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 i...
I feel like a kid again, on the night before Christmas. Here we are on the night before Unstoppable. Is it really here? Wonderful visions are dancing in my head, that's for sure!
The past few days have been so busy getting ready for it. Tonight after service, Pastor T, Pastor Lindsay and I are taking all the stuff for the media over to the Hilton in a truck we rented for the weekend. (Yes, it's taking a rental truck just to bring our media stuff over - this doesn't include the sound stuff which will be brought by Jenn and her team from Southeastern!) Tonight at 10 pm we begin by setting up the trusses, the screens, the projectors, computer, power point, stage light stands, etc. We want to have all that fully automated so that tomorrow when the worship team rolls in with the equipment all the media will be in place.
I realize some people think, "why do you need all that stuff?" Just get a keyboard, and stick a pastor's wife up on the piano and let her lead in a few bars of "I Exalt Thee" before the speaker comes up. Yes, I know that's what happens at a lot of retreats...I've been to them. And my thing is, as Mark Batterson says in his lion chasing manifesto, I want to "criticize by creating." This weekend is a creation based on everything I've always wanted to see in retreat/conference for pastor's wives/women in ministry..and rarely if ever have see. The only thing that has ever come close is the national A/G WIM conference, which is my favorite thing to go to. I basically hold on for dear life until the next one comes around again! But now at least I will have mine in between to "hold me over." :-)
I don't know how much I'll be able to write in the next few days til Sat. night. I'm on a tight schedule but I am going to try to post some photos each day if I have a moment.
I came home a few hours early today to get packed. The conference is in Tampa but obviously I'm staying on site. Right now my clothes are in the dryer and I'm waiting for them so I can pack the rest of the suitcase. I'll get home way too late tonight to do it. Our "set up" starts at 10 pm in the ballroom tonight, so that gives you a clue as to how late we'll get home. Then in the morning I have to get over there again to continue. Registration table opens at 3 pm, and bang...it'll be off like a rocket!
In case you're wondering, I'm not doing all this...a wonderful team of people from my church have been mobilized to handle registration, greeting, ushering, product tables, assisting speakers, etc. I'm going to keep working my tail off on last minute details and then when 3 pm comes tomorrow, the details are all going to somebody else and I'm going to do what I love most -- just connect, connect, connect with women in ministry and encourage the daylights out of them.
This is like a giant present I've been waiting to open for 9 years! That's how long I've had this dream. I've been doing pastoring partners website since 1998 and have had the dream of getting people physically together (beyond the web) for all this time. Now, it's here. Did I mention it feels like it's the night before Christmas?
p.s. I went to my weight watcher meeting this morning before work...lost 4 lbs. this week. Our leader told us today: "You'll always have time for what you choose to do first." Hmmm...that's good stuff! This is an uphill battle everyday as it has been for three years, however...I shall overcome. Did I mention, 11 weeks until I will be at my ultimate goal? No doubt about it, just watch and see. I'm a woman on a mission.
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Love and Prayers!
I thank God that when these women leave they will know that they have been in the presence of God and that not one woman will leave as the woman she came.
May the love of God so fill you that the burden of it will be almost more than you can handle.