Skip to main content

What To Do First to Make a Profit

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...

Clarification free weekend


The past few days have been good for me.

I have been away in Orlando at district women's ministries reps meetings all day Thursday, and following that a "Leading Ladies retreat."  This particular retreat was at the Omni Champions Gate and was just for senior pastor's wives only and it was so refreshing.  I just soaked in the worship -- the leader was Rebecca McGinnis - had never met her before and I was so impressed with her sensitivity.  The teaching was great and I especially took in everything as Darlene Betzer (one of my heroes) spoke as well as another speaker, one I had never heard before - Margaret Register.  Wow.  She's the author of the book No Place for Plastic Saints, and her specialty is transparency.  She's a woman who just tells amazing stories about the ministry and makes you laugh, cry and change somewhere in there as it all gets blended together.  I just love people who keep it real.  I appreciate this quote from her book, and one of her messages to us over the weekend: 

"Being in the ministry is like having a baby.  Sometimes it's so painful and you can't explain it to anybody who hasn't been through it, and even if you did there would be nothing that could be done about it." 

Yes, we can pray.  We can believe, and we do.  By that statement, she didn't mean that God's power is not available to us, but what she simply means is that pain happens.  We are not just going to escape it entirely.  Some things we do have to go through.  There are a lot of wonderful aspects of ministry - namely CHANGED LIVES.  There is nothing, nothing, nothing like being on the front row of someone's life and being instrumental in that.  But as anyone knows who has pastored a church for more than five minutes, you sure will have your days of ups and down and if not for the call...

I'm so thankful for my friends who need no explanation because they live the same lifestyle.  That is why ministers getting together is so wonderful -- there's nothing to explain.  We all "get it."  It's a clarification free weekend.  Camaraderie, fellowship, kindred spirits, soul sisters, sans clarification -- it was all happenin'... at the Omni this weekend.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What To Do First to Make a Profit

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...

Sisterhood Rises Up To Change Lives Forever

God is in the business of preserving families. It is His heart. It's my heart too. And, I'll unabashedly say here that I believe it should be everyone's heart. Everyone likes good news and I've got some for you today. If you are in doubt that God still speaks today and that He uses people to accomplish His work, I pray this will speak to you. Last night I was sitting in service at Celebration Church where we are pastors, and my husband was preaching. His message was about what we want to be remembered for in life, and he made the statement that we can't change our past but we can change the future.  In that moment, God spoke to me. He began to give me my next post for Lost Daughters, where I'm also a blogger. To be honest it's more than just another place where I blog. It's a sisterhood. A lifeline. A place that has come to mean a great deal to me, because of the amazing women who are there. During the service I basically had this entire post...

Lost Daughters & Me

Last month I wrote my very first adoption related post here on my blog, and said it would probably be my first and last. I was aware of the controversy it would probably bring, as well as the hurtful feelings that would result if those who are not adoptees rose up to disagree.  Although everyone wasn't totally happy, the positive response was overwhelming. I received a lot of private mail that was encouraging, and it outweighed the negative reactions. A few people literally begged me to write more. I wrote a follow up post here , about what I planned to do next. After prayer and consideration, I know I am supposed to start a separate blog about adoption, in addition to writing here at deannashrodes.net.  I am working on this new blog (though it is not live yet), as well as launching a Tampa support group for adult adoptees. However, I believe the best way for me to get my feet wet as I start the blog and support group is to begin by joining others. I need to learn, gr...