives.

Amen.

Wednesday, 11 July 2018

It has been a long day.

I was looking for my Wednesday programs on OPB-PLUS about noon and discovered a new show.  This one is called "Articulate with Jim Cotter" and it was a short conversation with four people about their creative work... one a music producer that finds talent in Africa; one a photographer with an old style camera that uses real film; one an older black man that paints things that were big canvas paintings, murals, or both; and a letterpress artist with a huge old machine -- one I hope to get if I live that long.  :-)

I am just beginning to understand screen printing... so this would be amazing.  I saw a movie with Will Smith looking for people to help before he died, and one of the characters had an old letterpress machine... maybe more than one, I can't remember.  I once had an old mimeograph machine that I loved, and had plans for, but life happened and that went away.  I will figure out my art future as I learn more about different types of production.

START UP was on after that.  They had a segment on a California business and then a segment on an ex-social worker who became a photographer to make women look and feel good in photos...  No mention of her pricing was made, but it seems to be an all day event for each customer.  Pricey, I imagine. When they went over her start-up details, she had zero in the bank and began with $10K in credit card debt.  Cameras are very expensive... and computer systems to process digital photos.  I like to see the numbers to compare them to other businesses.

Finally, my last Wednesday program was BEADS, BAUBLES, AND JEWELS.  Multi-strand creations with crimps was the main theme, then there was a short segment on earrings, with instructions on how to make your own ear wires with a form.  I have seen some great YouTube videos on making your own ear wires... and I am still looking for the best tool I saw being used.  :-)  It helps me to think of designs I might want to try... watching other people create.

I was amazed to discover more blackberries getting ripe... just starting the process.  I have to get out there and check our vines to see what they have.  I am watering them to try to get better berries this year.  I have probably shared this before, but I have always remembered one instruction about growing fruits... make sure they have water when they are fruiting... that is when they need it most to become the best fruits.  I hope so.

I was also able to do some of my summer project -- eliminating the ivy patch in one part of the yard.  Well, not all of it, but most of it.  I still have a LONG way to go... but I am working on it.

The heat is doing me in... today I had to turn on the air conditioner.  The thermostat said it was 77 degree - INSIDE!  I had just come in from the outside and needed to find some way to cool down.  I shut the windows and turned it on and then had to rest.  It is hard to get old... a real learning process every day.

I continue to pray for the things I need.  And I work with what I have.  Faith is a difficult thing to understand when you are struggling...  you learn about GOD as you go through things... your faith grows as you see GOD work... it isn't a like a restaurant where you ask and get what you want when you want it, it is like asking for something at Christmas and waiting to see if you get it... kinda. :-)

Well, enough of that.  I need to go.  It's going to be an early bedtime tonight... I did way too much today.  I need to recover from it and start the rest of the list tomorrow.  :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May we all find ways to reach out to those who are older, especially the home-bound and those in senior facilities.  We can glean a lot of good history and find out things we never knew about.

May GOD protect our vulnerable people from the overreach of the government and zealous people who think quality of life is only their definition of it.

May I do better at aging... I sure don't like it... and I don't think I do well with the process!  haha

Amen.

Tuesday, 10 July 2018

Here I am again... doing the same things... finding routines to get things done...

Life is filled with repeating activities.  It is hard to find that ongoing excitement about household chores.  :-)

How is your life?  I think we always figure everyone else is doing everything we can't -- or don't want to do.  "They" always have a great life, we always seem to be struggling.

Today, I flipped through some links and ended up seeing a story about more suicides.  Why?  I wonder what their lives were really like if they were so miserable.  I followed a link to one of the people who died, in the news because she was part of a sordid-sounding reality series in another country.  Her younger boyfriend decided to follow her.  It is a huge tragedy to me.  People make their self-worth depend on public opinion, then it all spirals into misery... for them.

I guess it is because we never think it is possible to change our lives... we think that what other people have decided is success is what we are suppose to need.

I guess I have been thinking about singers and their attachment to fame.  Do they enjoy life because they get to sing, or do they enjoy singing because it makes them famous... sometimes rich... in the news.  When does our "passion" in life become our source of unhappiness?

I know it is hard to make a new life... but that is better than no life... than dying by your own hand.  In the future we can find a better happiness.  If we don't try, we find nothing.

I was listening to some sermon programs on the radio, over the weekend I think, and they talked about what happens when we die.  The Bible says we sleep, but current opinion says it is not what is known as soul sleep... well, there are parts that say those who believe go to sleep and those that don't go to hell.  At the judgment, the ones who are not written in the Book of Life go to the Lake of Fire.  They are two separate places... and we can't change our destination no matter how much we love someone else who may have gone to the other place.

In the Bible, when I was studying it to find my own answers, I noticed there are two specific states of being mentioned about the end of everything we know now.  One is called "Death" and one is called "Hell" -- both of these are thrown into that Lake of Fire at the final judgment process... along with Satan and all of his "helpers."  In the judgment, those who believe go to an eternity with GOD, in what we call heaven, which becomes a new place.  Those who are not going to make it into heaven so to the Lake of Fire for eternity.

I just wanted to show there is more than a simple Heaven and Hell in our future.

I think the state of Death is the sleep that the Bible talks about.  The reason it goes into the Lake of Fire is because Jesus has conquered death and we don't need to wait for the final judgment anymore.  For those of us who are going to be with GOD and Jesus in heaven, there is no more death.  We become like the angels is what the Bible says.  I'm not sure if that would apply to the lost... becoming like the angels that followed Satan, etc.

Some people say that Satan wins the battle for our lives and souls when we kill ourselves.  The reason is that there is no more opportunities to change, to make our lives better, to discover GOD's best plan for our lives, to go to heaven.  I suppose that people who really believe in GOD would not kill themselves.  I don't know.  I think GOD will know their hearts and will judge them with mercy.

There certainly isn't a purgatory to work off your sins during life.  And no one can baptize you into heaven after you are gone.  No matter how much we want our loved ones to go to heaven, there is no option for that once they are dead.

I didn't mean to get so sad, but it really hurts my heart when other people are suffering so much and they think death is the best answer to their problem.  If they would just give it some time, life would change, things would get better, they would be able to change the unhappiness into something that makes them appreciate their life.

Well, I have things I need to get done so I better end here.  If you are thinking that death is better than life right now, I pray that you will wait, think about what you really want your life to be, what is in your power to change, and how you can reach the things that matter to you... then start going in those directions the best you can.  I use to try to do one thing, no matter how small it was, toward my future every day... something... just to feel a forward momentum.

Give time a chance to make life better.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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Help us to know that every person in the world is struggling, trying to find their way though their own problems... help us to see that our problems can be solve, even if it means that life will be different, that we may have to change, and in the process discover things we never knew would make our life better.

Help us to see the hurt in others.
Help us to find a way to share, to listen, to help, to give, to take, to become better than we are now.
Help us to trust that GOD has a wonderful plan for our lives... and to seek Him about it.
Help us to find love in what we do each day... for us, for others, for the world.

Help us to be true, honest, hopeful, kind, generous, interested in others... when we get involved in the lives of others, we discover the good parts of our own lives.

In the holy Name of Jesus, these things I pray.  Amen.

Monday, 9 July 2018

A new week has begun... I have been a busy little thing today... for me.  :-)

I started doing some crafts yesterday and have continued today... still a lot of space problems so I'm trying to figure it out.  By the end of the week, I may have some products to sell... maybe... I am trying out some ideas adapted from videos I have seen.  By then I may have my photo issues figured out, too... what a week this MIGHT be!  :-)

A little yardwork today... big yardwork tomorrow I think... it depends on how I get this old body going. in the morning.

I am trying not to kill my plants in the summer heat... especially my fuchsia where the robin or robins live these days.  I think a Monday-Wednesday-Friday watering plan will work.  It should be good over the weekend.

In remembering "weekends," I hate to say I listened to my Bible CD over the weekend and heard some reminders about the Sabbath and GOD's opinions about it...  I need to figure out my food prep.  I heard the part about the manna in the desert and gathering twice as much only on the day the Sabbath starts (Friday for us)… and this is the only time their food lasted more than the one day.  I guess that is a clear sign to go back to the Friday food plan... making sure I have enough for the night and the day (Saturday).  I will take the liberty to use the microwave, etc... I hear some Jews have coffee or water prepped in their coffeemakers.   In another part of the Bible it refers to the fire they had to use to cook things... which was a major job in those days.  I will have to consider how much prep on Sabbath days is OK.

I also heard about tithing and more about the added "offerings" to give to GOD (via the work of the temple and sacrifices and sin...). I need to listen to those chapters again.  I think it was about three chapters on the CD.  Plus, I will need to look at them in an actual Bible.  :-)  I may be able to study again, I hope... it's been a long hard many years of a problem reading my Bible, getting to church, etc.  I continue to pray for GOD to deal with my needs.  I am sure He knows what to do about all of our problems... we just need to "trust and obey" what we already know.

I have managed my money for this month, mow I need to manage my budget!  I hope for progress... that is what matters to me right now.  Getting better at the process is my goal... the future will benefit if I can work out a way to change my habits and find better solutions.  What I really am saying is.... I need to figure out how to make it through the rest of the month until I get my retirement money again.  I hope I can find a way to sell something (by making something worth buying.  :-)  haha )

In August I can buy another lottery ticket if the prize is really BIG!

My monthly letters are coming along... mailed four more today and plan to finish four or more for tomorrow's mail.  I will be done with this month's list by the middle of the month I think...then I just need to focus on my sons... in jail, in prison.

I had wonderful blueberries today... my first for this year.  I made a small batch of rhubarb into something like jam... which I may use for toast or pancakes.  Finished off my small nectarines that were so good.  I have some OREO ice cream cones, so one of the weeks of July shopping I will buy some ice cream and treat myself to them.  I love ice cream cones... it's just the right amount most of the time.  If I want more, I can have a second, or a third, one.  Summer seems like a good time for these cold treats.  :-)   Food is big with me... can  you tell?

I happened on a list of 99 people who are newsworthy people who died so far this year... I went through it to see if I knew them.  I didn't know too many, mostly the older ones.  :-)   Some were so young.  It's not so bad when old people die.  We are on the other side of life and it's just a matter of days.  Young people make you think of all they will miss.

Well... I'm a bit tired so I will go.  I am glad I am doing this relatively early.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May GOD help us all to honor Him with the respect He deserves and to be thankful for all the mercy He gives us in this life.
May we appreciate the little things and hang on through the hard times.
May or hearts be filled with all the goodness of GOD, and the great gift of just being alive.
I guess I really always pray for GOD's blessings for me and WT so I can get busy with the things I have been planning for so many years.
Amen.

Friday, 6 July 2018

Today was a decent day... so I might as well post something...  It is Friday, and not a mandatory posting goal, but I don't always follow my schedule... I am "FREE" to post or not post if it comes up.

Now that you know all that, I was busy working on becoming an employer... again.  Every now and then I get motivated to see what has changed in the employer perspectives.  I have been working on a wage "cheat sheet" for making some budget guesses, and decided to empty my printer ink with copies I can look at over the weekend... copies of different aspects of being an employer... like hiring youth, people with disabilities, agricultural workers, independent contractors, and different Minimum Wages.  I also printed off some FAQs about paycheck details.   Now I have to wreck my budget some more buying a spare cartridge of ink.  That's just one of the little costly things that happen when you try to do something on a poverty budget.

It was very hot here today, so I didn't do much outside.  I have really been sitting at the computer too much, it is a problem for my body, and I may be in trouble for the next couple days... we will see.  Pacing is so important I am seeing.

My labor form took hours and hours to get everything placed on one sheet for making estimates and keeping track of possible work options... for getting things done by others.  I think I went through at least three formats... maybe more.

All that was until about 7:00 tonight... then I checked emails and social media to make sure I didn't miss anything important.

Now, I will post and turn this thing off for awhile!

In the search for more information on Smithfield Foods the other day, maybe yesterday, I was so devastated to learn that it is wholly owned by a Chinese pork company.  The closest I could tell was a 2016 transfer of ownership, but that was a guess.

This is part of my process of trying to see where I would put my time and energy if/when GOD provided my work.

So many of the things I want to do are the same things I've seen needed for years and years and years. I wonder why others don't already do them... and I wonder why GOD hasn't allowed me to start the process.  It is an ongoing misery for me... still not answered.

I guess most of the leading people of the Bible didn't have anything much in their life that was financially great.  Their faith is all we know about.  Why is that?  I keep wondering.

We all die eventually, and nothing goes with us... I've been hearing about that a lot in June, because it seems to be the theme at the end of the fiscal year for every ministry... you can't take it with you  (so give it to us)/

I guess my focus on business is part of that question... and other Christian businesses.  We don't hear much about them either... except when the enemy sues them to hurt their witness.

Wealthy people in churches, and anywhere I suppose, are the ones we all think must be GOD's source for their need.  The political parties do the same thing as churches do... attack the wealthy, expect them to give up their so they can have what they want.  In the end, we are all the same.

How do we know when we are coveting and not just wanting to accomplish a goal?  I don't seem to be able to find that line.

The love of money, is that wealth?  I don't think so.  It has something to do with how you use it.  I'm not sure what that means.  We are only required to tithe and can also give offerings to certain things.  So all those wealthy people aren't required to give up everything they have so you can have what you want... or the church wants... or the government wants...  

These questions plague every generation.  Why do some get so much and others have so little.  We can't all be wealthy, and we can't all be poor... what the difference is in GOD's view I am not sure.  The stories we learn are all filled with both good and evil sources of everything.  Satan tempted Christ with all the riches of the world... Satan used that comfort argument with GOD to attack innocent Job.  We believe GOD is able to make all things move on our behalf when needed... so, why doesn't GOD see that we are the ones who need that blessing.  :-)  Human nature... such a pain.

All this because I hate to see things not done that should be done... like helping small farmers keep their multi-generational farms.  Because I have ideas I think will work... and want to try them.  Because GOD has allowed things in my life and I don't know why... yet.

I guess this will be a pondering weekend... as planning for the future is part of my efforts.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May the answers to these very difficult questions find their way into our hearts and minds.  Amen.

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Here I am, later in the day, tired, and wondering what to say about today... it was one of those plain days that don't seem significant, but...

I managed to get a tree trimmed the way I wanted it, cleaned up a patch of ground I am working on, used the hose on some dirty boards, dry piles of debris, and some hot dusty chickens... which is always fun.  Finally remembered my hammer so I pounded in some loose nails on the sawhorses I need to use.  I think I need a metal cutter for the nails I am trying to remove from some boards for a working table outside... so I have to figure out what kind of cutter I need... I suppose a search engine is in my future.

I found a broken robin's egg below the nest that is near my window... and that is so sad.  I wondered if a squirrel climbed up there because I saw one coming on the porch the other day.  I suppose a squirrel could have done that.  I'm not sure what to do to save my little robin friend.

I suppose I ate too much... lots of butter on my popcorn and my corn on the cob... two avocados today, and that is good fat, but still fat I suppose... had a soda to quench my thirst at lunch... ran out of real coffee and had to take some aspirin with dinner... withdrawal pains ahead.  Yuk.

I wrote and mailed six letters today... so that was quite an accomplishment.  :-)  It's hard to think of that much excitement with a boring life like mine!  haha  I think I have about 15 more letters to go on my monthly list.

I took a nap from all the heat and yardwork and early mornings.

I cleaned up a bunch of my messy spaces and feel like I can start making some things... small things... I wonder what things.

Ordinary days are what we live.

I sent out an article from the Salvation Army magazine with my letters today.  I try to send what I call an "insert" with my letters, something interesting and meaningful.  It was called MOMENTS, and it was about all the little moments we miss when we are busy running around trying to get everything on our mental lists... my paraphrase.  The idea is that we need to notice those ordinary moments that might be very important to us or someone else.

I guess my moment for the day was the chickens and the hose.  :-)

I better go...  Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May our days be filled with things that make our lives better and affect the future of our world in a good way.
May we honor the equality among us as human beings as we respect the differences that make us each unique and amazing people.
May our goals become worthy of the time we spend on them... we can't get a moment back, we have to invest each one on things that matter.
May life find a way to bring us the good things that we need to achieve GOD's plan for our existence... through our efforts, through the kindness of others, through strangers who want to help us, through people we know, through things we never even consider possible... and may we use those blessings wisely.
May GOD be honored for the mercy He has on us in our defiance, in our ignorance, in our rejection of His love.
May we all find a way to live on this earth without hating anyone we disagree with.
and more....

Amen.

Independence Day, USA, 4 July 2018

I better get this done before I get lost in the links online...

I just finished watching the documentary I recently bought called ANIMALS :: FRIEND OR FOOD? -- so, the emotions of the topic are still fresh.  I guess it was about the way we get our foods, what we decide to eat, how involved we can be in the process.  It was about the way you learn to farm and how our food is processed to eat... kind of.  In the end, the man in the film couldn't do any more killing of his food animals... but... that didn't mean he stopped eating meat.  He hired out the task.

I have often said I want to grow a bunch of chickens so I can have them processed by someone else so I don't have to know which chicken I am eating.  That is how I would solve that problem.  :-)

It's a film from 2003... quite some time ago.  The cover also says it won a bunch of awards.  I'm not sure it was that good, but it is an unusual "documentary" for the issues of food, surviving, meat eating, etc.

For the Fourth of July, I think the best thing you could do is to go to Focus on the Family's website and listen to their two-day presentation with Andy Stanley and Michael Youssef.  

REALLY GOOD.  

So, make sure you find Tuesday's program first.

I usually watch the celebration/s on TV for the 4th... not sure I will find it tonight.  Macy's seems to be the only one in our area... 8-10pm here.   I love my country, don't always like its government, but am always thankful for being born an American... despite all the problems in life, in the world, in my America.  I think everyone loves their country, but maybe not their government's priorities.

I have mostly been busy trying to reorganize my things again, and getting my spaces and projects and supplies ready.  It was a day to make sure my bills were taken care of, so my budget for the rest of the month is pretty low...  of course, I always seem to make it stretch, change my priorities, or something.  I now have a personal mandate to get my items to sell online and see how they do.  :-)  Is this what they call motivation... not sure it works.

It feels like Saturday today... with the day off for others here and no mail, my routines are off.  I hope you are doing better.

I will get going now...I pray that America will find her way back to goodness and GOD... when so many people lose their moral values, it creates an environment of self-only people... and slowly becomes a place no one really wants to live.  Think about those places where power is the only thing that matters, where the amount of money you have is the gauge of your worth, and crime is the ruler instead of the needs of the people... it is decline of a nation in slow motion, the death of all that is good about America.

Without GOD as our moral authority, what takes His place?

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us


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May GOD help our country to find its way back to Him.
May our people see the importance of godliness in our daily lives.
May we all discover what matters most... in our lives and in our communal lives.
May life be good for those who love GOD.
May the future find us all in Heaven.
Amen.

Tuesday, 3 July 2018

Here I am … up again just to get this done on the right day!  :-)  I can hardly keep my eyes open.  This will be a great post, right!  haha   I thought it would be a good idea earlier... just take a small rest...  I don't think I will try this again.

Today was a too much yardwork day... in the heat.  I am glad I got more done, but it is still a challenge to find the right way to manage the process.

In a few minutes it will be the Fourth of July... our celebration of Independence.  I was watching the news earlier and the newest way to celebrate is a drone event... I guess there was a half-time demonstration with it at a Super Bowl game and someone decided to make it their city's celebration.  Amazing!  So many of those little things making a moving design in the sky.  I would want to see it.  And it changes the fire danger of fireworks.  I wonder if it will become part of the yearly event, or every event, or... who knows where this development will lead.  I suppose you could do a home version of so many drones...  that would be fun.

I don't have much to live on this month... I better get going on my selling goals.  :-)   Today was a budgeting day.

I think this is going to have to be it for this post.  I will do better tomorrow.  If I can figure out how to do a good photo... I may share one tomorrow.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May I find the best way to get these goals done!  Amen.

Monday, 2 July 2018

I just spent a long time at christianbooks.com looking at their sale items... linked to from an email I decided to check out.  I am a sucker for sales, but I am also getting better at resisting them... most of the time.  I like to put all the things I might want to get into my cart, then I go through them at the end and decide how much I can spend, if I want to spend anything, and then go through the re-evaluation process.  This did take me some time... there were 9 pages of 50 items there... and I made the decision to go through all of them to see what they had available.

If I didn't have a budget to deal with, I could have ordered quite a few items there tonight.  I discovered they have "product videos" about the books, which I liked... good idea.  One was the author, another was more of a narrated story... but, I decided I like that idea.  I also discovered their version of a sneak peek... and checked out the table of contents for the books, and the text sample on some.  It also helped me to see if I REALLY needed to have that item.  :-)

Some of the things I noticed along my way were the topics shown, the number of pages, the years of publication, and the titles.  I really became aware of how important the titles are... in the process of choosing which ones to explore, the titles were about all that I had available unless I knew the author.  I didn't know too many of the authors because I never buy new books and don't follow all things Christian in the world.  Now that I am working on my own first book effort, these things had a lot more meaning to me.

I suppose it was more like research into the Christian market.

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I didn't really browse the BANKER TO THE POOR book over the weekend.  It became something I didn't feel I needed to know in total.  I am kind of still in the process of exploring it randomly.  I found something called the SIXTEEN DECISIONS on a page and liked them.  I want to explore them more... I got "distracted" by other things today.  So I keep the book in view to prompt me in the direction of my goal for the book.  I think I want to copy the list of 16 items so far.  They seemed interesting.  I may go ahead and share them with you on another day... after I read that section of the book at least.  :-)

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Time gets away from me when I get focused on something.

I do think I have a lot to get done. So I will get to bed now and see if I can do more tomorrow!

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us


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May GOD hear my heart and answer my prayers.
May the world find its way back to goodness.
May our lives mean something more than selfish consumption.
May we find our happiness in helping others with less than we have, with more needs than we have, and within our abilities.
May the days be warm and not too hot.
May we have the food we like to eat.
May we always share.
May our minds grow, our time be enough, and our hearts full of love.
May GOD help those who look to Him for their survival.
Amen.