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...
Yesterday Savanna said, "Mom can we pleeeease make some gourmet pretzels for my teachers and friends at school?"
Today is her last day of school before the holiday break so it had to be done last night. I'm swamped with working double time at the church not to mention work at NextJob to be off a few days at Christmas not to mention getting Christmas together for my own household - everything from gifts to food. I haven't even started getting everything ready for the plethora of things we make on Christmas day for dinner and dessert with friends here at the house. But...I said yes. Larry says, "why, why, why do you never say no to these things, Deanna?!" (He sees my exhaustion at times and wonders why I do these things but honestly it's hard to say no to a pleading child who wants to give to others, and make memories, etc... Perhaps only a Mom can understand.) Anyway, "we" didn't end up making them -- "I" ended up making them -- as she was out late until almost 11 PM shopping with her Dad last night. He asked her to go with him, so I worked solo in the kitchen doing all of the pretzels by myself and had them ready when they got home. She didn't know I was going to do them and thought all the work was waiting for her when she got home. She bounded into the kitchen and exclaimed, "YOU DIDN'T!" with an ear to ear grin, then hugged me...a real big squeezy hug that Moms just eat up like candy. To see the look on her face of delight that her pretzels were waiting for her to take to school...priceless. I also imagine what her friends reactions will be. Last year she took the pretzels to school and her friends just went BONKERS over them. Her friend Dixie bit into one and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, these things are the best thing ever known to mankind!!!" I don't know that I'd take it thaaaaaaat far, but they are preeeeeety darn good. Dustin also took them to work and the employees at the Cobb freaked out over how amazing they are. It makes me happy to think of how delighted people are going to be to receive these. They are easy to make and I get all the ingredients from Michael's and the grocery store. I package them in all different ways and sometimes just give them out individually and other times wrap them in cellophane paper with mugs or glasses. For instance, here are two little gifts above (Christmas mugs) that I'm giving this week with the pretzels in them. You can make them in any color imaginable for special occasions like holidays, weddings, birthdays, etc.
Then I set about making the lasagna for the Fusion dinner tonight. We are having a covered dish Christmas dinner and games, Christmas carols and lots more. It's going to be rather amazing. I can't wait!
There's an extremely full day of work ahead of me today. I'm praying for no emergencies, (knock on wood), so that I can bust through the work that I need to have done by Thursday night. I'm hoping to reserve Friday just for getting my household ready before Christmas Eve Communion. I can't even believe I"m talking about Christmas Eve Communion or that it's this close, but man, it really IS!!! By the way, Celebration Church does communion on Christmas Eve very differently from most other churches I've ever heard of, and I'll explain it all here on the blog the day of, if you haven't already read it here in the past. It's pretty cool, and our people just looooooove it!
Last night after finally wrapping up the pretzel making factory, the lasagna assembly line and the clean up from all the cooking and my husband and Savvy returning from Christmas shopping, I went outside after midnight and soaked in the jacuzzi, looked up at the stars and thanked God for His many blessings. We were some of the crazy people out in the middle of the night last night looking at the eclipse. The lack of sleep has affected me however, it's important not to miss special moments in life. I was thanking God even then that I was just wrapped in my snuggie on the patio and wondering how my friends in the northeast were faring, standing or sitting outside in freezing temps. An amazing family and friends and livin' in paradise. Yes indeed, I am blessed.
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