My Story

ABOUT ME: A LONG SHORT-STORY

Hi there, friends. My name is Donna.

This is not an easy story to shorten. I have lived a long time and I have done a lot of things. But most of those things, if not all, have brought me to the point of building this project and sharing my point(s) of view with you. There may be a special reason you found this website, and I hope you discover it.

Let me begin with why I want to connect with the Christian community. It’s been on my heart for a long time to build a business online that speaks to you, my fellow believers, and to you, soon to become believers, what God says in His own Word(s) about our various work-a-day and financial endeavors. We just don’t talk about this very much in church, mostly not at all.

On this we are missing the mark. It’s time to step up.

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14

Most Christian websites, which are decidedly and obviously devoted to God’s message and to His service, feature serious theologians, biblical exposition, written sermons and Bible studies, church services online, and every form of blog, video, podcast, and music, from hymns, to praise, to worship, etc. And I love to listen to them, to study and learn from them, to hear all kinds of Christian music. You get the idea.

But about our Christian Walk, while we are at work, or as we establish businesses, we hear little.

I must add, though, as I research for this project, I am discovering more works heading in this direction, and I will be sharing these with you.

“Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.” Proverbs 22: 29

This website is for you too, stay-at-home moms (and dads). With the economy the way it is now, you may find information about online opportunities to help with expenses especially interesting. Look around, read a few articles, and stick with me. Soon, you will see what I mean.

And for those of you in retirement, this could be your cup of tea. In fact, grab your tea and read on.

This website, theonlinechristian.com is, metaphorically, a 9:00 to 5:00 job, my work for our Creator, which explores work on the internet.

Working a job or running a business is what most of us do most of the time. This we do to exist. And God absolutely does care about this part of our lives, the biggest part. We work or we don’t eat.

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4, ESV.)

We are not all cut out to be a Pastor or Evangelist, but we all have a calling. Here, I plan to sift some wheat from the tares of religiosity. Watch for it. I love the Bible, and we’re going to dig deep to learn what God has to say about business and everyday subjects, of which there are many– and a few may, or may not, be controversial.

Watch here for news about finance and banking, blockchain and crypto, science, even discussions about Facebook/Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI, translated GPT4.

Who would Jesus vote for?

This website is for you, and I am hoping for some dialogue. Let’s follow the Holy Spirit’s lead and see where He takes us. I appreciate your input and you will find various places inviting your comments.

“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb 4:12, AMP)

You may discover I often have a different point of view from you. But we will never disagree on the fundamentals.

Jesus was born a man, the product of immaculate conception, and grew up facing everything we face, but did not sin. He died at the hands of an evil, pharisaical government on a cross, rose on the third day, ascended to Heaven, and will return in bodily form– hopefully sooner than later.

Small Beginnings

Early on I pursued a career as a waitress. Wow, what a goal. But I was twenty, and the work was fun, really fun. I began having fun flipping a few burgers in the local drugstore fountain grill. Then I flipped burgers in college, and finally, I graduated to being a waitress in the semi-big city of Spokane, WA, USA. Now, that was fun. I made money.

Understand, I am from a small Eastern Washington town. I drove my dad’s wheat truck. I did not cook. The eldest of three girls, I was my dad’s boy. I grew up in church and I grew up with ethics spelled out in the Bible, KJV.

My first boss liked these qualities, and he promoted me to Head Waitress. He once said to me “Babe, you got class“. Really? Had he forgotten I graduated in a class of fifty?

I have never forgotten those words, though. They gave me courage. Hence, I applied to the finest dining establishment in Spokane– and low and behold, I got the job and learned all kinds of fancy waitress skills, like carrying a gigantic tray, which held nine lidded entrees.

There is a lesson here: Say complementary things to people.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17, NKJV)

ONWARD AND UPWARD

To work on the top of the Space Needle was a lofty goal. . ..

. . . A lofty goal, indeed, but I did go to work there, on top of the Needle. I climbed to new heights (or rode the elevator) to wait on an expectant public, while enjoying a panoramic view of Seattle. This was a fun job. And I made lots of money.

(The Space Needle has a virtual tour online–check it out. They should pay me for this advertising, don’t you think?)

There is a method to my madness here, and by the time I finish this short story, we will all know what that is.

While working in the restaurant with the revolving dining room, 600 +/- feet above the earth, I met my husband and future business partner. And we’ve been going around in circles ever since.

It was meant to be. It was a God thing. Working for Western International Hotels (now Westin) under which the Space Needle then operated, gave both me and Steve (husband) extensive food service training, fine dining skills, and confidence (no small thing). All this left me with a taste for heights of excellence. Yes, that was a pun, two of them. I like cliches too.

“I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.” (Oscar Wilde)

But one day I stepped off the rotating platform and asked:

What’s it all about, Alphie? Is my “Working Vacation” over?

So, during 14 years of professional studism, I worked at the Space Needle, lived in Alaska (me alone), Hawaii (me and Steve), and a lot of other places–- all this long enough for permanent wanderlust to set in. More on that later.

After graduating in Business Administration and Marketing, though English and Art were my preferred majors, and writing a someday dream, we started a food service business in the small town of my K through 12, the formative years. The photo below describes the area, Whitman County, which is known as the “Wheat Basket of the USA”.

I had to use that business degree, didn’t I? Let’s get into the business of food service. Why not?

(P.S. There’s a reason they call a Bachelor of Science degree, especially one in Business, a B.S. degree.)

Wheat Harvest, Snake River, WA State

Photo by DALL-E

Yes, I gained a food service contract, left Seattle (and Alaska, and Hawaii) and brought my big city husband to a small eastern Washington State wheat-farming community. And over many years, we operated all kinds of restaurants/bars/marinas/etc., etc., including the campground resort located in the valley shown in the photo rendition above (kudos to ChatGPT4/DALL-E, a story in itself, and one we will get around to talking about).

Well, our training in distinction paid off. We founded our new business on a beloved scripture: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23, NIV).

And we adopted “All in Excellence” as our tagline and went to work.

It’ s hard to define excellence, but when you see it, you know it. When the flatware is spotless and lined up perfectly with the setting across the table, and the chair backs form a razor-sharp line, as an observer, you may not know what’s right, you just know it is.

I learned about business, for real. We contracted or owned every type of restaurant, from one that served a campground and marina, to a retirement food service, to a fine dining and catering operation, to a bar and grill, to an Arby’s franchise. For several years, we ran three of these operations at the same time.

Have you noticed a disconnect yet? Well, there’s more than one. No money. No travel. No fun.

In the end, Steve had been hijacked to run the entire retirement facility. I wore all the business owners’ hats, including a Chef’s hat. When did I learn how to cook? Duties included Hiring, Training, Scheduling, Menu Design, Purchasing, Accounting, Marketing, and Laundry.

We made an OK living, but we were stuck and spinning our wheels. Had there been enough money, there would have been no time for vacations. Further scaling was unrealistic. We were too big to be a mom & pop and we were too small to hire managers.

We were tired, we weren’t having fun, and wanderlust was kicking in. It was time for a change.

Notice, however, the timing. God’s timing is always perfect. Our daughter, Diana, had a remarkable childhood, of which four and a half years were spent living at the Snake River resort I mentioned. From age five to ten, during the summers she played with her campground friends and got waited on in our “Stillwaters” Restaurant. Later, she worked at our Arby’s in town and learned how work is related to money.

She attended the same great school I did, K through 12, with a graduating class of 72. And she wasted no time moving to Spokane and getting a waitress job, which in an uncanny twist of fate, turned out to be the first restaurant I worked in.  

There are reasons far beyond money to raise one’s children in a small town.

Summertime Fun in a Small Town

Photo by DALL-E

So, Steve held down the fort while I went looking for a new gig.

Jacqueline of all trades— and handy with a chef’s knife, I know how, when, and where to carve out a new career.

Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand well. (Jack London)

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE — LADY OVER THE ROAD

Not long after hanging up my apron, I happened to be talking to my son, Tim, who had taken up long-haul trucking. His stories about life on the road were intriguing, some funny, some scary. I knew it was demanding work, but it sounded fun, and I was jealous because he got to see all the country.

I commented how I wished I could do that, but surely, I was too old. Tim assured me I was not too old. He told me trucking companies would hire anyone who had a clean driving record and could touch their toes.

Whoa! Wait a minute. Count me in.

His company had a truck-driving school, an upcoming class, and the truck. My son was my trainer and later that year, I was my husband’s trainer.

Never Drive a Semi-Truck under a Low Bridge

No, I Never Did That — My Greatest Fear

As an over-the-hill-female, I went semi-truck-driving. Ballsy, right? Even I am in awe of that.

We took off on a road trip that lasted eight years. Now that was a real working vacation. We saw all in the continental US except Vermont and Main.

This is a normal progression, is it not– from college and waitressing, to restauranteering, to big-truck driving, to writing for a Christian website and teaching others how to do it?

The point is: It is never too late to do something new and different. Change is good. I’m sure you’ve heard it said, the one thing that will not change is change.

And I had a lifetime of experience.

My resume is crazy. Looking back on those days, it was a patchwork quilt stitched together with life experiences. But there was a common thread, our faith, and the flexibility it gave us to adapt.

Digital Travel, The Best Kind of Working Vacation

I’m sure you understand, bodies have a timeline for trucking. It’s hard work. My days as a lady trucker were over. I went back to food service for a time. Was that easier? Well, no!

However, during my time on the road, the seeds of digital opportunity had already begun to germinate. And I always had an eye on the future. These were the days of the Blackberry phone, pre-smart phone, and the internet was fast becoming the rage. It was then that I stumbled upon affiliate marketing and Bitcoin. What can I say– technology was hard for me then, and it’s still hard for me now.

It takes determination.

You might wonder how I got online from inside a moving truck. First, I was not driving. No, I was working, off duty, in my double bunk condo, while we barreled down the road.

Sprint had smartly designed a wireless card which fit into the computer and connected me to the internet in almost every state.

I got involved in investing online then. As soon as the internet became interactive, every service in the world began to appear there. I discovered E-Trade. And soon I found Go-Daddy, which was in the initial stages of selling domains and becoming the premier place for an entrepreneur to build a website.

I could navigate E-Trade. I even accidentally made a little money on options, but I absolutely did not know what I was doing.

I did not have the technical skills to build a business online– only the skill to buy online. I have always had purchasing skills. LOL. Just ask Steve.

Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to buy BTC. And by the time Coinbase rolled out, BTC cost $18,000. By the way, that was a good deal.

I bought domains but could not build the website. Early marketers were excellent at taking my money, but NOT good at teaching me how to do the technical stuff.

And there was one more thing I did while bouncing down the highway. I wrote. And I wrote. And I wrote.

FAST FORWARD TO WEALTHY AFFILIATE

Wealthy Affiliate has become a beacon of excellence in the world of Affiliate Marketing, Website Building, Blogging, Online Business Training, Hosting, and AI Platforms.

Since my introduction to it in 2016, I have been a part of its evolution and have witnessed firsthand the empowerment it brings to entrepreneurs. Technology has finally advanced to a place where I can do it (mostly). It is no longer in the lucky hands of a few geeks.

This brings us to the core of my mission. I have managed businesses you can touch, taste, and feel– but recognizing the inevitable advance of technology and how much I love learning it, I booked the next Working Vacation with Wealthy Affiliate. And now I want to share this trip with my Christian friends.

Joining Hands in Ministry Through Entrepreneurship

I’ve always envisioned my work going beyond the conventional. You’re going to find out that at TheOnlineChristian.com, this vision comes to life through the union of Christian ministry and the world of online entrepreneurship.

If you want to explore how your faith can intertwine with business, Wealthy Affiliate is an incredible starting point, and I’m here to guide you through their exceptional training and resources which have been instrumental in my own journey. I’ve been loving it.

I use and may recommend other resources, but Wealthy Affiliate is my main online, business teaching platform and my main community. I maintain that building a well-designed and attractive website must be your first online pursuit.

After you explore Wealthy Affiliate, you will begin to understand why it aligns so well with our Christian ethos of service and sacrifice, ethics and excellence.

What should you do?

Choose something that resonates with you to do online, something that allows you to serve others while also fulfilling your entrepreneurial spirit. And if that’s building an online business that upholds your Christian values, then you’re in the right place.

Now is the time when entrepreneurial Christians, Christians active in the Public forum, can actively seek to make their mark online. Are you ready to take this leap of faith with me?

If you want to see what I’m talking about now, go here, but please come back and check out the other pages and articles– and for sure, leave me comments.

Thank you for reading.