Month: August 2014

August 20, 2014

Leap of Faith

From taking a leap of faith to jumping over the Grand Canyon- that’s how I’ve described how God has spoken to me over the last couple of years with the creation and development of Walk The Talk. The requests were so grand that I knew, without a doubt, they were from God. The only considered option has been obedience.

On the morning of October 20th, 2012, I found myself taking a stroll through the neighborhood. I wasn’t having a very good week and this was an opportunity to talk to God. What God responded with would change the course of my life. As I walked through a crosswalk and stepped onto the curb, God put a BOLD vision on my heart. I would later explain it to people that it was like I was able to read “The Matrix”, where God’s vision for my life was made clear. God had called me to start a business that would be a game changer in fighting global poverty- to provide an opportunity for ANY individual from ANY age group and ANY income bracket to make a purchase that makes a real impact for our brothers and sisters around the world in need. God called ME to do this? I didn’t go to school for business. I don’t have any formal or informal training for a venture like this, but God direction is all I need. With His guidance, TWELVE days later, WTT was officially in business and selling merchandise.

Over the next several months, I spent my time balancing being a music educator and a small business owner. It was the cause for super early mornings, extended nights, and jam-packed weekends. Little by little, the WTT brand was expanding. Orders were coming in from all across the United States. In no way had WTT achieved a “household” status yet, but from the grassroots start, the wheels were definitely in motion. Then, last summer, God spoke again. He told me that in order for WTT to grow to the level it was designed for, I had to give it all of my time. Wow! I took a deep breath and knew I needed to align my will with God’s will. On the first day of the new school year, I announced to my boss that I would be around for the entire school year, but come the end of May 2014, I would vacate my position. Exhale!

The next 9 months would include no holdback of a violent roller coaster ride. From my dad spending months in the hospital, to busted tour plans for the students, to people questioning my financial security- there were countless methods the enemy used to distract me from pursuing God’s will. There were many nights I cried myself to sleep, but my obedience remained. Through these same 9 months, God had already planned out the first 3 months of this new chapter for me- to serve His children in Zimbabwe, Haiti, and Italy. It wasn’t until mid-August where I found myself back in the States and had completed the leap God had called me to take.

If I didn’t believe in God’s providence, I would not have listened to the call to start this business nor would I have left my job like that. God called and I acted in obedience. As I continue to allow God to guide my steps, I challenge you to be STRONG & COURAGEOUS for Jesus. When God calls you to take a leap of faith…jump.

http://www.wttwalkthetalk.com

August 18, 2014

BIGGER Than Yourself

summerweek1

Earlier this month, I was given the opportunity to invest into the lives of a group of teenagers/young adults (ages 14-30) at a summer camp in southern Italy. The theme was “BIGGER”, and one of my speaking opportunities was to explain how I live a life for a BIGGER purpose than myself. I was so excited to encourage, motivate, and inspire this group of Italy’s next generation to go out and live BOLD & COURAGEOUS lives for Jesus’ sake.

I ended up having 3 chances to speak in 3 different contexts. In the first opportunity, I spoke to the core leaders (about 20-25 people) about how to take the next steps in their leadership roles. I explained the ABCs of leadership- be AUDACIOUS, BOLD, and COURAGEOUS. God took several ordinary people throughout the Old & New Testaments and transformed them into incredible leaders. I took the time to go through the lives of Gideon, David, Peter, and John.

The second opportunity, I gave a devotional to the camp students asking if their lives reflect having been with Jesus. I loved this. Jesus called a bunch of ordinary, uneducated men to follow Him. These disciples listened to Jesus’ teachings, witnessed His miracles, saw His humility, experienced His true love, were changed on the inside, and became strong & courageous. In Acts 3 & 4, we see the first miracle Peter & John performed after the Holy Spirit entered them. They healed a lame beggar at the temple gates and watched the man jump and praise God. Peter & John were subsequently arrested for proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. Just before being released, we see something beautiful in Acts 4:13, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that THESE MEN HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.” When people see us, do they see someone who has been with Jesus? How do we represent Jesus? When we look in the mirror in the morning, can we say our lives reflect lives who have been with Jesus? We say we want to be the hands, feet, and face of Jesus to others, but how do we do with that representation?

Lastly, I was given the prompt of “How do you live a life for a BIGGER purpose than yourself?” It was a blessing to be able to speak to this young crowd about how God transformed my life with Walk The Talk. From leaps of faith to considerable time in prayer to explaining God’s intentionality, God had prepared me for this moment to give Him glory. Walk The Talk exists to serve “the least of these” just as Jesus described to His disciples before going to the cross. Being obedient to God doesn’t take a Ph.D or a multi-million dollar salary. I left them with these final words:

“You don’t need to be a movie star or an athlete to make a difference. When a lot of people do a little, an impact is made. When you see that the shirt you purchased helped clothe a child in need, it changes your heart. You go and tell someone about it, and it changes their heart. They go and tell someone else. That’s how we change the world. That’s the story of Walk The Talk.”

All glory to God.

http://www.wttwalkthetalk.com