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
Post a Comment

True church stories - #4

Back when we were pastoring our church in Maryland my husband and I were teaching a Sunday night series on sharing our faith.  As part of the series, we taught the people how to condense their stories of coming to faith to about five minutes, so they could be confident in concisely sharing their testimony with those they came into contact with on a daily basis.

Giving people an opportunity to try this out, we had everyone  who had faithfully attended the series write out their testimony and prepare to share it with the congregation.  For the remaining weeks, in addition to our teaching time, we would give opportunity for three or four people to come to the pulpit and share for five minutes a piece. 

All was going along just fine until one night when an older woman in the church got up to give her "testimony", and said the following:

"It all started back in 1975 when I began profusely bleeding from my vagina..."

Oh my gosh.  Did she REALLY say that?!  Yes.  Not once, but AT LEAST FIVE TIMES.  No kidding, this lady said vagina at least that many times in the first MINUTE of her "testimony.

"Something was wrong with my vagina..."
"And I was so upset about this problem with my vagina..."
"And I was praying for God to do something to heal my vagina..."
"And my doctor couldn't solve this problem with my vagina..."
"And my vagina was getting worse by the day..."

Meanwhile we could see the shock on the faces of those in the congregation and my husband was elbowing me whispering, "Deanna, get up there and do something!"

I said, "what do you want me to do?"

He said, "I don't know, play a song!!!"

And I said, "Larry, I really don't know any songs that go with this..."

Finally he didn't just elbow me -- he pushed me and I got out of my seat and went up and stood alongside this lady at the pulpit and just tried to bring some closure that was half way making sense.  I still to this day don't remember how I closed out the service.  It was kind of surreal.  I was just mumbling a bunch of stuff like, "well praise the Lord, isn't God good to solve this problem of a modern day woman with the issue of blood who pressed through the crowd???" and prayed a closing prayer.

Anytime we talk about doing a series on evangelism or teaching people how to share their faith my husband says, "and let's not give anybody the microphone this time to give their testimonies, ok?"  He is scared to pieces that the "V" word will take over the service again.

Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
ROTFL!!! It always comes from those you least expect. At my father's church, growing up, I remember a man who had an intestinal disease, similar to colitis. On Wed. night, during prayer request time, he would give details of his weekly experience. My father had to speak with him privately. To this day, when my brothers and I remember those days, we think of Jim's prayer requests. Nope...can't make this stuff up! :)
7:34 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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
12 comments
Read more

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
29 comments
Read more

Stuff I Adore That Costs Little to Nothing...

Okay...taking a break today from writing about heavy things...like grief, loss, and bawling. Time to write about random stuff today that nobody may be interested in reading. Nevertheless here it is... Stuff I adore that costs little to nothing... Listening to playlists I make on (free) Spotify Drinking out of canning jars Reading books again that I already have on my shelf. Walking and riding my bike. Admiring crepe myrtle trees. Taking a bath in the daytime with the lights off in the room. (Natural light.) Naps. Snuggling with my husband or one of the kids and watching a movie at home. Having all noise turned off when no one is home. (No TV, no music, just silence.) Prayer.
Post a Comment
Read more