I'm baaaaaack... :-)

I finally got up somewhere after 1pm... still wanting to be in bed.  Not sure if the long time laying down was the habit that was hard to break, or if I really needed to stay in bed, but I got up and started thinking about food.

I'm not saying what happened to keep me in bed all day and night and morning... it seems to have gone away.  Hopefully, it will stay away.



It's almost 8pm now... time flies when you are busy with your bookkeeping!  haha

I was working on my June budget the other day, and I said about my TITHE... I need to figure out where I am at for the year!  So when I started working on my June budget again today, I remembered that!!!  It's a possible way of saving my low income dollars and still being right with GOD!

It's also a real example of what happens when incomes go down... 

I always say the TITHE is the first thing to go in most families... not sure why, but I assume it is the idea that we need to be "responsible" and provide for the kids first... good human excuse, right?  :-)  That's how it looks from human eyes.

The eyes of FAITH say that we better make sure we honor GOD's Tithe so we can depend on Him to take care of us.  He has PROMISED to do that!  If He doesn't, He becomes a liar.... and we know GOD is not a liar.

I think every church and ministry was talking about their lack of funds when the buildings got shut down.  We are going to need a "Plan B" soon. I don't know how things will change, but there are already long reports about what MIGHT happen in the coming months and years.

When you see things with the eyes of the world (and Satan), the events we encounter look very different than when you see them with the eyes of Faith... prophecy, sin, End Times.... all those parts of Faith. 

I think GOD is trying to show us some changes need to be made.

I've been praying for some things all my life, and it seems like GOD is powerless to provide them, to help me, to protect me, to take my life to the place I believe GOD wants it to be... sometimes I pray for GOD to glorify His Name with the actions I see needed. Other times I just plead for His interventions and hope that He will provide.  Faith is hard.

I keep trying to think of the stories in the Bible, how GOD works in them, what He actually does... I'm nothing in the span of time, but His Plans will be accomplished.  I have never been able to decide if I am one step toward them, or a resting place, or a pivot point... some kind of part of the way to our collective Christian future.

Without GOD providing a LOT OF MONEY, there is little I can do to start the changed I see needed... finding the right Christians to do the parts they know how to do... etc.  So, I just keep doing what I can and hope GOD finds the right hearts to see the needs we face.

I heard a report where major online conversation pieces are limiting Christian conversations... because they don't agree with the content, which is not objectionable in any way.  If the common household websites are all we have to choose from, what does it mean for the conversations of the future?  Not Truth, not debate, not freedom of speech... so how do we change this problem?

I have ideas... and I am sure the Christian Community will come up with others.  We have to decide.  Is this the time in history where we need to "come out and be separate" from the world?

So, I am working on my writing projects to ask these questions in a PDF or a Kindle Book (to see what happens) or an Etsy listing, which I know is biased against Christians... and maybe a print option to see if it can be shared.  

Our time in this world is closing.  Soon the world will have what it thinks it wants -- a world without good people, moral people, Christians and Jews, no GOD, no hope, no order, no spiritual enemy, no global charity, and more... they will have themselves, and will discover that evil is not very nice.

We need to start protecting the vulnerable among us...


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Well, I have a few extra dollars to use in JUNE... I am way over my "required" Tithe.  :-)   This is a rough month, but I am working through the issues and hoping for GOD's Help.

If you want to help me, you can donate to my "tip" account ::
https://paypal.me/work2gather 

If you want to help Working Together Inc, you can donate to its "tip" account ::  https://paypal.me/workingtogetherinc 

Otherwise, I continue my efforts to increase my sales listings at 

ETSY     https://etsy.com/shop/work2gather
and
EBAY     https://ebay.com/usr/work2gather

and my main prayer and financial goal ::
my Patreon page 

https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan


I hope to see your names at my selling spaces.
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
and more

11:30pm - running late again...

I have been watching videos about retirement issues on YouTube tonight... several.  I think I started with titles about the Middle Class... struggling in some, having too many things in another.  It was very interesting, most were a bit dated, from the years following the housing crisis in 2008. 

We have a lot of problems in America, and I don't know if we have any way to solve them. Crisis seems to be the "opportunity" the government likes.

I don't know if I will be around for the crash of the Social Security program. I hope not.  What happens between now and the estimated time of bankruptcy is the real issue.  We never know what the future will hold.  Who knew we would have a global shutdown, which has become a death toll for business and jobs... increased the debt beyond reason so we are now looking at higher taxes again.

PBS News Hour, which I only watched in segments for today's report, talked about the increasing number of retail stores that are ending in bankruptcy or quitting the effort to stay open. I watched it twice, at least.  

In some of the other videos I watched on related topics, the loss of work with no hope for new employment was changing the dreams of many people.  I was struck by how many years some of the example stories worked for twenty, thirty, or more years before one day seeing their company go away.  One person had the company she worked for disappear twice (two jobs went away) and was looking for work again.

Millions of people... no work.  The older people, still needing to have income to meet their current expenses, could not find work. The devastation it had on families was included in the interviews.  Blaming someone was the answer for one family, and it was the dad without the big wages anymore. The kids not understanding what was happening, and fearing it would happen again.

It's strange how crises affect family dynamics.  It's the money that seems to create your value.  I don't think that is a good value system.  In families with addictions, the person who gets blamed for everything that happens is called the "scapegoat."  In crisis, I suppose that is how we seem to see the world... we need to find someone to blame. 

These financial issues are high on my list of things I'm thinking of these days. The debt, the stability of Social Security, life challenges, hopes for the future.  My life has always been poor, so it is always hard to see the effects of economic disasters on people who have always had large amounts of money to live on.

One woman had a salary near $100K each year... yet she had no savings for an emergency.  It was just spending money.  I think she went on food benefits, but I can't remember for sure, I know they went from a large (nice) house (a rental, not a mortgage!) to a basement apartment.  It is hard for me to even think about wasting that much money in their lives.  We think life will always be the same.  She said she planned to retire from the company that died.

I didn't learn any money lessons in my childhood, I had to learn them on my own.  I never had that much to budget so I don't know what I would have done if I did have a lot of money.... then.  Now I would be better able to deal with a large amount of money. 

When you have nothing, or just a little, and you see pictures of the lives others lead, what they have compared to what they need, it is a serious problem.  We are a consumer driven economy, and that is why our nation is falling apart.  The News Hour segment, or maybe it was another video on retail, said that our consumer spending is down by half and that the normal level of consumer spending as part of our economy was 70%...  Imagine if your monthly budget depended on what people spent... I guess that is why retail is being devastated right now.

What will replace those jobs?  I have no idea.  Food, shelter, and work-related necessities... those will need to survive.  Shelves and shelves of toys, clothes, and other things we consume will go away.

This might be a good thing.

Change is hard... it will be painful... but the President is right when he says we will get through this.  It will pass.  That is what life is.  We suffer through hard times and find a way to the future.  My personal saying on the process is something that helps me remember everything goes away, eventually. 

I have shared this before, but it is a good thing to share again.  I was watching a river one day, as a homeless person, and I realized that life is like a river... no matter what happens, it just keeps going.  Whether we like it or not, it just keeps going forward. 

I hope this won't be a long hardship.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
and more...

Tuesday, 20 November 2018

I got sidetracked when I came online by the "headlines" and browsed too long... trying to figure out why some things seem to be so important.

I am still recovering from yesterday... trekking out on the bus to do some shopping and searching.  I still need to replace my eyeglasses... what a task.

Catching up with my November budget this morning... I am glad there isn't much left of November, and I won't be doing any Black Friday sales!   :-)   I have a bunch of other things to get done, so it is a good thing.

Should I tell you how much I have left?  Not sure, but it is about $20.  I have food to get by with, toilet paper, and lots of things to get done... it's OK.  I will be working on my December budget next week.

I'm getting my Christmas figured out... gifting, I mean.  Not big gifts, but I have to figure out the "shipping costs" for what goes by mail.

I am still so wiped out from yesterday... I think I might let this go until a better day.  :-)   I suppose the whole world want to know about my life, right?  :-)   No biggy.  When I browse the online headlines I am forced to wonder why tabloid news is more important than the world we need to live in and survive on together.

One of the local papers here generally has one page of business news at the end of the multi-page Sports headlines... I think it's the business community that will make the city survive more... and I wonder if the economic burdens here would improve if more "exposure" was given to it, that it was perceived as important enough for more space, and more of the reasons business matters were shared with the reading public.  Small business creates a lot of jobs, but big business seems to be lifted up as the solution for every financial/economic ill we face.  Not good.

I have realized (relatively recently) that small and local is really important to a community in the long term...  I hope to discover more about how to lift small up and replace big business at the community level.

I just keep trying... it is all I can do with my life and time.  I hope GOD blesses my efforts soon, so I can expand them globally.

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin

work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times

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May GOD find a way to provide for WT without wasting any of its resources or bringing in the influence and consequences of those who hate Him, Christians, and its goals.  Help us to find our way through the battles against GOD in all parts of the world, and to make places of safety and provision for those who are saved and need them.  Amen.

Thursday, 1 February 2018

Budget time is here!

Good thing I checked my balances to figure out my February funds...  I had subtracted from the wrong amount in one category.  I have more money than I thought I had!  That is always nice to discover.  :-)

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I did my laundry today, so I can last without buying some new-to-me clothes for a little longer.  :-) 

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I had two sandwiches for my "lunch" today... the first one was just chard and pickles... I was still hungry.  I made my mushrooms (in butter... what can I say) and used half of my avocado and half of my tomato to make a second sandwich.  That filled me up!  ... for a long time! 

It is strange how some foods keep you feeling full for a long time.  I wish I understood all this food stuff when I was younger and searching desperately for ways to get through the month (with children).  After I discovered these differences, in my continued quest about food choices, I wanted to find ways to share my new-found awareness.  I'm not sure what I will do with it now, but it is still churning inside me... I did make a blog on food issues, so it may end up there.

Poverty is such a hard life.
Most of the world's poor are also illiterate.
How do they solve these kinds of problems for their families?
I don't know.

I watched a Taco Bell commercial this week... probably because of the Super Bowl coming up... and the product was fries and nacho cheese.  The fries looked great!  I want some!  ... but I hate nacho cheese.  What really impacted me is the knowledge from a food documentary that someone with an interest (financial interest) in cheese contracted with several of the fast food companies to increase their cheese sales... forcing some companies to add cheese to EVERY item they sold... kinda... well, the comment about that company was that they no longer offer any sandwiches without cheese.  Hint: that sounds like pressure to me.  Then I saw the commercial.  My opinion of Taco Bell and the other fast food companies I go to has changed.

I never would have thought that their food offerings were created by a cheese contract... I always thought the corporate offices worked diligently to create new food options to increase their customer base.  I guess this is like a subsidy program... maybe... kinda...  what would you call it?

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I haven't been able to read in the Treasure Principle since my first effort.  I will try again this weekend... but it is hard to find enthusiasm for a book that violates basic principles on the first page.  I am still trying to understand why it was considered such a great book.  I have decided I need to read it to find out.  No book is perfectly agreeable.  I have to remember that.

Money issues are big with me... I guess.

We all can talk ourselves into bad decisions under the pressure of the dollar.

It is so hard... to keep our faith in GOD as our provider... to obey the commands of the Bible (from GOD).  I heard somewhere, probably a radio program, that most people in the church only tithe a small amount of the required 10%.  I don't know where they get that figure, but it may be true.  Every church seems to feel that their members don't give the full tithe to them.

Personally, I think our tithe is supporting any valid effort to provide for the work of GOD in our world... seeking GOD for where your money should be given, and only counting works that are created and operated because of their commitment to the Word.  Giving to the Red Cross is not a tithe... giving to Samaritan's Purse would be. 

My tithe and more has gone to Working Together since 1987, possibly longer.  I also give to other Christian works as I am able.  I try to keep records of my giving to make sure I am giving at least ten percent, but that is the only reason.  At my income level, tithing can sometimes feel like a sacrifice, but most of the time it is just what I do... because GOD commands it and because I depend on GOD for my day-to-day survival.

I have incorporated tithing for Working Together into some of its programs... benevolence, missions, caretaking, and lots of other things.  I can't imagine any other way to live.  Tithing in poverty is really like the woman giving her two mites, her only income....

I have always tried to think of ways to incorporate GOD into as many activities as possible.  In the church, I thought it would be better to have the costs of any field trip/mission trip/vacation camp fully paid and then let GOD choose who gets to go... kind of like a "lot" or something random.  I felt this would be best for everyone in the church... both rich and poor.  I think the rich need to experience the "No" of GOD as much as the poor need to experience His provisions. 

I use to think a lot about money issues as I was trying to plan the details of Working Together.  Money issues are a barometer of our faith.  They also witness to our internal values.

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I finally found my staples for "construction" needs...  :-)  And I have started my first experimental silk screen thing... tomorrow I will try to figure out how to make a design with the materials I have.

My work tables are getting cleared off and I am beginning to find my tools again.  This makes me happy.  I may find a way through this long dark tunnel soon.

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Well, that's enough for today.
Until next time...

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

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Thank you, Lord, for the education I was able to get.
Help me to find a way to help others gain an education for their lives and futures, too.
Lead me to the best place for me, Lord.
Help me to find my own property and never have to move again...
Help me to provide for my son's future needs.
You know my prayers, Lord... help me to keep my faith in You, in your love for me and my sons, and in our future.
Amen.