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...
My husband NEVER asks any woman when her baby is due. Ever. Not even if she's obviously pregnant. He just won't go there.
He has this policy because years ago when pastoring our first church he and I were standing at the back doors greeting people and a lady came through who looked pregnant. Her overall body was very small, in fact from the back she just looked like a skinny woman. But in front her stomach protruded so much, almost like a basketball, that she looked very pregnant. As she was coming through Larry said, "Oh, when are you expecting?" She looked very offended and said, "Expecting WHAT??!!"
Knowing him he probably shot back something like, "Expecting God to do something in you life," or something like that to get him out of that mess.
After church he said, "I will never ask any woman that question again no matter how pregnant she looks." Conversely this has resulted in some strange looks when he meets genuinely pregnant women who are obviously so and they say things to him like, "We're having a girl," and he says, "Oh...you're expecting?" and they look at him like, "Duh...are you blind? What did you think this was... a basketball under here?"
Actually he uses me as his spy in this regard. When a new lady comes to the church and she appears to be expecting he always asks me to find out for sure and report back to him. Yes, a co-pastor sometimes serves as an undercover agent.
He has this policy because years ago when pastoring our first church he and I were standing at the back doors greeting people and a lady came through who looked pregnant. Her overall body was very small, in fact from the back she just looked like a skinny woman. But in front her stomach protruded so much, almost like a basketball, that she looked very pregnant. As she was coming through Larry said, "Oh, when are you expecting?" She looked very offended and said, "Expecting WHAT??!!"
Knowing him he probably shot back something like, "Expecting God to do something in you life," or something like that to get him out of that mess.
After church he said, "I will never ask any woman that question again no matter how pregnant she looks." Conversely this has resulted in some strange looks when he meets genuinely pregnant women who are obviously so and they say things to him like, "We're having a girl," and he says, "Oh...you're expecting?" and they look at him like, "Duh...are you blind? What did you think this was... a basketball under here?"
Actually he uses me as his spy in this regard. When a new lady comes to the church and she appears to be expecting he always asks me to find out for sure and report back to him. Yes, a co-pastor sometimes serves as an undercover agent.
Comments
I won't ever go there again either. There was a missionary couple that came to our church and I congratulated her on pregnancy! Guess what! She wasn't pregnant! I could have died and every time I see her that is all I can remember....
So, how do you bow out of that gracefully? Never again....