Tuesday, 31 July 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trial Membership is one year of quarterly email newsletters.

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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

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

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


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

Mondsy, 30 July 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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

Thursday, 26 July 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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