The day was a rest and slowly recuperating day for me... not idle, just moving a little more slowly. It is how I recover when I try to do too much some days. I am learning how to plan my activities, but I don't always know how to limit my actions when I have long lists of things to get done. We all face this problem, age makes it a bit more critical because it can lead to death, or maybe infirmity. I am learning to "pace" myself and get my body back to a better physical shape.
I am thankful for your patience (and assuming you are forgiving :-).
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Today I was busy with my September recordkeeping... the starting balances and budgeting activities for this new month. I recently created a "cash flow" sheet for my own process, and was updating it with revisions and information. It is a record of my spending, but not quite the same as my other budgeting efforts. I hope to keep it in a place I can access every day so all the important details will be recorded.
The thing I like about this version is that I can see my balances and keep track of what I have available for the things I need to achieve my goals... I can better decide if I can buy something that would help me, or if I need to wait for the next month or further down the road.
The other day I checked on getting a secured credit card so I can work on building some kind of credit for the future. I was told the money you deposit has to be held for two years, and the minimum balance is $300. With a poverty background, collections are a part of life. The person I spoke with didn't think the secured savings account would be safe from collections activities... which makes the plan to try to get a secured credit card worthless. I shall have to wait... or find another alternative... or, since the person I spoke with wasn't sure, I might have to keep asking. :-) Recovery from a lot of crises is such a pain.
I need a place to save money for all the many financial issues that I am facing, but it seems to be a difficult goal. I hope to figure something out soon.
The news is not very good these days... so many police being shot... in one city there is a sniper that seems to be shooting random people.
The stock market has been unstable for many years. It is like a roller coaster, and no one knows if they will survive financially. It has taken me some time to understand the Bull and Bear terminology... and I'm not sure I fully comprehend the references, but I think a down market is a (wild, attacking, threatening) bear and a rising profitable market is a (strong, charging) bull... If that isn't right, just change the animals. :-)
My view of stocks is that you look for a company you believe in and want to invest in, with the plan to stay with them through the ups and downs of business.
It has been a goal of mine
through Working Together
to help Christian businesses.
One of the choices for us and for potential businesses would be for Working Together to purchase 10% of a company's stock in exchange for a standard financial investment. The 10% ownership would allow us to have a seat on the Board of Directors and remain involved in the daily activities and growth of the company. A stock investment would not create debt for the company we invest in, and would eventually (hopefully) create income for Working Together.
My view is to make it a long-term investment strategy for Working Together, its members, and those who will live past us.
By investing in Christian companies, we would be supporting the Body of Christ and forming a partnership to help us all through the expected hard days ahead. It has always been my plan to purchase as many Christian assets as possible to protect the future of Christians and to keep us from losing them to the world. It is my hope these companies would provide work options for both the Christian community and Working Together members.
Board membership allows us to be ready to help in the future. We can increase our investments in companies that warrant a larger involvement, or we can limit our financial commitment to the 10% maximum.
The associated goal would be to invest our resources in the products we would need to survive.
I spent many years working out the details for Working Together, but am still waiting for GOD to provide the starting funds I could never raise, or the sales I would need to establish these programs. The goals of Working Together are to save as many as possible, to create a way to provide basic survival resources for the Body of Christ. My experiences with poverty helped me to focus on what would be the most important resources.
Now that age and health are affecting my plans, writing my vision down is growing more important. In reading about successful social service programs (non-profits) while at the University of Oregon or in my own studies, I came to see that most programs die with the loss of their founder. They may continue, but they are never the same. I don't know how much writing out my vision would help Working Together or the future of Christians all over the world, but it seems to be an important quest to me... and would allow me to share the reasons why I think each element of Working Together is important. It may also encourage others to think about and prepare for the unknown future based on what the Bible tells us is coming.
I can see why visions die with their founders because of the challenges I have faced. I doubt there is another person that sees the End Times the way I do, or has the combination of past experiences I do... or has the same priorities as I do. GOD has a purpose for all the things that are called my life, I just don't know what that purpose is... what part I play in the process... or maybe I should say ::
I just don't know why God hasn't already provided
the finances Working Together needs.
In the Bible we read that GOD acts "at the appointed time," that our sorrows are not always because of something we have done, and that sometimes the angels sent to help us are delayed. Whatever the answer is,
GOD knows what He is doing.
He is the one in charge of our lives.
We have to trust Him,
and His love for us.
