By James Kitts
For the last 20 years I have worked in the retail e-commerce field, managing fulfillment operations. While I have thoroughly enjoyed the fast pace and growth of e-commerce, I decided to create something of my own. I wanted to pour my heart and soul into something that would make a difference in my life and the lives of others. I began to think about what I liked best about working in this industry and I discovered that my greatest joy came from developing others. The days that I can remember most are the days when individuals and/or teams produced record results - while I watched. I learned that I could make a difference in the lives of others, simply by inspiring and supporting them. Most importantly, I wanted to encourage others to share the beliefs about Jesus Christ and give them the opportunity to witness their faith. That's when I decided to launch an online business selling dress shirts and tee shirts.
I spent my youth in the church but had abandoned the ministry since college. I didn't stop praying or believing, I just thought that I could better use my time instead of spending it in church. I couldn't even give God one hour of my week, not to mention any time learning and understanding His word. Jesus has always been in my heart and I really do believe in helping others achieve success in their lives. But at the end of the day, their success was about me and my ego. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could be successful at my company and as success continued, I started to believe that I was the reason why we were getting great results and not the efforts of others. That's when I knew I needed a change of heart. I wanted my actions to glorify God and not me.
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?
Typically I do not share my faith with others. I don't go around talking about Jesus or wearing a cross around my neck, but should I? I believe that you decide how and when you want to talk about Jesus with others. Usually when someone is recovering from a bad injury or coping with the loss of a loved one, we talk openly to them about Jesus and His teachings. Wouldn't it be neat if we could increase the frequency of those conversations?
I wanted to find the right Christian symbol to use for our shirts. After numerous hours of researching, I learned that hundreds of years 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, forming a fish. This allowed Christians to share their faith without the fear of discrimination. Back in those days it wasn't okay to be a Christ follower. This would be the perfect symbol, but many others are using it. How can I make this different? Once again I prayed to God and asked for support.
One morning while I was working on designs and colors, Jesus spoke to me. He told me to write the letter J and then C without picking up my pen. I was amazed at the results. The symbol was a fish at a different angle. And the two letters of His name make up the drawing. Wow!
Jesus answered my prayers and I knew that I couldn't let Him down. But there were so many reasons why I could have. While my e-commerce background was solid, I knew nothing about website design, online marketing, and the fashion industry. This idea though was blessed by Jesus. He spoke to my heart. I must proceed with the idea.
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.
Since we launched the business I've had the apparel to wear and share my faith with others. At first I was hesitant to wear the product because I didn't want to attract attention to myself. Then I remembered that He helped me with the design for a reason and I must follow His direction regardless of my behaviors. When I say behaviors, I'm talking about being perfect. Jesus died for us to save us from our sins and the only perfect person was Him. I'm not perfect nor will I ever be, but I can demonstrate my faith to the best of my ability, continue to pray to Him, and witness as often as possible. You don't have to be perfect to share the Good News.
We believe that your greatest accomplishments in life are helping others come to know and love Jesus Christ. We encourage you to wear our products and share your faith with others. Help lead someone else to Jesus Christ. Who knows? The life you save just may be your own.
About the Author:
Looking to find the best deal on christian apparel (http://www.shop.fishwitness.com) , then visit www.fishwitness.com to find the easiest way tohttp://www.shop.fishwitness.com/main.sc">christian t shirts share your faith.
For the last 20 years I have worked in the retail e-commerce field, managing fulfillment operations. While I have thoroughly enjoyed the fast pace and growth of e-commerce, I decided to create something of my own. I wanted to pour my heart and soul into something that would make a difference in my life and the lives of others. I began to think about what I liked best about working in this industry and I discovered that my greatest joy came from developing others. The days that I can remember most are the days when individuals and/or teams produced record results - while I watched. I learned that I could make a difference in the lives of others, simply by inspiring and supporting them. Most importantly, I wanted to encourage others to share the beliefs about Jesus Christ and give them the opportunity to witness their faith. That's when I decided to launch an online business selling dress shirts and tee shirts.
I spent my youth in the church but had abandoned the ministry since college. I didn't stop praying or believing, I just thought that I could better use my time instead of spending it in church. I couldn't even give God one hour of my week, not to mention any time learning and understanding His word. Jesus has always been in my heart and I really do believe in helping others achieve success in their lives. But at the end of the day, their success was about me and my ego. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could be successful at my company and as success continued, I started to believe that I was the reason why we were getting great results and not the efforts of others. That's when I knew I needed a change of heart. I wanted my actions to glorify God and not me.
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?
Typically I do not share my faith with others. I don't go around talking about Jesus or wearing a cross around my neck, but should I? I believe that you decide how and when you want to talk about Jesus with others. Usually when someone is recovering from a bad injury or coping with the loss of a loved one, we talk openly to them about Jesus and His teachings. Wouldn't it be neat if we could increase the frequency of those conversations?
I wanted to find the right Christian symbol to use for our shirts. After numerous hours of researching, I learned that hundreds of years 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, forming a fish. This allowed Christians to share their faith without the fear of discrimination. Back in those days it wasn't okay to be a Christ follower. This would be the perfect symbol, but many others are using it. How can I make this different? Once again I prayed to God and asked for support.
One morning while I was working on designs and colors, Jesus spoke to me. He told me to write the letter J and then C without picking up my pen. I was amazed at the results. The symbol was a fish at a different angle. And the two letters of His name make up the drawing. Wow!
Jesus answered my prayers and I knew that I couldn't let Him down. But there were so many reasons why I could have. While my e-commerce background was solid, I knew nothing about website design, online marketing, and the fashion industry. This idea though was blessed by Jesus. He spoke to my heart. I must proceed with the idea.
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.
Since we launched the business I've had the apparel to wear and share my faith with others. At first I was hesitant to wear the product because I didn't want to attract attention to myself. Then I remembered that He helped me with the design for a reason and I must follow His direction regardless of my behaviors. When I say behaviors, I'm talking about being perfect. Jesus died for us to save us from our sins and the only perfect person was Him. I'm not perfect nor will I ever be, but I can demonstrate my faith to the best of my ability, continue to pray to Him, and witness as often as possible. You don't have to be perfect to share the Good News.
We believe that your greatest accomplishments in life are helping others come to know and love Jesus Christ. We encourage you to wear our products and share your faith with others. Help lead someone else to Jesus Christ. Who knows? The life you save just may be your own.
About the Author:
Looking to find the best deal on christian apparel (http://www.shop.fishwitness.com) , then visit www.fishwitness.com to find the easiest way tohttp://www.shop.fishwitness.com/main.sc">christian t shirts share your faith.