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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...
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Thankfully, I didn't eat baby Jesus.

My sister Shari is home for a break from her ministry/job with Samaritan's Purse in Haiti.  This past week I received a box in the mail with Christmas gifts from her and one of them was a coconut.  It was a real coconut.  I honestly thought she had sent me this from Haiti to eat.  So I put it in the fruit bowl.  It just sat there along with tangerines and apples and a bunch of other stuff...waiting to eat.  On the phone with her yesterday on Christmas she said, "Did you like the coconut?"  I said, "I haven't eaten it yet."  She was like, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"  I said, "yes, why?"  She said, "Oh my gosh,  it's not to eat, Deanna!!  Please go get it right now while you're on the phone with me."  I said, "okayyyyyyy..." and proceeded to go get it.  She said, pull out the center thing and start pulling out the leaves and the stuffing.  I said, "okay, but I'll never get it back in, this is really tight."  She said, "you're not supposed to..."  So I said, "alright" and pulled everything out that was inside and it was a Haitian nativity set!  She said, "oh I'm so glad you didn't eat baby Jesus!"  LOL  Isn't this little nativity set just darling?  Now it joins my other one that sits on the piano -- made of banana leaves in Kenya. 

We had a very relaxing day  yesterday.  We needed it!  We slept in and once we woke up Larry started making the ham, and I began making sweet rolls and then we woke the kids up, had breakfast and started opening gifts.  A few hours later we started on the rest of Christmas dinner.   I enjoy taking photos with my camera as I go along throughout  my day, so here are some I took while we were cooking...

Jordan just loves my sweet potato casserole...says it wouldn't  be Christmas or Thanksgiving without it!
Waiting for my homemade yeast rolls to rise...
The spices of the season...
Larry prepares his cherry glazed ham...it's THE best.  Can you tell we were glad to have the day off from Weight Watchers...just for the day? 
I love setting a nice table...
...and lighting the candles...

 I was very blessed to share Christmas with my family and enjoy the gifts.  One thought I did have yesterday as everyone was asking me (on the phone or online) "Did you have a good Christmas?" was the fact that really Christmas is always good for a believer.  When we keep our focus on Jesus we will never, ever, have a bad Christmas! 
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Comments

Melissa said…
I'm glad you didn't eat baby Jesus too! How darling that nativity is! Just beautiful!
12:07 AM
Sharon said…
LOL! :-) I sure do love you...
2:19 PM
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