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
Yes, I'm serious.
Call me crazy (it's been done many times before) but I had the thought a few days ago while riding my bike that somebody may actually benefit from hearing my routine on how to wake up everyday and change the world before you even get out of bed!
First let me say, I don't like to wake up. I love to sleep. I mean I looooooove to sleep. So waking up in itself is a challenge but my own special routine makes it not only bearable but pleasant and actually makes a difference in the world.
Life changing? Making a difference in the world? I can sense what some of you are thinking now. Must she hype everything? Is everything she does or participates in really A-May-Zing, life changing, off-the-chain, phenomenal, yada yada yada? Well, in a word...YES. I choose to live that way. You can too.
So, back to the wake up routine, now that I've chastised all of you who may criticize me for justifiably hyping everything in life.
I need at least 15 minutes to wake up. I set my alarm for 15 minutes earlier than needed and hit the snooze twice.
The first time it goes off, I just hit it, roll over, wrap my leg around Larry's leg, slide my arm around his waist, run my toe over his calf a few times and go back to sleep.
The second time it goes off, I hit the snooze again, and this time I stay awake. My eyes are still closed but I'm awake. I press the side of my face softly on Larry's back and begin to silently pray for him. I don't speak aloud so as not to wake him - the goal is to bless him, not irritate him. I begin to pray for whatever it is that I know he needs that day. No one but God and I know all the facts about the things that weigh my husband down at times. Even with his very best friends in the ministry he shares but a small portion. I understand the complex reasons he feels the way he does many times, why he went to bed with a heavy heart the night before, the challenges he faces when he wakes up each day. Every pastor faces them, and like other pastor's wives, with my own husband I understand the ones that are just unique to him. I keep my face pressed against his back and sometimes move my hand to his head to softly rub it while I pray that he would have the mind of Christ for the day ahead.
Larry always sleeps longer than me in the morning because he doesn't take as much time to get ready to go as I do. But I must say there is nothing like it when I go to sleep before him at night and a little later he comes in. There are times I've been awakened by a hand in the small of my back, and I am awakened when I hear him softly praying. Years ago when I experienced a betrayal in the church, I would cry myself to sleep at night until the Lord healed me from the pain of that situation. Larry knew what I was dealing with in my heart and many times I'd feel his hand on me in the middle of the night, just softly praying. I never acknowledge that I know he's doing this. I pretend I'm asleep even after I wake up. I just lay there, in the still of the night, listening to him. Why? Because I don't want to spoil the moment. It's such a wonderful thing, I don't want it to end. Of course now he'll know because he's reading this blog, so I've been exposed, and now he will whisper, "Sassy, are you awake?" And I'll have to tell him...because we have a core value of always telling each other the truth if we ask for it. (And sometimes, even when we don't...another blog post for another day.)
There are a lot of books written about intimacy in marriage. I've written one of them myself. There's a lot to be said for great sex within a marriage but I will say that there's nothing more intimate and life changing any of us can do besides pray for our spouse.
And that, my friends, is how I wake up each day. If you have a spouse, try it. If you don't, may I suggest that you take a few moments quietly before you ever even get out of bed to pray for whatever God lays on your heart? History belongs to those who pray so even before you get out of bed each day you can change the world!
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