Posts tagged with "God Things"
A little more than two years ago, my brother told me he was opening up a business. He had a vision to provide local area businesses with the signs and products they needed to stand out and leave an impression in the community.
Opening a business had been a dream for my brother since childhood. All of a sudden, the dream became reality.
He wasn't nervous at all, but that was okay, because I was worried enough for everyone involved! ;)
Next month, Eight38 Sign Co. will celebrate it's second anniversary. It has surpassed every single one of Kyle's expectations, and today, it is a successful, thriving business.
I could not be more proud of my brother.
For the past two weeks, I've been privvy to a behind-the-scenes view of the business as the newest part-time employee. And this is what I've got to say:
While I couldn't be any more proud of my brother, I am absolutely astounded when I stop and consider what God has done. :)
Eight38 started with two friends: one to make the signs and one to sell them. Within no time, the amount of work outpaced the number of employees. My sister-in-law joined the team as a graphic designer. Two friends joined the team: one as a part-time production assisstant and one as an office manager. Over the past year, six others have joined the team.
Now, Eight38 Sign Co. is a well-oiled machine, and it is really, really cool to watch them work. Each and every one of the key players are absolutely phenomenal. You can say I'm biased and all, but these people are really, really, really great at what they do.
Eight38's list of clients is already over 600 clients strong. That's more than one new client for every day the business has been open.
It is just incredible to stand still and look around at what God has built.
I'm so thankful. :)
Kyle,
Goodness, I'm just typing these words, and I'm crying. I am so incredibly proud of you, Bubba. The team you have allowed God to put together is mind-blowing. I love watching you all work together, laugh together, make decisions together.
You and your team consistently put out work that looks like it's been done by one of the best design firms in the nation. You and your team drive boring old pick-up trucks into that little garage of yours and when the trucks come back out again...
Well, they look like this:
Not to mention what you've done with my favorite piece of real estate in all of Lafayette:
Not a single day goes by that I don't see at least one piece of your work around town. (And I'm not including the times I intentionally drive by your business just to see your trucks, smile to myself, thank God for you, and pray for you.)
I'm just incredibly proud of you, and I wanted to take some time to let you know that. I don't think I tell you enough.
I love you, Bub. I love you a lot. :)
Always,
~Me
Tonight, I watched the Boston auditions for the new season of "So You Think You Can Dance." One young man auditioned, and his audition was really good. At the end of it, all three judges stood up with airplane tickets in their hands.
In the next scene, the dancer burst through the audition room doors and said, "Three tickets from three judges! I can't wait to go wherever we're going!"
They happen to be heading to Las Vegas for the next round of auditions, but I thought it was really cute that he didn't know where he was going and he didn't even care. He just knew it was good.
I totally know how he feels.
For the past five weeks, the women of Elston Family Church have been stepping out on faith. Our women's ministry is called Heart to Heart, and we just started a new branch of our ministry, called Hearts in Motion. We are going to be breaking into motion groups and ministering to our community. It's a vision (an idea from God) that I got at the end of my time at the SheSpeaks Conference. I wanted to encourage the women of Heart to Heart to figure out their passions, their purposes, why God has created them a certain way, and then use their passions, abilities, talents, and experiences to encourage and support other people in the community.
So, we've spent the first five weeks of this semester "Discovering Our Hearts." We have looked in our past and evaluated what we love doing best. We have spent time thinking about our talents, abilities, and strengths. We've evaluated our experiences to see how God might want to use all the situations we've been through. Then, tonight, we shared with each other what God has been doing in our hearts and minds.
I can't even explain what happened next. Every single woman opened up and told us a little bit about her passions and what she felt God wanted her to do with her passions and abilities. And before I knew it, the pieces started to fit together like a beautiful jigsaw puzzle. Some women had a general passion for serving others. Some women had a specific passion for serving others by cooking meals or making small encouraging gifts. Other women had a passion for certain groups of people: women who are or have been in abusive relationships, single mothers, women who are unexpectedly pregnant, women who are home-bound or in nursing homes, and women who have lost a parent at a young age.
Tears were shed. Laughs were shared. I watched God bring a group of women together for one awesome purpose:
To take his love to the people around them.
It was amazing. And I agree with the dancer:
I don't care where He is taking us...I can't wait to go wherever we're going!! :) :) :)
Do you like us? Well? Do ya? Do ya?
Love Mercy
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