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
Half the dang lights are out, that's what. Argggggrrrrhhh!!!
Last night were were sitting at Larry's family birthday dinner and suddenly half the lights on the tree in the dining room went out. I was not a happy camper. In fact, after setting up and decorating seven trees plus cleaning the house, plus doing a very involved birthday dinner I was ready to be committed to a local mental facility drop. I was exhausted I almost couldn't see straight and just couldn't believe this was happening. It happened three years ago and I blogged about that whole saga here in what was one of my most popular posts here at deannashrodes.com. What is it about this particular tree and any set of lights I put on it? Perhaps this is an omen. Can Christmas trees be possessed? Or at the very least oppressed? Being that it's in a Christian home, we'll go with oppressed so as to not get any theological panties in a bunch. I ended up doing a sermon about it...[the blog post three years ago, not Christmas tree oppression] but anyhoo, back to this year's adventure. I know, I know, you're on the edge of your seat wondering how this could possibly be any more exciting.
When I noticed the lights were out, I freaked, and Larry calmly said, "don't worry, it'll be okay." Now please note, when he says this it is never any consolation to me and sometimes I even burst into tears when he says it. The reason is -- his "don't worry it'll be okay" can most times be translated this way:
"Don't worry Deanna, it'll be okay in the end. It's just going to mean a whole lot of work for you now. You might go through frustration, headache, maybe even a little living hell however, in the end, you are personally going to fix all this mess, I'm sure of it."
WHAT??!!! All of you who are even remotely sane will agree with me I'm sure that is of absolutely no comfort. He also [mistakenly] thinks at times that it would be better for me to just table something like this for a few days but honestly it just weighs on me terribly if something is left undone and I can't relax. Last month at the conference we went to, Lisa Bevere was selling these bracelets in the fight against human trafficking that said, "IT'S NOT OKAY!!!" The message was [obviously] that human trafficking is not okay. But I told my assistant Cathy that I wanted to get one of those just to wear for the times my husband says, "don't worry, it'll be okay" and I know what he means by that is, "once you've done all the crap it takes to fix this, it'll be okay" and I just want to hold up my little bracelet and scream, "IT'S NOT OKAY!!" For some reason when I came home and told him about the bracelet he did not find it the least bit funny. But Cathy and I laughed ourselves silly over it.
So I had to fix that darn tree today. It couldn't wait if my sanity depended on it. Too much is coming up this week including my first big holiday party on Friday night when I will have all of our church women here. Here's the finished product, after re-doing it.
My day today... for all of you stalkers friends who follow what I do moment to moment:
I got a few hours sleep last night and started my day before the sun came up. Went to rehearsal at 7:30 am, taught class at 9:30, had a great church service at 10:30, and then came home and quickly ate two biscuits for lunch.
Then I decided to go get a nail fill. I have only done that once or twice before on a Sunday afternoon and today was such a day since I had no meetings. I did not schedule any church meetings this afternoon/tonight because of the Thanksgiving weekend. So many people were away it was just best to have the night off. With all the stress of my day and having to re-do our tree, I told Lisa [manicurist], "give me something very fun and festive this time for Christmas" and I love the design she gave me which you can see here today in my latest Godtext.
Honestly, the only way I got through taking all the ornaments and beads off of that tree and taking the lights off and putting new ones on was by talking to the Lord while I did it. That and thoughts of my grandmother got me through the frustration of it. Whenever I get to the end of my rope I think, "WWGD?" (What would grandma do?) She'd probably find something to be thankful for and sing or hum her way through it. So I tried to do that. For some reason I had the song, "Heavenly Sunlight" in mind. I can remember that song from when I was a child and when I went and looked up the second verse today...hmmm ...interesting in "light" of my situation, pardon the pun. ;)
This was a very bright (pardon the pun again) spot in my day discovering those song lyrics...Shadows around me, shadows above me,He is the Light, in Him is no darkness;
Never conceal my Savior and Guide;
Ever I’m walking close to His side.
By the way, here's our Maddie girl today...snoozing contently while I re-did the tree. Bless her heart. Isn't she precious?
Toodles! See you in blog land in the morning...
By the way, would any of you like to come to a deliverance/exorcism for my tree once the holidays are over? I'll serve my double chocolate [devil's food - lol] cake and coffee and we can deal with the demon that keeps making the lights go out. Ha ha ha!!! Any excuse to eat chocolate cake...
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Our tree is a prelit...NEVER AGAIN! The whole top of ours went out and I swore last year that I would take time and find that messed up bulb...well I didn't and we put it up...the kids didn't want the lights to go on until it was fully decorated and I forgot about the light situation...UGH!!!Needless to say I am thankful we had extra lights from last year that we decorated the top but I have made an executive decission that we will be purchasing a tree on clearance after the holiday for next year!