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 inve

Involve them!


Our kids were "raised in the halls of the church" quite literally.  At one point when the boys were babies we had cribs in the church office.   When Savanna was born we continued the tradition of "raising our kids in the ministry" and she used to do hospital visits with us all the time.  Her favorite ones were when she would get to see the newborn babies. 

I'll never forget her favorite little baby doll, Tieler.  She named him Tieler because when we pastored in Maryland, one of the ladies in the church, Anna Anderson, had her baby boy Tieler and we went to see them in the hospital.  Savanna was with us on the hospital visit and she  just loved him to pieces and so she ended up naming her new doll Tieler.  She took that doll everywhere.  

When we went out she would push Tieler in a stroller.  One time she accidently left him in the car after we came in from shopping and cried and cried that we needed to go back and get him but it was pouring down rain - thunderstorming.  I didn't want to go back because of the mess outside but she cried her little eyes out and said, "Mommy, Tieler is in the car by himself.  It's raining and he's scared!  He needs me!"   Yes, of course I immediately went out in the rain to get that doll.  I remember one night she moved his little wooden cradle right next to her bed and I asked her why and she said, "so it will be easy for me to hear him and get up with him in the middle of the night."  So sweet.  Precious memories.

Savanna is out of school for the summer and yesterday she was assisting me with some church work.  I asked her to create a graphic for our new preaching series at Celebration Church.  This is the first one she ever did and I think she did quite a job on it!  She did it all by herself without any input from me.  Just click to enlarge and see it at full size.

I'm a big believer in involving kids in the work of the ministry, giving opportunities for them to serve wherever possible.   For our family it's proven to be a very positive thing.  By the way, speaking of family - Larry and I brought a tag team message on Sunday, "How to Raise an Abnormal Family."  It just went up on the podcast.

Larry and I are preaching the "God is Able" series during the entire month of July.  If you are in Tampa we invite you to join us...and for that matter even if you're not in Tampa, you're still invited to come on down...you never know what God will do!  It's going to be a month of miracles!!  

 

Comments

Ruth said…
Great Job, Savanna!
Melissa Davis said…
Savanna did an awesome job PD! I'm also a firm believer in involving the youth in Ministry, my kids love it also!

Popular posts from this blog

Relevant Church doing something...

incredibly RELEVANT!

I just heard some news today that really inspired me. A church here in Tampa, Relevant Church is doing a new thing this month called the "30 Days Sex Challenge." (I've never visited the church but Pastor Trinity - our children's pastor - has visited or has met some people from this church and he was very impressed.) Realizing that this is a major element missing from some marriages (the frequency factor) their lead pastor, Paul Wirth, has issued a challenge for all the married couples to have sex for 30 days in a row. At the same time he has issued a challenge for all unmarrieds to completely abstain from sex. Of course we know the Bible says that those who are unmarried should not have sex in the first place but the point is, a lot of unmarried's aren't obeying the Lord's command to abstain and this is just one pastor's way of trying to get them to see that indeed, there is a better way! (God's way!) At the same time, many married couples are not

What Verbal Abuse is Really Like, and Why We Must Care
Guest Post: Terri von Wood

In my speaking travels, I meet the most amazing people. Some are connections that go beyond just a night or a weekend of preac hing. One day on my journey, I met Terri von Wood, and we immediately clicked and have been friends ever since.  Just a reminder that all of our guest bloggers this week are available to chat with you in the comment section here on the blog or on my facebook page where the blog is also published.   *** People who have never suffered through or witnessed abuse (including pastors) often don't know how to help women in abusive situations. Knowledge is power and it is my belief that if the church understood the prevalence of abuse, help would be made available.  First, we must acknowledge that the divorce rate is the same  in the church as in the world.  Second, we must understand that the 50% divorce rate does not include all the women who are abused but stay because they do not know what else to do or do not have anyone to turn to.  If those women we

Excellent teaching on Criticism

My friend Pastor Leanne posted this today on her Myspace blog and I thought it was excellent and so timely. It's a blog post from Pastor Perry Noble , about criticism. I think it's perfect for the pastors at Relevant Church right now, as well as any other person going through this. I would like to note that when he says, "when God begins to move" it wouldn't necessarily just pertain to your church but to your life, your family, your marriage, anything that concerns you. I have found that the greater God does things in my life and the more He blessed me the more I should expect it. This teaching is good, so good I was almost wavin' a hanky in my office. Okay, here we go... You Will Be Criticized When God Begins To Move–Expect It And Get Over It. (Pastor Perry Noble at http://www.perrynoble.com/ ) I've never met a devil worshiper–to my knowledge that is. When I first became a Christian I was convinced that I needed to do all that I could to be ready to comba