Where do they go?

 

I heard on the news tonight that the Governor of California has ordered all the homeless people living in tents in public spaces to be "cleaned up."  Where will they go?

I know how hard it is to start with nothing.  All those tents are not what public officials want to see, especially when their tourist income is suffering.  Homeless people are a problem, but destroying their very hard efforts to survive on the streets isn't going to help the problems.  The homeless need a safe place to start rebuilding their lives.  Street sweeps, which just put all their belongings into the trash, means they have to start all over... which means they find a new place for their tents.

What do you expect them to do???  Human beings have to sleep, have to eat, have to have a place to use a restroom, and then they need a place to shower so they can be clean, a place to do laundry so they can wear clean clothes, and everything else any human being needs to live from one day to the next.  

I don't know the property options in every city fighting the open issues with the homeless, but there has to be a place they can stay.  Starting over doesn't help anyone.  It makes the problem last longer.

I hear news reports all the time about the costs of dealing with homelessness.  Maybe we need a new way of handling the problems.

I remember seeing historic photos of the Great Depression.  They may have been of New York City, but I don't remember that detail.  What I remember was cardboard or some kind of material like cardboard being used by entire families who were forced out of housing onto the street.  They built whatever they could along the streets of a large urban space and that was their home.

I remember, when I grew up in Los Angeles, seeing news stories about Tijuana (a "city" along the border of Mexico).  It was a huge space where Mexican families lived the best they could, with "homes" made of whatever materials they could find... like plywood, cardboard, metal sheets, etc.

If you watch Gone with the Wind you will see the shanty towns that existed in that time of history.

Today, in other parts of the world, there are people struggling to survive in housing that is not the best, but it is all they can afford.

My point is that poverty is not ever going to be "solved."  There will always be poor people, homeless people, struggling people.  Even the Bible tells us this is the reality of living.  But I always hear political messages about solving the problems associated with poverty.  In my own thinking about these issues, I believe it is because there will always be a next generation of people with their own groups of poverty families.

It is a better idea, in my mind, to create permanent options to meet the needs of poor people.

We have housing, but being government run has its problems.

We have food options, both with government and charity sources, but they also have problems in the delivery.

I have always talked about the need for stability in the paths we create.  Housing is the primary form of stability for homeless and poor individuals and families.  Government programs work on the basis of obedience to the "rules" or you are gone.  That is not stability.  It takes years to overcome the problems of poverty and homelessness.  Each person's path needs to be stable for years.  When they are ready, they will move on.

Today, I was riding on the public transit in my city.  I saw the tents of people trying to survive here.  This city is also on the verge of cleaning the streets of homeless people.  Where will they go?  They will end up going through the same cycle of loss, wandering around while the government does what it does, and look for a new place to sleep, eat, spend their days, try to settle again in a new space.  The problem is not solved, it is "kicked down the road" again.

I have tried to suggest alternative strategies for many years.  

I have prayed for the funds to create these options as demonstration projects, to figure out the details, but GOD has not provided for my efforts.  Working Together is all about finding solutions for all these problems, but for Christians.  It is why I look for possible solutions.  And what my life experience has been about.

I hate to think of all the pain that is going to happen because of the government's view of these issues, and what they see as the solutions for their cities.  It's really a complicated issue, especially with media coverage pushing the problems to a different space.  What is being done is not solving the larger problem.

What are your solutions for the individual people who are the homeless?  Who are poor?  Who are not able to become self-sufficient tax-paying citizens in a day?  Who have handicaps, disabilities, substance abuse issues, other abuse issues, no money, no skills, prison records, can't get a job, are too old to work, have children with them, and more.

They need stability.  Will street sweeps help them?

What can we change about how we see this problem?

Maybe this is an example of that saying about insanity... something about doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result.

A lot seems to happen in a short amount of time these days

I spent a long time today going through my ETSY listings.  (https://etsy.com/shop/work2gather)  I have been trying to decide the direction I want to go, changing my content, thinking about a better future.  

I deactivated all my listings except for four of them.  Then I updated each of them.  Then I explored some of the suggestions ETSY has for its sellers.  I will have to return to my shop and look at my keywords again.  

I can see how I need to review my listings, not just put them up and leave them.  How often to do that is the question.  

I am seeking GOD for money to change all the things in my life that need to be changed.  I have been praying for the way to do that.  My part: to do what I can.  GOD's part: to bless my efforts.  (I hope.  After all these years of trying, it is hard to have a strong faith that GOD will provide what I think He should.)  

I have been listening to Joel Osteen sermons.

I have been listening to old books about faith issues.

I have been thinking about what I should do to change the way things are.

I have been seeking GOD for direction. 

This is another starting point for my efforts to make things better. 

We will have to see what the rest of this month brings.

I watched some of the news programs for today after working on my ETSY plans.

Kamala Harris is now officially going after the Democratic bid for President.  It is the expected path, but I am not sure what it means.  I don't follow all these politicians that closely.  I think about our nation, about the battles between the main political parties, about the needs of the poor more than other income groups.

I suppose we will all find out where our nation is heading now.

What the news showed us tonight was an ordinary woman calling the police for help and ending up dead because of the policeman that answered the call.  Video in our lives is filled with real pain in the lives of others now.  Her life is over.  She has no option to recover from what a policeman has done.  She was murdered, he was not protecting himself from a dangerous person.  

When you watch the video, you can sense his need to kill someone, anyone.  I don't know what they call that, but it happens all the time.  I think it could have been a Black issue or a GOD issue.  He got mad when she called on GOD to help her.  The policeman was agitated, she sensed the need for protection.  He is charged with murder.  He should be. 

It's a very sad situation.  We see what happens in the video, but we have no idea what made these people the way they were at this moment in time. We don't suddenly become a killer.  Our lives change us into good or bad people.  Every day, every month, every year.  We slowly become different people.

What keeps us good people?

What makes us turn into people who do things that hurt us and others?

In my life, it was my faith in GOD, my salvation, my hope for the future that kept me from becoming a person that would hurt others.  I looked toward GOD in my hard times, in my pain, in my struggles to become better. 

The death of this innocent woman made me think about my own death.  We never know what a day will hold.  GOD warns us that the only time we have is right now.  

I hope for much, but I don't know what GOD is going to provide.  GOD provides for His Will, His Plan for us and for the world.  GOD lifts one up and lets another fall.  Everything is heading toward the fulfillment of prophecy in small and large steps. 

This is a very important election year.  It will decide the direction of our nation.  The goals of the Republican and Democratic Parties are very different.  This election is now, what happens after the election may change everything again.  

I can't support the Democratic agenda, but I don't agree with everything the Republicans stand for either.  Mostly, I hope America survives.  Mostly, I hope I survive. 

The Republican Convention is over. My thoughts.

 

I thought I would share this graphic today because the topic of taxes is a repeating issue.  This is really a very important video to see.  I never realized that the amendment passed was not limited.  It's a scary thought, but we know someone will try it one day.  Maybe the Antichrist.

The Republican Convention just finished.  I was waiting to post until it was done.  I tried to make some notes about things to write, but I would be here for hours if I went into detail.

Politics is like an old vinyl record that is scratched and plays the same part over and over and over again, until you fix the problem.  Every year the same issues are cited.  

The Republicans are big on oil, coal, and fracking/gas.  The Democrats are big on green energy, like solar and wind, like electric vehicles.  We really need both.  With the threat of global crises, increasing wars, terrorism, natural disasters, and more, we have to find a way to make sure we have what we need on our own soil.  I see a different world if we get low on fuel for the military and police.  Ordinary people won't have access to fuel for their cars if there is (when there is) a real crisis.  That could be grid failure or some other disaster we don't know is coming.  If terrorist hit, you know they are going to hit our supplies, our weak points.  It takes a lot of fuel to fly planes, military or commercial.  Commuters have to get to work.  Emergency vehicles need fuel.  Our commercial trucks bring us all the food and supplies we need to keep going.  How much fuel does our nation need just to survive?  I have no idea.  Do we have enough?

Immigration is a big issue for both political parties, for our nation, for our safety.  In making their points, the Republicans cite every terrible event, all the crimes, all the pain caused by any immigrant that exists.  It is repeated so often that we think every single illegal immigrant is a threat, a terrible person, an evil force trying to hurt us.  The Democrats act like there is no problem, everyone should be able to come here, no one is a threat or a criminal.  What is the truth?  Many of the people seeking a new life in America are trying to get away from the poverty and violence in their home country.  They think we are still the country that will solve their problems, help them to provide for their families and find the dreams they have in their heart.  All the hate created toward illegal immigrants makes them targets, even when they are good people.

This is the same battle waged against the poor.  Everyone attached to any government program is seen as killing the nation.

Taxes are another battleground.  My view is in the graphic I made.  This was before I even realized there was an amendment about taxes, the one in the video above.  I am not a political fanatic, I am a concerned citizen.

The two main political parties that rule our government also have different views on what taxes are for.  The Republicans want less taxes... which is realistic in my view.  The Democrats are working for a future that has the government controlling everything, like socialism.  I see that as the government controling all the resources and deciding how much every citizen gets for their needs. 

What is a fair tax the government should receive to pay for the services it provides?  That is the main issue.  

The Democrats keep creating more mandates.  It's like we are slowly losing our freedoms and becoming acclimated to having our lives ordered by the government.  It's a way of seeing our lives.  We cease to make our own decisions and accept the "right" of the government to decide for us.

Trump is finding solutions from the life he has lived, what he knows about.  Everyone around him is part of the process of finding solutions within the government process.  I don't know if they are good or bad, but they seem to work.  That's what I hear from all the speeches, all the faith in his way of doing things, the results of his actions.

We don't know what the future will hold for us, as people or as a nation.  We are going to have to live through it.

One thing I know is how close we came to chaos.  I keep thinking about what might have happened if Trump had died.  It would have devastated our country, maybe the world.  Trump is a strong man, and he uses the power he has to "win" the battles he faces.

It has a lot to do with wealth.  People who are rich are different than regular people.  They can solve a lot of problems with money.  They aren't afraid of problems.  I say this because I know how it feels not to have money... the problems it causes.

I hope GOD will protect him for as long as it takes to help our nation recover from the problems we must overcome to survive, and then help us to build a better future.

The DEBT is our primary crisis because it affects every other thing we face.  Maybe a man like Trump will find the answers we need.

Republican Convention on Day One. Who will save America?

Been listening to the Republican Convention on YouTube today.  I missed the first part.  I don't set alarms for these things, so I started late.  I hope to view some of what I missed through other videos.

It is quite a speaking event.  I haven't seen others, except (maybe) some other years when Trump was in it.  Maybe the first time.  This time I listened mostly, while playing a word game.  Am I a multi-tasker or just waiting to hear something important to me?  :-)  

I am wondering what they do at a political convention.

I am at CSPAN's YouTube channel.

I think the VP choice looks good.  He might be a good president in the future.  We have seen that Trump is danger.  We need to think about those possibilities.  

I don't think I want to see a Harris presidency.  I hope Trump wins this election.  He's our best bet.  It seems like a very long election cycle this year.

We are facing decisions where we need to pick the least harmful option.  I keep wondering if this is what the Bible means when we become a world that is evil.  Day by day, election by election, law by law, global vs national vs state vs county.  It is hard to see this all happening.

I keep listening to two older videos about politics.  You may know what they are because I have shared them before.  The main one I love is the Ripple speech by Bobby Kennedy.  The other one is a Reagan speech for Goldwater's campaign for President.

The Kennedy speech is about ideals.

The Reagan speech is about finances.

Both issues are important to our nation.

We don't hear speeches like these anymore.  And I wonder why.

https://youtu.be/BeqY2oMiwx8?si=ifFco489FR36R-0D   Kennedy's Ripple of Hope speech

https://youtu.be/qXBswFfh6AY?si=a71MWTpBUlqdSHjW   Reagan's Time for Choosing speech

They talk about character.  And more.  I wasn't political at all back then.  I wonder if I ever saw anything like these speeches on the news.  I doubt it.  I don't remember anything about them.  It is amazing what the brain recalls and what it doesn't.

The view of poverty programs from people who never needed or survived by them is always something to think about.  In my years of Welfare and other poverty issues, there were many efforts by people to get more money to live on, even moving state to state because they didn't understand that the costs to live were higher also.  There are movies about what it was like to live on Welfare in the early years, before my experience started.  I couldn't believe people went through what they did, just to get help from the government.  

The Reagan video mentions another example.  It was about getting more money if you were divorced rather than staying married.  I vaguely recall this issue, but I have always been single on government benefits so I wouldn't know about it.

When you listen to the Reagan video the amounts are amazing.  I think this is what inflation is all about, and the national debt is the link to inflation.

One part of the Kennedy video that hits me every time I hear it is the list of problems all over the world.  And the connection to humanity.  The problems we face, everywhere, all the time, are often from people without a moral base.  I would say they aren't Christian or biblical, but these countries have some kind of faith base and still have serious problems.  

There are some amazing statements in the Kennedy speech.  I think that is why I listen to it over and over again.

What will happen to America?  This is a more important election than the last one.  Our problems have gotten worse.

There is no guarantee any political party can save us from the economic threats we face.  I hope, again, that Trump will be able to guide us through to a better place because of his experience in business and his past term as President.  He could be in office for two terms, I think.  It's going to take a huge effort to save us.

Let's hope GOD is really trying to help us survive what history has created.

I hope we survive.

 

Finding GOD's Truth in the Bible

I am always thinking about how GOD works out His Plans.

I guess I am just trying to figure out what He is doing in the world, in my world, in the lives of others.

We all have interpretations about what the Bible says.  That is why we have so many denominations, why we are divided, why we think our ideas are the right ones.

I guess I do the same thing.

When I was searching for my answers about GOD, I made my own decisions about what GOD was trying to show us.  Nothing big, just the conflicts we seem to have.  I needed to decide which view I thought was the right one.

I listen to a video sermon from Adrian Rogers called the Final Judgment.  There are points he makes about the two places called HELL and DEATH, the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, and the LAKE OF FIRE.  I understand the concept of Death and Hell being temporary spaces we go to when we die to wait for the big Judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment.  Death is for the saved, Hell is for the unsaved.  The Lake of Fire is the final place for those who are not saved, not in the Book of Life.  

And then there are all the Martyrs -- the souls who wait under the Throne for the Day of Judgment - to be avenged.  They seem to be a separate group.

In the sermon about the Final Judgment, Adrian Rogers makes one statement about the White Throne Judgment that I don't understand.  He says that anyone who is saved will not have to stand before that final White Throne Judgment.  I am not sure that is the right way to see our future.

I say this because of the martyrs.  They are the only ones I have found who will never face the second death at the Great White Throne Judgment.  

I think we will still face the White Throne.  My view of our sins is that when we confess and repent of our sins, accepting Christ's substitutionary offering for them, they are removed from our "book" in judgment.  Christ's sacrifice covers them.  They are no longer part of our judgment process because we have confessed and repented and accepted Christ's death as our atonement for them.  

This is how I understand the process of forgiveness. 

Consequences of our sins never go away.  Forgiveness is a different thing.

This is what I decided when I studied the Bible to find answers.

Every denomination has their own definitions of what the Bible says.  I think we have to search for our own understanding.  We are all just humans.  Only GOD really knows what He means.  Some parts of what He says are hard to know.  It takes many years to go through all the different passages about any topic, and there are things I will never know about history that is related to some of the Bible's stories.  BUT -- I am still responsible for seeking out these answers myself.  

We have to find a way to become One Body.  Talking through all these differences is the only way I see this happening.  

I hope we can create a global effort, one the world will be able to access and be a part of.  It may be the only good thing the internet can accomplish, for all of us.

I hope GOD allows us to do that.

Where is America going?

 

There are fireworks going outside.  The neighbors do their own.  I haven't done anything with fireworks since my kids grew up.  

The 4th of July is now about America to me.  Our nation.  What is happening to it.  How it has changed over my lifetime.

I used to think everyone wanted to be an American.  Then I realized that everyone loves their country, they just don't like their government.  I think that is happening to America now.    

I suppose this is part of getting old... or seeing prophecy become reality.  I'm not sure what happened.  I know that our government has changed.  It is becoming more about mandates and control.  Of course, I didn't really pay attention to everything the government was doing.  Now that I have discovered some serious topics and the part the government played in those topics, my respect for our national leaders has become jaded (I think that is the right word.) - less trusting.

I learned a lot about government through my years of poverty and Welfare.  

Other issues happened after I was alone, no longer a mother, and had more time to even think about things.

I have been watching more YouTube videos about poverty, housing, and economic issues.  My feed seems to bring up a lot of videos from Australia, some from the UK, and others from all over the US.  It lets me see that these problems exist all over the world.  

When you are the one that is suffering, it seems like the place where you are is the only place in the world something exists.  People in the UK feel the pains of struggling to survive as much as the people in Australia.  We haven't had the ability to know about each other's lives before.  The internet is changing this.  YouTube is changing this.  

I really don't know where America is heading.  I hope it will survive, but there are no guarantees.  The world government we are heading into has the entire North American continent as one region.  I am wondering if our Constitution will matter when that time comes.  All these issues that reach the Supreme Court may not even exist in a world government.  We will all be ruled by the global format.

Immigration will not be an issue if we are all one region.  No borders.  One economic ruling force.  Will we need a wall then?  It is a strange thought.  What will a one-world government look like?

Everything America has stood for, in its best sense, is very great.  I hate to think of it going away.  I am glad I was born an American.  I love my country's historical meaning.  Freedom is a wonderful thing to have.  Morality is why America became so great.  Biblical morality.  And GOD's protection for our faith in Him.

We don't have that protection anymore.  Maybe that is why we are facing so many difficult problems now.  I have often thought about that question of GOD's protection.  We expect Him to keep us from harm, but there is a two-way relationship with that promise.  We haven't done our part.  

People in the church want us to have a revival.  It would help, but it won't solve all our problems.  

Atheists want GOD to be dropped from all things, eliminated.  I don't think they have considered what the world will be like without godly people.

Most people don't want to give up their sin.

I don't think we will be able to solve this part of our problems.

Let's pray hard to try to change GOD's mind.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

https://work2gather.us  

America and those who cannot protect themselves

 

I was busy watching videos about retirement issues and economic issues, housing problems and opportunities that are new, and thinking about watching a movie before it got so late.  

I sent an email to the Mayor's office in New York City today.  I watched a video about NYC by Cash Jordan and the immigration issues they are struggling with.  I decided to share a memory from my life with the Mayor because that was the only contact point I could find that was related to the issue.  I don't know if I will get a reply that is worth anything, but I felt it was important enough to share.

When I was younger, I can't remember when it was, there was a movement in the US to sponsor Vietnamese people in our churches and other groups across the nation.  I imagine it was somewhere around the time of the Vietnam war, but I can't be sure.  It may have been another people group.  It's been so long ago.  But I vaguely remember it being about Vietnamese people, maybe Vietnamese families.

What I wanted to share with the Mayor is the sponsorship program.  Churches committed to caring for these immigrants.  They helped with housing, jobs, getting settled into American culture, and language issues.  I imagine there are groups in NYC that can do the same thing, especially with the language barriers.  I think families are the most critical need for housing and jobs and building a better future, but I also know singles and couples will be in need.

In Oregon, there are new laws being implemented about homelessness and camping in public spaces.  One interview on the news was a couple with a dog.  The news person asked if they would follow the mandate.  No one talked about the restrictions in shelters against couples and dogs.  I wondered what the government expected them to do, and how to handle the dog issue.  Dogs are a safety issue for homeless people.  Being a couple is a safety issue as well as a human need.  These things don't go away just because you are homeless.  It's been a problem for as long as I can remember.

I think it is foolish of the government to expect people to leave all the things they have struggled to create so they can build a better future just to spend a night in a shelter.  What are they supposed to do with all their belongings, and their dog?  What is needed is a safe space to "live" in their tents as they keep building a better future.

I hate to see this happen.

When I was homeless, I didn't have all the extras.  It was just me.  Just a backpack of some kind.  No pets.  No tents.  No man.  Sometimes a vehicle, sometimes not.  Sometimes kids, sometimes not.  And I tried to find Christian shelters if I could, because I am a Christian.  Things are different in non-Christian shelters and services.  The unsaved don't like the differences in Christian shelters.  This spiritual battle exists in many parts of our lives/world, including within social services.

The Mayor here talked about shelter being a "carrot" to offer the homeless... about offering it over and over again.  Then he said the law has to become a stick (fines and jailtime) to make the homeless change.  This is where the couple with the dog don't fit.  They aren't trying to be difficult, they just want to be together, protect each other, protect their dog, protect their small amount of belongings, protect their lives, and find a better future.  What good will government "interventions" do for their lives? 

So, I will continue looking for better options as I wait for GOD to provide for me and Working Together.  It's all I can do right now.

In Christ,  Deborah Martin  -  https://work2gather.us 

Happy 4th of July to America

We are seeing our freedoms become mandates.  I'm not sure what America will look like in the near future.  I am trying to keep my eyes on GOD and my faith in His ability to accomplish His Will in our time.  

Prophecy and Politics, Religion and Culture - what we are becoming

 

I have been thinking about this post for the past several days, since my last post.  I see things, read things, think about things, and wonder what (if) I should say about them.  There are too many issues within the church and outside of it to comment on.

I recently watched a video or videos on the Southern Baptist Convention voting on women as ministers.  The Bible says women are not to be in that position, so it is a win for Satan when they do.  I always think about the judgment of Eve in the Garden.  GOD told her we would always strive with men in this way.  

And the Women's Movement is a very powerful force that has seeped into every church and pushed us into these leadership wars.  GOD doesn't mean women are not good leaders, good people, valuable in ministry, or any other viewpoint.  It just means that GOD said it would be our forever judgment.  

I prayed about this issue a long time.  I decided it is acceptable for women to operate businesses as an option for supporting the church.  This was part of the reason I started Working Together.

When I was young, I thought about becoming a nun because I was so focused on GOD.  But I wanted to have a family more.  Later, I read the Bible for myself and became a Christian.  I never wanted to lead a church, but I did think of other ways to become a blessing to God and others.  Bible Growth Groups was one of those other ways.

It's hard to think about the ways my life strayed from the path of GOD, but it did.  The teen years are so vulnerable.  The Enemy knows this.  Now the Enemy is going more and more into the younger years of kids.  And then there is abortion - killing kids before they can be born.  I think this is the modern form of child sacrifice, in spiritual terms.  We don't think of these battles as spiritual, we call them political, human rights, discrimination, oppression, healthcare, and more.  The government sees the costs of caring for another body and the inability of the budget to do so.  Women see their future destroyed instead of seeing other possibilities that might be even better.  I remember one woman who had a baby that had physical issues and then aborted the second pregnancy she had.  I thought she probably killed the person who would have cared for the first child when she was gone.  God says our babies have a purpose.  They are not just an inconvenient problem.    

Today, just before starting this post, I watched two videos about Pride Month.  One was Cissy Graham Lynch, the other was a street preacher at a Pride event.  

Cissy's post was the more acceptable format.  And some of the points she made hit me.  She said we all know someone in the gay community now.  The numbers have grown that much.  I thought about the End Times and us.  

The latter video showed how hateful the gay community is, while it claims the Christian community is the voice of hate.  It is amazing to me how they act.  The Bible tells us their eyes/minds are blinded by the Evil One.  This can be true of Christians on any topic they don't want to deal with.  We all want acceptance of our sin, not judgment.

The truth is the world is becoming the place it is prophesied to become.

I don't know how to watch someone I love choose evil.  I think about their eternity.  I pray to GOD for mercy, to find a way to reach them.  GOD has until the moment they die.  Maybe my prayers will keep them alive until they do change their path.

There is so much deception in sin.  Like all those young people who were hating the street preacher.  They are only surrounded by people like them.  There are no real conversations about God and salvation. 

It's like countries where the main religion forbids any individual choice about where their citizens want to spend their own eternity.  Women in those countries are mistreated, abused, and killed for reasons I cannot comprehend.  What would we do if we were born in one of those countries?  I often thank GOD I was born an American, and in the time that I was born.  My childhood was very different than the world now.

The next election is frightening for our nation and the world.  We have two people who represent very different paths forward.  I don't know how committed either one is to the principles GOD has shared in the Bible.  I don't know if they have ever read the Bible.  I don't know if they were recently saved or think they are saved.  By their words and actions, we have to wonder about both of them.  I wonder what the next President will do to our country.

I hope the Body of Christ can prepare for what is ahead.

Pray for all of us.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

https://work2gather.us 

LGBT "Pride" and what it says

 

"Pride Month" is coming to a close.  This graphic is my statement about the LGBT... community taking the rainbow as their own.  I think it is a statement about their underlying motives in all that they do.  Nothing is without purpose in their attacks.  GOD is the only thing that is never going to change directions and accept their decisions about sex, which I would say includes gender issues.

This is a serious battleground.

GOD has already shared details about the End of our world, in the Bible, and their part is the main show.  I am not sure how the violence by the gay community will become the norm, but we can see it growing already.

This hatred of all things GOD is why cake makers are attacked in court, why the words in the Bible are attacked and redefined to say what the LGBT community wants them to say, it is why they have gone into the churches to try to change the foundations of true Christianity.

It isn't going to change what GOD says, but the LGBT community feels they are winning the social battle for their cause.  And they are, in many respects, because most people don't fight with them.  It is a form of violence.  It is a kind of violence that has always existed.

What is really at stake is their souls.  Their eternities.  Their final judgment by the GOD that they want to erase.  The Bible is GOD's set of rules.  We don't make the rules.  GOD does.  In the end, when they stand before GOD in the final judgment, their interpretation of what GOD is and what GOD says will not matter.  They will be judged by GOD's laws.

This situation exists in the churches as well.  We have so many denominations because there are disagreements about what the Bible is really saying.

I studied it for myself because I wanted to know what it said, how GOD saw things, what really mattered in His eyes.  I think everyone needs to do this.  If you only know what another person has decided is true about GOD and the Bible, then you are letting them decide where you will spend your eternity.

GOD is able to show you what you need to know.  You have to invest the time.  It took me many years to discover what I found in the Bible.  I haven't read the whole thing yet.  I may discover more things before I die.

Why do people hate what the Bible tells us?  Because they love their sin.  They don't want to stop sinning.  They enjoy what they are doing.  There are "benefits" to sin.  They don't know what life without those sins would be like.  They don't want to leave their "friends and family."  I suppose there are many reasons people see sin as being better than changing. 

I wish they understood that life with GOD is so much better.  

It may take some time to reach that point, but it is true.  Once you really know the Truth, you can never go back to what you were, what you once thought was better.  

Yes, eventually the LGBT... community and drug cartels will win the world.  Sin and violence will rule every day.  The Bible tells us this is true.  But it won't be a good life.  The world will become a very terrible place.

God's good people will not be here, unless someone gets saved after they are killed by the Antichrist.  I can't say what will be happening then.  I only know I won't be here.  

Every true Christian desires the best for other people.  We want you to find the difference salvation makes in anyone's life.  We hope you search the Bible for the Truth.  GOD is not afraid of your doubts.  He will show you what you need to know to make a real decision.

And that is the bottom line: you have to make the decision for yourself.  No one else can do that for you.  If you follow the group, the group may lead you to hell and the Lake of Fire.  You have to seek out the answers for yourself.

I hope we meet in heaven one day.

Deborah Martin

https://work2gather.us  

Another season of failed Christians in the media

 

I have to say I was shocked to see another mega minister in the news for their failures.  I was just getting over seeing Tony Evans exposed for an "unnamed sin."  Now that Robert Morris has been discovered for a pretty serious sexual sin at the age of 21 and beyond, I am waiting for the traditional set of three to be completed. 

It took about three videos at YouTube to understand the details of what happened.  It is really heartbreaking when you find this kind of failure in a leader.  His youth is not an excuse for this one.  If he wasn't a pastor, and such a big pastor, it might not matter as much, but it would still be a terrible thing.

I remember my youth.  In those days, college boys would get involved with high school girls.  I think we called them "jail bait" in those days.  I don't know if that's the term that is still used, but this was worse.  This was more like pedophilia. 

The life of being such a huge minister is probably like the life of a huge star.  People throw themselves at you.  The damage they do gets hidden, we never really know what their lives are like.  We see the public persona.

Only God knows the hearts of people.  We hear sermons about how Satan knows our weaknesses and does the best he can to destroy our lives and our souls by tempting us into submission.  It really is a daily battle.  The Enemy doesn't care about us, but GOD does.  I remember the moment I finally realized that the way out GOD promises to provide for us is sometimes just saying no.

Since I discovered the news about Tony Evans, I have thought about the issues around standing firm in GOD's Truth.  I have decided my mantra needs to be the words spoken by the three Hebrews refusing to bow down to a statue of the king in the land where they were held captive.  They told the king that their God could save them, but even if He didn't, they would not bow down.  

This is our need, today, in our time in history.

Even if GOD doesn't save us, make us safe, protect us from the anger and suffering that our Enemy brings into our lives, we will still not bow down.

It doesn't say we can become violent and hurt others.  They simply refused to do what the king had decreed.  They didn't fight what the Enemy decided was their punishment.  I didn't read anything about them trying to escape from the king's punishment.  Everything was focused on GOD.  

I hope I will be able to stand for GOD when life becomes very hard.  It has always been an issue with me because of the path GOD has taken me on.  

I have often wondered why GOD chose to put the desire for Working Together into my heart and life.  I am not a model Christian.  I suppose I model failure.  Three kids, three different fathers, no marriage.  I am sure I could share a lot of reasons for my failures, but they won't change the fact that I chose to sin.  Sin has consequences.  They never go away.  

I wondered why Robert Morris is suffering more consequences now.

I suppose GOD has a reason.  Perhaps He is leading Mr. Morris to a new path.  When we sin, GOD has to judge it.  I think He also has to lead us to a new place.  We will never be the same person after dealing with our sin, our weaknesses, our consequences, the pain we have caused others.  Only GOD knows the details in the life of Robert Morris. 

I can share that my sins resulted in greater consequences for each failure.  

I don't know if that is what GOD does with everyone, but it is what He did with me.

I should share my poster about choices and consequences.  It has a statement about the different effects of our individual choices.  

Maybe it will help you to see the effects of your decisions on others. 

Mondays are always mixed up! :-)

 

This is another ad I tried at the same NW Christian newspaper.  I don't recall how long I ran it, but it was probably a December effort.

December is the annual Membership month.  I chose that on purpose.  Memberships run yearly, January through December.  This makes it easier to work out the finances for Member benefits.  

This is still the plan.

This ad was for the 2022 year.  That means it probably ran through December 2021.

I am still thinking about a way to allow Memberships again... throughout the year.  The TRIAL MEMBERSHIP was my previous option. 

You can see it was Digital Only, with limited updates (quarterly).  I think I started it off at $10 but had to raise it as costs kept rising.  

I decided this year was too dangerous for any memberships because of the economy and my poverty.  :-)  I struggle to get through every month, I can't afford a global event.  This is why I am trying to raise funds first.

Working Together is not like a regular ministry.  It has different needs.  GOD has to provide the ability to establish it, the finances, the start to this major effort.

I put new links up at the website to see if GOD would provide.

I have problems with all my electronics, but I figure GOD is big enough to deal with the problems I face.  I just keep waiting for GOD to do whatever needs to be done, and I try to keep getting prepared for the time He finally starts moving WT into the places it needs to be.

I am still looking for the Christian GOD wants to take over the operations of Working Together.  I know He will bring them into view when the time gets here to hand over the responsibility to care for as many Christians as we can until the Antichrist decides to kill us.

It is hard to watch America and the rest of the world change so much, even if it is linked to God's prophecies.  

I guess that will be enough for this post.  Please pray for me and for WT and for all of the Christians in our world.  Pray we become ONE BODY IN CHRIST, and that we find a way through what is left of our freedoms and faith.  Pray we gather in every community and begin to protect each other.  Pray we will be blessed by GOD and use our resources wisely.  Amen.

In Christ, Deborah Martin, https://work2gather.us 

Protecting the Body of Christ

Working Together and the Body of Christ.  It has been my life.  It is still my life, even though I am trying to find a senior path.

This design was an ad in a Christian newspaper.  I advertised for so many years, and never had a single response.  Makes me wonder why.

I decided to share it again today because I like the statement.  I don't have the money to finance anyone buying the mug, but the statement is still very important.

Selling something digital is better for me and for Working Together right now.  I have been trying to sell a printable of my very important writing called SERVANTS, also at Etsy, so I can avoid the problems of product costs.  If you decide to buy anything, that would be the right thing to buy... right now.  Later, I would have more options.

I have been trying to decide what the best path forward for me is.  I don't know what GOD is doing, but I know He is trying to warn His People, to provide for them, to protect us from the thngs we don't yet know about or understand in this time of history.  The Beast, the Antichrist, what prophecy means in our age.  Technology is becoming more than anyone could have thought it would.

I listen to a lot of Christian sermons on YouTube these days.  It is the easiest way for me to access Christian messages.  I also try to find news, movies, books to listen to, songs, and other digital materials to think about and find answers.  The internet has changed our lives in so many ways.  It is the future.  It is also a great danger for freedom, for finances, for government, for everything we know.  I can see why GOD may have chosen this time for the Antichrist and our deaths by him.

I am seeking GOD for the path forward.  

If I cannot do what I need to do, I look to GOD for the path I can take, what I can do, and what I believe He wants me to do.  I know that nothing in this world can stop GOD from accomplishing His Will in this world.  I have to trust that He will do whatever is needed.  That is what I do.  Wait.  Do what I can.  Wait for GOD to solve the problems.

In this election year, America is at a more serious crossroads than others in the past.  The choice between Trump and Biden, Republican and Democrat, conservative and liberal, is a serious fork in the path to our future.  The ability to vote is our right to choose which direction we take.  

None of our choices will be perfect.  Every person running for every office is not a perfect person.  We have to choose the people who are heading in the directions we want to go.  We have many serious problems in our nation, and soon the world will become one government -- that will change EVERYTHING in all of our lives.  The decisions of government will become the prophecies of the Bible.  

I don't know if Working Together can help us, but I hope GOD shows us why He created it.  It must have an important place in our story.  I think it will help us become ONE Body of Christ, but it will also help us do more for each other.  That was my hope anyway.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

https://work2gather.us

Art ahead

 

I decided to re-publish my Patreon pages on Saturday.  It took until Sunday morning to get it done.

Now I have to figure out how to make them work out for my life.  I have been at Patreon for years and not had any response.  

Naturally, a lot of that may be due to my posting details.  Learning the internet is quite a long-term task.  I am still trying to figure it out.  

BUT...

I am also working on learning to post video from my phone.  That will help. 

And I continue to work on making videos on my desktop computer.  Video is my go-to, and it seems to be everyone else's.  Camera, software, decent computer, etc.  It is an expensive part of life online.  The phone seems to be the easiest option, for now.

I have also discovered Patreon now has selling options, so that will also help.  It seems to be digital products only.  I can figure out some kind of digital products to sell.  My designs.  Maybe some of the booklets I have been wanting to create.

And I am working on how to market my income sites.  I have always been working on marketing but never been sure how to budget it into my current income.  I have very limited financial options for marketing and that changes monthly.  I need to FORCE myself to start somewhere.  By Christmas season.

We come back to Start-Up Funding.  Or Gorilla tactics.  I don't think I will be one of those old business heroes who start with a dollar and become billionaires.  :-)   I have been trying that.  I don't think I have that many years left.  

I won't get a routine going for a bit yet, but you can check out my two pages at Patreon ::

https://patreon.com/Art2you 

https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan 

My original page is only for historical reference.

More to do... so that's all for today.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

Affirmations and Faith

I have been listening to some very old audio books on YouTube.  About success, in different points of view.  One of these uses faith as its foundations and links the consequences we face to the subconscious, right thinking, affirmations, faith, karma, and I'm not sure what else.  I have been realizing that all of these things are related but we don't see them in our own definition of Christian Faith.

Affirmations are like meditating on the Word.  They are a way to change our subconscious thoughts.  Modern science has discovered the power of our subconscious mind.  We do things without thinking, we choose mates that are like someone we did not want in our lives (the mother or father that was harmful to us), we sabotage our happiness and success without knowing we are doing it or why, and more.

Consequences and Karma are pretty much the same effect, whether good or evil.  I have a saying I made up a long time ago about consequences that says, "You can call it God, or you can call it Karma, but [it all means the same thing: consequences].  

Joel Osteen talks about stating the positive as we look for God's blessings.  This is really about training your mind to see good results... to EXPECT good results, not to believe you are not worthy of them.  It's about "attracting" what you are praying for.

Faith is really a big thing in GOD's teachings.  We receive blessings according to our faith.  I think it is also about His Will for our individual lives, but the principle is still about our level of faith.  

Prosperity Preaching is similar but different.  Prosperity Preaching is telling God what He's going to give us.  In this conversation, about blessings, it is what I call "presumption."  Faith is more about prayer.  Another of my sayings is, "There's a thin line between Faith and presumption."  It would probably take many pages in a book to work out the details of these two parts of our modern spiritual perspectives.  I will let you work it out.

My search has been about GOD's provisions for me, or lack of them.  

I don't have the demanding kind of Faith.  I have the "God will provide all I need when I need it." kind of faith.  These books, the one mentioned above is from 1925, are giving me new looks at how this has been a problem throughout time.  Some parts make sense.  I question others.  

I am in the process of clarifying my goals so the have a way to be "checked off" when they happen.  I have never been able to clarify my goals for Working Together because it is such a HUGE goal for a person like me.  I am going to try to put as many of the pieces of these goals down on paper and see how it goes.  I GOD has built this business-ministry in me for some reason, so I just keep waiting for Him to provide for it.  I am now thinking about this Faith process I am coming across in books I read years ago and books I am just discovering.

Times are going to get worse.  We can see it in the economy, in global problems, in rising crimes and violence, in government oppression.  How will our FAITH continue in what is ahead of us?  I don't know.  My problems with God's provision will be the same for millions of other Christians.  I am trying to understand what GOD will expect from us, and how we can depend on Him with increased crimes and persecutions.

Pray that GOD will open His doors of provision for Working Together and that we will know how to use those provisions for all of us.  Amen.  

Another month.

I guess I will never make it as a mover and shaker... I forgot about this post and went to bed earlier in the evening.  Here I am, after 11:30pm, trying to make the midnight deadline.

My mind was on the economy.

I have wondered what I can do to protect my life from the ravages of inflation and the possible collapse of the government because of the high debt we carry and continue to depend upon.  I don't think there is anything I can do.

The subject of GOD enters the process.

Is my faith in the government or is my faith in GOD's ability to provide for my needs.  I haven't decided if it is GOD that provides for me through the government or will provide in some other way.

Faith is a hard road to travel.  We can't see GOD, or the way He accomplishes things in our world, so it is a daily challenge.  How much is my part, how much is His part?  

I still don't have that answer.

I plan to keep trying, doing my best each day, believing that GOD is the source of all that comes into my life that is good, and Satan is the source of all that comes into my life that is bad... and I am responsible for those choices and consequences that I have control over.

I don't quite know how that gets divided.  It seems we are in a war that we cannot see, a spiritual war, and all our choices created this current place we all must share in history.

What do you think about the spiritual realms?

Can we change our lives when we choose what is good?  Choose GOD?

I hope so.

GOALS - what are they?

 

I was listening to something on YouTube about business / goals today, and this was one of the points made.  I think it was one of the Brian Tracy videos, about his work but not by him, it was on some kind of channel about Motivation.

It has been the only thing keeping me going since my children were very young and I was struggling to survive on Welfare.  It was all I could do.

It was, however, strange to hear on a video about Brian Tracy (a compilation of some kind).

Years ago, I requested some materials from him.  Somewhere along the way, I received a CD that I believe I still have.  It became one of the treasures of my life.  The title was, Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life.  I listen to it when I feel the need to remind myself of what it shares.

Other books important through my life were:

Acres of Diamonds, by Russell Conwell, I believe.  This is a very short booklet that is so worth your time.  I think you can find copies to print out.  I have given this to many people over my lifetime.  I hope I still have my personal copy.

As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen.  You can find a lot of YouTube videos about this short book.   There are audiobooks on YouTube and in libraries.  I also found an updated version at a Barnes and Noble bookstore, which I sent to one of my sons.  I like the smaller classic edition.

I will have to look for my special collection of these kinds of books.  I have most of my belongings/books in storage boxes because of my downsizing efforts.

I have been slowly collecting notes I have about making goals and the goals I have had over time.  I am going to create a Master List again... or try to.  I have quite a lot of goals, small and large.

In some of the materials I have read or listened to, the idea of deciding on an amount of money has been important.  I have never been able to settle on any kind of amount because of my poverty and knowing there was little I could do without a decent amount of start-up funds.  I am trying to decide on an amount this time.  That will take time.  It will be beyond anything I would ever expect to receive, which is not part of the faith equation.  It could be I handicap my efforts before they begin.  I will have to think about this as I try to decide on a realistic amount to begin developing Working Together.  For my own goals, the amount would be smaller.  :-)

That is the content of my life right now.

I have also considered re-doing a challenge I did many years ago... deciding what I would do with a million dollars (I say tax-free!).  I am wondering what I would say this time.  Would it be enough?  

The government would take a lot of it for taxes and my school loans, so that is why I have to decide if it is really a whole million dollars.  (This is why I only buy lottery tickets when the prizes are very huge... there would be money left over for everything else.)

What would you buy with a million dollars?

I say most regular people will buy a new house, new car, and share with their kids and other loved ones.  After that, it becomes a personal focus... what charities they like, etc.

It's hard to separate money from all the things we want in our lives.

That why GOD tells us the choice is always between GOD and Mammon (money).

Well, that's about it for today.  Talking about the effects money has on us is depressing for me.  It reminds me of all the good things I wanted to do.

Until next time,

Deborah Martin 

Praying for specific things. Seeing what GOD does.

Gathering online is more of a challenge now.  It was my plan in the beginning to start there and organize each country's resources.  Now, I am not sure.  The internet has become the battleground for everything.  It is not a safe place.

I have thought it might be better to be our own host, not part of Yahoo or Google or any other major hosting platform.  I thought we might be able to protect ourselves better.  I'm not sure that is true.  I would need to find out.

These are things I still think about, in case GOD provides the funding for Working Together (WT) while I am still alive.

And I pray about my replacement -- someone who will protect the people of GOD through Working Together.

It seems like my life has been wasted because I haven't been able to build anything.  Then my Faith kicks in because I know GOD can do anything that He needs done, and I don't know what His Plan is.  I KNOW He wouldn't have started Working Together unless it was part of His Plan for our time.

Recently, I have been listening to a lot of Joel Osteen YouTube videos (sermons).  I think he reminds us that GOD is the One in charge.  He helps us remember GOD works in very mysterious ways to accomplish His Will in our lives and in the world.

When I started trying to build something to help Christians, we didn't face the technology we face now.  The microchip wasn't in anyone's body.  We didn't know about digital currency.  The problems we faced were not so global and frightening.  Spiritual warfare was not something I thought about.

It's hard to think about all the things that have happened in my life.  I guess I expected GOD to just provide what was needed to slowly build the places of refuge I envisioned... and felt were His leading.  It didn't work out that way.

I am now trying to make a new set of notes about all the things involved in building Working Together.  I am calling it my Prayer List.  I hope to check things off as GOD provides for them.

I have heard of others doing this.  I have attempted to start lists before.  This time is more important.  I am at the natural age for death and I am seeking GOD for what to do with Working Together.

I watched an animated story about George Muller by Torchlighters at the Vision Video channel ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7jUlzZtyEQ  ).  Muller is the man who trusted GOD for every detail of saving the orphans forced to live on the streets of his city.  

He made lists.  He recorded the dates when GOD answered prayers.  I think he also recorded what they prayed for but, right now, I don't recall all those details.  What I have always remembered about George Muller was his faith.  I don't know that my faith is that strong.

My plans for Working Together were different.  My faith was that GOD would provide the funds and I would use those to build what we would need to survive without money.  I expected to build everything using Membership funds and then other products and income sources.

Membership funds created the Tithe (10%) as a Benevolence Fund, a Reserve Fund (10%) as savings for emergencies and costs in the future year, WT financial needs (about 20%) , and various Program Funds (about 40%) for their operating expenses, and the last 20% for taxes and unexpected needs.  I have it all in my notes.  This may not be the exact percentages, but it is the general framework.  

Each program has its own breakdown.  Every part of Working Together was planned to create its own products and services to create more income to build itself.

All Working Together wages would be equal, paid by the hour.  In other countries, wages would be figured on the area housing and food costs.  Either 30% housing or 20%food using full-time wages as the base.  

People would keep their own incomes outside of Working Together.  WT wages are meant to support the individuals and families that are part of its workforce, members and non-members, equally.

We would build the houses and other spaces for each community, we would grow our food, and these would be part of the wages we paid. 

An example: the charge for housing and utilities would be 30% of full-time wages, food is figured at 20% of full-time wages.  This is as far as I could plan.  The work would be all the tasks we need to survive as a community.

There are a lot more details in my planning notes.  It wasn't meant to be a commune, more like a regular community.  People keep their own incomes, if they have any, and WT wages are equal because we are One Body but have different tasks within the Body of Christ.

Someone in Washington state set the equal wages by a yearly amount.  I felt it was important to set it at an hourly amount. 

Everything would not belong to everyone, but everything would be used to help as many as GOD allowed.

I wonder if we have time to build anything.