Archive for Christian

In Pursuit of the MVP – The Tim Tebow Foundation

If you thought MVP meant Most Valuable Player, you would be wrong.  When Tim Tebow uses MVP, he means Most Vulnerable Person.

Years ago I was able to hear Pam Tebow speaking at a fall fundraiser for AbbaCare Crisis Pregnancy Center in Winchester, Virginia.  This connection has prompted me enjoy a glimpse or two of what her son Tim Tebow is up to.  Pam was encouraged to abort him, and told her story at that fall fundraiser.  Knowing that Tim’s life was disposable, and seeing how he has such a heart for the Lord is inspirational!

During his college years, he played football and won the Heisman trophy as an undergrad.  Tim’s life has been full of changes and pivoting.  He had planned to play NFL football for years but God had other plans for his life.  After playing in the NFL for several years, he played professional baseball for a time, and was a college football analyst with ESPN.  He was well known for his Christian faith and his willingness to be unashamed to be a witness for it both on and off the field.

Please read Tim’s story ! Tim’s love for the Lord drives him.  He has been through a lot after college in terms of a hopeful career in football that never transpired as he thought it would.  (A Romans 8:28 example to be sure.) However, Tim not getting discouraged or down caused more good to so many. He took the focus away from his own disappointments in life and focused on others, the MVP’s, with an entrepreneurial idea!

He began an organization called the Tim Tebow Foundation in 2010.  His founding of the Tim Tebow Foundation has giving hope to so many people.  The TTF’s mission is:

“Our Mission is to bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.”

The TTF accomplishes this in many ways.  They have worked in over 86 countries.  They are involved in caring for orphans, saving children from trafficking and also helping children with disabilities.  One wonderful event is called Night to Shine. This entrepreneurial event is hosted by volunteer churches.  “Night to Shine” is for people over the age of 14 who have disabilities.  From the website “Night to Shine is an unforgettable celebration event, centered on God’s love, honoring and valuing people with special needs.”

When we go through rough times in life, so often we tend to feel sorry for ourselves and can easily give in to despair.  Tim Tebow is a good example for everyone, in that when things didn’t work out like he dreamed they would, he took the focus off of himself and served others!

The Sweetest Devotion: Ashley Hetherington’s Journey as a Christ-Centered Influencer

Struggling to find her footing on a path through a season of worldly pressures and broken relationships, Ashley Hetherington was a young woman on the hunt for meaning and purpose, an unconscious search for her Lord burning from a heart of confusion riddled with footholds. But now, standing on the other side of this mountain of turmoil, is an emboldened 24-year-old woman of God whose radiant passion for Christ shines through her efforts as an influencer, author, and content creator. This renewed relationship with God that grew from one of the darkest periods of Ashley’s life has lit in her a fervor for helping other young women come to terms with fighting their own battles, especially concerning faith.

Hetherington has achieved this through business initiatives that, initially, took a leap of faith to pursue wholeheartedly; graduating from Miami University with a degree in interactive media studies and journalism and thus armed to aid in the growth of other companies, she never thought her own writing and social media presence would grow into anything more than a hobby and college pastime. But keeping God central to the trajectory of her life and career has led to a fruition of and full-time devotion to this mission through many outlets.

Ashley’s simple aim has been to encourage her fellow sisters in Christ, citing Proverbs 16:24: “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”  She orchestrates a variety of media to reach her followers, including several bestselling books and eBooks, an online blog called “The Honey Scoop”, social media channel (accessible through Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook), a podcast, and a free email subscription for weekly devotionals called “The Hive.” Additionally, Hetherington has a premium Bible study deemed “The Tree”, which includes a daily Bible reading plan, weekly devotional video, monthly group calls with women from across the globe, and access to recommended worship playlists, podcasts, and book recommendations. Ashley’s content, especially “The Tree”, reaches thousands of women from all over every year, uniting them under the purpose of growing into stronger, faith-filled daughters of Christ.

Notably, amidst this success, Hetherington always offers this glory back to Christ. She stated in an interview with Peer Magazine, “I’ll never forget that in one of the lessons [at Miami University], we were taught we are in the business of effort and God is in the business of result so it’s on us to put in the effort. To put in the work, to do the time, to be consistent, to innovate, to network, to show up every day, but God is in the business of results.” In Zero to One, Peter Theil remarks on “the guiding concepts of business”, among these principles being that “it is better to risk boldness than triviality (p. 20).” Ashley Hetherington is living a life and guiding a mission that testifies to the truth in this notion—whatever the internal struggles and external obstacles someone faces, a heart and business built on the Rock will flourish in His perfect timing for the glory of His kingdom.

Carew Ellington – Social Media Influencer

Carew Ellington first started getting followers and seeing fame when he created a Tik Tok account. Through his Tik Tok account he would create videos about his Christian apparel that he was selling and making out of his basement. His apparel is Christian based, and he mainly got his sellers through sharing his testimony and videos he would make about bible verses and sometimes little sermons. His main point he wants his consumers to know is that everyone is loved by God, and he carries that over into his apparel. Once he got more famous, he also started selling his clothes that he doesn’t want any more on his website. He has Hand-made apparel and Christian Collection. Carew’s clothing is unique because he has apparel that is hand-made by him. Making sure everyone knows they are worthy and loved by God is what drives him to make and create his shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags. Carew demonstrates passion in his clothing line because he is passionate about sharing the gospel and extending God’s love to others through his apparel and social media videos. Social media has made things so much easier for young entrepreneurs because it is such a great way to get your product out there and see who grasps onto it

Revelations Tee Co.

Revelations Tee Co. Was founded by Grove City student Eleni Kasianides during her work for a business class. She wanted to find uplifting clothing that was faith-based, but not tacky. So often in the Christian market, there are bright colors and flowers with common verses taken out of context. Revelations Tee Co. strives to be unique, the subtle branding encourages questions. The hope for the line is that wearers will desire to be intentional with their faith, and share when asked in public. The first collection is scheduled to drop on Monday the 21st, entitled “Pleasant Words.”

Above all, Revelations aspires to glorify God in the choices we make. To share our faith and go boldly into the world with love. Revelations stands for more than just the book in the Bible. It also represents the constant eureka moments we have with God and the ability we have to share those moments with others.

The circle logo encompasses several Easter eggs, for those who know to look for them.  The circle with an olive “branch” from John 15:5, and the “Book of Life” in Daniel 12:1. Even the three dots represent something bigger; the trinity. Symbolism is packed into every piece and special care is given to ensure theological accuracy.

As Christians, we are called to stand out. To live and act intentionally. Revelations hope to marry style and faith in its debut collection. The initial drop will include six original designs from Bible verses and worship songs. It will feature different styles and sizes to accommodate a variety of styles and preferences.

If you would like to check out a preview of their website, you can find all the details here.

 

John Rockefeller – Richest man in history

Rockefeller Center was built through his Oil fortunes to help create economic activity during the Great Depression. (Photo by David Shankbone)

John D. Rockefeller is often considered one of histories richest people. His journey to Entrepreneurial success and business fame started at an early age. He grew up with a tough childhood, his father would often leave and even had a secret second family in Canada. Rockefeller knew he could not pay for a higher education so at the young age of 16 he went to work at an accounting firm as an assistant bookkeeper. He quickly distinguished himself among his peers and teamed up with some local merchants in Cleveland to start a produce shipping company. Rockefeller achieved moderate success at a young age but quickly pivoted to what he would be famous for, the emerging Oil industry. Rockefeller was able to capitalize on his current success to shift into the new market at a perfect time. While most of the companies getting in on the oil rush at this time where rushing to drill oil in the newly discovered oil fields of Pennsylvania Rockefeller knew that the oil was useless until it had been refined so while the market had too many drillers Rockefeller put all his efforts into refining the Oil. He was very successful at this because of his focus on efficiency and chemical innovations, he despised any type of waste. His success continued as he grew older he continued to expand and bought out much of his competition offering generous stock deals to join his Oil Empire. This gave him a dream time of the best oil Entrepreneurs on his team. This company was Standard Oil which became the largest company in the U.S and was technically a monopoly. This led to it later being broken up by the U.S government though this did not effect Rockefeller much as the next years he made his biggest fortunes off of the new automobile industry. Today the Standard Oil company is the origin for almost all major U.S Oil Companies like Exxon and Chevron.

Sincerely Beloved – Small Business Out of Your Own Home

Blog Post #1

The owner of Sincerely Beloved is Rachel Sanchez and she is a family friend of mine. She creates appeal, stickers, keychains, and many more things to spread Christianity and include bible verses with each item. What is unique about her is that she is doing this out of her home and has gained a good following of people on Instagram and sells things through her Esty shop all by sharing her faith and inspiring others. Making an impact on others and spreading the love of God to others is what drives her. The Christian faith in every aspect of what she makes is what is interesting, and she switches up and makes different things instead of always selling the same things. Her ideas to always create new things allows her to grow and be an entrepreneur and by starting her business in her home makes it easier for her. By creating knew things and switching up her style every few months allows her ideas to be innovating. Her business inspires me to create my own Esty shop because she makes it look more convenient for her that she can create things. I have learned that you can create a business out of anything you can create and also spread Christianity and faith to others through these ideas.

TheRebelution.com

Alex and Brett Harris have been doing big things since they were teenagers. It all started when these twins were sixteen years old, and they started the website TheRebelution.com. This website has been challenging young people everywhere to “rebel against low expectations” and is one of the “most popular Christian teen websites on the Internet.” It is run by young people who want to make a change in the world and inspire others to do the same. In addition to this website, Alex and Brett interned in the Alabama Supreme Court at seventeen, becoming the youngest interns to date. Then at eighteen they coauthored their first book. The book is titled Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations and it is one of the most impactful books I read in high school. At its peak, the book reached #5 on the Amazon.com bestseller list. This book launched the twins into the public light, and they received a lot of media coverage because of it. However, the twins have since then grown up and have moved on to different projects. Alex and Brett are no longer in their teenage years, but their website and writings are still relevant today.

The Rebelution | rebelling against low expectations

Culture of Life-COL1972

Culture of Life 1972 is an online boutique that was created for the sole reason that there werenot clothing companies supporting the “values of life” that the family that started the company wanted supported.  COL1972 for short, is a self described risk taking and faith based company, started in Pennsylvania.  The 1972 part of the company’s name is to honor the last year that every baby had the right to life.  They donate to many places that support their values including places like pregnancy centers.  COL1972 produces high quality women’s clothing and accessories that support and fund important causes to the company.  They are strongly against abortion, hence the name, so that is a cause that they donate a lot of money to.  Their clothes are high quality and fashionable which appeals to a broad market, even if the customer does not specifically support the companies causes, they may still want the clothing and accessories just because they like them.  I believe that COL1972 is a great example of not remaking the wheel and coming up with something completely new, they just made it better and created a niche.  The market for clothing companies, or companies in general for that matter that support causes that the consumer themselves is interested in supporting is nothing new.  COL1972 just happened to tap into a set of customers that had to my knowledge, never been appealed to before in this way.

Three Nails Clothing-Derek Dahl

Three Nails Clothing is a clothing company designed for athletes who want to represent God’s kingdom. Derek was a college basketball player that wanted something more. He wanted to become a professional basketball player, but after college, he became a financial advisor. Derek knew he wanted to do something more than a 9 to 5 job. Finally, he used an idea that he had been thinking about for a long time, and after a lot of brainstorming and prayer, he finally decided to start his own company. Derek wanted comfortable, athletic wear that he could wear to the gym, but he also wanted something that represented his beliefs and values. In turn, he created Three Nails Clothing. Dahl wanted to create a sleek and minimal design that represented something meaningful to the Christian religion, so he decided to use the cross. The Cross represents God’s sacrifice to the world and seems like a perfect fit for Dahl’s company. He used clever designs to complete his logo by creating the cross with three nails, the three nails that nailed Jesus to the cross. Derek stated that “It is our hope that our brand’s subtle designs will allow you to cultivate conversations to share your faith in Christ with others.” This mission is beyond entrepreneurship and a clothing brand; what Derek has created is a brand focused on an eternal goal. The goal that brings others to Christ.