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Showing posts from September, 2013

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

Available Now: HOPE.
Wide Selection.

Recently I was shopping at Sephora with my dear friends, Amanda Woolston and Julie Stromberg, and came upon this... Hope in a jar! As if! I thought to myself, "I so wish it worked that way. I would love to just grab a jar of hope off of the shelf at the store, when I need it." And then the Lord spoke to me right there and said, "You do." You get hope just like that, in many forms! Hope is packaged up for us in different ways. We get it in the Word of God, in the presence of God, in emails, Facebook posts, Tweets, blog posts, phone conversations, over cups of coffee. He sends hope in the way we need, when we need it. Hope is there for the taking.  

Because He Lives, I Can...

  Last night I played the piano, for the first time in six weeks! Anyone who knows me realizes how odd that is, particularly being that playing the keyboard and leading worship is part of my ministry, and yes...when you get down to it, my job. I hadn't given much thought to playing, other than being relieved I didn't have to for a while. I attended another church during my time away, taking in what I needed to nourish my wounded soul. After dinner last night I sat down on the piano bench at my house and just let my fingers do the walking. They instinctively went to: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future. And life is worth the living, just because He lives." Tomorrow is my first day back to our church, in six weeks.  Ready or not, here I come...  

What's Unlocks the Answer to Life's Problems?

Serious prayer requests? I've got 'em. I'm sure you do too. Matters of life and death in people's lives. Children's futures. Marriage and family needs. Inner healing. Asking God for justice. I am reminded, we don't always know how God is going to answer, but we need to be faithful in letting Him know what's on our heart. A while back I decided I wanted to take my bike to some local places I needed to go, and be able to lock it up. Sometimes I'd rather take my bike to a local store or a friend's house than take our car.  So I purchased a bike lock. My kids thought it was funny that I got one that had letters rather than numbers. I hate remembering numbers. I'm an alphabet kind of person.

When You've Got to Go THROUGH to Get What's Coming to You...

"See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." Isaiah 48:10 Walking well worn path I've trod daily for almost a month, I've learned many things. Some of them I haven't wanted to learn and would have had a holy-freak-out okay maybe an unholy one if you would have told me prior that I'd be learning them. Years ago when going through a challenge that preceded major learning and growth in my life, someone asked me, "Could you have learned this any other way, Deanna? Would it have been possible by reading a textbook, or listening to someone else's experience?" No, it wouldn't.

Stuff I Adore That Costs Little to Nothing...

Okay...taking a break today from writing about heavy things...like grief, loss, and bawling. Time to write about random stuff today that nobody may be interested in reading. Nevertheless here it is... Stuff I adore that costs little to nothing... Listening to playlists I make on (free) Spotify Drinking out of canning jars Reading books again that I already have on my shelf. Walking and riding my bike. Admiring crepe myrtle trees. Taking a bath in the daytime with the lights off in the room. (Natural light.) Naps. Snuggling with my husband or one of the kids and watching a movie at home. Having all noise turned off when no one is home. (No TV, no music, just silence.) Prayer.