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
Continuing on the highlights of my "Wonder Woman" teaching from the ACMC on Fri/Sat, and yesterday's blog, let's start part II with the first five of ten keys I shared to 'becoming a Wonder Woman"...
1) Learn from Jesus
In the book, Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald gives three reasons why Jesus took control of His time:
1) He understood His mission – not even Satan could convince Him to change His priorities.
2) He understood the source of His power. He realized that he would need the private time of 40 days in the wilderness, and the prayer and fasting to overcome the enemy in a time of weakness. He budgeted that time to prepare.
3) He made intentional choices about his time – invested prime time in the disciples, debriefed them when they returned from assignments, took time to rebuke them when they failed, affirm when the succeeded.
It was amazing that at the end of three short years of ministry, Jesus was able to say, “I have finished the work that you gave me to do” John 17:4
2) Put God at the top of your list of priorities.
Proverbs 10:27 (TLB) “Reverence for God adds hours to your day.”
We need to realize, we are too busy not to take time for God. Bill Hybels has an excellent book, “Too Busy Not to Pray.”
Martin Luther has been quoted as saying “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
Something that I have learned is that first of all, I’m a different person leading when I don’t have my time with God. There’s nothing to pull from, nothing to flow with. It’s just me, and quite honestly I'm a pretty shallow person without the Lord!
I have to find the time that’s best for me and give it to the Lord. What do I mean by “what’s best for me?” My finest hours. My best hours. The time when I am at my best and most able to hear him. In my case I'm a "night person." It's when I thinking best and so I like to give that time to the Lord.
Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Resources I recommend as devotionals or just a "deeper walk with God"...
· Secrets of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge – book and workbook
· Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts
· My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Develop a worship, Word and prayer life totally aside from Wednesdays and Sundays – in your “Secret Place” with God. If I only ate physical food two days a week I would get VERY crabby. It is any wonder some Christians are very touchy, grouchy people? They only eat spiritually two times a week.
3) Ask God for your life’s agenda
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by.”
Annie Dillard
Where are you headed? Maybe you know where you are right now, today and what God has called you to lay your hand to, but how about 10 years from now? What do you need to prepare for?
Obviously only God knows many things and chooses to reveal only so much to us, but we can ask Him for what we do need to know.
Just as it is helpful for churches or organizations to have a vision statement and a mission statement so it is helpful for individuals to have them.
My purpose statement:
The purpose of my life is to reach people for Jesus and restore and empower them through writing, speaking and personal mentorship/coaching, bringing them to a place of impacting others with their God-given potential.
After establishing your purpose, then work on listing your top areas of priority, and your short term and lifetime goals.
If you don’t know exactly who you are, somebody else will not hesitate to tell you. Figure out your purpose and vision to get there, and then hone in on it.
Dwight L. Moody: “Give me a man who says, ‘this one thing I do’ and not ‘these fifty things I dabble in.’”
We need a God thing, not just a good thing. People call me all the time asking me to serve on this or that committee, or help out with various causes. If it is not in line with my life's purpose and mission, I don't do it.
4) Ask God for your weekly agenda
No matter what your season in life YOU HAVE AN AGENDA. You have a mission. Nobody gets a free ride in this life.
YOU HAVE A JOB DESCRIPTION AT ALL PHASES OF YOUR LIFE – SOME PEOPLE HAVE JUST NOT GIVEN HEED TO THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION OR HAVE IGNORED GOD WHEN HE HAS TRIED TO GIVE IT TO THEM.
Understand this, even a stay at home mother has a JOB DESCRIPTION. You have an agenda set forth by God EVERY DAY. Are you listening for his agenda and following it, or just letting life 'happen to you'?
"Always remember the powerful importance of linking your habits to your life purpose." ~ Mike Murdock
A weekly “initiative list” is a must.
Why a list? Very important to put things in writing.
Other reasons:
· You have no doubt about what must be done.
· You are able to put related tasks together or in order.
· You are free from worrying about trying to remember things all the time.
· You have a sense of accomplishment when you cross things off the list.
Have your initiative list that you go by and also a small notebook all the time for thoughts and important things that come to mind.
Nothing different is going to change in your life until you change what you do DAILY!
YOU ARE WHAT YOU REPEAT!!!
The secret of your success is hidden in your daily routine.
Each Thursday my initiative list is made and printed out for the coming Monday so I can see where I’m headed.
Everything goes into colorful folders that I enjoy that I keep in my briefcase which is sort of my “traveling office.” I have an office at the church but I keep things I need at a moments notice in all my folders. My favorite folder always holds my initiative list and calendar which I call my most important book after the Bible.
5) Be your own parent
The reason most people don’t get anything done is because they live with no accountability – first of all to themselves.
Self leadership – it's important to spend at least 50% of your time leading yourself. If you can't lead yourself, you can't lead anyone else.
· When I make my weekly initiative list up on Thursday for the following Monday through Saturday, I divide the list items up.
· If I am going to be working six days and I have 30 items on the agenda, I have to complete five items on my list each day in order to be done by my day off.
· If I have not completed all five for the day and someone calls and asks me to do something, I say no.
This is so simple yet most people are not willing to do it. I’ve heard people say, “how fun is that?” I submit to you - not getting your work done is no fun. Being under pressure at the last minute because you procrastinated is less fun than sticking to your agenda and being organized. Having nothing accomplished is no fun.
No rest is worth anything except the rest that is earned.
Jean Paul
Leading yourself and holding yourself accountable actually frees you to do more. Also, you must plan for times of rest. One of the reasons I work so hard during the week is because I want to ENJOY my day of rest and I have no problem telling our staff or people, “don’t call me!” I work hard, they know I really work hard and I don’t feel a bit bad to tell them, “unless somebody just died or had a heart attack, don’t call.” We’re going to talk a
bout rest later, as we progress on to the next five things...
Stay tuned tomorrow for the final five!
1) Learn from Jesus
In the book, Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald gives three reasons why Jesus took control of His time:
1) He understood His mission – not even Satan could convince Him to change His priorities.
2) He understood the source of His power. He realized that he would need the private time of 40 days in the wilderness, and the prayer and fasting to overcome the enemy in a time of weakness. He budgeted that time to prepare.
3) He made intentional choices about his time – invested prime time in the disciples, debriefed them when they returned from assignments, took time to rebuke them when they failed, affirm when the succeeded.
It was amazing that at the end of three short years of ministry, Jesus was able to say, “I have finished the work that you gave me to do” John 17:4
2) Put God at the top of your list of priorities.
Proverbs 10:27 (TLB) “Reverence for God adds hours to your day.”
We need to realize, we are too busy not to take time for God. Bill Hybels has an excellent book, “Too Busy Not to Pray.”
Martin Luther has been quoted as saying “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
Something that I have learned is that first of all, I’m a different person leading when I don’t have my time with God. There’s nothing to pull from, nothing to flow with. It’s just me, and quite honestly I'm a pretty shallow person without the Lord!
I have to find the time that’s best for me and give it to the Lord. What do I mean by “what’s best for me?” My finest hours. My best hours. The time when I am at my best and most able to hear him. In my case I'm a "night person." It's when I thinking best and so I like to give that time to the Lord.
Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Resources I recommend as devotionals or just a "deeper walk with God"...
· Secrets of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge – book and workbook
· Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts
· My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Develop a worship, Word and prayer life totally aside from Wednesdays and Sundays – in your “Secret Place” with God. If I only ate physical food two days a week I would get VERY crabby. It is any wonder some Christians are very touchy, grouchy people? They only eat spiritually two times a week.
3) Ask God for your life’s agenda
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by.”
Annie Dillard
Where are you headed? Maybe you know where you are right now, today and what God has called you to lay your hand to, but how about 10 years from now? What do you need to prepare for?
Obviously only God knows many things and chooses to reveal only so much to us, but we can ask Him for what we do need to know.
Just as it is helpful for churches or organizations to have a vision statement and a mission statement so it is helpful for individuals to have them.
My purpose statement:
The purpose of my life is to reach people for Jesus and restore and empower them through writing, speaking and personal mentorship/coaching, bringing them to a place of impacting others with their God-given potential.
After establishing your purpose, then work on listing your top areas of priority, and your short term and lifetime goals.
If you don’t know exactly who you are, somebody else will not hesitate to tell you. Figure out your purpose and vision to get there, and then hone in on it.
Dwight L. Moody: “Give me a man who says, ‘this one thing I do’ and not ‘these fifty things I dabble in.’”
We need a God thing, not just a good thing. People call me all the time asking me to serve on this or that committee, or help out with various causes. If it is not in line with my life's purpose and mission, I don't do it.
4) Ask God for your weekly agenda
No matter what your season in life YOU HAVE AN AGENDA. You have a mission. Nobody gets a free ride in this life.
YOU HAVE A JOB DESCRIPTION AT ALL PHASES OF YOUR LIFE – SOME PEOPLE HAVE JUST NOT GIVEN HEED TO THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION OR HAVE IGNORED GOD WHEN HE HAS TRIED TO GIVE IT TO THEM.
Understand this, even a stay at home mother has a JOB DESCRIPTION. You have an agenda set forth by God EVERY DAY. Are you listening for his agenda and following it, or just letting life 'happen to you'?
"Always remember the powerful importance of linking your habits to your life purpose." ~ Mike Murdock
A weekly “initiative list” is a must.
Why a list? Very important to put things in writing.
Other reasons:
· You have no doubt about what must be done.
· You are able to put related tasks together or in order.
· You are free from worrying about trying to remember things all the time.
· You have a sense of accomplishment when you cross things off the list.
Have your initiative list that you go by and also a small notebook all the time for thoughts and important things that come to mind.
Nothing different is going to change in your life until you change what you do DAILY!
YOU ARE WHAT YOU REPEAT!!!
The secret of your success is hidden in your daily routine.
Each Thursday my initiative list is made and printed out for the coming Monday so I can see where I’m headed.
Everything goes into colorful folders that I enjoy that I keep in my briefcase which is sort of my “traveling office.” I have an office at the church but I keep things I need at a moments notice in all my folders. My favorite folder always holds my initiative list and calendar which I call my most important book after the Bible.
5) Be your own parent
The reason most people don’t get anything done is because they live with no accountability – first of all to themselves.
Self leadership – it's important to spend at least 50% of your time leading yourself. If you can't lead yourself, you can't lead anyone else.
· When I make my weekly initiative list up on Thursday for the following Monday through Saturday, I divide the list items up.
· If I am going to be working six days and I have 30 items on the agenda, I have to complete five items on my list each day in order to be done by my day off.
· If I have not completed all five for the day and someone calls and asks me to do something, I say no.
This is so simple yet most people are not willing to do it. I’ve heard people say, “how fun is that?” I submit to you - not getting your work done is no fun. Being under pressure at the last minute because you procrastinated is less fun than sticking to your agenda and being organized. Having nothing accomplished is no fun.
No rest is worth anything except the rest that is earned.
Jean Paul
Leading yourself and holding yourself accountable actually frees you to do more. Also, you must plan for times of rest. One of the reasons I work so hard during the week is because I want to ENJOY my day of rest and I have no problem telling our staff or people, “don’t call me!” I work hard, they know I really work hard and I don’t feel a bit bad to tell them, “unless somebody just died or had a heart attack, don’t call.” We’re going to talk a
bout rest later, as we progress on to the next five things...Stay tuned tomorrow for the final five!
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