The Lord said to go, stepping out in faith

Originally published 2/15/2025

For many years, I found great fulfillment working as a technician in the automotive industry. It was challenging, exciting, and rewarding; there was lots to learn, and there was no shortage of entertaining shenanigans. But it also has its drawbacks; it's hard on the body, mentally draining, seasonal at all the wrong times, and it's also pretty hard on the body. The worst part to me was the stress of knowing that people's lives depended on you not screwing up, eyes popping open just as you drift to sleep, can't remember for sure that you tightened the bolt for the steering shaft, 'gotta get there early to double check before the customer picks up.' The struggle is real; ask any technician in your life who's worth their salt. The magic had worn off, the stability it had once provided had become shaky, and it was time to go.

I cried out to the Lord for an escape. It can be challenging to leave the industry as a technician; most other jobs that your skills apply to don't compare in pay and seem to be just as dead-end. After what seemed like forever, I heard the Lord speak to my spirit and say, 'Make a way for me to provide for you, and I will." This would normally seem like a daunting task, but the Lord is good and immediately reminded me, simultaneously, about two things. First, my wife Christal had explored Print-On-Demand tee shirts. Second, about 6 months prior, while scrolling through YouTube, I ran across a video of an illustrator producing some artwork intended to be printed on a shirt. As I watched him refine his work, I remember thinking about how nice it must be to produce art for a living, working for yourself, working at your own pace. The worst thing to happen if you don't hit the mark is people say, "I don't like it." That could be nice. Even when I had forgotten, the Lord remembered.

I have a strong conviction that I have been directed down this path. Make an online store that sells graphic tee shirts. It seems crazy; I haven't studied or practiced art since I graduated college over a decade ago. The idea of being an environmental artist in the video game industry had been lost to the realities of supporting a family. It's not the same, but the principles used in art are fairly universal, and I'm sure there is some overlap. The Lord has an amazing long game. I went home, and one after the other, the Lord gave me some designs for tee shirts. I jumped on the computer and started putting the designs together. Lovingly, the Lord inspired me with simple designs that fell within my skill level of both the software I was using and my understanding of graphic design. I assembled a website with an online store; I put together the products for the designs. This was all so exciting; His fingerprints were obvious in this endeavor. But I knew something: when the Lord revealed the plan, there would be no smooth transition of replacing one income with another. The Lord is calling me to boldly step out in faith, to put all of the trust that my wife and I have in him alone. Like, with reckless abandon.

My wife is supportive of allowing the Lord to work in our lives. She loves the idea of me working from home and spending more time around. She also recognizes the specific challenge to her faith that has been presented in my revelation while also remembering his record of providing.

She also remembers that, a couple of years ago, I felt the Lord move me to put in my notice at my place of employment. Things had been tumultuous at work, and I was very dissatisfied (shocking), so I followed the Lord and put in my notice. I didn't have anything lined up, not much in savings, just stepping out in faith. Well, long story short, I chickened out, aired my grievances, and stayed. 7 months later, I was let go due to my bad attitude. Ultimately, I was left to rely on the Lord to provide, which he faithfully did. I'm not sure what would have happened if I had followed through on my resignation. I do know that giving notice at a job and working it out feels much better than getting fired. I spent the next year and a half looking for stability, changing jobs 3 times. The Lord had used each one for his purposes, sovereign over everything, even rescuing others along the way. His goodness had been pressuring me to feel unfulfilled and out of place.

I like analogies because you can paint a nuanced picture using obvious language. We can call this analogy Faith Adventure Mountain. I picture it like a path leading along a mountaintop ridge, cliffs on one side, meadows and forests on the other. Little stations along the way with different faith-building activities:

Scenic viewing positions with binoculars, where you can see other points along the ridge, watching the experiences of others.

Swings that give you a glimpse of the edge at their apogee, leaving you wanting to go higher next time so you can see more.

Trails of discovery lead through the meadows and woods, with stations of rest, comfort, and healing scattered about.

In this visit to Faith Adventure Mountain. The Lord led me up the ridge to a clearing at the top of a cliff, handing me an odd-looking parachute. Telling me to "Suit up, it's time for an adventure." A big sign at the edge reading two words:

Run. Jump.

It's got to be full send or no send.

I was okay with this. Really! I have said for decades now that I know Jesus is who he says he is, the Bible is true, and I trust the Lord with everything. But do I? The Lord has spent those decades demonstrating his character, showing faithfulness, proving that his word does not return void, proving that his promises are true, and teaching me wisdom. In my excitement, I reached out to a friend to share what the Lord was doing and enjoy some fellowship. He said people would be just as interested in buying from me and not just what I'm selling. He also advised me, correctly so, that it would be prudent and wise to let some sales roll in before quitting my job. He's not wrong. I told him about my previous chicken out and that I felt strongly the Lord was leading me differently.

Sometimes, the enemy uses truth and wisdom as weapons against us; he is a counterfeit. It would be nicer to roll into this change with a smooth transition. The extra money early on can help pay off some debts and better prepare us for the change. I started to spend all my extra time working on this. Maximum effort. I even started a 30-hour YouTube university course on building my very own print-on-demand empire. Learning the do's and don'ts of the Print-On-Demand industry. Use AI to make hundreds of designs, create advertising test strategies to maximize ROI, yada yada yada. It was a lot: research what makes sales for other people, make 100 different shirt designs, create 15 mockups, then advertise them, then iterate, then, then, then.....Then, I lost my peace. All of it. This isn't what the Lord told me.

Run. Jump.

Distractions like these popped up over the next couple of weeks, every time causing me anxiety. My confidence and peace wane with every comparison to the standards and methodology of the world. Then the Lord reminded me of Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." I was familiar with this passage. It is one of the tee shirt designs the Lord gave me the previous week. But when I made the shirt, I used a bible website to search for the verse, and I only read that verse. I went to my physical bible and looked it up. There was more: "in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." (Proverbs 3:5-10) I don't have a barn, and I'm not partial to wine, but I was picking up what the Lord was putting down. I've been faithful in my tithing, and the Lord has been faithful in meeting my needs. Even through my poor financial decisions, He's been faithful. Why would it be any different now? I'm confident that the Lord will provide, but it will be His way.

Run. Jump.

The Lord isn't leading us to jump to our demise; He's taking us base jumping or hang gliding. At the end of Matthew 6, Jesus says, "do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet the heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"(25-26) This is an important enough lesson that these exact words are recorded again in Luke 12. Jesus continues with, "And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."(29-31)

Jesus confirms two things: 1. I don't need a barn. And 2. He confirms what the author of Proverbs said. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not be wise in your own eyes(or the world's), Fear the Lord, and Shun evil, This will bring nourishment to your bones. It's in the red letters.

I like using the analogy of a cliff as a representation of faith in this scenario. It's a big step to leave the job that provides your income, especially when you haven't developed the best financial habits. If I had practiced the wisdom the Lord has gifted me, I'm confident I would get to experience my leap of faith as a tandem hang gliding experience, Jesus and I soaring over the edge into what lies ahead. But the path I chose led to the base jumping edge, with an automatic opening parachute, altitude set by the Lord. Jesus is still jumping with us; He will go anywhere for us. Over a cliff to help us build our faith in him, that's nothing compared to where He has been for us already. Let us not forget that He became our sin for us (2 Cor 5:21), which required him to go through the death and judgment that we deserved so that we could claim HIS righteousness when we stand before the Lord. When we become baptized in Christ, our coming out of the water symbolizes our resurrection into a new life, similar to how Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after his crucifixion. This new life is as an adopted heir to the kingdom of heaven, with all the rights and privileges as a member of the family who wears the title: Redeemed. Sure, this path allows for much more trust than others. An opportunity to experience the Lord's perfect timing, practice placing my worries and anxieties at his feet, and also an opportunity to bring him glory and tell of his mercy and provision. I've been bungee jumping before, which is considered a safe activity, but the spike of adrenaline, when the only force acting on you is gravity and the ground is accelerating towards you, doesn't feel any different from when there are consequences(I'm guessing). Stepping out in faith is scary, even having seen the Lord's faithfulness in my life to this point and knowing that he promised to provide in the future. It's still frightening, but frightening like bungee jumping or a roller coaster for those less adventurous; you know you'll be okay at the end.

I'm excited to watch the Lord work. I've held on to control of my life for so long, putting stock in my efforts, my workplace, and other people; the Lord has been faithful to let me see successes and failures in my life that have led to the building of my faith and conformation to the likeness of his son. (Rom 8:28-29) But trying to direct it myself has left me disappointed, frustrated, angry, hurt, abused, and ultimately unfulfilled.

So what am I going to do?

I'm going to run. I'm going to jump.

I'm going to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. I have not felt this kind of peace in years, if ever. And to be honest, it's nice. On the one hand, it feels kind of like 'not caring anymore,' the consequences be damned, but when the stakes aren't that high. But that's not it; I do care. I would be lying if I said otherwise. It's deeper than that and sounds cliche, but it is a peace that doesn't make sense. (Philippians 4:6-7) I wish I could accurately describe it. I am unsure of the outcome. I am, however, sure that we will see the Lord work in our lives to bring glory to his name, to enact the will of heaven, and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As of right now, I still haven't left my job; I'm waiting for the Lord to say go. But I still need your help. I need feedback from you all about everything. The site design, the shirt designs, the way the shirts are displayed, and any suggestions you have that would improve the user experience would be great. If you like the designs of the shirts, I would encourage you to purchase one. Using the promo code 'Letter' will give a discount. I need feedback on the product quality and value also. I will be adding more designs over time as the Lord reveals them to me. If you would like to see any of these designs on a different product, like a tote bag, coffee mug, sweatshirt, etc., let me know. I will be adding more designs as time goes on, so sign up to the email list to be notified of new designs. I also would like your feedback and advice on what you think about the Lord's direction for me and my wife; I'm always open to hearing advice and counsel. I originally planned on making this testimony letter private and only having it available via a shared link or by manually typing the URL. Do you think I should make it public? Should I commit to a regularly published blog? If you're interested in updates and information on new designs and sales, you can add your email to join the mailing list. Is the page ready to be shared with the world?