Thursday, 27 September 2018

Lots of budgeting work today, planning for October and the Christmas season.  I made new forms to try, and am getting closer to my single notebook goal... something I can look at every morning or evening to plan ahead.

It was a long project.

Now, it's late, and I'm having a cup of coffee, hopefully before getting to bed for some sleep.  I got most of my morning to-do list done... didn't get to the ivy patch, though.  :-)  It must be one of those sub-conscious things, what do you think?  haha

I made a new page to try to figure out what "envelopes" I would want to have if I decided to do the envelope saving and budgeting approach.  I tried it once before, but the "sinking funds" have me wondering how to separate the funds in my situation... somehow it has to be done on paper, in a bank account, in an envelope, somehow.

So, I was looking at my budget and tithe records and making them more useable for these things.  I am finding that having the details on different pages is good in some ways, but a pain to keep track of in other ways.  Finding the "happy medium" is one of my goals.

The Open Office programs I use now do not work like Excel so I have to adapt my designs to their quirks... each file will only print in one direction, with the same headers and footers, and margins (I think, can't recall right now)… it make it a pain when you want one page to be portrait and one landscape.  I am getting use to it.

My efforts to use the Notepad program didn't work out as well as I wanted them to either.  Now, I have to decide if I want to move the designs and info to a better space... something that is easier to edit and format.

My PLANNING pages are really getting much better... more useable... less pages... and with more categories to remind me of all the options and requirements for my goals.  I've been getting clearer about doing things monthly, with a weekly and daily breakdown... which, I assume is what the expensive planners do.  :-)   My notebook effort will work just fine for me.

I think the BUDGET page is the hardest.  Trying to keep track of different categories of spending and saving without too many separate lines... one page gets so SMALL when you are trying to stay within its boundaries.  :-)


It is hard to keep track of all the details of my days.  I wonder how much to make notes about, and sometimes I use my notes to remember when I watered something, bought something, did something... they help.  Next  year I hope to get them all in one place, too.  It's hard to decide how many pages I would need looking forward.  I think that is why I like the flexibility of a 3-ring notebook for my projects.

My CHRISTMAS pages are getting printed now.  I have no idea how I can do presents for everyone at my income level.  I am hoping these planning efforts will help me to do that.

In the process of dissecting my income and creating a budget, lots of things come into the process.  Thoughts of the past, the present, the future... wondering about GOD and the things we expect Him to do... how to ever reach a decent goal.  Today I am wondering about GOD in my situation.  Today I was wondering about people who don't believe in Him and what my life looks like to them.  Today I think waiting is hard.  Today I want GOD to do more.  It's one of those hard days...

I had to find out where my money was at to see if I can make it to the next budget... food, etc.  It is why I spent so much time working on my revisions and updates.  I haven't been doing my end-of-th-month stuff for several months.  Today I finally got the records put away where they need to be for future reference.

I suppose tomorrow will be more of this, but I don't know if my aging body can take all this sitting.  I will have to think about it.

I did see some of the Kavanaugh hearing details online, via an NBC live link I found somewhere... and had to keep reloading because it would stop for no reason.  BUT... let's be thankful I was able to see any of it.

Personally, it made me so sad about America and our future... the process we have entrusted with our future is pretty much destroyed by party politics and greed.

I just want to build Working Together and let it go...  the Bible tells us that GOD leaves us when we don't want to listen... He tries and tries and tries, but then the Holy Spirit stops trying and leaves people to the consequences of their choices.

I was listening to sermons today and one of the things I was reminded of was how GOD works.  Now I remember... it was a sermon about how someone created a decision for someone else and then GOD turned that into a decision for or against them... I think it was the story of Haman that I heard today, the part where the King asked him how he would honor a man.  Haman thought the King was going to honor him so he created this amazing answer, what he wanted the King to do for him.  Then it turned out that the honor was for the enemy Haman wanted to kill.

The Pharaoh with Moses was another example I was reminded of.  When the Pharaoh created the punishment for the Jews, GOD brought it back onto Egypt.  The death of the firstborn was meant for the Jews, but Pharaoh really sentenced himself and his whole country.

It was a serious day with lots of spiritual thoughts... trying to understand our present situations as a country and a world... and trying to see the purpose of small things in families and churches and cities.  

I watched a video "movie" about atheists the other day.  When you deal with college people, students and teachers, the idea that science is irrefutable and knowledge that is taught in secular spaces is without fault is really hard to combat.  Logical arguments, based on what the other person believes, is lost in words that really don't make sense.  It takes a lot of time and effort to break through the fog of the "educated" mind and argument.

In the film, as in most debates about the reality of GOD, the need for salvation, the existence of absolute truth, and other related topics, the stage is always many secular minds and attitudes against one or two Christians.  I don't know that I could even attempt to do that kind of battle.  I am glad some people are called to it... even if they are not the greatest actors in the play.

In the later part of the film, the man who had stopped the debate because they didn't like the efforts of the Christian man (which I didn't either... one line stated over and over again until it had no meaning and defeated the purpose of the debate)  followed the Christian speaker and tried to explain why he had done what he had done.  The detail/s that I noticed most were how he thought he was a Christian, the man who was trying to explain himself, but then said he did not believe the Bible was the Word of GOD.  The debating Christian tried to explain that they can't have a conversation about some things without the agreement that the BIBLE is GOD's Word...  that the basis of the conversation would be as a Christian to an unsaved person, not as a Christian with a Christian.

The opposing forces have made Christianity into one of many spiritual options, and all of them can be mixed to whatever you want to believe in... and that is just not true.  GOD is GOD, and the Bible is His letter to us about what matters to Him.  It isn't up for discussion or debate... it is His Law.  We obey because we love Him... because He is good... and because what He has shared leads to life, joy, happiness, faith, understanding, wisdom, peace, and more.

I think this mixed bag is generated by the gay community to make their choices seem more appropriate than they are.  It is a major farce to say you can be gay and still be Christian.  There might be a grey space in the short transition period of learning what GOD says in detail, but it is one of the most obvious "abominations" of sex to GOD.  It is why He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.  There is no place in the Bible that says GOD accepts homosexuality... or promiscuity... or adultery... or pedophilia... or rape... or any sex outside of a loving marriage.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, we accept all that is involved in the salvation commitment.  We instantly begin to leave our sins behind, the easiest ones first and the harder ones as we grow, but we continually move toward the righteousness that GOD says is true... until the day we die.

The problem with the power of the media, the purpose of debates, and the truth, is that we don't really hear what is being said.

I guess one of the college students in the film said it all when he said that evolution has been proven to be true... and it hasn't.  Creation is a theory, but the science they learn in school is fact.  What is under all this haziness is the desire to keep sinning, to be able to do what they want to do, and not to have to face the idea that what they choose might not be right, or good, or kind, or loving, or respectful.  No GOD means no accountability... except the laws and getting caught, and a good lawyer seems to work for the wealthy in those situations.

These would be the "good people" -- the ones that are not Christian...  Christians are suppose to be perfect people, but the "good people" are not... they are humane, benevolent, caring, intelligent, powerful.  The differences the Bible tells us exists between the saved (Christian) and the unsaved (good people) is wrapped up in this comparison.

I guess I am going into the Netherlands of thought myself...  it's like linking online... one leads to another, then another, then another...  It is one of my goals to learn how to separate these issues for writing books.  I hope I can get that done soon, just to be sure it's done before I die!!  :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD make His presence known to those who want to find Him.
May our leaders care more about all of us than they do the next election.
May our lives become better than they are.
May we care about others and do what we can to make life better for as many as we can.
May we find the Truth so it can set us free, make our lives better, and discover how good we are and how important we are to the Body of Christ, the world, and life.
Amen.

Tuesday, 25 September 2018

I have been exploring online again... after a day of house things and making some fudge.  :-)  It was the easiest thing to get done, so I made it first.  I am freezing most of it... trying not to eat it all!

And caramels are on the list, too!  :-)  My diet is going to be hopeless!  haha, not really.  I will WIN this calorie battle!  I am getting better and better at it.  :-)

Tomorrow I need to try a bread recipe.  I am out of all those things that are bread options... no bread, no tortillas, no crackers... only pasta... and that gets old.  :-)  I have access to a regular oven, but I am trying to figure out what I can make in my small toaster oven.  I have some black olives and a little grated parmesan cheese left, so some kind of pizza is on my mind.  I think I have a recipe that might work for my small amount needs.  Pizza dough can be frozen, but I haven't gotten to that point yet... maybe tomorrow.

Today I tried to make mashed cauliflower with my frozen bits, but it didn't cook the way I expected it to... next time I will try to make it like you make regular mashed potatoes.  I added some couscous to absorb the extra milk I had in it, and I had added diced onions when I was cooking the processed bits.  It was good, but not what I expected.  I need to learn more about spices, and the flavors I have never tried.

One video at YouTube really inspired me.  It was a bento lunches video with great healthy and simple recipes... I want to try them!!!  I will try to make a link... but if I can't, the name of the channel was Mind Over Munch.  She is still on Facebook, but her Patreon link was kind of destitute.  She has some cookbooks mentioned in the video I watched.  I have to explore her efforts more.

To see her Patreon page I had to sign up myself.  :-)   I have been thinking of trying a Patreon funding option for some time, but I am not sure it is the right option for me.  I think crowdfunding is a better fit for me, IF I can find the Christian community.  I may do Patreon for my personal writing and crafting activities, and crowdfunding for Working Together.  I printed some of the intro pages and will be exploring them.

I guess I have created my own online crisis... I signed up for a bunch of new videos at the places I have been checking out.  I am also checking on CHRISTMAS craft ideas, some I have wanted to do for years.  As I explore I am looking at the way other people do these things... videos, podcasts, photos, audio, etc.  It helps me to think of what I might be able to do in my situation... what supplies I need, how much money I need, equipment and workspaces, and lots of praying for GOD's help.

I have two wreath forms that I have been wanting to make live wreaths with for a few years... each year I haven't found the right trees to cull. And I need to learn more about attaching the branches to the metal form.  I have been watching a lady that does a lot of wreath things recently... learning bows... and trying to decide how to get my wreaths done.  I may send one as a gift... so I need to get that figured out SOON!  :-)  Plastic may have to be my main design feature...  I am not sure.  I have more to learn, especially about how long live branches can last.

I was doing some clearing off of my crafting table-to-be today... My supplies are ready to use for some projects... I just have to find the space to get them done.  So, I am working on that.  I am hoping to create something I would like to wear/use... things I would give as gifts... things good enough to sell... and to be able to ship them.

I discovered tonight that I can create snow globe decorations out of polymer clays... I hadn't realized that was possible, so I need to get busy with that goal.  I love snow globes.  I had one that had a beautiful nativity scene in it... but it went away.  I hope to find one nativity scene for my Christmas decorations... I just haven't found one that is a forever one for me.  Snow globes are not just about Christmas, so I can try to make scenes for other memories.  I am really happy that I can create some unique pieces.  I need to find the best size jars with great lids for snow globes... and then try to make some prototypes.  :-)   Who knows, they may become one of my regular products!

Well, that is where my focus is right now.  Yardwork has not been done since last week... my goodness!  It's not going anywhere...

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May our lives become what we want them to be, if our goals are good, and honest, and full of love and caring for others.
May our country find a way to be what the ideals it represents to the world have always reflected.
May the Body of Christ become a reality.
May our world find a way to exist with all its different belief systems.
May we see others as equals, as neighbors, as people who might make our lives better... before we see them as enemies, with fear, or less then ourselves.

May GOD provide for those who love Him, myself included.
Amen.

Thursday, 20 September 2018

Been working on my budget today... and then I found some new videos with different ideas about how to do it.  I discovered Bullet Journals... an interesting way to keep track of things.  :-)  Lots of artistic people out there.  I tend to favor Excel sheets because they can be modified more easily... and I am ALWAYS changing my strategies.

I've been trying to work on saving monthly for the things that only come due once or twice a year... but haven't quite gotten it to work yet.  Today, or recently, I discovered they have a name in budget circles... SINKING FUNDS!  So, I have been trying to work on getting those bills into a monthly flow so it isn't so difficult the month they have to be paid.

I discovered a lot of people on You Tube are using a fill-in-the-square method to keep track of some of their savings and spending efforts.  The chart I shared yesterday is a fill-in-the-line kind of graph.  I saw one video with a great adaptation that was like a game board with the small bills at the start and the bigger bills at the squares near the end... with each square equaling a certain amount of money.  I am going to try to tackle my Emergency Fund with the squares.  I am making a page with several of my goals on it in squares.  I won't have to have a bunch of pages for them... or repeat them every month in my budget tracking.

I was glad to see other people use binders... and journals... I think it also makes a back-up option when you find a way to do both... somehow.  That is my recordkeeping goal.

I also am seeing that there might be income to be made in my efforts... eventually.  I love to make forms, and now I need to see if I can make the designs work for others.

It has been a strange day, but that's OK.

I did a  l-i-t-t-l-e  more of my yardwork. I mailed three of my monthly letters.  I had to rest today.  Am fighting a second headache.  Made a great soup.  And some other things that just have to get done.  After this post, I'm not sure what will happen.

My elephant calendar arrived today... faster than it was scheduled to come.  I am trying to find out if this is the first year they are offering calendars.  I think it could have been much better, so maybe by next year it will be.  I may make some notes for myself and try to share the ideas with them.  I have seen some amazing photos of elephants, so I guess I thought that is what I would see in the calendar.  I think some text with the photos, some of them, would have been even better... especially when they know who the elephant is that is pictured... some background info, stories that make them come alive... inset photos of their rescue... where they are now... details that would make it more than just an elephant photo.  Sharing more about the helpers would be great, too.  I think they used a fundraising fill-in-the-space format, but an original design would be fantastic.  I am still thinking about it... I spent $25 on this calendar... a lot of money for me.  It is something I will look at all year long.  I think it could have been so much more.  I want the future editions to be much better, so I will be glad to spend that much on my elephant calendar.

I have their address, and their email... I will try to send them a good letter after I have some time to mull over the details.

I got a beautiful oversized postcard kind of insert with it... I put that right up on the wall over my desk space, and I love it immensely.  I share stickers for my favorite charity on my letters, I would love to share more of these cards somehow.  I am also trying to figure out how I can do that.  :-)

Maybe I will share this post with them on social media.  I will think about it.

With all these fundraising ideas, and businesses online that I am discovering lately (at YouTube), I am beginning to think of things that might help me raise the funds I need... something that can be mass-produced or sold easily.

Budgets make you want more money... I keep trying to find the options that will work for me... in my current situation/s.  I have been very inspired by the people I have seen on YouTube.

It looks like the weather will be decent in the week ahead.  I may get most (or ALL) of my ivy patch done soon.  It is mostly cleaning up the debris.  Only a little more clearing it out... for this year.  :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May we all find the best future for us and for our world.
Amen.

Wednesday, 19 September 2018

I just finished watching about 30 videos from a YouTuber called Budget Bootcamp !!!  My eyes are bugged out, but I had to finish the set.  I can't remember how I got started with this... I think I found video #2 somewhere, and then linked to the set.  All the videos are not in the collection I found, but I did find the missing ones on my auto-play page.  Some are out of order, too. So you have to keep up with the process.

The presenter is Canadian, but a teacher of some kind, so she presents the material well.  The set is also a New Year presentation for January 2016.  She is part of the Dave Ramsey process, and shares the differences between his program and their life choices.  Where I connected with her videos had a link to their Ramsey shouting thing after they paid of about $60K of debt in about two years.  I was impressed, but I later noticed other debt overcomers as I watched... one was paying off about 120K in less than a year!

I only went over $10K income one year, I think... It is hard for me to imagine high numbers, like spending $800 a month on food (and maybe household supplies) - which they pared down to $600 for the budget challenge, and down another $100 for another spending challenge.

A link from one of the first videos went to a site called Debt Free Charts that offers motivational sheets you can download free, purchase, and subscribe to on a  yearly basis... I am thinking of how I could use that option for my own life!  :-)  I decided to "purchase" one to see what it was like.  Free items just go through the registration part of the purchase, no payment page.  I had a little trouble with the download link, but then figured it out and printed out my Starter Emergency Fund page.  It's a lot of printer ink for me, but I wanted to see it, and try to decide if it would be useful for my money challenges.

I taped it to my fridge.  Tomorrow I may fill it in, but I am not sure... the graphic is so large that it is a great reminder just having it on my fridge.

It was a lot to do to watch all thirty days of videos at one sitting.  They aren't long, but together they take some time... especially with the ads.

I liked the information about being able to make a little money from her YouTube efforts, and that was in 2016.  I could see the difference in her presentations as they went along... experience is always a great thing... so I may check up on her more recent efforts.  I guess they started the budget process in March of 2014, so it was almost two years after her budget challenge (to become debt free) began.  Other videos showed they finished the challenge in 25 months... somewhere around April of 2016, so they were at the end of the process. Their snowball started with around $400 I think, and ended with about $4500 or so... that the monthly amount applied to their debt reduction plan.

It is always great to see other people succeed in these financial issues.  I hope I can be one of them someday soon.  :-)  The big issue seems to be using the credit card as an income option, and then being broke before you even get your paychecks because all your income goes to pay the debt payments.  I think Dave Ramsey says, which I still remember as being a great awakening for my own life views of everyone that looks richer than I am, that it usually isn't an income problem, it's a spending problem.  I think I watched all those videos to see what their issues were and how they dealt with their debt.

I love YouTube for things like this.  :-)

Well, I am beat.  I will try to catch up with everything else in my personal world tomorrow.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May we all become debt free, including our nation.
It helps our lives in so many ways.
Amen.

Tuesday, 18 September 2018

Almost forgot this... I decided to check my email first, and then it was link to link to link... reading some materials on the path... and finally getting here.  This is the online challenge.  :-)

Today was not a rainy day and I actually made it outside for my yard project...

Been doing a lot of reading today... from different sources.  Old newspapers (from the weekend) that I didn't see before... trying to get through my new books... online.  I get really involved in the problems of our world.

I wish I could do more about them.

In this place where I live, it is late in the evening.  I try to find quiet things to do.  I don't always manage to be completely quiet, but I try to keep it down.  I suppose I need a good pair of earphones, and to find the place for the cord to work.  :-)

I am thinking about poverty all over the world because of some of the things I read or linked to tonight.  When you read reports, the details can be masked in nice sounding words... I am wondering how ordinary people can find out the details of far away places.  Sometimes, "progress" is another word for money in someone's pockets, not the well-being of the people who trust them.  It is hard to decide what is the real truth.

I found an ad in the old paper I read that was about an atheist groups dislike of GOD in our heritage. It is a sign of America's future, and not a good sign.  People think they are "good" and yet have no concept of their abuse of others.

I have been complaining about the definition of "freedom" recently... and mentioned we may need to re-do it... repeat it?  Something.  We seem to have forgotten what it means to be free.  Maybe the reach of the internet, and hacking, and terrorism, and other crimes, are changing what we do.  Freedom isn't easy, it means you have to allow people to have different opinions than yours, and find some way to respect each other in the process.

I see a lot of regulations and laws and manipulations of our freedoms.

I guess it could be the elections coming up.  Things always get muddled when elections are near.  We never seem to end the cycle anymore.  The 2020 elections are already in the loop.

I suppose this is too much for a blog post... and it isn't organized.  I tend to ramble with my thoughts... and I don't always want to share the reasons my thoughts are traveling in those directions.

Freedom...
Success...
Money...
Power...
Life...
Death...
Control...

This is our life, our trends, our world.  The small people (the poor, weak, helpless...) only matter enough to get what is being sought... funding, elections, power.

Is this because of mankind's genetics, or because of greed, or because of sin... our fallen nature.  I am trying to decide how much compassion fits into this picture.

Well... if I ever find the answer, I am sure I will share it with you.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Time

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May our hearts be good, and our actions be better than we are good.
May we find our joy and our destiny in helping others to rise and grow and live.
May life be long, and healthy, and filled with all that we need to be truly happy in a deep and satisfying way.
May we see our differences and not seek to control the opposition.
May our actions be mutually respectful.
May Truth win.
May Freedom be real.
May every small detail of our lives not be regulated.
May the future find a way to become better for all of us.
Thank you GOD for all that you do for us.
Help us to understand your love and mercy.
Amen.

Monday, 17 September 2018

I have been listening to some motivational presentations at YouTube again... and the topic was money and wealth and "success" for all.  It gave me a headache, so I had to take a nap.  :-)

I even found a Christian channel video with a fantastic logo that had a cross for the t in Ambition... but there were only videos from 2016, some Facebook in early 2017, and a website that was like the blog.  I am still trying to see if I like it... old or not.  I really just wonder if the guy is still around.

My many online efforts have suffered from neglect, too... just not enough time to do everything, sometimes no access to the internet, other times no computer...etc.  It is a big commitment to have an online presence, and I have been trying to decide what to focus on most... first... and with more energy and commitment (schedule).

I am still working on those goals.

In the course of my explorations, I discovered a quote by Peter Drucker, a name I am familiar with a little.  In the link I followed there was a list of quotes, and lots I hadn't heard.  I have shared one I like below.

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“Leadership is not magnetic personality, that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people", that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”
― Peter F. Drucker, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/12008.Peter_F_Drucker


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I guess he almost lived to be 100, but not quite.  I think the reference I saw stated he died in 2005.  I didn't realize he was that old.  I had browsed one or more of his business books along my path... trying to find the knowledge I didn't have and could go to school for.  I will be checking out at least one of his books at Amazon after I finish this.

I saved a bunch of the YouTube titles I want to check out later, too.  There is always more than anyone can spend time on, but I would never see them again if I didn't save them.

My books from Hamilton Books (.com) arrived today... it took them six days, with the weekend.

My clog making book/let has some great photos and style ideas at the end... not that I will be making any wood clogs soon, but the need for shoes was why I purchased it... so see how hard it might be.  I watched a video the other day of a man making a pair of shoes for someone out of tires, like the ones on the really small cars they make today.  He had this sharp knife and cut off parts here and parts there, and it became a cheap but functional shoe for someone in those countries where they don't have shoes for everyone.  I was amazed.  I have been wondering about moccasins as an option, but winter and rain would be a problem.  There would be a lot to learn about making leather shoes.  I wore moccasins as a teen, and loved them.

I have only browsed the other two books, one on negotiating and one on writing.  I will be looking at them closer soon.

I watched/listened to something today about the differences between the rich and the poor... and reading (education on your own, not forced by school) was one of the big ones.  I will try to find that link.  It was short and good.  Here it is ::  https://youtu.be/nr76bupxjco  It is a nice visual presentation with key points.

 It has been a day of needing rest... I think I took two naps, at least... and didn't get any of my yardwork done.  Tomorrow... I have to get to it tomorrow.  :-)   If it doesn't rain.

I am still pondering some of the "wealth is the only success, things are all that matters" issues I had to deal with today.  I like motivation, but the values of our world are not so good anymore.  Money is often just a weapon to hurt others.  I don't want to be a part of that kind of "success" but I don't know how to amass the wealth I need to accomplish the good that I am trying to do.  Opposing forces seem to be stronger than I, and my time is running out.  It is a constant issue.  I don't quite fit into any category.

So, I better go do some more thinking and trying to find answers for my current situation.  Pray for me.  I believe GOD is the author of many things, and the Bible says He gives us the power to gain wealth (believers, I should say... the devil seems to have that power for bad people, too) so I am in need of understanding.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May our lives be protected from the darts of the Enemy, and our hearts remain pure and filled with as much love as possible.  May we want to be better than we are, and see the pain in others as important of our attention.  I guess I am saying, how much does one person need to live on... who could we personally help with our excess, freely, without the force of law, or church, or social media... I pray for the many needs we have right now... just to keep living on this planet.  Amen.

Thursday, 13 September 2018

It was tempting to let this go, to stay in bed and try to sleep... I had to have a nap earlier.  :-)  But, I was wide awake in a few minutes, so I got up.  Napping seems to be a requirement these days.  I remember reading in business articles awhile back that a "power nap" helped busy executives to recharge mid-day.  I don't have to feel bad about this. haha.

So, it's Thursday.  It's still a rainy forecast.  The weekend is near.

I was able to catch up with some of my budget issues.  How I will get through the rest of the month - that is going to be the challenge.

I received the packet of materials I ordered from Samaritan's Purse Shoebox program for the holidays.  It has become my "insert" for September, so I am beginning my monthly letters.  That will keep me busy.  I am almost up to 30 letters now... and still need more family addresses.  I see this "senior project" is going to be a long challenge, but I hope that I will one day get letters back in the mail... once GOD deals with other things.

No news today.
I did read some articles from yesterday's local paper.
Naturally, I gravitate to the ones that show the slow, ongoing, demise of our country.
I find so many of those... it makes me very sad.

My food challenge is getting difficult.  I do think I bought too much fresh produce.  I will have to see what I can save by freezing it.

Life is different for the poor, I hope my sharing the details of my life help others to see that the challenges are long... by the month as well as by the day... simple and complex... very repetitive and depressing when you want to do so much more.  I often wonder how people in other countries deal with their poverty, which seems to be so much worse that the USA version.

Hoping for that big money win, I keep trying to find ways to make change possible for all the poor all over the world... especially Christians.

It's hard to know what the future might hold, so I hope for a better life.

I suspect all those other poor people do, too.


Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May the GOD of our hearts help us to see His love for us, and how it is part of our lives.
May we see the difference between the work of GOD and the evil of Satan so we can make the right decisions about this life.
May we learn to be better people.
May our lives have meaning in the long historical view.
May we help our country to be great again, because it is filled with good people.
Amen.

Wednesday, 12 September 2018

What a day...

Food prep to make room in my small fridge, to use up the old foods and make new meals, and eating too much along the way!  That is how it goes!  :-)

I'm still working on my budget crunch for the month, and spent more money that I didn't plan on.  :-)  Christmas is getting real, and my gifting list for every year is beginning to get figured out.

Yesterday I discovered that my favorite elephant group in Africa has a calendar for sale at eBay... the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has wonderful posts to see on Facebook... I hope you will look at them.  I hope to paint some elephant pictures when I can get a group of photos to use as a guide.  I can't afford to foster one of the elephants (or more), so I made the leap and spent the money to get one of their 2019 calendars.  It was my first eBay purchase at an international level... and it is expected to take a month to reach me!!  :-)  I discovered the difference between UK funds and USA funds...

I am so excited to have one of their calendars.  I decided it was an early Christmas present for me.

I also decided to purchase three badly wanted used books at Hamilton Books (.com)… before any other purchases were made!  I use this site for all my inmate gifts.  They are one of the few sites that is reasonable, can be searched by paperback category (essential for prison gifting), and ships at a reasonable cost (now a flat $4.00 per order).  They don't put the publication year into the information, but I haven't received a bad book... only great ones.  Of course, I am picky and try to choose carefully.  The older ones can have great information to glean from the pages.

One day soon, I will be learning how to make clogs, Negotiate With Giants, and write better.  :-)  I am looking forward to it.  Each book was less than $5, but that is high for me... I usually get my books at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $1 or less... but it's been hard for me to get out anymore.  This will have to do.

I discovered scribd.com today, and lots of their books and other media are like thrift store offerings, so there is still a lot to be said for old books.  They also offer audio-books.  I found this link when I read an article about tax issues for retirees and wanted a copy of the tax info offered.  I still haven't decided what online book/media source I will end up with.

My Fire tablet is owned by Amazon so it may become my Kindle Reader... I'm still thinking about that.  It wasn't a purchase that worked out the way I planned, so I'm looking for a Plan B for it.

This is how things "evolve" in our lives.  :-)  If at first you don't succeed, try, Try, TRY again!!!  (My version of the old saying! haha)  The internet says it was made popular by a man named William Edward Hickson around 1836, but the origins are cloudy.  I thought it was a Shakespeare quote!  :-)  We learn new things every day, right?!

My other budget-busting purchase was making a donation to get a "free" booklet about budgeting.  I think they call that irony.  It's called Financial 30 and it is suppose to be about a 30-day plan for improving your finances.  I have a growing collection of materials from different sources about budgets and debt and other similar issues... I thought it was something I needed to add to my collection.  Crown.org is a good group, and I am beginning to explore their materials when I can.  I was aware of Larry Burkett (the founder) when I was younger.  Here is a link I found just now ::  The Family Budget Workbook by Larry Burkett (1993 in the details).  There may be other items at Crown.org

Following my wild spending spree, I had to recover my financial plan.  SO, that is what this morning was about.  I still have to finish that chore.

There is always something that needs to be done.

I wonder if I will EVER catch up... I doubt it.  :-)  I was looking at Time Management aids when I was exploring the Scribd website... One tip I found in comments at a page was "do the hardest thing first" and then the plan to make a list of over a hundred things and just get them done.  I have heard these ideas in some version before.  It was a great reminder... and will be helpful for my list-making goals.  :-)

So, that is it for now... the rain is still here, and seems to want to stay, so staying indoors will help me get my lists pared down this week -- I hope.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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In my prayers these days, I am crying out to GOD for change... for the provisions I need to get things moving, for the ability to control my circumstances, and for the opposition to be overcome.  I am praying for my sons' souls to be found again.  I am hoping to see the world get better.  I am praying for a way to make things better at a lot of levels and in a lot of countries.  I have a big dream, and I am hoping my big GOD will provide for it soon.  Amen.

The Anniversary of Terrorism in the USA -- Tuesday, 11 SEP 2018

Time passes and we forget things that have happened... so many disasters happen every year.  To me they are not all important, but the ones that affect me remain in my heart and mind and prayers.  If you have read my past blogs, you know how deeply I feel about this event, that I consider it a turning point in America's protection by GOD.

Here is a link to Billy Graham's speech at that time for the prayer memorial that was held...

Prayer at the National Cathedral after 9/11

Paul Ryan sent out an email message with a link to his video about it.  It reminds us how little we expected this to happen in our country.

Because I am always thinking about the Antichrist and what will happen in the world before and after he arrives, I see our vulnerability.  It is foolish to believe we can protect ourselves from future attacks, as politicians like Paul Ryan and his Democratic counterparts believe.  The attacks will just be different... and more organized than the one that caught us by surprise.

We are slipping into a fear mode as a country, with immigration issues, and the terrorism we think they will bring to us.  Fear affects our thinking.  We don't see the problems in healthy ways.  We make bad judgments.  Somehow, the thing we fear comes into our lives.

I have been thinking about all these things for some time now... with my own focus on the Christian populations first, but everyone good included.  9/11 was just a huge look into the destruction that war brings... and it is coming to America... eventually.

I guess I am really wondering about a Bible verse I read one day (and didn't keep track of, so I haven't been able to find it again) that was about those times when a third of the earth will be destroyed.  In that passage I read it said one third of the people who existed would be destroyed, and then shortly after that it mentioned that 5000 were killed.  It means the world will be reduced to 15,000 people at some point... and then down to 10,000.  I can't imagine what GOD means by this verse, and how it will happen.  It is part of my wonderings about America, about terrorism, about the timeline of GOD, and about Mankind.

I imagine this will be long after the Antichrist takes Christians out of the world.

It has been a long time since I have been able to study my Bible/s, so memory is selective.  I recall the big issues, the main details, the ones that affect my focus.  Technology is going to make our lives so very different.  The Mark of the Beast takes on a whole new meaning as the details about technology are developed.  We are becoming robots for the computer... there is the gradual move to depend more and more on automated processes, for everything.  The chip in our body seems, to the unsaved, to be the most logical move to take.  Wireless biological parts, wireless communications, wireless life... in time, there won't be a choice... it is all more visible to us now, but how long will it take?  We don't know.  All we can do is watch as it all unfolds.

I still cry when I see the Twin Towers attacked.

I hope GOD allows us to gather together for our own protections as these End Times unravel into the Antichrist... we are easier target when we are alone, and aging, and unable to fight.  We can do more if we are together.

Think about joining Working Together so we can start in that direction.


Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May we discover our need for each other.
May our lives be meaningful to the world we are in.
May life be good and shared and protected from unnecessary harms.
May we not fear, but be wise.
May GOD provide for us, and save us from our Enemy.
May we all be able to share.
Amen.

Monday, 10 September 2018

It looks like Winter is trying to get here... or maybe Fall... in Oregon, it is all about the rain.

Today is not a great day, but I want to get back into my posting pattern for this blog.  I have been working on my daily planning sheet and working toward posting on my other blogs, mostly associated with Working Together, so things are getting figured out.  There is never enough time, and sometimes not enough energy, for everything... we just keep moving forward the best we can.  :-)

I was able to grocery shop on Sunday, so a lot of "food prep" has been happening.  I need to find a better (SMALL) refrigerator... this one is freezing food, so that is an issue... when it is food that can't be frozen for later.  Food is MONEY... lots of money... for my budget.

I have FOUR weeks to go with this batch of food, and only a small reserve of funds in my budget for more fresh supplies.  I keep trying to find a good way to buy fresh produce... and make it last.  :-)  I am trying to see how long melons will last right now.  I have a watermelon, a honeydew, and a cantaloupe, in various stages of ripeness.  I ate one watermelon already, and it was very ripe... and good.  If I can make them last at one per week, that will be great.  I have no idea how to tell if a honeydew melon is ripe, but the cantaloupe has a ways to go.

Avocados are a challenge.  I know they grow in California, but I don't know if they have a particular season yet.  I am trying to figure out how to buy "in season" foods and avoid commercial processes.  Figuring out what grows locally is another goal to help with that seasonal issue.

One of my avocado seeds is growing... so I need to decide when to bring it in or how to protect it from the squirrels and the winter and whatever else kills avocado seeds trying to grow into a tree.  :-)  In my entire life, I have only had ONE avocado seed grow into a starting tree... this will be the second.  The first one met an untimely death... and I grieved for it.  I hope this one will make it through.

I have been ill today, so there isn't much to share with you.

I heard part of a program with Mathew Hagee as I was checking channels earlier, at the end of watching some news to see what was going on.  It was a repeat program about the dominoes falling in the End Times.  It reminded me again how hard it is going to be for people who have put their faith in what is called "the Rapture" to keep them from suffering what is ahead for the world.  I only caught the end of the presentation, with the unveiling of the Rapture event in their popular theology. The idea is that GOD is going to save His People from suffering the Tribulation, and He is going to do it with the Rapture.

I sometimes catch different views of this perspective on Christian programs.  The "Left Behind" series kind of made it a gospel of its own.  One idea that keeps getting repeated is that the church will not be in the world when the Tribulation horrors happen... so making the "Rapture" the way GOD does that is easy to believe.  I see the Rapture as the final moments of all existence as we know it, when Christ comes for judgment... way at the end of all these Tribulation sufferings.  When I heard the explanation about the church not being here, I understood why it took off as a way to make death by the Antichrist a non-subject.  I see the Mark of the Beast and death by the Antichrist as the way we are removed from this life.

It is a complicated mess in the church... all the divided denominations have to declare their own ideas of what they believe is the right answer.  Then everyone gets "firmly planted" in that viewpoint and nothing else is allowed in the conversation.  This is how humans work, how organizations work, how causes are created and maintained... any of them.  These divisions are why I hoped to create my "40 Days in the Wilderness" event every summer... to get the discussions going... to make people decide for themselves, hear all the sides of the arguments, and try to make us ONE BODY in Christ.

After some time and thought, I realized this event could become the fulfillment of another prophecy about the end of all things, that everyone would hear the gospel... everyone, all over the world.  Technology would make that a reality.

It's scary, but that is how GOD works... He has shared these details with us in a way that makes us have to think about the Truth, be ready to die and be judged at any moment of our lives, and to prove His authority over all we know.  Prophecy, in GOD's view, is one way He establishes His credibility with Man.

When I was watching the Hagee presentation, I wished there was some way to reach all those people who think they won't have to suffer because they believe the Rapture will save them from it.  I don't know how to do that, in my current circumstances, so I just keep thinking that GOD will do something to help them discover there is more than one way to see what is in the Bible.... and the Enemy is good at blinding our eyes... and there will one day be a "Great Falling Away" that might be them.

I just want them to see that, so their decision is made by better knowledge... and I want to help us to prepare for what is ahead, together.  Evil will rise, good will decline... that is not going to be a fun time...  I just hope to help as many as I can.

So, that is what channel-flipping has done for me today.  I am now at my desk and trying to make a better plan to solve this information and protection problem.

I hope GOD provides for me and WT soon.


Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD find a way to make those who love Him aware of the different interpretations there are about the Rapture, the Tribulation, the End Times, and the Antichrist.  Amen.

Thursday, 6 September 2018

Here I am... up again after going to bed earlier... wandering around with nothing to do, but not able to sleep again.  So... lucky you, I am going to try to post something here.  :-)

I did a lot of my yardwork challenge the past few days... and it takes a toll on my body... I end up just wanting to go to bed and not caring what is happening in the world.  :-)  But then I remember my lists.

I discovered a property in Texas today... I guess T Boone Pickens is selling a magnificent piece of land.  Only 250 million dollars.  I think I will go ahead and write a check!  haha.  It's in east Texas.  I went through Texas one time on my faith trip, along the Dallas-Fort Worth trail.  East Texas was the green side I think... well, one of the sides of Texas was like desert and the other was greenish.  It was quite an experience.

I recognize the name, but don't know what made him famous.  The land materials said it was the oil industry.  It also had information about how much his childhood was part of his motivations.  Life affects us, for good or for bad... but it is a burden we all carry.  It seems the end of life is catching up with him.

One thing I see in the lives of the rich and famous is the need to invest their wealth.  This is something I have talked to GOD about all my life, in one form or another. I think art and other collectibles are fun (at my small level, which is just trying to save the memories of my lifetime), but I would have a hard time spending millions to acquire them.  I decided it would be too much for me.  I eventually decided that investing in people would be better, especially for the future of Working Together.

If I had 250 million dollars to pay for the Pickens property, I would check it out and talk to the man, and then buy it if it seemed useful for WT.  I think owning land, and his conservation of what he has built over his lifetime, are both essential to the future.  The details are also important.  It has to work for the people who will need it in the future.

I keep thinking about his lifetime effort.  I would think he might want to die there. I would.  I don't know why he is selling now, but I assume it has to do with the changes of age and income.  None of us can take our possessions with us... no matter how wonderful they may be.  We die.  Someone else gets all our toys... all our dreams... all our things.

I am also filled with wondering thoughts toward GOD about WT... always.  I wish I understood the purpose of all these past years.  I recently heard something online that was really good to remember... the idea presented was that we can't count the dots looking ahead, we can only count the dots looking back.  (I just remembered, I think it was the Steve Jobs commencement speech...)  It is true, no matter how you say it.

I once looked back and talked about the pivot points we see from that perspective, how we can see that everything would have been different if we chose that other path, the other choice, the other direction.  BUT, we can't know what the future will do with our choices.  We only have the details of Today to go by.  We all do our best, I think... at least, I hope so.

So, it's almost midnight.  I better end this to beat the Thursday deadline.  :-)

I hope you are making all the best choices and that they will lead you to good places and good people and good futures.  If they don't, just keep trying to find the best way forward from where you are.  It's all we can do... one day at a time.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD help all the good people who love Him and want to do good things for good people.  Amen.

Tuesday, 4 September 2018

What a day...

I wrote four letters before the mailperson came to get them. Later I added another one for tomorrow's mail.  Now I have three more left just to finish August's list.  :-)  I don't get many responses, so it doesn't seem very urgent to get them out in a serious deadline way.  I call it a flexible schedule.  :-)  And I need to find an "insert" for my September bunch of letters.

I turned on my phone ringer (finally got it to actually work when I tried to turn on the ringer!) and now I get calls that hang up in three rings.  Previously, calls would magically appear on my phone.  I don't answer too many as they never leave a voicemail, so I assume they are robocalls.  It has occurred to me how fake call records can be created and used in court through some of these issues.  We are in such a legal bog with technology.

I think I want a landline again.

I am actually trying to budget in a senior phone with one of those emergency buttons.  One of these days....



I made it out to the ivy patch around noon, after I didn't have the right tool for my curb cleaning plan... cut out vines for an hour!  What a mess!  More to do tomorrow, but I am MOTIVATED now.  :-)  --  I did go back later to check on (rake up) the debris...

In some places of the "seasonal creek" the leaves are so deep it's scary.  I am trying to figure out a good way to make it safer.  There is a dangerous metal spike that is failing to hold up the huge timber wall it was first place for, and it is just waiting for someone to fall and die on it.  I think I will bend it into the timber just to be safe.

I am not sure about the "creek" wall part of the ivy patch... It's hard to see how much is solid rocks and how much is dirt ready to fall down.  There are gaping holes in the dirt, but different pipe sections, and I am wondering about wild animals that could live in them, or be in danger by them.

Roots, some over an inch thick, are going in all kinds of directions... BIG ivy roots, I think... but not sure yet.  I am just cutting off everything that is in the spaces I don't want ivy to be.  I haven't even started on the street side of the patch.  (so much fun..... I can hardly wait!)  haha



I decided not to enter a post yesterday... things were happening and it would not have been a good one.  I did work on my budget... my revisions, my payments, my plans for the month.  It is always depressing.



I watched some news earlier and one of the tidbits about Brazil, in conjunction with the fire loss of their country's national museum (which would be like our Smithsonian burning down into nothing), and the average worker in Brazil only makes about 180 US dollars a month...   no mention of the effects of inflation on their dollars, or any other details about their economy, was made.  Recently I caught the news about (Argentina?) having such high inflation that the government decided to correct the problem itself with it's own "eraser" - going into a version of bitcoin, I think.  All I really heard was the graphics about how many of their dollars it takes to buy some food... one item of food.

I guess the Democrats have come out with media bites to take the media stage with the Kavanaugh hearings... we have become a world that only cares about media bites, not the survival of our world....  It will all come back to "bite" us in time... much worse that it already is.

In a Democratic media world, finding the Truth is hard.  Democratic TV news use Democratic newspaper sources as their guest authorities, as well as any other interview subjects.  If they aren't totally committed to the Democratic agenda, they are very near to it.  And this is presented as "unbiased" reporting.

We rely on information that only represents one view... degrades any other views, reports only bad opinions of their enemies, and controls the way we see the world.  You have to have your own foundation for information, or work extremely hard to find a whole range of reporters to hear, if you even want to think about knowing the details of any ONE issue, for that day.

This is the world we live in.
We are suffering for it.

 I have heard some people read multiple newspapers every day to find out what is happening in the world... I don't have time for that... or the money.

Well, that's it for today... I am still working on a plan for the topics of my blogs... this one is journal blog... my WT blogs need some content, so I am looking at how to get some good blogs posted, at least once a week.  My reorganized room may help me to get closer to that.  Thinking of things to write is easy, actually getting all the details for a "real" blog post is hard... and time consuming... and I need some way to keep a record of sources.  I am working on those details, in the midst of all my other efforts....

I wonder if I will ever reach the point where I can hire the help I need...

I wonder.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May the world suddenly become good again... hmmm... how would that be possible... so, in that view, may GOD help all the good people to prosper and make wise decisions and help other good people and make sure evil forces do not get their resources.  Amen.

And may we all be deserving of the title "good" and maybe "godly" and always "kind, compassionate, merciful, giving, loving, worthy," and everything the Bible tells us is righteous.


I hope GOD finds a way to help us.
We are so divided, so separated, so overpowered by the strength of evil.
I know we are heading toward death by the Antichrist,
but I don't want to let him win without a fight.

Maybe you can help me by joining WT and begin the process of building the things we need to survive as the times grow worse.  It is the only way I can see us becoming ONE Body in Christ.

I hope you will think about it and decide that $10 is not to much to spend to begin the process of changing our world... hopefully, I will actually get the funds and be able to do what I have been planning and working toward since before WT was even created.

Thanks.

May GOD be glorified and protect us from the evil that surrounds us.  Amen.