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
So this is going to be a personal update from my weekend and a few other things happening.
I'm moving slow today. My foot burn has caught up with me. Please pray! Not to be graphic but the top layer of skin came off last night and it's hurting like crazy. I'm going to have to keep it wrapped up for a while with a gauze pad and some neosporin. I'm really hoping it doesn't scar.
Had I not been taking off for North Carolina just hours after I got burned I probably would have gone to the doctors to get it treated. A friend at church told me yesterday she thinks it's a second degree burn. I'm believing things will improve in the next 24 hours and if not I'll be headed that way.
I've had my foot propped up most of the day while working on my computer, but tonight I have our Celebration Church Women's meeting and I'll be preaching. I've thought about sitting on a stool while I talk tonight but that is so not my style. I will probably start preaching on a stool and hop off after a few minutes. Not sure how this will flow. We'll see.
My time in North Carolina was amazing! I made forever friends. North Carolina is a beautiful state and it's people are beautiful too! It's rare that I leave a place weeping. I'm not someone who cries all the time or for no reason, but I did leave NC weeping. I then I got myself together in the car on the way to the airport and cried again at the airport. Then I cried again on the plane to Atlanta. I cried because of what the Lord did at the altars and I also cried because I didn't want to say goodbye. The time we had was just precious. God did a tremendous work! For the second weekend, Sherrill Keller Ellis (who hadn't seen me since I was a baby...we had a lot of catching up to do!) insisted that her mother Sally come with her for weekend #2 as well as her daughters. Can I just say that in addition to what God did over the weekend, this was one of the most special things EVER? We had lunch together Saturday and it was truly divine. There was only one thing I didn't like about the weekend -- it was TOO SHORT! What a time... I am eternally grateful to Mary Ritter who leads the Women's Ministries of their great district, and the hospitality of her team. They are just a tremendous group of people.
I didn't cry on my second flight home. This is probably only because of an extraordinary divine appointment. My plane from Charlotte was landing as my plane in Atlanta was boarding! I had just a few minutes to run to the gate for my next flight. Upon racing up to the gate I heard a voice I recognized call to me and lo and behold it was Pastors Frank and Sheri Hawley, dear friends who are pastors of Garden Grove Church (AG) here in Winter Haven, FL. They pastored in NC for 24 years and have so many treasured friends there. God in His amazing providence put us on the same plane and we got to sit in the same row and talk the whole time and compare notes about our outstanding weekends of ministry. Sheri had been preaching a women's conference in Ohio and she and Frank were flying back. We laughed and gave glory to God, and shared and it was such a blessed time.
I have been getting e-mails and facebook messages from my new North Carolina friends telling me what a difference these two weekends of ministry made in their lives. God is so good!
Yesterday we had a great service at Celebration and then we went to Harvest AG in Lakeland last night to minister for Pastor Keith & Joy Conley's pastor appreciation banquet. It was a lovely night spent with great friends.
The prize is always home and I'm excited to share with my Celebration ladies tonight at our CC Women's October Connection.
I'm working by myself all week long as my husband has been asked by our district to serve as a coach for the Church Planter's Boot Camp for the Church Multiplication Network this entire week. I will hardly see him this week as the meetings are all week long, morning to night. I know they are going to have a really blessed week. The last boot camp that he was a part of, he came home just elated.
Speaking of elation, I'm thrilled to be reunited with my children and my puppies. I did make home cooked food for us today and have enjoyed my snuggle time with Max and Maddie.
There you go, we're all caught up on this October Monday. Can you believe it's October already?
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