Over the last 20 years I have been helping retailers grow and expand their e-commerce businesses. I have learned and enjoyed many experiences from these companies, but something seemed like it was missing. I finally realized that while I was helping support business initiatives and expand market share, none of my efforts would matter in the not so distant future. The positions I occupied would continue to exist for another person. My office and stature would belong to someone else, doing similar things, and trying to make a difference. All of my hard work would basically amount to more dollars in the company's bank account. So I decided to launch my own online clothing company consisting of professional dress shirts and tee shirts, but with one common theme. The shirts would consist of a design that would intrigue others to ask, what is that symbol for? The symbol is a fish and it represents an eternal future for those that wear it. More importantly, it could represent life everlasting for someone that doesn't know Jesus Christ.
At a very young age my mother was killed by a drunk driver. After being frustrated with the Lord for many years, I finally learned that He has a plan for my life and His ways were wiser than my own. I stopped worrying about the past and looked at the present. I was not following His commandments and I fell into the trap of trying to translate His teachings into present day society. I believe that things were different now and that I was allowed to interpret the Bible based upon my own needs and desires. Then one day I heard a sermon that washed all of those false beliefs away. The word of God is non-negotiable and must be fostered with your heart, not with your mind. I thought I was doing well in my life, until I realized that my life was not about me, it was supposed to be about glorifying God in everything I do.
After praying to God and asking him to help me find my calling, I was given a leadership series on CD. The series was titled 'Lead Like Jesus' with Ken Blanchard and Bill Hybels. During one of the sessions, Bill reads from Luke 5 and then paraphrases his interpretation. He describes how Jesus was testing His disciples, to see which ones He wanted on His team. After passing several of Jesus' tests, Peter, James, and John are asked to put out their fishing nets just off of the shore. Peter replies that while they have been fishing all night and haven't caught anything, "because you say so I will let down the nets." Then they catch a record amount of fish so much so that the nets begin to break. After they bring their fish to shore, Jesus asks them if that was fun. The disciples replied that it was. Then Jesus tells them that while catching fish and trading them in for dollars is fun, but catching the hearts and minds of others for eternity is even more fun. At that point, the Bible says that they left everything and followed Jesus.
I really enjoy my work. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my hands and my heart to support my family. I thrive on success and recognition. We all do. But is there any greater gift than sharing your faith with others? Don't you want them to live eternally and have the comfort of knowing that life is not just an earthly venture but everlasting? Is there anything you can accomplish greater than savings someone's life for eternity?
I'm not a great witness. I usually do not share my beliefs with others unless they ask, but I really wanted to increase the frequency of those faith based conversations. I was working and interacting with people every day that I cared about, yet I did not have the courage to start a conversation about Jesus. I wanted to find an easier way, maybe something that I could wear that might just make others curious enough to ask.
I wanted to create a design that was unique but relevant to others. I learned that the fish symbol had been replaced by the cross many years ago but I also knew its popularity had increased over the last 20 years. When I read about the significance of the symbol, I learned that long ago, when Christians would meet strangers, they would draw an arc in the sand. If the stranger was a Christian he/she would draw a second arc in the sand, forming a fish. This allowed Christians to share their faith without the fear of discrimination. This would be the perfect symbol for our business logo. But how can I make this different? I asked God to help me out once again.
Early one morning while working on some design, He spoke to me and told me to write the letter "J" and without picking up my pen, make the letter "C". When I did this I immediately knew that He was blessing my idea. It was.......... a fish.
I knew that Jesus had spoken to my heart and answered my prayers. I also knew that this was His idea and I couldn't let Him down. There were so many reasons why I could not launch a new business. First, I'm not a webmaster and haven't used HTML coding since college. Second, my marketing experience was limited, especially my e-commerce experience. Finally, I'm not a clothing or shirt designer so how do I know which fashions to use? Then I remembered Luke 5:5, where the disciples told Jesus, "because you say so I will." Jesus gave me the design so I must carry out the rest of the plan.
My wife and I launched our online clothing company in July. The design was added to apparel picked from an embroidery company. The logo itself is no bigger than a silver dollar. It is just large enough to get noticed, but small enough to be ignored. We also set up a blog on our website because we wanted others to share their experiences while wearing His design. Our tag line is 'Wear and Share.' We believe that sharing your beliefs about Jesus Christ and encouraging others to follow Him is the greatest accomplishment one can achieve. We are simply trying to encourage others to share their faith.
At a young age I wanted to become a doctor. I believed that if I could save one life, then my purpose on this earth would be fulfilled. Several years later I realized that eternal life was so much more important than earthly life. I also learned that I could share this opportunity with others and save their lives forever. Jesus loved us so much that He died for us on the cross. He sacrificed His life so that others could live eternally. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven. Your family and friends deserve to be there with you.
Now that our business is up and running, I have the opportunity to demonstrate my faith and share my own witness with you. But at first I was hesitant to wear my own product. I thought that if I was wearing the logo that He helped me design, my path had to be straight and my behaviors perfected. Then I remembered that no one is perfect. I remembered that He died for us, to save us from our sins. And I remembered that He loves us, and forgives us, no matter what we do.
Share your faith with others. Demonstrate your beliefs and be ready to witness. Don't let others live without Jesus because they will die without you.
At a very young age my mother was killed by a drunk driver. After being frustrated with the Lord for many years, I finally learned that He has a plan for my life and His ways were wiser than my own. I stopped worrying about the past and looked at the present. I was not following His commandments and I fell into the trap of trying to translate His teachings into present day society. I believe that things were different now and that I was allowed to interpret the Bible based upon my own needs and desires. Then one day I heard a sermon that washed all of those false beliefs away. The word of God is non-negotiable and must be fostered with your heart, not with your mind. I thought I was doing well in my life, until I realized that my life was not about me, it was supposed to be about glorifying God in everything I do.
After praying to God and asking him to help me find my calling, I was given a leadership series on CD. The series was titled 'Lead Like Jesus' with Ken Blanchard and Bill Hybels. During one of the sessions, Bill reads from Luke 5 and then paraphrases his interpretation. He describes how Jesus was testing His disciples, to see which ones He wanted on His team. After passing several of Jesus' tests, Peter, James, and John are asked to put out their fishing nets just off of the shore. Peter replies that while they have been fishing all night and haven't caught anything, "because you say so I will let down the nets." Then they catch a record amount of fish so much so that the nets begin to break. After they bring their fish to shore, Jesus asks them if that was fun. The disciples replied that it was. Then Jesus tells them that while catching fish and trading them in for dollars is fun, but catching the hearts and minds of others for eternity is even more fun. At that point, the Bible says that they left everything and followed Jesus.
I really enjoy my work. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my hands and my heart to support my family. I thrive on success and recognition. We all do. But is there any greater gift than sharing your faith with others? Don't you want them to live eternally and have the comfort of knowing that life is not just an earthly venture but everlasting? Is there anything you can accomplish greater than savings someone's life for eternity?
I'm not a great witness. I usually do not share my beliefs with others unless they ask, but I really wanted to increase the frequency of those faith based conversations. I was working and interacting with people every day that I cared about, yet I did not have the courage to start a conversation about Jesus. I wanted to find an easier way, maybe something that I could wear that might just make others curious enough to ask.
I wanted to create a design that was unique but relevant to others. I learned that the fish symbol had been replaced by the cross many years ago but I also knew its popularity had increased over the last 20 years. When I read about the significance of the symbol, I learned that long ago, when Christians would meet strangers, they would draw an arc in the sand. If the stranger was a Christian he/she would draw a second arc in the sand, forming a fish. This allowed Christians to share their faith without the fear of discrimination. This would be the perfect symbol for our business logo. But how can I make this different? I asked God to help me out once again.
Early one morning while working on some design, He spoke to me and told me to write the letter "J" and without picking up my pen, make the letter "C". When I did this I immediately knew that He was blessing my idea. It was.......... a fish.
I knew that Jesus had spoken to my heart and answered my prayers. I also knew that this was His idea and I couldn't let Him down. There were so many reasons why I could not launch a new business. First, I'm not a webmaster and haven't used HTML coding since college. Second, my marketing experience was limited, especially my e-commerce experience. Finally, I'm not a clothing or shirt designer so how do I know which fashions to use? Then I remembered Luke 5:5, where the disciples told Jesus, "because you say so I will." Jesus gave me the design so I must carry out the rest of the plan.
My wife and I launched our online clothing company in July. The design was added to apparel picked from an embroidery company. The logo itself is no bigger than a silver dollar. It is just large enough to get noticed, but small enough to be ignored. We also set up a blog on our website because we wanted others to share their experiences while wearing His design. Our tag line is 'Wear and Share.' We believe that sharing your beliefs about Jesus Christ and encouraging others to follow Him is the greatest accomplishment one can achieve. We are simply trying to encourage others to share their faith.
At a young age I wanted to become a doctor. I believed that if I could save one life, then my purpose on this earth would be fulfilled. Several years later I realized that eternal life was so much more important than earthly life. I also learned that I could share this opportunity with others and save their lives forever. Jesus loved us so much that He died for us on the cross. He sacrificed His life so that others could live eternally. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven. Your family and friends deserve to be there with you.
Now that our business is up and running, I have the opportunity to demonstrate my faith and share my own witness with you. But at first I was hesitant to wear my own product. I thought that if I was wearing the logo that He helped me design, my path had to be straight and my behaviors perfected. Then I remembered that no one is perfect. I remembered that He died for us, to save us from our sins. And I remembered that He loves us, and forgives us, no matter what we do.
Share your faith with others. Demonstrate your beliefs and be ready to witness. Don't let others live without Jesus because they will die without you.
About the Author:
Learn more about christian clothing. Stop by James Kitts's site where you can register for discounts christian tee shirts and wear your witness.
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