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Showing posts from December, 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

Going to the Next Level With New Year's Resolutions

Have you given up on making new year's resolutions because you never follow through on them? Recently I blogged abou t how I accomplished all but one of my new year's resolutions for 2013.  And they weren't all easy peasy ones. I promise. If you missed the post and want to learn about how I did it and how you can do it too, go here.  I made a decision to do something else this year that I've never done before. I'm not striving to come up with totally new goals this year. For some reason I've always felt pressed to do that. I always felt like a new year called for brand new goals. No one else made me feel pressure to do that -- it was simply my own internal squeeze that I felt to go that direction. This year, my goal is to go to the next level with my resolutions from  last year.  I met my goals. But meeting them, and exceeding them are two different things. Does this mean I'm going soft on goals, and taking it easy this year? No. I'm r

Because of the Birthday Boy, ANYTHING is Possible!

My table is all set for the birthday party! Christmas is one of our busiest times as pastors. I haven't even shaved both legs in one day this month.  The question, "Are you going away for the holidays? " is always one that is humorous to me if one knows my line of work. If the holiday in question has any religious significance at all, I am  working overtime.  In 26 years of marriage we've never "gone away for the holidays" mainly because of our work and also because we have three children and our traditions are rooted in the family we have created together as a married couple. There is no complaint here, just an observation. I absolutely love what I do!  Just sayin' that for a pastor...this is our busy season!Last night we were at the church late, getting things set up for tonight's Christmas Eve Communion. Larry has a special surprise for tonight that he can't wait to unveil! He has talked about it non-stop for a month. I can't wa

Are You Crying Over Spilled Milk?

Things go wrong sometimes even though I think I have prepared well. There are issues I haven't thought about or things outside of my control, that occur at times. The last time something like this happened to me, the phrase, "Don't cry over spilled milk," popped into my head." I have a choice. I can spend time kicking myself over what went wrong, or I can clean up the mess and then make a note to do something else than whatever it was that I just did. I can't always guarantee a winning outcome but I can predict a different one. I may not hit a home run every time, but I will learn valuable things I couldn't have learned any other way. Making mistakes is not optional - we all make them. It's what we do with them that's important. Learning from a mistake means a course correction so it is  not repeated.   Spilled milk doesn't have to slay me or sour me. It can actually serve me, if I let it. The choice is up to me.  

Make a Caesar Salad At Home That Your Family or Guests Will RAVE About!

Never would I have considered this transformational, but to hear the guests who come to dinner at my home talk, it is. So, I'm sharing it with you today. You can name your firstborn after me thank me later. People who "don't cook" are especially going to thank me. Yes, I know you're out there. You're the one who signs up for the church covered dish dinners, telling the lady in charge: "Just to let you know, I don't cook..." hoping to sign up for rolls in a bag or a bakery item. Or soda. ("Pop", for those of you in places like southwest Pennsylvania or Ohio.) You feel like you're the only one. You're not. You've been teased. You've been mocked. You've been misunderstood. Nobody grasps your plight where it concerns the culinary disadvantages that are your reality. I'm here to help you overcome all that. It's a new day, my friend. Your days of taking pop to potlucks are OVER. [Shout now!]

Until Further Notice...Celebrate Everything!

Savanna and I always go shopping very early on black Friday. We don't participate in any door busters. Quite frankly that seems stressful to me. It would be more fun to have dinner with Ann Coulter. It's our tradition to go to a few stores and then out to breakfast together, usually at Waffle House. (I like 'em scattered, smothered and covered.) After we've eaten a gloriously greasy breakfast we head to one or two more stores and go home. One of our favorite places to shop are thrift stores. We enjoy this all the time, black Friday being no exception especially since Salvation Army sells everything including furniture for 50% on that day. This year I was able to get new trees for our Celebration Church cafe for $5 each. I was over-the-moon to find the trees.  So, I also found this serving tray. You can't tell by the photo but it's not a dinner plate, it's a large serving tray. It caught my eye immediately, this little half-off-bargain. It's ce

Moan-Worthy Hot Crab Dip...(A Recipe!)
And Other Things Happening This Weekend.

The word of the day is: scurry. Scurry    Verb; to go or move quickly or in haste.   This weekend is our Christmas open house for church leadership. It takes me about two and a half days to get ready for this, and it's always a great time. Today I'm cooking up a storm and scurrying to get the house ready as well. Some posts from previous Christmas open houses are here at this link , if you'd like to get some ideas and other recipes if you're having a holiday party.  One of the favorite recipes I always serve at this event is hot crab dip. So simple and so good.  Hot Crab Dip Ingredients: 1 cup crab meat (I prefer white - jumbo lump, not claw) 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese 1 cup sour cream ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ tsp onion salt 1 tsp. dry mustard ¾ tsp. Worcestershire sauce Old Bay Seasoning to taste Directions:  I use a variety of crab meat depending on what is available. If fresh is available I always choos

Use It, Or Don't Have It! (And Other Practical Nuggets of Wisdom...)

A few weeks ago I hosted a few groups of women at our home for dinner and meetings. Upon  sitting down to the table, one of the ladies remarked, "I'm afraid to touch anything. What if something breaks?" I explained that this was no problem, if indeed it happened. She was referring to material things, most of which could be replaced. If it couldn't be replaced it's still not of greater importance than people. Some things I choose to live by: People are more important than things. If you have it, use it. If you don't use it, get rid of it. Start with whatever you have. Don't wait for things to be "perfect" to reach out.  Use whatever you have for the greatest good that you can. Share. Be hospitable. Open your heart and home to others.

I Accomplished My New Year's Resolutions! (You Can Too!)

For the first time, ever -- I accomplished all of my new year's resolutions this year except for two, and one doesn't even count! **Happy dance** Here's the deal: one is still in progress. It's well on it's way, but not done all the way.  I'm a poet or a prophet depending on the day! So...in all fairness, I'm not calling it accomplished just yet.  The second unaccomplished resolution didn't happen because early in the year, God told me it wasn't something I was supposed to do anymore -- to take it off my list. So I did. What was different about 2013? In previous years, I made a dream list that pretty much included everything but the kitchen sink. Ironically I got a new kitchen sink this year. And at the end of each year in the past, usually only a few items on my long dream list was accomplished. A few is better than nothing but still, it felt defeating. I was feeling an urge to do things differently for this year. I began praying