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Showing posts with the label Friends

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...

The Number One Thing That Has Helped My Marriage

Twenty-nine years ago today. We were just babies. Seriously, Larry was a teen.  This is not a cliche. Not a pat answer. Not just something I feel I have to say just because I'm a Christian. Or a minister, or a pastor's wife myself. It's my life experience. And it's reality. So take it for what it's worth from a person who is celebrating 29 years of marriage, today. This is the number one thing that has helped me more than anything in my marriage. It's prayer. Specifically, joining with someone else in fervent - warfare prayer. It's important to pray with your spouse but I also believe it's important for a woman to have a Godly female friend who understands what is at stake, to stand in the gap with you and intercede.  Matthew 18:19 says:   "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. "  There is power in agreement. The...

10 Things To Say to Encourage a Friend

With my friend Joanne Greer ~ 1985 You are not alone My heart is with you. I understand. This makes me sad on your behalf. Would you like to talk about it? What can I do to help? Call me anytime, day or night. (Make sure you answer!) I’m praying. How can I specifically pray for you? Just want you to know you are totally awesome because ______________.   Joanne and Me ~ 2014

How An Agnostic Helps Me Be a Better Minister

Laura Dennis Laura Dennis and I first met in the blogging community.   Both of us are writers, with her blog being a popular adoption and parenting blog, the subtitle of which is: The Adaptable (Adopted) Expat Mommy . Laura and I probably would have never been matched by others as, “Most Likely to Be Friends.” Thankfully we went ahead and matched ourselves. Although our lives couldn’t be more different in many ways – our friendship couldn’t be more perfect.   We both love guacamole.   I’ve been a Christian pastor for the last 27 years, and now serve as the Women’s Director for the Pen-Florida District of the Assemblies of God . I’m a conservative if you have to pin me down to a label. (Which I really dislike…the whole idea of labels. Or being pinned down, for that matter.)     Laura is an agnostic, an unbeliever, who would probably politically align mostly as liberal…and I don’t think she likes labels any more than I do. Oh, and did I ment...

Savanna's Sweet 16

I can hardly believe my baby turns sixteen years old tomorrow. Her birthday is April 21 but we had her party this evening. I always wanted a daughter. And nothing compares to the blessing of her. So grateful for sixteen years, with Savanna Rose... Yeah, so...I'm a princess. My brother STILL enjoys making faces behind me when I'm taking a picture... Cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes Friends of all ages came to celebrate  Ready to serenade me? Hanging out on the patio Yeah, so we had a few cupcakes. Alexa, Cheyenne and George stopped in to give their love and well wishes! Chillin...  Once it got dark Savanna and her friends gathered around a fire on the patio. Part time princess, part time ballerina...Multi-tasker Beautiful girl...we love you

That Was Easy!

Some girlfriends took me out this week and treated me to a night on the town and then presented me with this little gift...an "EASY" button. You push it and you hear, "That was easy!" I pushed it, and pushed it and laughed myself silly. :) For all the silliness, here's truth: Life has it's twists and turns, but it sure is a lot easier when fully relying on God, and the supportive people He provides. There's nothing like the power of God and community. So grateful. I am blessed.  

The Importance of Finding Friends Who Can Handle Your Story

Everyone has a story. Our stories should never be dismissed, but unfortunately everyone we share our story with can't "carry" it. Not everyone can handle hearing someone's story, much less helping them do something in response. Sometimes it's because they can't wrap their brain around it, and other times, they simply don't want to try to understand. All of our stories deserve to be heard, validated and a caring response given to respond in whatever way appropriate to bring hope and healing. Sometimes we share our story with those who dismiss, or possibly even try to refute. That hurts much worse and results in giving us yet more to the story that we must carry and hope we'll find someone to help us bear the load. One thing I want to encourage anyone reading this to do, is...keep going. If you shared your story and someone dismissed it, questioned it, or attempted to invalidate it, DON'T GIVE UP.  Keep going until you find someone who WILL li...

When Friends Invite People Along (And You're Not Happy!!)

My post today is from the relationship column that I write for Insight, a Tam pa newspaper . This month I tackled several questions and this was one of them . I'd love to hear your thoughts about how you handle this when it happens to you.   Dear Deanna: I am having problems with a friend who invites me to do things with her and then after I have already agreed, invites someone else to join us. This may not appear to be any big deal, however my discomfort with the situation is that she often asks people I’m not particularly fond of and don’t want to spend an evening or an activity with…people like my ex-sister-in-law. Yes, AWKWARD!!!  Once I’ve agreed to attend, I don’t like to back out just because she invites someone to join us that I’m not comfortable with. But I’m really tired of dreading these times together. What do I do? I don’t want to lose my friend but I also don’t want to keep dreading her events and invitations. Signed, Dreading Dear...