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...
Ahhhh.One great big breath of fresh air, that's what Missionary/Evangelists Joshua Ben & Melissa King are. I have so enjoyed being with them. I'll highlight the services in a minute but let me say first that my main joy was having lunch with them and their children, Joshua and Charity, sharing about Africa, and crying together. Tears of "understanding." Tears of "joy". No, not pity for the Africans, but pity for the Americans who cannot understand!!! Pity for those who cannot realize there is another way of living. Oh, if everyone could just understand. We are serving the same God yet over there they seem to know Him in a
way we do not. They have so little, as far as materialism but in God they are so rich!!! (By the way, above is a photo of Ben with some of the leftover crutches and such that people have discarded at his meetings because they have been healed. At right are he & Melissa.)
We were talking on the drive back from lunch as to how to impart this to the American church. I said, "how? How will that happen?" Ben said until they suffer they probably won't get it. There is such suffering in Africa so they are so desperate for God and go after Him so intensely. In America we don't know what it is to suffer in comparison.
Our conversation at lunch was like gold to me. We sat at Pipo's over Cuban food and coffee and talked our love of Africa with the tears welling up. Thank you Jesus.
Morning service was running so hot - the power of God moving in worship. I felt like it was just on fire at times and a few other people told me that as well. Regrettably, we had some huge glitches with the choir numbers. (Nothing to do with the choir. They have worked so hard. I'm so proud of them.) I'm learning new perspectives though it is slow for me to process it all.
I have a passion to serve God with excellence. I think the church should use our resources to the very best of our ability. We are located in America and so therefore there isn't much excuse. I do realize - in third world countries they wouldn't even be dealing with sound systems and DVD players and computers and stuff and the power of God will come in might and power and jut blow into the place even if they don't have any of our resources. Yes, Yes, Yes I realize all that. But my viewpoint is, we DO have all this at our disposal. We are not a third world country. We have been BLESSED and ENTRUSTED with so many resources and other abilities that other countries do not have.
I have to admit. I'm a creative type and a God-dreamer, and when a plan (not just any plan but a God-plan) doesn't come together, especially when I feel like I've done everything in my personal power to make it so -- it's not easy. But I've got to do an LIG in my spirit on that, and move on. (L.I.G. = let it go) The good news is over the years I'm getting quicker. When I say let it go I don't mean let it keep happening and not do anything about it (that wouldn't be appropriate, but to let it go in my spirit and not let it weigh me down for the rest of the day.)
Services overall minus that aspect were AWESOME. Wow, what great messages both services. We also raised a good amount of money for missions! I really feel in my spirit we are REALLY getting ready to go beyond all limits and this was confirmed by our speakers today. We are headed to the next level. I am at a new level personally. So much is doing on in me -- all good. So excited. This is being confirmed in different ways. Too much to detail in one blog...
After the banquet tonight we went for coffee with the Kings and talked another few hours...again, precious time. Energizing. Good stuff. Times like this keep me stimulated and moving forward.
I am more excited for Africa than ever. Today my heart aches for it so bad I can literally feel it physically. I told Ben King today that when I came back from Africa I was so changed someone suggested maybe I needed counseling when I came back (to help me adjust). My response to that is - I don't need counseling on this. It's everyone else who is upside down and I've finally gotten put right side up!
*nothing wrong with counseling and I've been several times before and would go again. Just saying, on this issue? No. No counseling needed. Now that I had my Africa experience, I'm seeing the world with different -- better -- eyes.
Comments
One thing - I realize I'm no Africa expert by far but I do know that every place in Africa is not like I experienced and there are very modernized places as well. It sounds like you are living in a very modernized atmosphere and I am so happy for you! By the way I write my blogs I hope you don't think I'm in some way saying that every single person there is living in poverty, yourself included. I am just speaking to what I saw myself in the area I went to. I know you could write far more knowledgeably on this subject than I.
Thank you for listening to me as I share my heart on my experience there and trying to explain it.
Our missionaries who were here this week invited me to come to South Africa and preach there, which i'd love to do sometime!!! (the area I'm getting ready to go to is East Africa...)
Love you dolla!