Another early post...good for me! :-) I'm actually trying to evolve toward a morning routine, but it doesn't seem to work as well. I like to review the day, the events that have happened, etc. That doesn't work well for mornings...for me, anyway.
Another Thursday has arrived! I am very happy to have made it this far. It looks like I am ending week 9 today. :-) With all my goal development activities, this is going to become a great process to watch. I can probably do this until I leave this earth...we hope that won't be for a long time, but we never know.
Developing an organized way to list and achieve my goals and needed activities is a big challenge for me, but it is becoming a reality. I develop my own forms and will share them once I get them to a better place. I think I have created a really good GOAL form, but I have to use it with some of the things I am trying to accomplish. If it works good, I will probably offer it to the public at some level.
I found a larger notebook to use and will try it out. Notebook dividers are becoming my best friend. :-) And I am designing other products to sell as I create my own process. 2015 looks better and better...I just have to get through tomorrow, and October, and then through to February, when my retirement income will start and I can budget for maximum results. PRAY for me...please!
Social media is still a challenge. If I had the money, I would create a better combination for myself and Working Together members. There are several web options I would love to develop, but can't focus on myself. I would rather invest in them and earn income that way. I hope I get to that point soon. I don't need to own everything, but I do need to be the sole owner of Working Together so I can pass it on the someone who will take care of GOD's people. It's hard to find that person right now.
My website still needs to be updated and revised. I continue to pray about it. I don't have a good answer from GOD yet, so I am waiting. This is hard. I want to "get it done!" As I develop my Etsy options, and other personal sales venues, I am also thinking about how to make the website reflect the new focus. I generally do a review of everything at the end of each year, so my goal is to get it all brought up to date for 2015. I'm working on new prices, PayPal links, changing the homepage design, better descriptions, and updating my Spiritual Resource page...probably a lot more, too.
In the midst of my long struggle, and all the conflicts between the LGBT community and Christians, the topic of "hate crimes" always seems to come up. I have discovered what some call "activism" is pretty close to a hate crime in my eyes, and sometimes it crosses the line. In the middle of all this struggle, I decided a good definition of a hate crime between Christians and LGBT supporters could be :: "if someone purposely affects another person's life in a negative way, simply because they disagree with their views," it could be called a hate crime. I have never thought of doing some of the things I have seen happening or personally experienced...I doubt any Christian would. I also don't think the label is negated if there is no obvious proof. In my heart, I would be committing a hate crime if I did anything to another person because they held a different opinion, be it LGBT, Black, Mexican, Asian, White, Christian, Atheist, etc.
The Bible tells us what the End Times will become. My personal challenge is to figure out how to protect Christians as it becomes a reality.
8 OCT 2014 :: Poverty and Prayers
Thought I better get this done earlier today. :-)
I was catching parts of a movie about a young girl growing up in a hard part of Los Angeles and trying to win the National Spelling Bee. I was walking through the room when the end came on. Poverty neighborhoods are a gauntlet to live through. Hollywood versions are always upgraded, but it is wonderful to think about families coming together, schools and communities gathering for each other, kids overcoming the handicaps of their life, and all the things a good movie like this can bring to our hearts.
I seem to cry when poverty issues are brought up in the news, in print media, and now in social media. Crimes are committed, prisons are full, lives are destroyed (senselessly), and cemeteries are only place to find rest from the hardships of poverty...but, if we die without salvation, there won't be any rest from pain throughout our eternal existence.
Suffering is hard to watch. If you don't have the power to change it, there is nothing you can do except watch, and pray. I sometimes wonder how many organizations a single person, a regular person, can support. I can see why people in the End Times will eventually have "cold hearts" because of all the problems surrounding us every day. I am already making my own list of groups that I will support when GOD allows me to, but everything else will have to find someone else to be their supporter. Even crowd-funding won't be able to help everyone.
All of these issues surrounding poverty and suffering have touched my life as the years went by. To try to help others, I incorporated as many resources into Working Together as I could. Now I am striving to create the financial foundations that will allow them to be established and maintained for as long as GOD and the Body of Christ need them.
Being poor is not a crime, but it creates hard choices. If you don't have the Bible to guide you, your choices are very different. If I didn't have a relationship with GOD through Christ and the Holy Spirit, I might have been killed or killed myself already. Before I recommitted my life to GOD I did try to kill myself because I didn't want to feel the pain of living anymore. If I didn't have a relationship with GOD, there wouldn't be anything to keep me from doing things that hurt me and others. If I never discovered the love of GOD, there wouldn't be any goodness in my life. Struggling through all the problems I faced without faith in GOD and His Plan for my life would have been impossible.
I received an email asking to know my prayer needs. I answered. It was just too timely. :-) I listed a bunch of my actual needs and then one prayer that would cover it all. :-) That's another version of winning the lottery for me. :-)
Praying doesn't mean we automatically get what we pray for, but it is an important act of faith. I believe GOD provides the things we need to accomplish His Will for our lives...and sometimes that isn't what we want or the process is made more difficult by the one we call the Enemy (Satan).
Hopefully, there will be a light at the end of this tunnel...it's been a long tunnel. :-(
I was catching parts of a movie about a young girl growing up in a hard part of Los Angeles and trying to win the National Spelling Bee. I was walking through the room when the end came on. Poverty neighborhoods are a gauntlet to live through. Hollywood versions are always upgraded, but it is wonderful to think about families coming together, schools and communities gathering for each other, kids overcoming the handicaps of their life, and all the things a good movie like this can bring to our hearts.
I seem to cry when poverty issues are brought up in the news, in print media, and now in social media. Crimes are committed, prisons are full, lives are destroyed (senselessly), and cemeteries are only place to find rest from the hardships of poverty...but, if we die without salvation, there won't be any rest from pain throughout our eternal existence.
Suffering is hard to watch. If you don't have the power to change it, there is nothing you can do except watch, and pray. I sometimes wonder how many organizations a single person, a regular person, can support. I can see why people in the End Times will eventually have "cold hearts" because of all the problems surrounding us every day. I am already making my own list of groups that I will support when GOD allows me to, but everything else will have to find someone else to be their supporter. Even crowd-funding won't be able to help everyone.
All of these issues surrounding poverty and suffering have touched my life as the years went by. To try to help others, I incorporated as many resources into Working Together as I could. Now I am striving to create the financial foundations that will allow them to be established and maintained for as long as GOD and the Body of Christ need them.
Being poor is not a crime, but it creates hard choices. If you don't have the Bible to guide you, your choices are very different. If I didn't have a relationship with GOD through Christ and the Holy Spirit, I might have been killed or killed myself already. Before I recommitted my life to GOD I did try to kill myself because I didn't want to feel the pain of living anymore. If I didn't have a relationship with GOD, there wouldn't be anything to keep me from doing things that hurt me and others. If I never discovered the love of GOD, there wouldn't be any goodness in my life. Struggling through all the problems I faced without faith in GOD and His Plan for my life would have been impossible.
I received an email asking to know my prayer needs. I answered. It was just too timely. :-) I listed a bunch of my actual needs and then one prayer that would cover it all. :-) That's another version of winning the lottery for me. :-)
Praying doesn't mean we automatically get what we pray for, but it is an important act of faith. I believe GOD provides the things we need to accomplish His Will for our lives...and sometimes that isn't what we want or the process is made more difficult by the one we call the Enemy (Satan).
Hopefully, there will be a light at the end of this tunnel...it's been a long tunnel. :-(
7 OCT 2014 :: Almost forgot my blog today! Been looking into crowd-funding options
I spent the past several hours looking into the "indiegogo.com" crowd-funding website. It is a recent discovery for me. I think I saw a Facebook campaign post for an Indiegogo project and went to see what it was about, checking on the Indiegogo site just briefly. Later I saw a news program advocating for a local Indiegogo campaign. I didn't have time to explore it earlier, so I decided to take some time today and discover the costs, requirements, and process to create a funding campaign. I also wanted to see what kind of funding requests they already include and which were more successful.
I have been planning for many years to organize a Kickstarter campaign for one or more of my many business projects at a personal level...I don't think Kickstarter allows business kinds of funding (but I recall some environmental and community, maybe non-profit projects). I have to check on that.
Recently I started to register at Kickstarter so I can start something finally. I am currently going through the required Amazon Payments verification. This is a personal registration so I need to limit my first project to a personal effort...maybe my Letters to Inmates or my book writing efforts, I'm not sure yet. I have a LONG list of things I need to have in order to get anything done/accomplished. :-)
For Working Together, the goal is January 2015 or January 2016...it will take more time to plan something for WT.
As someone who will never be "loan-worthy" by traditional standards, someone who is just beginning to explore social media and blogging in a serious way, and someone who is getting desperate to get some things done before I die or lose the little I have...crowd-funding and winning the lottery seem to be my only financial hope.
For a variety of reasons, my struggles of the past many years have moved me into a kind of isolation. Health issues made that worse. I rarely go out now, have problems getting groceries, "attend" church by TV and radio, and am searching for better solutions to my limited future. I look for the ways I might be able to continue with my goals for Working Together, and how I can gain the ordinary income I need just to accomplish ordinary goals. A regular wage would change everything for me, so I pray for wages through WT, and continue my efforts to sell online at Etsy and other sites. My early retirement from Social Security doesn't begin until February (I was just informed), and that is a mere $375/month. I have only had SNAP/food stamps and about $140 in cash gifts since January. The little that my retirement income will be, it will still be better than what I am dealing with now, and help with some expenses. Right now I am praying to survive until my February check.
All of these issues make it hard to plan a funding campaign, but I think it is the only hope for me right now. How do I put my life and dreams into words? It has been an ongoing problem. :-(
Years ago, when I first started Working Together, I tried to contact established non-profits (probably foundations) for start-up funding. As an individual, I couldn't qualify for anything. That is still the situation for my goals...as far as I have been able to search. Every now and then I would make a new effort to find a foundation that might take my request...I haven't found one yet. This is one reason I planned to focus on membership and benefits to help individuals through its products and programs.
In my search for the place to start the gathering of Christians to Working Together, the foundation of membership keeps coming up. I was rewriting my fiverr.com profile for Working Together and that became one of the important statements. I have decided to focus on that program for two reasons: 1) that it will give me the funding start I really need to begin building Working Together into the member ministry it needs to be, and 2) I planned to have a yearly membership drive in December and January...and that time is near. :-)
I think most of our "progress" as a civilization comes from the hardships we endure. They make us want to find answers, to change the pain that we have suffered so others don't need to experience it. I am still hoping to accomplish that.
I have been planning for many years to organize a Kickstarter campaign for one or more of my many business projects at a personal level...I don't think Kickstarter allows business kinds of funding (but I recall some environmental and community, maybe non-profit projects). I have to check on that.
Recently I started to register at Kickstarter so I can start something finally. I am currently going through the required Amazon Payments verification. This is a personal registration so I need to limit my first project to a personal effort...maybe my Letters to Inmates or my book writing efforts, I'm not sure yet. I have a LONG list of things I need to have in order to get anything done/accomplished. :-)
For Working Together, the goal is January 2015 or January 2016...it will take more time to plan something for WT.
As someone who will never be "loan-worthy" by traditional standards, someone who is just beginning to explore social media and blogging in a serious way, and someone who is getting desperate to get some things done before I die or lose the little I have...crowd-funding and winning the lottery seem to be my only financial hope.
For a variety of reasons, my struggles of the past many years have moved me into a kind of isolation. Health issues made that worse. I rarely go out now, have problems getting groceries, "attend" church by TV and radio, and am searching for better solutions to my limited future. I look for the ways I might be able to continue with my goals for Working Together, and how I can gain the ordinary income I need just to accomplish ordinary goals. A regular wage would change everything for me, so I pray for wages through WT, and continue my efforts to sell online at Etsy and other sites. My early retirement from Social Security doesn't begin until February (I was just informed), and that is a mere $375/month. I have only had SNAP/food stamps and about $140 in cash gifts since January. The little that my retirement income will be, it will still be better than what I am dealing with now, and help with some expenses. Right now I am praying to survive until my February check.
All of these issues make it hard to plan a funding campaign, but I think it is the only hope for me right now. How do I put my life and dreams into words? It has been an ongoing problem. :-(
Years ago, when I first started Working Together, I tried to contact established non-profits (probably foundations) for start-up funding. As an individual, I couldn't qualify for anything. That is still the situation for my goals...as far as I have been able to search. Every now and then I would make a new effort to find a foundation that might take my request...I haven't found one yet. This is one reason I planned to focus on membership and benefits to help individuals through its products and programs.
In my search for the place to start the gathering of Christians to Working Together, the foundation of membership keeps coming up. I was rewriting my fiverr.com profile for Working Together and that became one of the important statements. I have decided to focus on that program for two reasons: 1) that it will give me the funding start I really need to begin building Working Together into the member ministry it needs to be, and 2) I planned to have a yearly membership drive in December and January...and that time is near. :-)
I think most of our "progress" as a civilization comes from the hardships we endure. They make us want to find answers, to change the pain that we have suffered so others don't need to experience it. I am still hoping to accomplish that.
6 OCT 2014 :: Jihad, Communism, Socialism, Democracy, or Dictatorship?
I have been wanting to remind the world about China and Communism since I rediscovered a writing I kept. I will write it below, as best I can. It is called The Ten Principles of War, by Mao Zedong. It is a scary vision of the future when we think of China's attacks on our cyberspace, how much of our debt they own, and how deeply connected we are by commerce. These short statements offer us a reality check about our enemy and how it proposes to win its battles. They may be slightly adapted for modern situations, but Communist theology and goals are still alive.
THE TEN PRINCIPLES OF WAR
Attack isolated enemy forces first.
Take towns and rural areas first, take big cities later.
Wiping out the enemy's strength is the main objective, not seizing territory.
Only attack enemy forces that can be completely overcome.
Fight no battle you are not sure of winning.
Have courage in battle and no fear of sacrifice or fatigue.
Attack the enemy when he is on the move.
In cities, seize all weakly defended battlements. Wait before attacking strong enemy lines.
Use captured arms and personnel to reinforce.
Rest, train and consolidate in short intervals. The enemy should be permitted scant breathing.
I have often considered the song by John Lennon to be about the theory of Communism... Imagine...[all good things]. It is a wonderful thought, like the Bible's vision of love and equality and freedom and peace. I don't believe history records a single society that has actually existed according to these goals. There are always those human beings that want to have at someone else's expense, want to control others, want to use violence to force others into submission. Now we have Islamist that want to take over the world and rule according to their brand of spiritual leadership.
I heard a guest on a news program, probably 60 Minutes last night, that said China is bombarding not only our government computers, but business computers as well...looking for secrets to steal, ways to win in business negotiations, and more. I doubt that China is the only one. (I think the man I heard on TV said that China was the largest threat, but not the only one.)
I assume anything connected to the Internet is fair game...for anyone. I think a lot of our military and police equipment are attached to the Internet, which puts us at risk. Airplanes, trains, boats, cars, houses, and security systems everywhere. It's going to be a problem as time goes by and we will have to find a solution for it.
It makes me wonder what will happen to the US if someone is able to incapacitate our military and business systems, power grids, and other important networks that we rely on. Soon there won't be any cash systems, only online transfers...which sounds like the Mark of the Beast to me. I bought a wind-up clock at the thrift store, but if I don't keep it going, how will I know what time to set it for if all the electronic ones die? Watches are becoming extinct, and they are run by batteries, too. We never think it will happen to us, and that makes us a better target.
GOD has warned us about these days through prophecies. You have to read about them and decide what you think is going to happen, how it all fits into our world, or if it is still far away. If you don't read about it, you won't be able to see GOD's warnings, and make the right response.
Start with Revelations and some good books that explain it, and tell you where to look for the other prophesies about the End Times and the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast.
THE TEN PRINCIPLES OF WAR
Attack isolated enemy forces first.
Take towns and rural areas first, take big cities later.
Wiping out the enemy's strength is the main objective, not seizing territory.
Only attack enemy forces that can be completely overcome.
Fight no battle you are not sure of winning.
Have courage in battle and no fear of sacrifice or fatigue.
Attack the enemy when he is on the move.
In cities, seize all weakly defended battlements. Wait before attacking strong enemy lines.
Use captured arms and personnel to reinforce.
Rest, train and consolidate in short intervals. The enemy should be permitted scant breathing.
I have often considered the song by John Lennon to be about the theory of Communism... Imagine...[all good things]. It is a wonderful thought, like the Bible's vision of love and equality and freedom and peace. I don't believe history records a single society that has actually existed according to these goals. There are always those human beings that want to have at someone else's expense, want to control others, want to use violence to force others into submission. Now we have Islamist that want to take over the world and rule according to their brand of spiritual leadership.
I heard a guest on a news program, probably 60 Minutes last night, that said China is bombarding not only our government computers, but business computers as well...looking for secrets to steal, ways to win in business negotiations, and more. I doubt that China is the only one. (I think the man I heard on TV said that China was the largest threat, but not the only one.)
I assume anything connected to the Internet is fair game...for anyone. I think a lot of our military and police equipment are attached to the Internet, which puts us at risk. Airplanes, trains, boats, cars, houses, and security systems everywhere. It's going to be a problem as time goes by and we will have to find a solution for it.
It makes me wonder what will happen to the US if someone is able to incapacitate our military and business systems, power grids, and other important networks that we rely on. Soon there won't be any cash systems, only online transfers...which sounds like the Mark of the Beast to me. I bought a wind-up clock at the thrift store, but if I don't keep it going, how will I know what time to set it for if all the electronic ones die? Watches are becoming extinct, and they are run by batteries, too. We never think it will happen to us, and that makes us a better target.
GOD has warned us about these days through prophecies. You have to read about them and decide what you think is going to happen, how it all fits into our world, or if it is still far away. If you don't read about it, you won't be able to see GOD's warnings, and make the right response.
Start with Revelations and some good books that explain it, and tell you where to look for the other prophesies about the End Times and the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast.
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