FAITH FRIDAY :: 10DEC2021 - Getting Better

 Here I am again.

Sorry about last week.  It was Saturday before I realized I missed last week's post.  My life isn't that exciting, but I am working on my process, schedule, consistency...  I will try to do better.

I am busy with planning for 2022 these days.  Looking for ONE resolution to focus on for the year.

Still reorganizing as I downsize, getting better, but it is a slow process.

The Working Together Membership Drive is on this month.  I decided to go with just the Trial Membership, a quarterly e-newsletter format for $10USD.  There's a link to the membership payment page (PayPal link that processes credit cards as well). I put a separate link to the program information page... to share the ongoing vision for WT, where I see it going -- in part.  Lots of details not there yet.  Trial Membership fees will just start the financial process of growing.

Working on Christmas, personal gifting.  Got my Christmas cards done and ready to mail.  Have to get to the post office to get them into the mail.  Next week, God willing.

Then on to finish the rest of the list for this year.

Listening to Christmas music online this year.  The Presidential Prayer Team (.org) has a link to a 24-hour loop that I am accessing as I can.  It's mellow music so it is very relaxing as you do the things you have to do.  There's a link on the page - they call it IPrayRadio.org but I think there are two music options. Here's the link I listen on ::

I Pray Radio | The Presidential Prayer Team

Hope you like it.  

I've been talking to GOD about a lot of things... but none to share right now.

May we all find His blessings in our lives as we have need, and look for ways to share our extra with others.

In Christ,  Deb  <3

I have not always liked the verse that says all thing are connected to God's Will for us... I would like to have only good things in my life, lots of great blessings.  But, I have found the bad time somehow find a way to the good future.

If you are suffering, keep your trust in God's Plan for your life.  We don't understand all the hidden details.  He does. 

FAITH FRIDAY :: 29 OCT 2021 - What matters most?

 I am trying to post a little bit earlier this week.  I think about what to share as i go about my activities all day.  Faith is a BIG topic, and I like to add personal details of my life along the way... like a Journal.  I am working to improve my content (posts) so all things may change over time... 2022 is on my planning list these days... for here, for Patreon, for my selling sites and hopes for more income.

My Patron post has become DEBS JOURNAL.  This is working out great.  You have to be one of my supporters to read this post at my Patreon page, but you can always access the Public posts, now called WHATS HAPPENING.  

It has been a great week with the new posting schedule.  I really had a great week.  I think this might work out great.  When I have topic specific details to share with my Patron tiers, I can post just to them.  After I get this schedule going I want to start adding posts to my other blog sites (WT & Crafts).

I went through all my planned Shoebox gifts today -- to see what I had and what I want to try to add to them.  This year has mostly been a Dollar Tree sourcing project because of their pricing and because I always buy some things for gifting there.  I am going to see what else I can get there first, then I will look for the other items at other stores.  COLLECTION WEEK starts the 15th I think... it's always right before Thanksgiving... Monday to Monday.  (samaritanspurse.org)

Working Together is my Christian Ministry effort.  (1987 to present)  Been praying about it again, for this year's Membership Drive in December.  Because I am just one person with no money, I have to be careful about what I do on the Internet.  Any efforts have to pay for themselves.

I wanted to share a quote I want to make into a post graphic soon... I am not a political fan of the Democrats, or Jimmy Carter, but I received a fundraising mailing from him (don't know shy!!!).  One part of the letter stayed with me so I cut it out and saved it to share.  

By the coding I have on the paper, it may have been from an August 2021 mailing.  I don't really remember.  I just saved the quote. 

• Our dreams are big -- 
• our hopes high -- 
• our goals long-term -- 
• and the path is difficult.  
• But the only failure is not to try.    
• Jimmy Carter

Sorry, had to format it that way... on this site.

I love the whole statement, which is a generic call in many spaces, but I kept it for the failure link.  I do love the statement.  :-)  It is something to share on social media, like I do a lot of my graphics.

So, the only real failure is to stop trying.

I saw a short video clip about Elon Musk this week where he was being interviewed by a news person about one of the failures of his spaceships.  I was impressed with his statement that he never quits.  :-)  Then the video went on to show the succession of his efforts to create a spaceship that would carry people into space.  Very impressive.

I think, in reality, if we quit there will always be someone who comes behind us to take up the task and keep trying... until success is found.  I think Science has this process when the goal is very big, like fighting diseases.

Every year I review my efforts for Working Together and try to find a better way forward.  I have tried a lot of different things along the way.  I would try even more if I had a decent budget to work with.  I finally gave it to GOD to provide for what is needed.  I just keep trying, waiting for GOD to act on my behalf.

This year I am trying to decide how to structure the fees for Membership.  Whatever happens, they have to cover the whole year's expenses.  What benefits to offer for the fee that is charges is the other part of the offer.  I am hoping to re-do my webpage before December first this year.

I wanted to share another statement in this post, one about faith and choosing eternity.  I don't know the official source, and I don't know if my version is the exact statement, but it is about the results of our choices and our experiences in this world and eternity.

• This life is the only sorrow a saved person will ever know.
• This life is the only joy a lost person will every know.

When I first heard this, I thought about all the pain that comes with a life that is struggling through this world without GOD, Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, peace, love, and more.  This is their "joy."  It isn't real joy, but it is all that they know.

My personal experience with what the lost find as fun and meaning is their addictions, money values, crimes and prisons, families that are filled with suffering, friends that betray them, etc.  

A lot of these things exist in saved lives as well.  They are sufferings.  GOD changes the way they exist in a life that is saved.

There is a part of the lost world where people are decent and good and caring and loving, but they are not saved.  I guess this group exists in both the lost and the appear-to-be-saved worlds.  For myself, I was thinking about people who don't want to know about GOD or Jesus, and think they are good enough.

We hear about this in pastors who discover they really don't know the Lord personally.  It's a scary thought.  Good people who do lots of good things, but they aren't truly saved.  This life would be the only joy they know.

I was really impacted by studying Revelations and seeing the people under the altar were martyrs, souls who suffered so much more than I have (and hope not to have to suffer!).  They become the priests of GOD.  They are separated from all the other believers because they became martyrs.  It means something.  I don't think we have given this passage the deeper meaning it has.

This life, what we suffer because we are believers, is painful, sorrowful, hurtful, and more.  We hear about the JOY of the Lord in our spiritual places, we see smiles on the popular leaders and teachers faces and want to have that in our lives, and we wonder why our lives are not what we hear they are suppose to be as Christians.  I don't know what exists in the hearts and lives of others, I only know the struggles I have to work through.  I keep seeking GOD to understand what happens in my life so I can understand how GOD works in our world.

We have reached a place in time where there are people who don't have any idea there is a Bible or Jesus or salvation... we think everyone knows about our spiritual foundations, but they don't.  The world is getting darker and darker and darker, now the battles are getting more open.  What is my place in the evolving world of spiritual choices?  I don't know.  I am trying to figure that out.

I hope to have more answers by the time WT's 2021 Membership Drive gets here.  (http://work2gather.us)

CHRISTMAS is near.  I am still working on how to sell online and make more income for me and my goals.

I discovered the EBAY app and how to research prices on EBAY for your listings.  I hope to sell a lot of my downsizing items there.  (ebay.com/usr/work2gather)

Working on my crafting for ETSY listings.  (etsy.com/shop/work2gather)

Let me know your thoughts about Bible issues I bring up... 

In Christ,  Deborah Martin

FAITH FRIDAY :: 22 OCT 2021 - Time to plan ahead

 Almost didn't make it here!

I was busy with something else and didn't watch the clock.  

I have been working on my posting schedule and made more changes at Patreon (https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan).  I need to make a public post to try to find supporters, so that stayed on MONDAYS.  All my tier posts were pointless because I only have one supporter (in Jewelry), so I decided to make just one post a week (WEDNESDAYS) for all my tiers until I grow my support.  I will also post anything important to individual tiers on the way.  I kind of write to the future patrons I hope to have... keeping my process shared for them.

Been trying to start my WT MEMBERSHIP details.  They have to get posted online soon.  On the way I will be trying to improve my webpage  (http://work2gather.us).  It's been looking bad since last Drive, but I hope to get it better for this year.

I think about FAITH issues every day -- all my waking hours.  It is the main issue of our times.  How GOD opposes what MAN wants to do, or what Satan makes Man think he wants.  It's hard not to see it in the news, in the world, in our families.  I wish I could find a good answer for all the pain Satan causes our world.

I found a church nearby that will be collecting Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes this year.  I made my 2021 Yearly Project about filling 10 of the plastic shoeboxes I already had and sending in $10 fees for each of the 31 brochures I had from other years.  I made it to 9 fees this month.  I hope to add another fee by collection week.  I decided to try to continue the fees effort into 2022.  I want to cover the costs of each unused brochure... however long it takes me.

I wasn't able to fill all the shoeboxes so far.  I'm going to do an inventory of the boxes and then my budget to see what else I can do before I deliver them.

I love doing these shoeboxes for the holidays.  I haven't been able to fill any for some years.  That is why I decided to make it a yearly project.  After this year, the fee effort will be enough for my budget.  :-)

This is the holiday season... Christians like to really stretch their budget to give this time of year.  I wonder if there will be many more to care about because of all the COVID problems.  I hope we find a way to help them.

What is my biggest battle in Faith issues?  I suppose it is always keeping my focus on GOD and trusting Him to take care of all the things I can't.  That is really a BIG topic, and every day that is defined in new ways.

When I really get deep in my troubles I remember that this life is not the place I care about most.  I want to spend my eternity in heaven.  I don't like pain, but I want to stay true to what I know is GOD's Will, His Truth, what I know is right and good and worth dying for.

It's not easy to stay faithful in our world.

We have to find ways to help each other through the hard times, now and what is coming in the future.

I hope we do find those priorities.

In Christ,  Deborah Martin,  Working Together Inc

FAITH :: Checking In and Sharing What's New

Hello, again...  My blogging efforts are really in sad shape.  I'm not sure what will happen with them, but we can find out together.  :-)

I have been working on how to get everything done, what to focus on first, and the path to the future.  It is an ongoing battle in my life.  I decided to try PROJECT  WEEKS and see if that gets my listings up and sales going.

The plan is to focus on one crafting project a week... like one week of art, one week of resins, one week of polymer clays, etc.  Then I can list what looks like it is worth buying!  :-)  

In the listing process, I am still trying to make PATREON my first priority.  My Patrons the special people in my life.  They will have access to Patreon-only options and products.  So I will have to work out how to achieve that.

My ETSY shop will be for other items.

My EBAY shop will be focused on AUCTION items and some BUY IT NOW options... I think finding my ART pricing there will be a starter action.  How does anyone know what their work is worth?!?  I have no idea!  I think it's a hit-or-miss target.

PAYPAL has an option to list things on social media and other spaces, so that will be a new option to try out.  I think that will be great.  I assume the fees will be PayPal only, but who knows...  I will try to remember to let you know.

BLOGGING is finding its place.  This will be my JOURNAL spot, maybe... maybe for spiritual issues, maybe just my walk with GOD and life.  I am debating what to do with the PUBLIC posting option at Patreon until I get my Patron spots filled... it may become my first place journal.

All this matters because my income seems to be having problems getting bigger.  :-)  I have PRAYED about it!  A long time.  A long, long, long, long time.  I don't see any reason it should have these problems for such a long time, so maybe GOD needs to step in.  I hope He does -- and soon!

July starts my Christmas season... prepping and giving.  

Spreading my Christmas giving over six months has made it a lot easier on my budget.  I tend to give to the same groups each year, so some just get their (small) donation from me a bit early.  Their computers don't know I only give once a year, so I get barraged with more requests the rest of the year.  I'm working on that problem, too.  :-)

Filling up my Christmas inventory started the Project Weeks effort.  I keep getting sidetracked with all the day-to-day battles and never get to making the things I want to sell for income.  I hope my Project Weeks will change that issue.

Keep watching my online spaces.  I am working on a LOT of new designs and ideas.  It will be great to share them with you later.

In Christ,  Deborah Martin

https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan

https://etsy.com/shop/work2gather

https://ebay.com/usr/work2gather

3 SEP - GIVING in a time of economic hardship...

Another week is gone... it gets busy, and time flies by, and I forget all the things that I have done... what to share... I think the biggest thing is the CD I decided to purchase :: RESCUE STORY by Zach Williams.  I have had it on repeat all for hours, went to bed with it playing, woke up to different songs at different times... and it is only 10pm+ (that is my life right now, irregular hours).

I bought the CD because I love the song There Was Jesus.  Now I have listened to the whole thing and I have discovered several songs that are deeply impacting but I would never hear them on KLOVE, the music station I play when I am not listening to a sermon station or the internet options I can access.

I guess I'm becoming an advertisement for him here, but he's a good singer that I hope doesn't become lost in fame.  The first song is about how hard it is to fight temptation -- so filled wit the battle... it reminds me of the struggle every time I hear it.  There's another one Stand Up that gets me going, and also one called Less Like Me.   :-)

I'm looking at the titles now and I can't find one I don't really like, that isn't filled with the deeper meanings of our walk in this world, the battles against Satan and sin, the world that wants us to fail, the greatness of GOD and Jesus and faith.

I bought the CD so I could put it on repeat... I am so glad I did.

In other places this week, I have been working on all my needs, and goals, and things I have to get done.  Making decisions, trying to cover my budget, and praying about all the things I have no control over.  I keep wondering when I will die.  I wish I could do more than GOD has allowed me to do.

Today I made sure I donated to my causes for September.  This is my month for ANGEL TREE, which is part of my Christmas giving.  My monthly giving project is on its second year, I think... maybe three, but I would have to look it up... and this month  Hillsdale College / IMPRIMIS are on the list.  It was hard to start this monthly project, but it has become a good thing in my battle with money.  

I started with the commitment to give $10 to one ministry each month.  Remember, my income is only about $400 a month.  It became part of my tithe money.  Some months it was hard to do because the costs of funding WORKING TOGETHER were high, but now I am trying to make bigger monthly donations when I can.

Our giving is critical to the WORD getting shared, to people in need being helped, and to our faith in GOD to provide for us in other ways.  This Christmas will be a hard one for many.  I always pray that the churches and ministries will be the ones to help those who turn to them.  Many time, they don't.  It becomes a choice between their programs and growth and the many, many, many people who will seek them out if there is even a small hope they can find help.  PLUS, there are always those who want to have something to complain about later if they don't get all they want.  Sometimes churches send people to the government, thinking they are saving money.  What they are doing is missing the opportunity to find a new soul.

It's a hard place for everyone.  My prayers about this seek change in how we handle these problems with money and need.  I started Action Prayer as my solution.

I was determined to create a new t-shirt design as my September discount item, and this is what I created ::

I finally made individual listings with this, too!  Seven color options, and all the listed sizes with each color.  We'll have to see how this works with PRINTFUL, my partner in dropshipping efforts, one of my goals for selling online.  If you decide to check them out, please use the link below... it is my FIRST affiliate link.  I am waiting to see how it works out.

PRINTFUL  ::   https://printful.com/a/work2gather 

There is some kind of commission involved in affiliate links.  I am still learning about how it works. 

I have more designs to make for NOVEMBER, which is my idea of when I need all my pro-life items to be ready to buy for the JANUARY pro-life events attached to the anniversary of ROE vs WADE, like the March for Life in Washington DC.  Every state has events as well.  I think the National Right to Life would have information on those.  (http://nrlc.org)

So, I am working on my beanie designs for the cold winter weather, long-sleeved t-shirts, and I think I want to do some HOODIES because of the extra protection they give against the wind.  I love the one or two I have.  I am not sure what else I might get created.  :-)   For now, ETSY is the main location for these things, but I am trying to list some of my items at my EBAY shop, too.

ETSY ::  https://etsy.com/shop/work2gather

EBAY ::  https://ebay.com/usr/work2gather 

Keep checking back as the holiday season gets going.  I have a monthly discount on something now, but I don't decide until the month gets here.  You will need to check on that at the beginning of each month.

Another big decision I made this week is a MARKETING PLAN.  I will be focusing on marketing my PATREON page during Septembers, do HOLIDAY SALES marketing in October and November, and then work on marketing for the ANNUAL Membership Drive I hold for Working Together in December.  This is a good thing.  I have been struggling with how to afford all the outreach needs I have for all the separate projects I am working on.  I think this will really help me.  If I get a lot of income someday, I can change the monthly limitations.  For now, it is a good thing.

I suppose that is enough for today... I could keep going, BUT I don't think that would be good for my readers.  :-)

Try to find Zach Williams music somewhere online and listen to the RESCUE STORY ... albumn?  I don't know what they call online productions like my CD version.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us

and more...

I hope we make it to become ONE BODY in CHRIST...

13 AUG - Faith in the hard parts, and Christmas prepping

 Hi, again...  the days seem very long when you are busy with things.  

In matters of Faith, I have been thinking deeply about the issues we are facing with people who have no moral foundations... who blame GOD for all their problems... who don't think it is "a hate crime" to attack Christians because they don't like the way we think about their issues.  This is what persecution is.

I received an email from a Christian media organization that offered a free viewing for Tortured for Christ, which is about the Voice of the Martyrs founder.  I signed up to watch it, but persecution is so hard to deal with... in real time.  I can't say whether I will force myself to watch it.  I will think about it over the weekend... my main movie watching time.

In our time, in our country, persecution takes a different route, usually.  It is growing in our lives, so we will one day think it is normal.  In the Bible, it was also "normal" (for the Jews, and also a political issue.  When Jesus came to die, it was the church of the time that wanted Him killed.  Jesus also warns us that people will think they are doing GOD a favor by killing those who don't agree with the prevailing thought.  

When I try to think about what life will be like as the End Time get worse, it seems so impossible that our salvation in Christ will be the weapon against us.  We usually think it will be the obvious enemies... those outside of the Faith.  I have been thinking a lot about what our lives will become like as evil wins more battles because it is required to fulfill prophecy.  

If I decide on any answers, I will try to share them with you.

Today I have been organizing my crafting supplies as I look for certain things I need.  It has been a good thing to do, but I am tired.

I finally found my silk-screening paint, then found my silk-screening supplies, then found my cardstock and other painting supplies.  I am going to get those started as soon as I can.  I made more space to do all that.  I still need to hang some kind of drying string.  I found more canvas-type art options for my learning curve on them.  Eventually I will settle into the ones I like the best.

I found many of my "in-progress" projects for selling things.  Those will get worked on first.  I have at least SEVENTY earring sets to make for this holiday selling season.  :-)  I will be experimenting with a LOT of different supplies.

I finally cut out some shapes with the play dough I made the other day.  I found a recipe that was a lot like my old one (from when my kids were small) so I tried it out, with the addition of lemon extract and yellow food coloring for this batch.  The recipe is so like salt dough recipes I am trying to see how it dries for making projects.  I flipped the pieces today because I noticed the edges were curling.  I will try to flip the pieces every day and see if that helps.

I am very excited about this year.  If I can work out the photo and shipping issues, this will be a good year.

I received my new battery-operated mini lights for Christmas today.  I found them at IKEA one day and ordered them right away.  I ordered a small one for my year-round mini fake tree, which will some day be used for my Holiday Sales events... one Christian, one Public - that's the goal.  Right now, since last Christmas, it has been too high on my shelves to attend to.  The batteries went out and I just didn't want to get up there to change them.  Now I totally redid the tree with last year's blue mini-lights and this year's white mini-lights.  I also put it in a place I can turn the lights off or on for the night time.  You cannot believe how bright they are with a new battery, then just a small subtle glow when the battery is nearly gone.  I like it in the middle range, but Dollar Tree and IKEA bargains are not built with that option.  If I find some one day, and they don't cost a LOT, I will try a set with a "dimmer switch."  Later on I will get some photos posted.  I am still decorating the space below the tree for this year.  :-)

So, my life is focused on CHRISTMAS... making, selling, gifting.

And the election.

This is the strangest year... so many struggling, so much hate and violence, media-bashing is rising again, and technology is changing our lives in both good and bad ways.

I am able to deal with it all much better when I do my Prayer Journals.  They help me see the limits of my ability and my resources.  They help me to call on GOD for things I could never do.  They help me to focus on Him.

I still sorrow with the news reports and the struggles of my own life, but I am able to see the world through the eyes of GOD and allow Him to be in charge.  I pray.

I hope your lives are doing much better than mine, that you are able to lift up others in your hearts to GOD daily, and that we will all keep our faith as the time grow harder.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us

and more...

Another Update... Christmas is getting closer every day! :-)

Now that I am focused on CHRISTMAS, I keep thinking of what I need to get done, what I need to get it done, and how to get it done... 

I have spent way over my budget already, but everything is covered - so far.  I am buying supplies, starting to paint, getting out my crafting tools and other supplies.  Tonight I went to Etsy to check on the price and availability of something and stayed there forever.  A shop in China has a lot of low-cost items I want to try, but I am going to sleep on it and see if that is what I want to do.  They want to charge high shipping costs so the "free" option doesn't get here until September/October.  I am thinking about it... about whether it is worth the wait.

I will look for my own supplies and start with them.  I have to find them.  :-)   They are somewhere in my room... I hope.

If I can do the silk-screening, the jewelry supplies can wait.  I received my silkscreen transparencies for making designs to burn into the screens. I'm expecting my major order of supplies soon... it is suppose to go PRIORITY MAIL... so that means tomorrow, maybe.  I hope so.  I made the economic plunge because I have been trying to get the right equipment for a long time.  What I ordered is for small art.  I am going to work on my postcard designs, maybe some ATC's/ACEO's, small designs for baby clothes maybe, whatever I can figure out.  I only have about 10 screens to work with, of two types of screen material.

Next will be the emulsion learning curve... making my own screens to burn designs in.  I'm going to work my way up to poster sizes because that has always been something I wanted to do.

I watched some YouTube videos again... about the premade transfers that are available.  Some will do actual photos.  Some will work on sports clothes.  Some are for regular needs.  I am learning these things on my way to buying a heat press.

I was at a store tonight that had about 30K listings... that is a lot of listings.  I'm not sure I want to get that big... but if it's automated, it won't hurt.  That's a future decision.  Right now I just want to make a decent amount of money for CHRISTMAS.  I just remembered, as I was writing that last sentence, that my original goal was to make things all year and sell the most at CHRISTMAS, trying to make enough to pay for the next year... ahead.  :-)  I will have to write that down again.

I am debating (still) about PRINTFUL.  My eBay shop got disconnected from its integration with Printful.  I am thinking I might try manual sales for a bit.  I am getting ready to list some items with my phone.  I've been working in that direction for some time now.  I started taking photos and making social media posts this past week.  I started to make a listing, but didn't have my items planned for eBay out and ready to list.  I will be working on that this weekend, too.

I didn't do my prayer journals this morning.  The day just got away from me.  I will be entering them when I finish here.  I see how much better it is to get this done first thing in the morning, like Bible time.  I haven't had Bible time for a long time... it's been a long valley.  Today was a good thing... it has reminded me that mornings are important for some of the commitments we make.

I watched a video on making my own stickers, too... another goal.  I need one of those cutting machines to get that done right, good enough to sell.

Everything I want to do is based on the designs I have always wanted to make.

Awhile back I remembered the POLITICAL ACTION CARDS I created way back in the beginning of my quests for creating income.  They would be great for election issues like we are facing now, and will face in the future.  God willing, I might be able to get those done for the next Presidential election... it should be a major event for the US and the world because there will be two new candidates fighting to win the position.

We forget that our country is only as good, as healthy, as kind and merciful as the hearts of its people.  When there is no GOD to create moral foundations, sin and evil grow -- without the lost even understanding what they are missing.

I think the false media, powers that are bigger than us, try to make us think that Christians and Jews are dying.  It helps their cause... it makes us weak.

I wrote a letter to someone this week about deciding to sign up for AARP to get their "freebie" item... but not liking the politics of the group.  I remembered that one of reasons I wanted to build up Working Together was to be the AARP for Christians... to have the power that membership gives when it is large.  To stand against the rising evils.  To be able to organize protections and provisions for us.

I seem to be "remembering" my original goals these days. Mostly I just try to survive.  The things that mattered to me at the beginning seem pointless now, as I am heading into senior issues and death.  The foundation is good, the need is great, but the provision just hasn't been there.  I don't know why.

Sometimes I think it is the interference of Satan, but I don't think it would have been allowed this long unless there was a bigger purpose in GOD's Plan.

Sometimes I think the person, or people, who GOD wanted to provide for WT didn't do it.

There is always this connection with action in our faith.  I have shared it before, but one time I was in a church Bible study and a question was asked... I knew the answer, but didn't give it.  Then the Holy Spirit found someone else in the room to share the answer.  It was a lesson to me of how GOD works sometimes. When we don't do what He prompts us to do, sometimes He finds another Christian willing to be His vessel in a certain action.

Then I think of the times when there was no one else to be a substitute. What happens when we are the only one who can do something, and we choose not to do it?  It could be a minor consequence or it could be devastating... for us, for the church, for the Body of Christ... we don't know the effects of not doing GOD's Will.

I think of how different my life would be.  E V E R Y T H I N G  would have been different.  So, is this where we are all suppose to be?  Is this the time GOD will finally move on our behalf?  I don't know.

I guess I will just keep thinking about all these things... and trust that GOD is able to do anything that needs to be done, and I am just ONE tiny little cell in the global BODY of CHRIST.  Something is happening, I just don't know what it is.  GOD does.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
and more...

Merry Christmas ! --- Sunday, 23 December 2018

I have been thinking a lot about many different things this past week... searching for GOD's directions and provisions... wondering how to conquer my goals for 2019.

It has been quite awhile since I last posted.

I went shopping on Wednesday.  Still have more to do.

Had my eyeglass appointment.  Now I am waiting for my glasses to be done so I can pick them up and see how the go... it has been a very long time since I had new glasses... too long.

I work a lot on my budget.  I have to finish my Christmas gifting (tomorrow!)  --  this is my latest year yet.  Just haven't been able to get out shopping like I normally can.  One of my "goals" for 2019 is to find a solution for that.

Mailed all my cards and gifts last Wednesday...  sent my first letter to a faith prisoner in PAKISTAN.  I hope my letter gets to him, and that he can read English.  I included an SASE to see if it helps.

I watched some Christmas programs online... via email links.

TBN has a special with Andrea Bocelli (hope I spelled that right)… and his family... and others.  You can watch it online.

I watched a Christmas service at Alistair Begg's church via an email to online link.  I hope to see their Christmas Eve service, too.

Not sure what else I will see that is Christmas-y.  :-)

Mostly I am thinking about the problems in the world, the changes we are not prepared for, dying, the lost, life here and elsewhere, the government, and the futility of my dreams at this point.  BUT, I will continue to the best of my ability, whatever Satan seems to throw into my path.  It is all there is left to do.

I created some "bookmarks" for an inmate Christmas letter... One has captured my attention more than the others.  It says ::

TODAY is what I have.

TODAY is a clean slate.

TODAY I can change my life.

I think I will make it into something to sell, something to offer free, something...  a postcard would be nice...  I am trying to think of something that can continue to inspire, not just a one-time read.  I want to remind myself of these things, too.

Printful would be nice... a cup design, maybe.

I am working on the design options... which software to get and use that creates designs for more than one website.  It is quite a challenge, especially if you don't want to use the "Cloud" for everything!

I learned that Twitter has a file of free GIF's today... so I posted two...  :-)  fun!  I have been waiting to figure out how to make them.  :-)  I want to do photos that show up on Twitter feed, too.  AND videos!  Not sure how or when, but 2019 is going to be a good year, if I can get these things done.

I have lots to read now... on Cash Flow, Patreon, homelessness and solutions, GOD, goals, Etsy, selling, and more.  Some days it is hard just to get the dishes done, but I am hoping to find help soon.
Well, I hope your holiday is filled with love and presents that you like!  :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD bless the good people, and prevent the bad ones from hurting anyone.  Amen.

Black Friday, 23 November 2018

Thanksgiving is gone... now the real shopping begins!   :-)
Wish I could participate, but I have other directions to conquer this year.

I started organizing my gifting this morning by getting some of my planned gifts into their mailing envelopes.  I figure this will keep me from going too crazy.

I have been sorting through TONS of stuff this week because I finally got the wood to lift up my tables so I can work on them.  The first table lift was reasonable; the second was a two day process with added days for sorting all the things I moved in the process... still happening!  haha  There is still my desk table to lift, but that will have to wait... I am still recovering from the 2nd effort.

No new eyeglasses yet, but I am working on it.  Medicare doesn't seem to cover regular eyeglasses, so far.  I am still working on figuring out my coverage before I spend the money I don't have to buy them.  

I am loving getting my supplies organized so I can use them.  I have high hopes for 2019... as long as I get new eyeglasses.   :-)

I wish I had my photo posting issues figured out.  I would love to share some of these things with you.  I hope that will be figured out soon.

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In December I will begin to mail my monthly letters as Christmas Cards... and I am reorganizing my room into a better workspace.  It is all beginning to look like a better future.

I want to make Christmas goodies, so I am trying to find ways to share my efforts.

I keep looking at my Jicama that needs to be eaten and wondering if they get hard and dry and impossible to cut.  I still haven't figured out what I can do with them.  :-)


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In my sorting I found an old scratch-it ticket and tried to register it for the Second Chance prize/s.  It wouldn't go through.  I sent a message to the lottery offices about that problem.  I thought ALL losing tickets

NOTE::  I just realized I had one BINGO column to win... it looks like I won $3.  Wow.  I bet it expired... I'll have to check.  This was from last Christmas.   :-)

I have been trying to decide if I should include the Christmas scratch-its with my Christmas cards this year... where I can.  They are $1, I think.  I am going through another version of how much involvement with the lottery games becomes gambling, or enabling/encouraging it.  Nothing is simple.  To the alcoholic and druggie, one taste is all they need to slide into the gutter that addictions take you to.  It is hard to know where the serious line is that you cannot go past.

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I am seriously working to find a non-internet way to survive.  Advertising is everywhere.  Some of it is very unwelcome, but the data they collect to target me with ads brings a lot of different issues into play.  I would rather just access the places I need to access, and have my life less attacked by everyone who can afford to accost my online activities.

I don't know if it will be possible.

We can't share our marketing goals without doing the same process, even though it may be less invasive because of our income limitations.  It is a question of what is reasonable, not what is possible.

When I find the answers that work for me, I will try to share them in case they might work for you, too.  The internet isn't going away... and it will one day become the tool of the Antichrist to overcome everything godly.  We have to find a way through this part of our lives.

Well, I hope you find the best deals on the things that really matter to you... and don't spend more than your budget allows.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD bring us the things we truly need to be happy.  Amen.

Monday, 12 November 2018

Today is Monday...
Today is the "official" government holiday for VETERAN's DAY, which was really yesterday, on the eleventh.
Today is catch-up day.
Today is busy.
Today is Monday.

Now we know what today is... let me share some of the things I have been experiencing since my last blog post.

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I watched a YouTube video about a tiny house that is really tiny... approximately 7 feet by 8 feet... I think the man who made it said it was about 100 square feet.  Only 2000 pounds in weight, total, because it was built on a trailer frame that could only hold 2000 pounds legally.

The creator, Jay Shafer, said it could be towed by a car and only cost $5000 to make.  That would be affordable for a lot of people, especially homeless programs, and better than being in a tent or car, but it is very small for living in a long time.

Mobility is nice, but my goal is small and stationery... attached to the location... and off-grid capabilities for now and in future emergencies.  So, my goals are :: to be affordable to the very poor... safe... and a reasonable size for real life and long-term use.

The host of the video channel about tiny homes said that Jay Shafer started the tiny house movement 20 years ago.  I have no way to know if that is true, but it was interesting to discover.

This latest creation of his was a basic rectangle with a small covered porch at the door location.
The main living space was stated to be approximately 6 feet by 6 feet... I can't even imagine it. I think a regular bathroom would be bigger.  Of course, I always say a regular bathroom is bigger than a prison cell, which sometimes holds TWO inmates.  I guess need or force creates our acceptance of things we can't control.

The living space has a twin mattress that serves as a couch for the daytime and bed at night, lots of storage options that are hidden away, and a small table.  At least there are windows.  Jay Shafer was relatively short, so he fit into the sleeping area.  There is a small loft above the main area with space for storage or his visiting small children.

Wireless access keeps him connected to the world.  :-)

He lives in a space where he is able to access a kitchen, restroom, and other utilities/comforts.  I think having a toilet in the night is critical, so I don't know how this tiny home would work for most people.  He mentioned the possibility of expanding to the sides for those basic human needs.  Having a permanent location would be necessary to expand.

There was one solar light to see at night.  No electrical options.

And he created an innovated candle size heater with outside ventilation and propane sourcing to be safe and warm.  I am not sure I understand what he did in the construction, but he did mention a small space like that could be warmed with a candle.  I was surprised to hear that candles are a danger in small spaces... I will have to check on that information.  :-)

He used insulation called core-board to keep the weight down and, what I noticed and remembered, used something called binder board as the outer siding because it is very thin wood.  I am wondering where else this binder board could be used....

I collect all these ideas and hope to design and create some of the small houses I know that homeless and low-income people need.  It was part of my dreams for life, for WT, and for those who are suffering all over the world.  Small housing is essential for millions.

It is one reason I like Habitat for Humanity.  I think the great needs everywhere can be adapted to the finances we struggle with.

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Another thing that really stuck with me was a news headline about an older rocker, big name, who is trying to say Trump is to blame for the wildfires.  How ridiculous is that!!  It makes news sources seem worthless, their information less valued, and the world tainted.

We need much better than these kinds of story claims.

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My son decided to take me for my major food shopping yesterday... so I am pretty much broke for the rest of the month, but have my food supplies replenished.

I saw a TV commercial over the weekend and discovered that McDonald's has the McRib back.  My son was kind enough to stop on the way home and let me get one.  I really like those... must be the combination of the sauce and the pickles.... I remember the pickles were always the flavor highlight of the small hamburgers and cheeseburgers I grew up on.   I rarely get to indulge, maybe once every so many years, if I know they are available.  :-)  The price was higher than what I normally would spend, but I decided to "seize the opportunity" and try to get one while I was out of the house.

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My art and crafting and Christmas activities are continuing.  It's getting exciting for me.  I am figuring out what I want to get or make for each person on my list/s.  It is wonderful.  I am almost ready to put up the clear twinkle lights I have for this year.  "It's a Wonderful Life" is near viewing time.  I love it!  Christmas is near.


Well, that is enough for today...  I hope your days are going well, and you are beginning to think about all the things you are thankful for.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD watch over all those who love Him.
May our hearts remember all the wonderful blessings we enjoy.
May we find our way through the hard places that enter our lives,
and become better people for surviving (and thriving because of) them.
Amen.

Monday, 5 November 2018

It has been a busy day already...

I sent off five of my monthly letters today, without an "insert" for the month... maybe I will just leave it that way for November, or maybe I will think of something that is about Thanksgiving and get it shared.  :-)   December will be my Christmas cards.  Easy.

I checked my emails already, and found a precious video link... from Hobby Lobby!  I was surprised that it wasn't another ad.  It was very special, and only one minute in length.  I hope you decide to watch it.

https://youtu.be/qa9hP2KCjyo


I have started figuring out my Christmas gifting... which is focused on personally created gifts for as many as possible.  I realized I have to mail a lot of them at the beginning of December so I have to get them done this month... and figure out how to ship them economically.  :-)   I always forget that mailing costs are part of the budget for Christmas... so I have to figure out ways to do everything for less money when mailing is a part of the gift.

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In checking my Facebook earlier, to post the video link there, I discovered a reply to a comment I made on the non-GMO group page...   I replied again the best I could.  Our food supplies are in grave danger, and we need our local small farms for our survival, wherever we live.  I hope the person I shared with will watch some of the food documentaries you can find at Netflix, and others that are not there, especially GENETIC ROULETTE.  If you search for Genetic Roulette, some of the other films come up as similar.  Food Inc is a standard, but others exist, like In Defense of Food and Forks Over Knives.  I searched "food documentaries" and a reference page to 30 documentaries came up.

There is a short video into on the Genetic Roulette page link... I watched it and was reminded of the dangers we are facing, and it makes me cry.  One of can do nothing except grow as much of our own food as possible.  All of us might be able to change parts of the problem.  I'm not sure it will ever go away now because of the money involved in the products that are sold as healthy.

One really miserable fact is shared in the films that show how our health leadership is manipulated in Washington DC to serve the needs of industrial agriculture.

I hope you will explore these things... your lives depend on it.


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I didn't go shopping over the weekend, but plan to go some time this week... so I am using up my frozen foods now.  I have to process all those blackberries I harvested over the summer!  I am now looking for good recipes.  Maybe they will become some of my Christmas gifts !!!    :-)



I guess that is enough for now.  Serious issues take a lot of energy out of me because they are tied to my emotions...

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

http://work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD help us to survive those who govern us.  Amen.

Thursday, 21 December 2017

Today has been a difficult day.  The cat that lives here has been visibly ill this week, and today she died.  It is hard to watch a living thing die, whether an animal or a person.  I was told she was at least 15 years old.  Her sister died a short while back... we assume... she just disappeared.  She was ill like this... not able to walk, visibly in pain, not eating, etc.  I thought it might be caused by something in this neighborhood, but I wouldn't know for sure.  There's little you can do after something happens, for the victim, but you try to keep it from happening again.  Her name was Dottie.  Her sister was called Lucky.

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As for me, I am still recovering from my shopping "exercise" yesterday.  I wasn't able to stay up a bit longer.  Sorry about that.  No one else can do my writing for me.

I became one of those community charity recipients yesterday.  :-)   I was on my way to the Salvation Army Sale Day and a police car stopped by me on the street... I think it said it was a Sheriff's car.  Some man got out and started talking to me... I tried to think of what I could have done to warrant the police stopping me!  A local news station vehicle stopped, too... across the driveway from where I was.  I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on I can't even remember what was said.  The purpose turned out to be some anonymous Christmas cheer... they gave me a crisp, new, green, wonderful, amazing $100 bill !!!  I was shocked!  I remember I kept looking at it... later I said something about wondering what I was going to do with it... It was quite an experience.  :-)  Nice Christmas gift!  Totally unexpected!  The TV people asked me some questions for a follow-up, but I don't know if they did anything with it.  I probably wasn't as visibly excited as I might have been.  :-) 

FYI ::  I still haven't decided what to do with it, so I'm saving it until I do.  :-)

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It was a long day... and I didn't get to eat anything until I got home... about 6am to 3pm...

I did stop to buy some grocery food... that worked out good.  :-)  I bought my second container of eggnog for this season.  Today I tried it in my coffee... so good!

The new gifted money let me buy some things I might not have bought otherwise... especially craft supplies.  I decided to spend some money on gold (leaf?) sheets and some gold and silver paint pens for some experimenting.  This should be fun!  I still have a long list of things I want to get over time, but this will really help.

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Not too many days left to get anything done...

I will feel better by tomorrow, I think.  I will be able to start using the supplies I have collected to try some projects. 

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The sale at the Salvation Army Thrift Store was great for me.  I finally found one of those asparagus pans... the tall ones with the basket inside.  I told the cashier it was my Christmas gift for the year... I had been wanting one for such a long time.

I found a BIGGEST LOSER cookbook that shared something interesting to me.  Their menu planning goes 4-3-2-1, which means 4 fruit and veggies a day, 3 proteins a day, 2 whole grains a day, and 1 extras (200 calorie limit).  I am now trying to think of daily options for my healthy food quest.  With portion control, my food bill should really improve!  :-)  Shopping will be even more important... weekly, limits on what I buy, etc... maybe I can buy more organic now.

I also found an old book on being frugal, but I haven't browsed through it yet.

I actually was surprised to find Bibles... they seem to be extinct in the thrift stores these days.  I discovered a MESSAGE Bible so I grabbed it.  I have never really seen one before.  I hope to explore it soon.  I also noticed a Devotional Bible for Women.  I decided to get it as a companion to the one I found for Dads.  :-)  I have always tried to collect Bibles so I can compare the versions... but I lost them because of poverty issues.  I will keep looking for more.  I can never replace some of the things I had.

I looked for more Christmas music and wound up finding great CDs by Kenny G and Michael Bolton.  I have a Celine Dion already.  There are some songs I want to find and keep around.  :-)  I did also get a Christian music CD (and a VHS tape of worship music), and then a CD on How to Make Your Point in 30 Seconds.  I have it in the player already, but not listened to it yet.  I hope it has some great ideas for my marketing efforts... maybe for when I start doing commercials.  :-)  I also found a Joyce Meyer DVD on Confrontation.  That should be helpful.  haha

I love thrift store shopping!  :-)   I look for treasures that only matter to me.  Old things that are still good to use.  Things you will never find anywhere else.  It is my fun!  :-)

I saw a video on Facebook a long time back about someone putting one of those xylephones up for their chickens, and they all had a time pecking at it.  I thought it would be fun to get one for my son's chickens... and mine, later on, if I get that far.  So, I remembered to look for one yesterday and there was something like it there so I bought it. ($2)  I still have to get it put up.  I decided to put some cup hooks in the back that will fit on the fence wire to hold it up and move it easily.  I hope that will work out good.  I still need to clean it and do the hooks.  Maybe by the New Year... or next week.

Shopping is fun.

I got a lot of the things on my continuous list, and that always makes me feel like it was worth the time and money and energy it takes to shop now.  I am trying to save some money for the after Christmas sales.

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Have you figured out any goals for 2018?

I am still trying to decide on my one main goal for the year.  I have lots of goals on my lists, with lots of different categories to think about (self, home, work, income, debts, health, education, crafting, etc.)...  Last year was the food hours... which evolved over the months, and died somewhere in November, maybe October!  :-)  I try to figure out how to do things better the next time.

I did answer two goal questions on Facebook... one for Christy Wright (Business Boutique), one for Daymond John (Shark Tank).  I am thinking about those submissions... but not sure I want to make them my main goal.  Separating my personal and my work lives is a stage that is increasingly important, but I haven't found an answer I can do.

It really is true about goals... you need to be clear about them, and write them down, and keep them in view every day.  Life seems to do battle with our goals.  It's so easy to get distracted by the "urgent" and forget what really matters.  (The "tyranny of the urgent" I think it's called.)   My constant work at my goals is an effort to keep them in view.  It is another reason I always look for those books, DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes, etc., that have to do with learning new things.  I tend to get lost in Facebook and Pinterest posts for the same reason.  I suppose that is a big weakness for me.  :-)

I still have some time to decide...

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Hope this update is enough for two days of posting...  I'm done for now.  God willing, I will return on Monday.  Happy getting ready for Christmas!  This is the last shopping weekend... I hear it is one of the biggest shopping days of the year... probably all those men who wait until the last minute... what do you think?  Am I right?  :-)

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD help us to make it through this year and plan for next year.
May GOD help our nation's leaders to put America first, really put her first, so we can make the decisions that need to be made to survive our current problems and become stronger for the future.
May GOD be good to those who love Him... bless them in special ways... and provide for their deepest needs.
May our loved ones all meet us in heaven.
May life become worthy of our devotion to it.
May all the poor be blessed, may the homeless find shelter, may the aged be cared for and loved, may we all find someone to love that we haven't met and will never see again... love with and open heart and hand and wallet, as much as we can.
May Christmas become the season when searching hearts find Jesus as their Saviour... bringing those unexpected blessings to every day... helping us to see the meaning of our lives.
May we all trust GOD to guide us.
Amen.

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

I guess I can start this post a little early.  I tend to wait until I am done for the day... and fight to stay awake!

It's cold and wet in the Northwest today... yuk!  I read in a weather report that today is going to be the wettest day of the week... so I hope they are right. I still need to get out shopping one more time before the holiday.

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I have to share about my fruit leather experiment.  I didn't like the way my previous attempt to make some blackberry fruit leather turned out, so I decided to try a thicker version, without the paper backing.  I am amazed at how the fruit shrinks... a big lesson.  I like the way it didn't stick to the pan... a great outcome.  I don't like how long it takes to dry... and I want to make smaller sized pans of fruit leather in the future.  I have eaten too much of it already, testing it you know.  I forgot to mix sugar in the berries when I pureed them so I sprinkled a covering of sugar on it when I started the drying process.  It's not too sour.  My plan to cut it up into large cubes, like the aplets and cotlets, did not work out.  I will need a very deep pan and lots of berries to get that much size after drying.  I may change the way I make the puree too.  So many things to think about when you are trying to create a decent product to sell.

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I'm not sure why, but I am so tired... I even took a nap today, but I am ready for bed already.  It must be the fruit leather.  :-)  They say turkey makes you want to sleep.

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Well... that will have to do for today.

Maybe I can rest and get back up later to do some of the things on my list!  :-)

Merry Christmas!
It's almost here!  I hope you are ready for it!

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD help us all to keep the right perspective in our hearts this year... we are celebrating the birth of Christ, our Saviour.  I know the world has changed the meaning of our celebration season, but that is the battle between good and evil, God and Satan.  It is meant to be a holy season of love and giving, of remembering the gift that God gave us when Christ was born, how many prophecies He has fulfilled, and the difference He makes in our salvation and forgiveness.  Amen.

Monday, 18 December 2017

My... one more week!
Christmas is almost here... and then a brand new year to plan and make goals for and continue toward our dreams.

The end of the year is always a time of evaluation and planning.

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I went to turn on the TV to some Christmas music this morning and discovered a terrible train wreck had happened, on my favorite train system, the Cascade run.  I started crying every time I sat to watch it.  Christmas is such a hard time for tragedies to happen.

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I think I have watched almost all of the Christmas movies at Hallmark's stations.  I tried to watch a few of the offerings at other stations, but they get so raunchy I have to turn them off.  Some of the Hallmark movies are objectionable these days, so I am nearing the point of not watching them anymore.  Not sure what I will do.  I like to buy the ones I can deal with, but they are getting to be a pretty short list.  Morality shows up in so many ways... we often get it packaged in more "digestible" ways when you compare SNL and Hallmark, but the issues are still being presented to us.

The loss of a godly influence is more impacting than most believe.  I think some of the "good" people who don't want GOD in this world think that having everyone just like them is not going to make the world bad.  Christians are people who are learning how to be better than they use to be, good people have only their own moral ideas to guide them.  If everyone has their own idea of what is moral, it could be a very wide boundary.

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I continue to post at my Working Together Inc page at Facebook.  I am learning about daily posting, PayPal.Me/WorkingTogetherInc , and what I need to do better for next December.  It has been decided that the way to achieve a yearly income budget (foundation) is to have the Membership Drive for the next year in December.  (I finally decided that was the way to stay dependent on GOD for His provision and His boundaries.)  This year I am trying to post every day about it.  I decided to share some of my goals and plans for WT as part of this process.  Membership is the main goal of Working Together.  It will give us the connections to Christians and other interested people, and it will limit our activities to our members needs, with eventual outreach to those outside our membership in the local communities we are established into.

I suppose it would be too much to go into here.  I discovered again that I had created a PayPal.Me account for WT so I started using it as a payment method.  It isn't perfect, but it is an option.  I can take donations from people who want to help me get this effort better established, and I can apply a membership to those who pay $100 for an individual one-year membership.  It will automatically be registered as a PUBLIC Membership, with email delivery of the monthly newsletter and other digital deliveries.

I am not able to offer the installment plan via PayPal yet.  By next year I will be offering that.  The installment plan is for those who want to pay monthly instead of in one payment.  It is $10/month.  As it is now, I can only offer a "subscription" option through PayPal, and I need to figure out the benefit structure better with that option.  My plans are all dependent on the full payment of a membership fee, so I need to break the benefits down into monthly parts... that will accrue as payments are completed.  The installment plan works better after more than one year has passed as some benefits increase as each year of renewed membership passes.

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My PayPal.Me account registers me in Portland, Oregon, but I want to set up the offices for Working Together in Eugene, Oregon.  It is a complicated process for me because I don't have the money to do all these things myself.  I was able to update the presentation for those who go to the link for payments.  I added a photo of my logo-type thing.  I reworked the statement about what we are doing.  It took a lot of tries, but I hope it finally stays the way I wanted it to present.

My logo-type photo is a design I also want to make into stickers for various uses.  I like to put the Operation Christmas Child shoebox sticker on my letters (envelopes) as seals, so one day I will create a sticker for Working Together.

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I think I know how Abraham and Sarah felt after waiting on GOD for all those years.  We expect GOD to do something right away.  When He doesn't, it is a challenge to keep believing.  I decided to use this blog for my posts because faith and prayer are my life. 

GOD doesn't tell us all the details of what He is busy doing, He just works out His Will.  I thought about at one point in my search for answers and decided it is because Satan would know what He is doing and try to mess it up.  Prophecies are a challenge for us to understand, but they are also a challenge for Satan.  That is why Satan thought he won the battle when he killed Jesus... but, actually, he was achieving GOD's Will, making it possible for us to be saved, making it unnecessary for us to have to sacrifice animals at the temple to forgive our sins.

GOD doesn't work the way we think He should.  We have to trust Him, to believe that the end will show us why things happen the way they do.

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Well, I need to go write my Facebook post.
I will be back tomorrow, GOD willing.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD help us all to trust Him through the hard times,
through the things we don't understand,
through the questions and the doubts and the dreams.
May GOD be kind to those who are suffering tonight.
May the angels be sent to comfort those who are hurting because of tragedies that have come into their lives unwanted, and unexpected, and undeserved.
May our lives be filled with hope and love and peace and joy and goodness.
May we all give more than we get, and share our bounties with those who have nothing.
Amen.

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

The weather is very wet outside today... not much in the way of dry spots.  The kitty (cat) that lives here has been feeling bad since yesterday.  Not eating. Not moving around well.  Was throwing up yesterday, but today it just moans loudly, lays still (sitting in the rain for hours in the same spot!), and now is resting under my bed... I hope she is feeling better there.  I couldn't stand her just sitting in the rainy spot looking like she was in pain, so I brought her back in two or three times.  I'm keeping her in for now.  I tried feeding her the cat treats, which she loves, but she wouldn't have anything to do with them.

I got suddenly ill yesterday myself... thought I ate some bad food.  So far today, the food item I suspected hasn't made me ill again... so, I don't know what it was.  When I had my second son I discovered what bad dairy can do to you... in an instant!  It is not fun.  I have read that changing to a high-fiber diet suddenly can cause problems with your bowels, too.   I'm trying to get my diet under control now... planning my meals to get the food an old body like mine can take.  Becoming a senior citizen also changes your body's ability to process food.

We think we can do what we want to our bodies and they will still treat us well.  It's not true.  Our lifestyles, our food choices, the food that we are being provided (GMO's, etc.), they all contribute to our health or illnesses.  I suppose exercise and clean air should be in there somewhere... and clean water.

I happened to catch the end of an update report about Flint, Michigan, and their water systems.  The part I remember, and have saved in my memories, is the woman at the end who stated that the poor were not considered worthy of the government's concern, so they were left uninformed about the lead dangers for over a year (I think that was the time mentioned).  The poor, the elderly, the kids who have no one... these are the victims of so many government tragedies.  The Bible tells us that the rich will mistreat the poor... it seems to be in the nature of humanity without GOD.  Sometimes Christians hurt others when money is concerned, but not as often as those without GOD.

The local water system is beginning to have problems with pollution... germs, poisons, something that doesn't belong in it.  The call it Bull Run here, but it is a river that once ran clear.  Maybe it was the poisons that come from animal feces (poop)... I'm not sure.  You really can't control everything.  Once a water source is compromised, it is a "poisoned well" and will not be able to be "pristine" again.  Out water treatment plants (everywhere) are having lots of problems with the things that we get rid of... from makeup sources, medicines, trash...  I think fracking is going to be a huge problem one of these days...  we have no idea where all the water table go... if they all come from one deep source, etc. 

I have developed my own mantra about survival on planet earth... air, water, food... these are the three things we REQUIRE just to stay alive.  I read something about how long you can survive without them... you can see their importance by the order I put them in.  Pollution is more than a government issue, it is a survival issue... and it includes our oceans (water and food sources), and rivers.  Oregon has laws that say the water sources all belong to the government.  I have been trying to figure out how that will work out in a survival catastrophe. 

Hiking people have some great water purifiers for backpackers... I have wanted to try them but I can't afford them.  Someday, if I get them and try them out, I will probably blog on them, or maybe do a video by then!  :-)

I can see my senior years online...  even when I am fully homebound... even bedridden.  God willing, I will be active until He calls me home.

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Yesterday I finally was able to buy a 6-cube shelf unit for my crafting supplies/organization.  I put it together and am in the process of deciding what to store in the cubes... each approximately one foot by one foot.  The dollar store has some cloth baskets, so I will be checking to see if they will fit.  It will add some storage options to the top shelf, too.  The middle cubes are hard to get to, so they have to hold things I won't need all the time... not sure what that could be.  I am glad to have the shelf, it changes the entire work table.

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My poor little wreath still doesn't smell like a forest, so it will be going to the yard debris pile and I will be looking for an evergreen tree that has a Christmas tree smell!  It is quite an awakening to find that every tree that looks like a Christmas tree doesn't smell like a Christmas tree!  :-)  Now I know how I want to construct the next one, so it will look much better.  I am trying to decide on the decorations I want after I get the wreath put together.

I'm turning 65 and this is my first wreath... there's always room to grow, right!  :-)  hahahahaha

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No word from Jeff Bezos...  yet.  :-)

I haven't checked anything today either... no email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  I tried to earlier, but the reception seems to be fickled here.  It's going to take me hours to go through my emails... yuk!

I also never got to the local county offices about the low-income housing issue.

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Well... have to get going... lots to get done still.
I do hope your days are going well, and that your Christmas is beginning to make you smile.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May the GOD of all that exists bless some of us with its bounty, help us to share it with the needy, and make us all better people.
May our hearts be filled with goodness, kindness, joy, love, happiness, fun, patience, and time for those we love.
May our wallets survive the holidays.  :-)
May we find one good, achievable, goal for 2018.
May our life never stop becoming more than we are today.
May we meet in heaven one day.
Amen.

Monday, 27 November 2017

Since I am at this device, I may as well get this done!  :-)

I was listening to NBR and they had a segment on Jeff Bezos (Amazon) becoming a very rich man in his stock ownership. In the report they stated he has no philanthropic goals, foundation, etc.  Then they mentioned a tweet (@JeffBezos) from last June asking for ideas.  When I got there, I realized it was an impossible task... good ideas take lots of words, but who has time to read them all!  :-)  I added a link to my webpage, which I am in the process of updating but still has links to all my commenting places  :-)  -- and then shared that housing ownership is the greatest need for the poor and homeless everywhere.  There weren't many tweets there, but it did have the blue checkmark.  Hope that it gets read, but it is also attached to my @FixingAmerica Twitter account.  :-)  Who knows... It's almost December....  It was interesting to see "0" following on the account.  :-)

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Friday was a day of shopping for me... after I mailed all my Christmas cards for this year.

I stayed home Saturday and Sunday. 

I forgot about Cyber Monday. 

I don't have much money to spend anyway.  I'm trying to save what I have left and rebuild my emergency fund, which got spent on lots of things...   I think I have all gifts done, including myself, but there are still some household items on my wish list to make it better here.

Been working on my crafting projects.  If I start making jewelry to sell, I will be wearing more of it... I can tell that already!  I discovered my pierced ears were nearly closed from lack of earrings being worn, so now I have a pair of crafting earrings in them to keep them open.  I was wearing a gift pair from last Christmas, but it was too much for my ears... not hypo-allergenic wires and my ears were sore wearing them... maybe needing time to recover from getting "pierced" again.  :-) 

I'm working on bracelet ideas, too.  I can see how one change is going to lead to another!  I may actually have to buy some NEW clothes one of these days... decent stuff (non-jeans  :-) , maybe even a dress!  What is the world coming to!

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Today I made my first effort at creating a small evergreen wreath for the door on my room.  It doesn't smell like an evergreen, so I may have to find better branches.  If I can, I will try to add a photo after I am done with this.  It is still such a problem, one I didn't have when I use to use a real computer.  We will keep working on this issue until we find the answer!  :-)

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I'm trying to find my recipe for making your own dog biscuits/bones so I can get that done.  I already bought the dogs some store treats, but I hope to make some from scratch to give them too. 

I'm also working on a gift for the wild birds, one I hope to sell in the future.  Maybe come chicken treats, too.

The kitty that lives here is not feeling well so I hope she gets better.  I think she will get a catnip toy.

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I am working through all the fudge I made without nuts... it is enough for my chocolate cravings.  I ration them out, but I am also working on my next sugar creation/s. 

My diet has suffered enormously.  (so sad)

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I want to send my housing ideas to the local government that is selling their low-income properties... I think to finance new government offices.  It really is a dilemma for everyone... as the government struggles to survive, it sacrifices things it shouldn't... like using the funds meant to finance Social Security and now the system is facing bankruptcy and is paid through debt financing.

The people who are in those units depend on that housing to survive... just to make it through each month because their incomes are so low.  The entire city, the Portland Metro Area, is battling gentrification issues, as are many other places, so there is no other neighborhood for them to move to.

It really is a sad system... not very well thought out. 

From the local papers, I read that Clackamas County was the first to operate low-income housing on government-owned land.  Because the housing is old, I am assuming they don't want to replace it.  The need for money to build new county offices makes it convenient to sell now.  The government will offer "opportunities" to help them find other housing (like Section 8 vouchers), but they generally are worthless because there is little to no decent housing that qualifies and/or provides the schools, transportation, and shopping options that low-income families need. 

I am making generalizations, yes, but this is what I have seen the government do... the programs they create often look good on paper but don't work good in real life.

I already went through my "shock" stage from discovering all these things in the middle of my needs... it's hard to find solutions within the government's boundaries... but some things only the government can do, like my suggestions for prison reforms.

Enough... I hope I am not too late to comment on their plan to sell the land.  I just kept putting it off because it is such a hard topic for me.  I am still just one foot away from living on the street, again... but I pray every day for GOD to provide a better future for me (and WT).

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I guess I will go now... I have sufficiently depressed myself out of words.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May God be kind to all who are suffering, and provide for their individual needs.
May we find a way to change the status quo of government life, and make it more self-sufficient with a lower tax need.
May we give this year to as many as we can.
May our lives see more than us, more than what we get, more than what we want, more than what we have, more than dollar signs.
May our country become debt free, and find leaders that will keep it that way.
May we preserve all that is good about America and change what is wrong with it...for the better.
May the joy of Christmas be welcomed, and remembered.
May our people choose good over evil, right over wrong, life over death, and compassion over fear.
Amen.

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, 23 NOV 2017

It would be easy to forget today's post... but here I am.  :-)

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I hope everyone had a nice day, had enough to eat, and is happy.  I saw quite a lot of posts on Facebook with great photos for Thanksgiving reminders.  I save the ones I want to look at later on and remind myself of their message.  There were several mission posts about feeding people who don't have homes, or don't cook, or can't afford to make a holiday meal.  Next year I may try to volunteer as a server... it depends on my situation at the time.  Travel can be a problem for me.

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I finished my Christmas cards for this year. Will try to mail them tomorrow as I look for my Black Friday deal/s.  This is really early for me... but I wanted to get it done.  With my increase in crafting there is less time for doing my cards, and money goes away so fast.  I want to make sure I have enough money for the postage.

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Today I was busy making more of my craft projects.  My big one was trying a friendship bracelet with little sparkly things.  It was really a great feeling to see it becoming a nice bracelet.  I can't finish it until I find my beading needles... or buy some more until I do.  I am already thinking of other designs to try.  It's my first friendship-type bracelet, with cord and beads.  The instructions I do have are very nominal, so I have to find out more information about the finishing steps.  The start is easy, the finish is unknown.  I am making up my own versions as I work.

My California background, and 60's teen years, have me stuck in some of the hippie designs when I bead, etc.  I don't know where I will sell these things, but they are easier for me to make with recycled supplies.  Now that I am getting better supplies, I can try new designs.  It is beginning to feel like there is a future for my efforts.

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I needed to rework my Christmas tree and decorations, so I finished that today.  I will try to post my photo of it.  It became quite a fun time for me... trying to figure out what I could use, make, do with the supplies I had.  I designed my own decoration hooks, sorted through the old type bulbs I had that were small, and then wound up using some gold and red jingle bells for my tree bulbs.  In the process of making jingle bell decorations, I made a little cat toy to see if it would be fun for the (older) cat that lives here.  I have some catnip to work into a Christmas gift for her, too.  :-)  Once I find a good design, I will make more to sell online.

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I am making as many things as I can with a mix of recycled and new supplies.  This makes it easier to create workable designs... and I love the challenge.  In this arena I hope to design some kits to sell online.

I keep saying I will be OK if I just live long enough!!!  :-)

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I entered some of my Thankfulness at posts on Facebook, but I would like to end with something here.

I am thankful for my life... for my children... for my salvation... for my hope and faith and love and joy... for being an American... for meaning in my life... for dreams and goals... for being able to read... for my education... for food and shelter... for being relatively healthy... for the person GOD has made me.

I hope you have many things you are thankful for...

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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May GOD be with all those who are alone today, and anyone that is hurting in any way... May He comfort their hearts and bless their lives in some way to draw them to Himself.

May we all share our bounty with those who have little, and be cared for in our needs by those who have been blessed.

May our lives become worthy of our blessings.
Amen.