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
II Thessalonians 3:5-7 (msg) "Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don't permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn't sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn't be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn't because we didn't have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious."
Today we had the last staff meeting of 2006. Then we celebrated by going to staff lunch at Five Guys, and then Coldstone Creamery. Yes, we really "blew it out" today when it came to the fat quotient in our diet. Wowza. I don't want to think about it. :-) I had a special holiday flavor of ice cream - dark chocolate mint. So fattening but...it was really good!
Well, once again I'm so blessed to be working with the people that I am with. II Thessalonians 3:5-7 is one of my favorite scripture verses. I know it sounds kind of crazy to some, but I have "stood on it" through some hard times of working with some real sluggards. Reading scriptures like that let me know that what I expect out of myself (an an example of diligence) is also what God expects not just of me but of others. Many people are comforted by the Psalms. I am too. But strangely enough scripture such as the aforementioned has actually been like a soothing balm to me when I have been struggling and wondering if I was the crazy one. I would read it and know, I was on the right track and someday I'd have the joy of people walking alongside me who also were walking the same track.
With our team we have now we can see that an example of diligence DOES prove contagious. Just look at what has happend in 2006! It's amazing. We're going to look totally different this time next year because we are headed for something more than any of us can imagine.
Well, speaking of hard work, I'm needing some rest. No, I'm not writing this as a complaint. Not at all, and in fact I always hesitate to even approach the topic when I am ever tired because well meaning (but ignorant people) say, "just quit..." or crazy stuff like that. Usually people who tell me to slow down, scale back or quit are people who just don't have the wherewithal to be diligent themselves, so I'm careful of even getting into conversations like that.
Actually, I don't understand my fatigue. I purposely slept 8 hours last night but I'm still beat. I woke up that way and Larry says it's just the after effects of a Sunday on my body and emotions. Larry and I were listening to a leadership teaching on the way home and I was leaning on his arm and fell asleep and never heard the last four points of the thing. When we got home he agreed to do some housecleaning (praise Jesus!) and let me rest so I would be coherent enough to spend some quality time with him [translation: intimate time] before I try to sleep another eight hours tonight. I'm going to take a nice hot bath and relax for a while even though I have Christmas wrapping to do and I really should have gone out tonight and finished the rest of the Christmas shopping, I honestly just do not have it in me. I started early this year, I really did. And still...here I am with these loose ends still abounding...
My goal next year is to be done shopping by Dec. 1 and just enjoy the month. Until then, I'm going to enjoy lighting the candles, getting in the tub, and getting some rest tonight.
Today we had the last staff meeting of 2006. Then we celebrated by going to staff lunch at Five Guys, and then Coldstone Creamery. Yes, we really "blew it out" today when it came to the fat quotient in our diet. Wowza. I don't want to think about it. :-) I had a special holiday flavor of ice cream - dark chocolate mint. So fattening but...it was really good!
Well, once again I'm so blessed to be working with the people that I am with. II Thessalonians 3:5-7 is one of my favorite scripture verses. I know it sounds kind of crazy to some, but I have "stood on it" through some hard times of working with some real sluggards. Reading scriptures like that let me know that what I expect out of myself (an an example of diligence) is also what God expects not just of me but of others. Many people are comforted by the Psalms. I am too. But strangely enough scripture such as the aforementioned has actually been like a soothing balm to me when I have been struggling and wondering if I was the crazy one. I would read it and know, I was on the right track and someday I'd have the joy of people walking alongside me who also were walking the same track.
With our team we have now we can see that an example of diligence DOES prove contagious. Just look at what has happend in 2006! It's amazing. We're going to look totally different this time next year because we are headed for something more than any of us can imagine.
Well, speaking of hard work, I'm needing some rest. No, I'm not writing this as a complaint. Not at all, and in fact I always hesitate to even approach the topic when I am ever tired because well meaning (but ignorant people) say, "just quit..." or crazy stuff like that. Usually people who tell me to slow down, scale back or quit are people who just don't have the wherewithal to be diligent themselves, so I'm careful of even getting into conversations like that.
Actually, I don't understand my fatigue. I purposely slept 8 hours last night but I'm still beat. I woke up that way and Larry says it's just the after effects of a Sunday on my body and emotions. Larry and I were listening to a leadership teaching on the way home and I was leaning on his arm and fell asleep and never heard the last four points of the thing. When we got home he agreed to do some housecleaning (praise Jesus!) and let me rest so I would be coherent enough to spend some quality time with him [translation: intimate time] before I try to sleep another eight hours tonight. I'm going to take a nice hot bath and relax for a while even though I have Christmas wrapping to do and I really should have gone out tonight and finished the rest of the Christmas shopping, I honestly just do not have it in me. I started early this year, I really did. And still...here I am with these loose ends still abounding...
My goal next year is to be done shopping by Dec. 1 and just enjoy the month. Until then, I'm going to enjoy lighting the candles, getting in the tub, and getting some rest tonight.
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