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The Problem is the Solution

March 16, 2020
Cultural Influence, Gardening Tips, God's Gifts to Us, Jerjoboch Permaculture Learning Center, prayer, Total LIfe Makeover
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Our island in the sky is trying to tell us something, are we listening?
Our island in the sky is trying to tell us something. Are we listening?

An Unseen Virus

Now we have the effects of Covid-19 which have been devastating to us humans. It has shut down all the things that modern society have until a few weeks ago took for granted as necessities in our lives. Our extracurricular activities are being put on hold. Even our education and our jobs are being curtailed as day by day the numbers increase.

“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”

Bill Mollison

One of the principles in permaculture is that the problem is part of the solution, especially when you’re dealing with nature. The reason that nature does what it does is to create that balance that we talking about. The answer to the problem of being able to deal with Covid-19 is in understanding what nature is trying to tell us.

With major upheaval in our lives almost on a daily basis right now, it seems to me as though nature is unleashing her fury on humankind to bring herself back into balance.

The unprecedented floods and wild fires weren’t enough to get our attention. Current economic policies haven’t helped matters, in fact, in many ways they have made it worse. In the quest for the almighty dollar, regulations have been lessened allowing for land to be stripped of its trees to make way intensive farming practices that strip the soil from the earth. Air regulations have been lessened so that industries can reduce the cost of pollution containment. The effects on nature however, have been positive in that in places like China and Italy where air pollution has been noticeably diminished. This virus however serves as only a warning.

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from Heaven and heal their land.”

I Chronicles 7:14

Our answer is in reconnecting with our creator and his creation. We were created to tend the garden called Earth. We were made from the dust of the earth. In the cool of the evening, God would come and commune with Adam as he tended the garden. My suggestion to all of us is for us to take time of quarantine to reconnect with nature and God. If there’s any way for you to get outside, plant a garden and talk to God. If you’re not able to because of the quarantine, take the time to learn about how to naturally tend the earth, then start after quarantine is lifted. Go to a park. Go to a local farm. Do something to reconnect with what God gave us. And pray. Prayer is just talking with our creator.

What I am Doing

I am not just suggesting something that I wouldn’t do. The area where I live hasn’t been impacted much yet so I am taking this narrow window that I still have to get out to my property in the country so that I can start my gardens. Today I am packing up and tomorrow actually moving to what will be The Jerjoboch Permaculture Learning Center.

Please, even if you can’t get out, take the time to read my gardening book.

Get Your Copy Today

AND PLEASE STAY SAFE

While Watching Irma

September 11, 2017
Cultural Influence, Perspective, prayer
2 Comments

Writing While Watching Irma

This weekend, I had been watching the progress of the catastrophic storm that Irma has become make its way up the coast of Florida. I am writing this on Sunday, so the storm has just started coming onto land in Florida. From the looks of it, the storm will be hugging the west coast of the state maintaining its strength as a category 4 storm most of the state’s length. My prayers are with the residents of that state just as they were with residents of the Houston area during Hurricane Harvey.

 

Here in Missouri, the weather is perfect. Temperatures are in the upper seventies and low eighties with low humidity. Ironically, here in Missouri, we could use some of rain (haven’t had any for almost three weeks) and it doesn’t look as though we will be getting any of Irma’s rain.

Living Today, The Power of Now, Live on Kindle

Cover B

My latest book, Living Today, the Power of Now, is now live on Kindle. The book is only $2.99 on Kindle (higher cost in print, of course) and like all of my books, it is free if you use Kindle Unlimited.

Final Edits on Two New Books

Yesterday I got the final edits back of two new books. These books I will have to work making the changes my editor recommends and then start preparing for publication. I have developed a pretty good system of getting the editing and formatting in print and in digital formats done. I also need get a good cover for my books and then they will be ready to be launched. These two books will be Book VI of the Locket Saga: The Anvil and a nonfiction book: Write a Book To Ignite Your Business.

Other Books in the Works

In addition to the edits on the two books already mentioned, I am also working on the second draft of Book VII of the Locket Saga: Two Rivers.

 

In addition, I am thinking about what I am going to write about in Book VIII of the Locket Saga (the exact title has not yet been determined. I was talking with someone about the ideas that I have for this next book. One of the things that I found during my research was about what happened during the first steamboat trip down the Mississippi. I’ll tell more about that history at a later date.

Finally, there is marketing both online and in person. I have been working a lot on twitter during the past few weeks, but one of my main events is coming up. Next weekend, I will be in Marionville, Missouri at the Meeting Place on the main road in the town from 11-3pm. I will be signing and selling not only my new book, Living Today, The Power of Now in print but also the other books that I have written. These books include all five novels of the Locket Saga, Simply Vegetable Gardening, Using Diatomaceous Earth around the House and Yard, and Help from Kelp.

My life goes on the same as usual and I will continue with all the writing that I am doing.. However, everything is not life as usual for everyone. People are still cleaning up from Hurricane Harvey and soon the cleanup will begin in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. There are ways that we all can help from praying, sending monitary support and volunteering with the cleanup.

When Answers to Prayer Seem To Take Forever

November 4, 2015
prayer
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Abraham, Sarah and Hagar

Do you ever have those days, weeks, months, years, and even decades when you have prayed for a specific thing and nothing ever seems to happen in that area of your life.

My Own Personal Challenges

I know that I have faced some challenges to my faith and lately when I have been in prayer, there are times when I ask God if praying is really even worth the effort. All throughout my life, God has told me that he was planning to use me for great things. Within the past two years I lost 3 family members, (father, brother, and sister), my marriage has dissolved, I got an easy boring job that anyone could do, but I still lost it through no fault of my own. I live in a tiny travel trailer with no heat (hope to get it this week). I am financially living on fumes and God’s grace at the moment. I am not twenty, thirty, forty, or even fifty years old any more and I was thinking that if my prayers are going to be answered, God had better hurry up and start answering a few of them.

Remember Abraham?

As I was complaining to God about all of the things that were going wrong in my life and how I never seemed to catch a break, God reminded me of Abraham. At one point, Abraham had about given up on the answers to his prayers. He prayed to God for a son. He was eighty years old and he was about ready to give up. His wife was past her child bearing years and had not been able to produce a son for him. Abraham had finally resigned to the idea that his servant would inherit all of his wealth. However, one day God came to him and told him that he would father a son. For years it didn’t happen.

Helping God is A No-No

Then Abraham decided that he would help God make it happen and he made the mistake of fathering a child with his wife’s servant Hagar. It was the biggest mistake of Abraham’s life. The so called descendants of Hagar, the servant woman have been a problem ever since.
However, God eventually did exactly as he promised. He gave Abraham and his wife Sarah a son whom they named Isaac or laughter.

A Lesson Learned

The important lesson that we can learn from Abraham’s experience is to first and always trust God. Second, God doesn’t need our help to make things happen. Three, God wants us to wait for his perfect plan and it always brings joy and yes, even laughter.

A New Undertaking

Last Sunday I gave my first sermon at my new church. The church didn’t have a huge attendance (three of us were there), but it was an anointed service. Come visit any time. This appointment was a real miracle for me. Even after all of the plotting and scheming that I have done over the years of “making something happen”, one day I saw that my friend was getting ready to go out as an evangelist and that they wanted someone to come and take over their pastor-ship at their church. I called and here I am the pastor of a small church. Scare me? Yes, you bet it does. I realize the responsibility that I  now possess. What are God’s plans in all this? I will continue to go through all of this one day at a time.

IMG_8330 final copy

Donna Brown is the Pastor of Faith in God Church in Brandsville, Missouri. . As Author Cygnet Brown, she  has recently published her first nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

She is also the author of historical fiction series The Locket Saga. which includes When God Turned His Head and Soldiers Don’t Cry, the Locket Saga Continues, and most recently, A Coward’s Solace, Book III of the Locket Saga.For more information about Cygnet Brown and her book, check out her website at http://www.cygnetbrow.com .

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