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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 i...
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This is a Matter of Life and Death


I wish it looked like this outside right now where I live.

But it doesn't.

 So at Celebration Church, we try to bring the look of fall inside the building. I love what our people have done to accomplish that.


As I mentioned here on the blog yesterday, I got to spend the morning with our beautiful women at Celebration. We enjoyed a ladies brunch.



I spoke on the Sweet Life of Surrender.  



What does it profit us to reach a dream yet lose our integrity in the process? 

Nothing. 

Mark 8:34-37
33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

God’s work, done our way, leaves us at a place where, when we arrive at the goal, it becomes meaningless.

God’s work must be done God’s way. He accepts no other way.

God’s work done God’s way, is the only path that brings meaning and fulfillment.
 

So often we pray and sing songs like, “I wanna be more like you, Lord” but what we really mean is, “I wanna be more like what I dream I should be, now that you've changed my life."

And that's not what God's asking for.

One of my mentors from afar, (through reading) is bestselling author Mary DeMuth. I met her on my recent trip to California. I never met her face to face before two weeks ago, but I respect her writing and her integrity.

She says: “If I build a platform, I hope I build it so Jesus can stand on it. It's not my Kingdom, it's His.”   

I have become so committed to this walk, in this way. I have tried to grasp the words to define it. It’s very difficult to do that even for a wordsmith and the only thing I could come up with is that it’s a matter of life and death.

 Not a matter of life and death for my desires to come to pass, but a matter of life and death, for God to be all that matters.

For God to be everything. 

Because that’s what He wants to be, and He will settle for nothing less.


*Thanks to Rachael Rice & Bonnie Stewart for photos
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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 i...
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