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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 inve
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Dustin's graduation party


Tonight was Dustin's graduation party at our house. He graduates Saturday but I didn't want his party to be rushed or to not be able to know exactly what time we would be home from the graduation, to know exactly what time the party would start, etc. so I planned it for another night. As all the kids are out of school tonight was a great night. We had the party from 7-11 pm and then they all took off to go to see the new Pirates movie. They are there now and I have a quiet house so here I am...

Dustin wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and also chocolate chip cookies. I made a homemade cake and decorated it with my pampered chef decorator and made a top for the cake that had Dustin's face in a cap and gown and "Dustin, we are proud of you" in scrabble letters. (He loves scrabble and is in the scrabble club...) I made dinner for the party - salad, baked rigatoni, garlic bread and dessert, plus his favorite punch. I had photos of him on stands on the tables. One table was his senior portraits and the other was his photos as a baby.

After dinner we called everyone in the family room and several of his friends gave speeches - Kaitlyn, Laura, Stephen, Bobby and then Larry and I. Then I had a special DVD I had made of pictures of him throughout the years, to the songs, "Fly Away with You" by Michael W. Smith and then "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas.

Every time I watched the DVD beforehand privately I cried and it was so difficult to make it through without falling apart. When the crowd watched it tonight I busied myself taking pictures...didn't want to go to pieces during the party. Dustin seemed to love the entire night. We also got him an X-Box 360. He's pretty much on cloud 9 over that!


I'm so proud of him. What an awesomely sweet boy I have. I know I talk about him all the time and copy/paste stuff he writes all the time...but indulge me at least one more time...here's the "about me" from his Myspace this week...I'd say he changes it at least once a week:

Greetings. I hear that is the dorky way to introduce myself so I figured I'd start things that way. My name is Dustin. If you know more cool ways to make fun of my name let me know because I've run out of them. I don't smoke, drink, or have sex because I think I am better than that. Like most kids that like humbling themselves rant about, I am a product of my environment. My parents have raised me to be a fully functioning member of society. As my days progress and I see myself being riddled with more responsibilities I realize I don't want to grow up. I wish I could waste my days away playing Nintendo and eating Little Debbie's. It becomes hard when I am given grown up situations and I have to become adult Dustin. Like when people decide to not be good friends it makes me want to do what I did when I was a child and not play with them anymore, call them doody head, and be on my merry way. I have realized lately that doesn't work so much anymore. Through everything I have found that living my life for Jesus Christ makes things less difficult. Less difficult is good, I like it. Jesus is my best friend and I mean that wholeheartedly. If you have a problem and you need help, I'll be here to talk. I keep confidences.

Okay, so that's his profile for this week. I thought it was sweet and funny, as usual.





I'm so proud of him for so many things. He lights up my life. I can't believe he's graduating Saturday.

Comments

Tara Sloan said…
Deanna,
Please give my family's best to Dustin! What an honor and testimony to have a son who lives up to his name and have such integrity! Congratulations!
Craig, Tara, Kaitlyn, Kelsea, Haley, Lexi, & Izzie
1:30 PM
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