Skip to main content

What To Do First to Make a Profit

The PF Women Team at our Annual Team Retreat  ~ 2018 Today on Seth Godin's blog, he said: It's tempting to decide to make a profit first, then invest in training, people, facilities, promotion, customer service and most of all, doing important work. In general, though, it goes the other way. Yes, it does. If you are waiting to make a profit before you do these things, in my experience you're  not going to make a profit. So many organizations, ministries and churches are struggling with financial issues. I know your pain. As anyone who follows our story knows, our ministry was in a ton of debt four years ago when I came on as director.  Since that time, we've gotten out of debt and turned a profit every year.  God has done amazing things through out team, for which we give Him the glory! I find that what Seth is saying here is absolutely true, with one disclaimer. For Christian leaders, spiritual disciplines must always be first. Before we started inve

Holiday Preparations and Traditions

I think I've hit my limit tonight. After coming home from 1/2 day at the office today I started cleaning/cooking. So far I have the pies done and the sweet potato casserole, and I have the table set. I also have some of the cleaning done but not near enough. However, I think I'm quitting for tonight and I'll get up and start working in the morning although Larry and I are sleeping in. I should still have about 2 hours to clean after getting up and around before company comes. Or should I say after "family" comes. T and Misty and the kids are coming. Yeah! I wish all the staff could come but all the rest are with their biological families. :-)

Larry rented us a movie to see tonight, Take the Lead. I'm getting ready to warm up a scone for myself and some tea and sit down here with him to watch it. The boys went to Steven's tonight so we just have SR. She's been helping me with pies, giving Geena a bath, and cleaning her room.

I got this questionnaire from another pastor’s wife and thought I’d answer it for fun for all of you out there who give a rip about my Christmas traditions:


1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Usually hot tea or coffee.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He absolutely wraps them.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored. I think it’s a more old fashioned look, and it reminds me of when I grew up. White lights just weren’t in back then…I’m a child of the 60’s/70’s.
4 . Do you hang mistletoe? I really don’t need it. My husband and I make out all the time without it around so what in the world would we do WITH it?
5. When do you put your decorations up? The day after Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Stuffing and my sweet potato casserole. I can’t just pick one. My favorite food (all year round) is mashed potatoes. But I don’t consider that my favorite holiday food since I have it all the time.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: Singing Christmas carols either at church or out in the neighborhood. And our Christmas programs/concerts at school.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I never believed Santa brought the presents as a child…I always just thought he was a figure like Mickey Mouse.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, we usually always do. Everyone in our family opens one.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Our tree is full of 20 years of memories. Nothing matches. It’s a “family tree” with ornaments given to us by friends and family, and homemade ornaments from the kids.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? At Christmas time love it, but I’m so glad to be a Floridian now. I don’t like dealing with it year round.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes. I love skating.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Wow…picking one of of 40 Christmases is kind of hard…but it would probably honestly be the first year my husband got to be with me on Christmas and did not have to work another job on Christmas day as he did our first two years in ministry.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Enjoying every single minute of it as much as I can. I watched one of my closest friends pass away twelve years ago now, and seeing his face as he realized it was his last Christmas…was a very difficult thing. I determined then never to take it for granted.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Absolutely Pumpkin Pie. (“There’s a happy feeling nothing in this world can buy…as they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie! It’d nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives…these wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives…”)
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to Chinese with my family on Christmas Eve. Also taking some extra time to snuggle with my darling Larry.
17. What tops your tree? An angel
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. Nothing makes me happier than giving to people. I wish I could do it so much more than I do. I always pray that God would give me more and more so I can give more and more. I have big dreams of what I want to give the people around me.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? hymn? O Little Town of Bethlehem and The Birthday of a King.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I like looking at them and decorating my tree with them, but not eating them.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Some people will never understand this...

And that's okay. Just let us be as we lavish love upon the fur-kids of the world. It doesn't mean we don't care about people. We do care. In fact most of the people I know who are great pet lovers are also the greatest philanthropists. If you're not a dog lover, you might not understand the overwhelming intensity that many of us felt about Tank's reunion this past week. You might think we've lost our marbles. That's okay, we think you've lost your heart. ;)  Before I go on with this post, let me say that we were delighted that CBS 10 posted the video and article about Tank and his Celebration Church reunion yesterday. Click here to watch it. (But then come back!) If you haven't realized it, there is a revolution in America about dogs. Dogs have always been loved and known as the most loyal companions ~ "man's best friend". But things have gone way beyond this. Dogs aren't just dogs or friends anymore. They are family me

Fifty Shades of No Way

This weekend, the Fifty Shades of Grey movie will be released and millions of women are expected to flock to the theat er s.  I will not be one of those women.   As a leader of women , some have asked me about this movie. The following is my thoughtful response. Fifty Shades of Grey has topped best-seller lists around the world. The book series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and been translated into 52 languages. It set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time.   Is Fifty Shades of Grey just a harmless book or movie? Although n o one seems to be debating this fact, let’s first establish that it’s pornography.  And not just porn, but a genre that is even more dangerous for women. The book glorifies a female character that is controlled and abused by her partner.   Who is excited about this book and mov ie? Hmmmm….you might be surprised. Many women and girls in our churches have read it. Sadly, I am even aware of

Relevant Church doing something...

incredibly RELEVANT!

I just heard some news today that really inspired me. A church here in Tampa, Relevant Church is doing a new thing this month called the "30 Days Sex Challenge." (I've never visited the church but Pastor Trinity - our children's pastor - has visited or has met some people from this church and he was very impressed.) Realizing that this is a major element missing from some marriages (the frequency factor) their lead pastor, Paul Wirth, has issued a challenge for all the married couples to have sex for 30 days in a row. At the same time he has issued a challenge for all unmarrieds to completely abstain from sex. Of course we know the Bible says that those who are unmarried should not have sex in the first place but the point is, a lot of unmarried's aren't obeying the Lord's command to abstain and this is just one pastor's way of trying to get them to see that indeed, there is a better way! (God's way!) At the same time, many married couples are not