Run with God

Andrew Allard, 1 Year Later

A year ago I blogged the story of Andrew Allard. Andrew, in short, was a young teen who was on fire for God who passed away suddenly about a year ago. Check out the revisits here and here.

Suffering is inevitable.
Stupid Garden of Eden.
But I am still amazed at how people can find God in the midst of the pain.

Kevin Twombly is the Generations Pastor at Grace Capital Church, Andrew's church in New Hampshire. In honor of Andrew, Kevin asked Andrew's Mom and Sister to guest blog. Great posts, sharing insight into how a family copes with loss, finding God even when God doesn't make sense. Check the quote from Andrew's sister, Abbie.

When Andrew passed away, I could have easily blamed God, hated God, or even turn my back on God altogether. Too many questions existed without a trace of answers that could be found by human insight alone. I searched for answers in places beyond myself and my own thoughts, and could not find any there as well. And yes, that was a fancy way of saying I could not find the answers in even God, the only place I knew to look. Yet in the midst of all the confusion and lonesomeness, God wrapped his arms around me and gave me a peace, a tranquility, that was unlike anything I had ever felt before. My heart was not overwhelmed with the sorrow this world expected me to feel. At times I felt guilty because I was not as broken as the people around me that were affected by the loss as well. Instead of pointing the finger at God and blaming him for taking Andrew away from me, I chose to ’sing hallelujah’ and ‘see the good in broken things’; and to my surprise, there were more good things than I expected.

God, thank you for the continued lessons to be learned from Andrew's life. May his life continue to impact people for Your kingdom.

Gaithers @ C28? Uh, NO!

Below is a series of emails between Ryan (my manager @ C28), several EMI CMG Reps, and myself. Try to keep up.

Subject: Gaithers @ C28
------------------------

From: Ryan Eloe
To: "Wachsmann, Jodie" , "Allen, John"
Cc: Jeff Reed
Date: Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 3:31 PM

Jodie/John

There is a slight problem with the order we recently received Order #029496. In it we were missing the 10 copies of Time Is Fiction (Edison Glass), and instead we received 10 copies of Homecoming Picnic (Bill and Gloria Gaither 617884272425).

How would you like us to handle this?

Ryan Eloe
Manager c28
Mall at Wellington Green

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From: Jeff Reed
Date: Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 3:34 PM

HAHAHA! Um, yeah. C28 nor The Living Word wants 10 copies of Homecoming Picnic.

I could only imagine...

Thanks for a great laugh. jreed

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From: Allen, John
Date: Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 3:46 PM

Jodie-

You got this one. Must have been a key stroke mistake on my part. I would never send your guys Gaither stuff…unless it was Gaither Presents A Tooth & Nail Homecoming. Demon Hunter & Ernie Haase! There’s a visual! See you guys next week!

John Allen

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From: Wachsmann, Jodie
Date: Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 4:56 PM

Didn’t think those CDs exactly fit your demographic of customers J

Did Living Word receive any of the wrong CDs as well? Just want to make sure I cover all of the bases.

Thanks!

Jodie Wachsmann

Guest Blogger: Ultimate Customer Service

I've asked Ryan Eloe to step in as a guest blogger. Ryan is the General Manager @ C28 in West Palm... an old college friend who I convinced to move to Florida and help me start C28's ministry in Florida. He's married to Kim, and they are expecting their first kid in June.

I asked Ryan to share his thoughts on C28's ministry...

- - - - - - - - - -

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." 2 Corinthians 4:1

Because of the adventures, trials, and experiences at c28 this past year 2 Corinthians 4 speaks to me in amazing ways. One of the most important messages to me in this chapter is that it speaks on the topic of the ministry that we have through God's mercy.

The word 'ministry' in Greek is diakoniva (dee-ak-on-ee'-ah), which simply means service. It's a similar word to that which the word deacon comes from.

If we are truly interested in doing or taking part in ministry (diakoniva), we need to serve.

I believe, if we want to minister to the glory of God, then we should provide the most excellent service. Service that would represent that God who has saved us, loves us, and has mercy for us day in and day out.

Fortunately for us who minister at c28, we are in a unique place because we are expected as a mall-based retail store to provide customer service. Every store has customer service, some stores have horrible customer service, some stores elite customer service, some have good customer service.

But because we want to do ministry in the name of Christ we strive to provide ultimate customer service.

For us, this means a lot of things. It means that we'll try to do everything we can to help people find what the clothes/music they're looking for. Similarly we'll help people when they are searching for a certain size, the perfect gift, or the the latest CD.

But sometimes more than a nice button up shirt, or an amazing CD...people are looking for something different. In these cases we help people find the truth about Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. Or sometimes we help people when they are searching for faith, hope, truth, and grace in this world. We'll offer to pray with people, share with people, encourage people, because more than a new purse, belt, or rockin' t-shirt these needs are greater.

For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts...and it is our prayer that Jesus' ultimate service to us in his death, will allow us to serve our customers in a way that will help them see and experience the grace, truth and love of Christ.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts..." 2 Corinthians 4:6a

C28: 20% off entire store

C28 West Palm is having an in-store sale. 20% off everything in the store. No questions asked. Print the coupon above and take it to C28 at the Mall in Wellington Green. Sale good Friday, December 14th from 4-10pm.

Don't miss it. Don't forget to buy something for you, too!

C28 Florida's Anniversary

Under the chaos of everything else in my life, C28 Florida just celebrated it's first anniversary. If you got some time, I suggest you go back and read the story of C28 as told by my blog, OR just read that opening day post here.

It's been a great year, and through the turmoil that has been C28 Year One, I still know that God is behind it. I also know that God has a purpose for us here, and what we are doing now is just a small part of what C28 can do in the state of Florida.

And so we push. We scramble. We fight. We survive.
We pray for the day when we accomplish mighty things for our Lord.

First year is tough in business.
Building customer base.
Creating a demand.
Proving you're stable.
After talking to the staff, as well as people in the area I know we're headed in the right direction.

We've experienced opposition over the years.
People questioning our validity.
People questioning our motives.
People questioning our spirituality.
But a year later, I know we're exactly where we need to be.

God, thank you for C28's first year.
Thank you for being with us during the ups and downs.
When times are strong, remind us of your grace.
When times are weak, remind us of your strength.
Thank you for what you've brought us through, and we look forward to what you have for us very soon.

Storyside B @ C28

Here's a photo from Saturday's Storyside B doing an instore performance @ C28 West Palm. We had 80 people packed in the back of the store enjoying their acoustic show (and the standup comedy routine).

The band stuck around after the show signing CDs (we were selling them for $7.99 - take that iTunes!)

Awesome. Thanks for everyone who showed up, and we'll see you again soon.

Storyside B and Seventh Day Slumber this WKND

Looking for a good excuse to go to C28 this weekend?

Storyside B & Seventh Day Slumber are doing an acoustic set @ C28 West Palm Beach this weekend. Promise you, it's worth the trip.

Come hang out with the band. Get some CDs signed. Buy some C28 stuff. What else are you going to do this weekend! Remember, you probably got Monday off (Veterans Day, right?) so you can sleep in then!

OR, if you are going to WayFest at the Sound Advice Ampitheater, come check out the C28 booth.

See you this weekend!

Storyside B & Seventh Day Slumber @ C28 WPB

Saturday, November 10th is going to be an awesome day for C28 West Palm. First off, C28 is a major sponsor of WayFest, an all day music festival at the Sound Advice Ampitheater. Before WayFest goes full swing, though, we are hosting an intimate in-store with Seventh Day Slumber and StorySide B. Pretty cool, eh?

StorySide B will be performing an acoustic set in the store as well, so come out to C28 to get a free music performance, get some CDs signed by to really awesome groups, AND THEN be sure to check out all the cool stuff coming out at C28 for the Christmas season.

Oh, and to welcome SSB and SDS into West Palm, C28 is selling their newest release CD for $7.99. Yes, we're sticking it to iTunes. Take that, APPLE! Seriously, come out and support C28 as well as Christian Music in South Florida.

Housecleaning Top 10

Been a busy couple weeks. I've had some people ask why I'm not blogging much lately. Honestly, I'm so busy "living" my life that I really don't have time to write about it. I actually had some "Me time" today to think, process, and overall defunk what's been going on lately.

Let me catch you up:

1) CF Downtown is going great. The Worship Center conversion will be a monumentous (is that a word?) task. Good news is we're developing a multi-phase plan, and what felt like an insurmountable task is slowly starting to come together.

2) C28's is a Key Sponsor for Wayfest happening Saturday, November 10th at the Sound Advice Ampitheater in West Palm Beach. Also as part of Wayfest, C28 West Palm is hosting an intimate artist signing with Seventh Day Slumber and Storyside B... SSB will also be performing an acoustic set in the store. How cool is that!

3) Pray for C28 in general. Most of the stores reside in Southern California, which is currently being ravaged by fire. I was calling one of my reps earlier this week, who told me "Uh, I gotta go. My backyard's on fire and we gotta get out of the house." Crazy. Absolutely crazy.

4) There are some new CF Bloggers, and I can personally recommend both of these guys. Carlos Lollett is the worship leader for CF West Kendall, and Berchman Paul is the worship leader for CF Homestead. Thanks to E for the reminder.

5) Wanna make God laugh, make plans! The old adage has really rung true in my life over the past month. It seems as if God is content keeping me running. So we'll keep running. God, I trust that you know what You are doing in my life. Keep opening doors and I'll keep running through them.

6) Anyone see Joel Osteen bench 300lbs on TV recently? I've had multiple people tell me they saw him do it. I can't find the video on YouTube, and I'm going to pull a doubting Thomas until I see him do it. The man is a beanpole (albeit an extremely rich beanpole) and I do not see how he could throw that weight up. 300lbs on his chest would break him like a twig.

7) I'm mentally working through a blog redesign for the site. Not like I got time to do the work, but maybe I'll get a day off in December and can have fun with it then.

8) There's a good chance I will be at four different church locations this Sunday. No, not kidding. I'll be sure to blog my day. I think it may be a 200 mile day. WooHoo!

9) Are you celebrating Halloween this year? If the secular world has taken Christ out of Christmas, is it possible that we have commercialized Satan's holiday as well to the point that children getting free candy is no longer glorifying to Satan either? (Don't know the answer, just thinking...)

10) God-sized news this weekend @ CF. Eric's teasing the info again. Come celebrate with us and see how God is moving across Miami.

"Excel" for God

This week has been crazy.

Tackling finances at The Living Word.
Restructuring budgets at C28.
Setting up operating expenses for CF Homestead.
Coordinating startup budgets for CF West Kendall.
Dreaming about CF Dwntwn.
Microsoft Excel and I have been in a borderline dating relationship this week.

In college my mom used to push me to take business classes.
I hated business classes.

She would tell me to read business/management books.
Business is stupid, right?

I talked to her the other day. She's cleaning out her office (oh, did I forget to mention SHE FINALLY RETIRED) and she's got a bunch of biz books. "Jeff, I know you probably don't want any of these, but do you want my business books?" "Mom, at this point in my life, I'll take everything you got." It's amazing to me how much these principles seem to be integrated into ministry.

It's interesting how meeting, planning, scheduling, verifying, budgeting... ministry at time equals dollars and cents in an Excel document. Yes, this is means, not the end. But the means are necessary to get to the end.

Flowcharts, spreadsheets, outlines. These have a part in ministry.

God, help us strategically plan this through. Guide our decisions. Allow us to stay focused on the end, the reason we do this. Thank you for allowing us to work through the means...

Thanks to "The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus" for the comic.

Joy of Apparel

Ryan shares a story about being at C28 that I thought warranted sharing... below is a dialogue with him and a customer @ C28. note: PBA=Palm Beach Atlantic University

PBA Student: This isn't Eve on this shirt is it?
Ryan: Why, do you want it to be Eve?
PBA Student: No, I like the shirt but I really don't want Eve on a shirt.
Ryan: It's no one in particular just a graphic.
PBA Student: I wish it was someone so it had an explanation.
Ryan: You should make up an explanation, pretend it's Queen Esther.
PBA Student: I love Esther, we just talked about her in one of my Bible classes.
Ryan: Well, you see Biblical historians have long tried to speculate what Esther looked like, and this is what they agreed on.
PBA Student: I love this Esther shirt, I'm definatly going to get it.

Praying for paper

Is it wrong to pray for paper?

This past week Ryan (C28 West Palm Manager) has sent out over 340 letters to area churches and youth organizations hoping to kindle a relationship with them. Our desire for C28 is to have it be a resource to the local church, to aid in their attempts to impact their students, their city for Christ.

We're actually developing a church directory so that we can help people get connected to a church. Our prayer is that C28 will continue to be a gateway to guide people into a lasting relationship with Jesus, and pair them up with a church that is better suited to disciple them along the journey!

We've gotten a good response rate so far, but there's a lot of relationships still out there to be started.

God, make our motives pure and continue to allow us these divine appointments. Allow us to strengthen your church, and continue to use us to reach this city, this state for Christ.

Reverse Birthday Gift Reminder

Don't forget, my Reverse Birthday Gift offer expires Sunday, (8/19). 30% off all NOTW clothing @ The Living Word, Miami and C28 West Palm Beach... Check out my original post for more info.

Jeff = Good Mood? That's unusual...

Top 10 Reasons I'm in a good mood today:

10. While my parents are out of town, my mom insisted I drive her Cadillac XLR for her (to keep the battery fresh, of course). Tooling around Miami in a Cadillac Roadster? That alone is enough to get in a good mood... but there's more.

9. CF Homestead Media has worked out several major flaws in our worship center. It took a lot of planning and talking in circles, but the end product improved significantly over the past couple weeks. I was really stressing over it, and I'm glad it's resolved.

8. Big announcement coming up this Friday @ the CF Ministry Rally... Eric is tipping his hat (if you're curious).

7. C28 West Palm is catching stride as Back-To-School shopping starts. Aside from the increase in sales, we're getting a lot of exposure to new customers.

6. Ryan has done a great job inking a deal with Summit Christian School (in West Palm) where every Middle and High School student (350 some I believe) will be getting a NOTW shirt as part of their Spiritual Emphasis Week. The great thing is the school has uniforms every day of the week, EXCEPT for the occasional day (once a month I think) when they will be allowed to wear our NOTW shirt. Talk about branding.

5. Had coffee yesterday with Rob Robbins, Station Manager @ CallFM. I have a lot of respect for Rob because he took a radio station that "could not survive" and has turned it into a strong, viable product. Rob has great vision, and we will all be seeing some phenominal opportunities for growth coming very soon.

4. Wikinomics has really been hitting a cord with me. I never really thought I'd be the guy reading business books and getting ideas from it, but the idea of wikichurch has been rattling in my head for months now.... and I love it!

3. Emily, the Assistant Manager from C28 in West Palm has come down to Miami to fill in as a temporary Manager for The Living Word. We had a quick turnover at the manager position (Rebecca went back to teaching at a local Christian Elementary School) and I needed some help retasking the staff and getting me organized. Emily's retail experience is a HUGE PLUS! Not to mention, she already understands how much of an unorganized freak I am.

2. Talking: I have had several opportunities in the past 72 hours to talk to people who are in different places. Ministry, business, life... I've realized that by working so hard, so much I've really limited myself to the people I come in contact with, and that I really hate being "the loner."

1. Amy went back to work today. After 10 months off from teaching, she's gearing up for the school year again. She's going back to Palmetto Sr. High where she's teaching PreCal and Algebra I? She's excited, which means she's happy, which ultimately means I'm happy. Oh, and I'm glad to get another paycheck coming in, too.

Reverse Birthday Gift

I've shared that my 30th birthday is coming up. In fact, I will be turning 30 on Saturday, August 18th. I am excited. My 20's were great, but it'll be cool to see what God has for me during my 30's.

But I digress...

I'm not a Birthday Party guy.
I don't do cards.
I don't want gifts.

I do want to give something to you, some of my favorite people... my blog readers.

I'm doing an EXCLUSIVE SALE just for my blog friends. In honor of my 30th Birthday I'm giving EVERYONE WHO READS MY BLOG A 30% DISCOUNT off NOTW shirts at both TLW and C28. The Living Word just got a large assortment of NOTW shirts, and as always C28 is stocked with the newest and best NOTW has to offer. Sorry, discount doesn't apply to online purchases and are only good at stores I own. If you go to a California C28 or The Living Word in Sarasota, FL you'll get laughed at if you drop my name...

So, if you've been debating buying some NOTW stuff, now's the time. Go to either store and drop my name, my blog (runwithgod.com) or just say "but that's not what Jeff said..." and get yourself a great discount. On me. My treat. Why? Because I appreciate my blog readers. Go to the stores and buy for you! You're welcome!

Now I can't give away everything for free, so my reverse birthday gift only applies to NOTW product. My reverse birthday gift starts Tuesday (8/12) and will end Sunday (8/19). SOOO, the money you were going to spend on me... spend the money on you and get something nice for yourself!

Tell your friends. Get the word out. Questions, e-mail me.

NOTW Sighting in Miami

After seeing the success of NOTW in other Christian bookstores, and admiring the style @ the C28 location in West Palm Beach, we decided to bite the bullet and bring the line into the Living Word. For those of you guys who are dying to get a C28 into Miami... it's time to show the love and buy the stuff @ my bookstore. Create the demand, and I guarantee I'll get one down here.

Anyway, for those of you who have admired the NOTW designs from afar, but were too lazy to make the drive up to West Palm Beach to buy the shirts, "select designs" will be available at TLW. We brought in several of the wovens and polos. Definitely worth looking at... But the super-cool stuff is still up @ C28.

Oh, and whether you buy at TLW or at C28, remember that starting Saturday (8/4) we are going into our Tax-Free Holiday... which means that all clothing, books, apparel, and many other items are Tax-Free! Looking to buy some stuff? Save 7% on most of the inventory at TLW and at C28. Thank you very much State of Florida! Tax-Free Holiday ends Monday, August 13th.

Oh, and one more thing. Since I'm advertising here... C28 is bringing in several lines of shoes designed by NOTW. Let me know what you think. I'm legitimately looking for feedback here. What do you think?

C28 and Cayman Islands

Got word of another C28 West Palm Beach story. We had a customer come in the store from the CAYMAN ISLANDS! After talking with the employees, the customers shared that they came to America for two reasons.

1) Hillsong concert in Miami, FL
2) Shop @ C28 in West Palm

Yes, evidently we're big in the Caribbean. Who knew?

It's cool to see how word is slowly spreading and excitement is catching about the uniqueness, unconventionality of what we do at C28.

NOTW on "Simple Life"

NOTW got some free press this week care of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's "Simple Life" TV Show. Evidently their reality show ran across a Ford F350 Truck with a NOTW sticker in the rear window (it's the exact same stick er as I have in my truck).

To watch the video clip, check out the YouTube video at this link.

Thanks to Kathleen for finding the NOTW reference.

C28: A Good Day

I mixed up my schedule this week, and went up to C28 on Monday (instead of my usual Thursday). The reason behind it was my manager Ryan had a meeting scheduled with a local Christian School, Summit Christian in West Palm Beach, and since I love "talking" Ryan wanted to know if I wanted to tag along.

Sure.

On the way up to WPB I called Ryan:

me: hey, don't let me forget to talk to you about [something] when I get up there..
ryan: okay, hey by the way, somebondy accepted Christ in our store this morning.
me: okay, I gotta go. Talk to you lat.... what!?! what did you say?
...

I shared my enthusiasm, but wanted to talk face to face to get more info. While still driving up to WPB, my iPhone gets an e-mail (from Ryan) where he let some of the corporate guys know what happened (and cc:ed me on the e-mail). So, I'm flying up the turnpike swerving through traffic reading an e-mail about a life changed through the unconventional ministry of C28. And of course I start getting emotional, in my truck, trying to read an e-mail while flying up the Florida Turnpike to go to go to a meeting.

That is what I call a Good Day @ C28. Lord willing, many more to come.

God, help us to put our faith in You. Help us to let go of our expectations... our goals, instead focusing on Your desires... Your will. Guide us to places where only You can take us. Thank you for what you've brought us from, and we look forward to what you have for us very soon.

C28 Product in "Soul P" Video

I figured this would be news to many of you (since you're not keeping up with the Christian Urban/Hip Hop Movement)...

Beatmart Artist "Soul P" filmed his newest video, Whoa Whoa, wearing several NOTW/C28 products. See the video below:

For those of you that are dying to know, he is seen wearing the Roughcut Hoodie, Gate Shirt, and the Gospel Cross Hoodie. Check out C28.com for more info on the styles...

Wait, you say, C28 is supposed to be skater/hard rock. What's hip hop doing there? I love this. Last month Hip Hop was C28 West Palm's #2 selling category, beating out hardcore, pop contemporary, and praise and worship. (Rock Alternative won, hands down...)

Thanks, Soul P, for opening new doors at C28!

BTW, there is a great sale going on right now at C28 and The Living Word. Many Rock/Rap/Hip-Hop CD Titles are on sale for $9.97. Get a physical CD for less than what it would cost on iTunes! WOOHOO!

Christian Retailers going the way of the buffalo

Below is an article from CROnline discussing the morbid state of Christian Retailing. Christian Bookstores are struggling. As far as I know, 10 stores in the state of Florida have gone out of biz in 2007. I'm not going to make excuses for it. Just as the church struggles to stay relevant to the culture, so does the Christian Bookstore. There are some things I love about the industry. There are some things I loathe (but that is a post for another day). Just as the church struggles to stay relevant into today's culture, I believe Christian bookstores are struggling to stay relevant. Unfortunately, for 10 stores in Florida, it was a losing battle.

Let me reassure you. The Living Word is not going out of biz. While the industry is struggling, God continues to provide. We are stable, healthy, and show no signs of letting up. Thank you to all of my customers and employees for helping TLW and C28 stay active in ministry.

God, help us to stay relevant in Miami, in West Palm Beach. May we stay focused and driven, not on Balance Sheets and P&L Statements, but on the ministry you have set out for us.

Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
II Corinthians 4:1

I'm going to add commentary in the article below. My words will be italicized and tabbed. Enjoy.

Thanks to CROnline for the report.

----------

Small Christian retailers losing out to chains, the Internet

By Zachary Lewis
Religion News Service

CLEVELAND — David may have defeated Goliath, but in the battle between independent Christian bookstores and retail giants, it's the little guy who’s losing.

If what’s happening here in the Midwest is any indication, small, locally owned religious bookstores and church suppliers are going out of business, conceding defeat to the Internet and big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, Borders and Target.

One of the latest to fall: The Word Christian Resource Center in suburban Parma Heights, the third and final store in the small chain to close since 2005.

“People don't understand what’s going on,” said owner Rob Haskell, whose parents started The Word in 1976. “If people are willing to give up their local jewels, that’s one thing. ... But if they're not, they need to support the independent stores.”

Honestly, I never really understood this mindset. If another business has a better business model than me, (read: if they can sell items cheaper) then good for them. It frustrates me that some of my contemporaries think that the customers HAVE TO SHOP with them or they are being unfaithful, unspiritual. Guess what. I'd do the same too. In the day of $3.29/gal for gas, you can't blame people for being cheap with their funding.

C28 Closeouts

   

Wanted to give a heads up. C28 in Wellington is putting a lot of our Sublimation Design shirts (as well as NOTW Denim) on sale. Buy one, get one free. Really can't beat that!

Pray for us as well. We'll be out at the South Florida Festival this weekend. We're sponsoring the Skate Park. Aurelio is scheduled to speak three times over the weekend, and we're excited about the opportunity to change lives! If you're out at SFF, stop by the Skate Park and say hello. Check the blog to hear details after the weekend.

Hands and Feet

We got a Souldog shirt in a while back at C28. I'm going to shut up and let the design do the talking.

C28 FL Emails

C28 Florida has set up our own email list, separate from the national list. We will feature sales, promotions, coupons and new products that may not be at the other C28 stores.

C28 Florida has been open less than six months; however, we already have almost 1,600 people on the e-mail list. The email should be hitting your inbox today. If you haven't gotten it, and you'd like to keep up with the store as well, click on the link below.

Sign up for the C28 Florida Email List.

A good friend of mine, Wes, got the email from C28 Florida. Ironically, he got an email from someone else at the same time. You'll never guess who...

C28 FL sponsors Skating Contest

C28 Florida is sponsoring the 2007 South Florida Festival, the premiere Concert Event in SFL. It's April 27-29 (Friday-Sunday) and it's well worth the trip up to Boomers. For artist info and prices, check out the website. C28 will have a booth at the show (right next to the skate park), so if you're going, come say hello.

While you're out there, be sure to see the Trick Contest at the Festival's Skate Park. C28's CEO, Aurelio Barreto will be sharing his testimony after the event.

So you got music, kids doing faceplants off a ramp, and a life-changing story about a man searching to find God... like you got something better to do on a Saturday night...

BEAT VALLEY FAIR!

I felt like quite the cheerleader this week... and no, not the one from HEROES ("Save the Cheerleader, Save the World!) For me, it was more like the cheerleaders from the 80's TV Show Saved by the Bell... (the one that kept her clothes on, thank you very much - and no I will not tell you which one)... chanting over and over again "Beat Valley Fair! Beat Valley Fair!"

Who's Valley Fair? They are the top C28-Franchise owned store. Well, for the month of March make that "were the top C28-Franchise owned store." Because in March, that title goes to our own C28 in West Palm Beach. We had the highest sales of any non-corporate owned C28 store. WOOHOO! I'd love to say I was a major contributor, but I'll be the first to admit that my managerial staff does a phenominal job preparing the store and educating the staff (and once again I stand around looking pretty). I am super proud to have Ryan and Emily on my team! Moreso because we set a goal ahead of them, and they came through. And speaking of creating ownership, these C28 employees time and again prove that they not only understand the sales angle of the store, but they also get the ministry angle. So in their honor, I wanted to take the time to say awesome job to my emps, for getting to be the top franchise store in C28. Work hard and let's keep it that way!

The bad thing about setting goals is when you reach them, you have to raise the bar higher. I'm sure that makes my staff nervous.

Note from Jeff: For those of you who got totally lost in the Saved by the Bell reference, "Bayside High" neighboring rival was "Valley High". And you said you never learned anything reading my blog...

Flocking Chicks

I wanted to share some of these photos. I love mall marketing people! The above photos were taken in the Mall @ Wellington Green, the location of C28 in West Palm. They came up with the marketing campaign all on their own, AND HOW GREAT IS THAT! Anyway, I never thought I'd be promoting a Christian biz hoping that "chicks" would flock to the store, but hey, God does answer prayers.

Andrew Allard, Revisited

God moved in an amazing way over the past couple weeks through this blog. I wanted to share with you, my readers, how. Honestly I still don't have the complete story straight yet, but there is one thing I know: Andrew Allard, age 13, has had the pleasure of seeing our God face to face...

You may recall I blogged on Andrew several weeks ago. He was the kid who loved the C28 store, told his friends about the store, and then died shortly thereafter. His story moved me - how he caught the evangelical vision of C28 and shared it with others. I was moved to tears hearing about how the store, and moreover Andrew's passion for evangelism, allowed us to minister to minister to his friends shortly after his death.

I was moved, so I blogged it.

Since posting the story, RUNwithGOD.com has seen almost a 500% increase in traffic. (I may be a good blogger, but I'm not that good). How are people coming in? They're googling "Andrew Allard" and reading a story about a kid whose passion was and is for God. We're talking, literally, hundreds of people every day since the story posted.

It became more than just a story, I wanted to find out more. I've exchanged e-mails with friends, his youth minister, family members and even his mother. They are all dealing with a very morbid situation of losing a loved one at such a young age, but in the midst of the sadness they all shared stories of Andrew's zeal for the Lord. Andrew's mom said it the best. Hopefully many "will be coming to the Lord through this impact our Andrew is STILL making in his God's Kindgom."

May that be said of us on our death... that weeks after our death our passion for God is so strong that it radiates from the grave. His mom and others came back into the store this past week, allowing us to minister to the family and pray for strength so they can endure the road ahead.

Andrew and a couple of his buddies formed a Rock Band. Believe it or not, I've enjoyed it in my iPod as of late. Check out the link here and listen to the song "Thank You God" which was written by Andrew.

God I don't understand why you took this little one into the Kingdom when he had so much potential here. Help us to trust Your timing, Your character, Your will.

Jesus Weirdoes & Christian Cowards

"I’m pissed off at those Jesus weirdoes who are trying to trick kids into religion by putting a skate park up in a f***ing church," [It's] bull***t."

(Thanks to San Diego CityBeat for the quote)

Matt, 30 year old hardcore skater, sharing his anger at Bonita Valley Baptist Church (Bonita, CA) for opening a skate park on church property. Check out EternitySkate.com for more info on the ministry.

Jeff's Take: Sometimes we in church like to gauge what people in the outside world think of our ministry. Eternity Skate now has a direct quote to use. This is a powerful testimony for Eternity Skate and I hope that other churches will invest and use the resources available to reach a generation in very unconventional ways.

I've got another quote for you as well (from the same San Diego CityBeat article).

"Even some of the faithful seem to agree that the new Christian bid for relevance among the youth is disconcerting. An Episcopal minister in El Cajon, who asked to remain nameless in this story because he didn’t want to offend others in the faith community, calls the effort a “watering down of Christianity to make it more palatable,” or, in other words, a type of public-relations campaign for Jesus."

Jeff's Take: No, by all means, let's keep using the King James Version because everybody says "thee" and "thou" today. No, wait, KJV was a translation from the original text, therefore it must have been watered down. Let's make everyone take 2-4 years of Greek/Hebrew before they can accept Christ. And if you die before you finish the required linguistic courses, to Hell with you! To say that setting up a skatepark is "watering down" a message is, I would suppose, a slap in the face to many people - my Christ included. Were not parables a way of his to teach His message to everyday people? I do not understand how that is different than setting up a skate park and sharing the Good News though it.

Matt's F-Bombing the church doesn't make me angry. The lost will be the lost. He can think what he wants. Spiritual warfare is going to come from the outside. This Episcopal minister who takes shots at an outreach ministry but is too afraid to put his name next to the quote... well, honestly he makes me want to start talking like Matt does. But to you, Episcopal guy, do you really think that you understand the motivations/actions/theology behind what God does? Do you really know it all? If you do, please, teach the world so that we all can be better Christians. But you don't know, do you. You can't. That's where Grace comes in. I need the theology of God watered down. I hope that in Heaven I will have complete understanding... and if you think that you have complete understanding, let me awaken you: You don't deserve anything, neither do I, neither do those skaters. But to say that the skaters don't deserve Grace (in a form they can understand)... sir, maybe you should go back and truly see what Grace means. Unconventional ministries get enough spiritual warfare from the outside world...it hurts far worse when it comes from your own Christian brothers and sisters.

Sorry, off soapbox. San Diego CityBeat is a great article. Check it out. Also, it has a couple paragraphs on C28 in El Cajon, CA - shedding more light on our ministry!

The Gospel is meant to offend. Jesus was never afraid to mince words with those in the church. To think that we should apologize today for our views or methods of Christ is appaling. If you're convicted, though, at least be man enough to stand up and allow God the opportunity to protect you.

Great Job Eternity Skating! We'll be praying for your ministry! Reach out to these kids where they are!

Eternal Impact: Andrew Allard

Wanted to share with you a C28 story. I just got this e-mail and I wanted to share it with you.

Below is an e-mail from Emily Day, my Assistant Manager at C28 in West Palm Beach... rather than butcher her story, I'm just going to let her tell it.

this morning i recieved a phone call from a woman who was with her family and on her way to our store from Coconut Creek (about 45 min. away) and needed directions. The instant the Sortino family walked into the store 3 members of the family burst into tears. The story goes that last weekend a young man named Andrew Allard (age 13) came into our store and our staff showed him several shirts and told him about our ministry and how 3 people have accepted Christ in the store. Andrew was instantly in love with the store and wanted to have all of our shirts to use them to witness. Andrew had gone home and shared with two of his friends Josh and Priscilla Sortino about c28, how it was his favorite store, and that he wanted to bring them into the store "next" weekend. He was very excited about the evangelistic potential of the clothing, so that they can be used to reach the lost. On Tuesday Andrew woke up with an ear ache; he slipped into a coma later and passed away by week's end. The Sortino family purchased several shirts including the ones they remembered him telling them about specifically. As the family was in here the Lord blessed us and allowed us ample time to spend uninterupted ministering to the family. Please pray for the Allard and Sortino families. C28 has touched their lives, today is a ministry day and God is working here. Praise Him!

We will continue to pray for Andrew's family and friends, hoping that Andrew's life and testimony will continue to change lives while he worships our God face to face.

God, allow us to impact other lives like we did Andrew's, and like Andrew did to others! Thank you for getting us to this point, and we look forward to what you have for us soon.

C28 COUPON: Friends and Family

I love my bloggers. So what can I do to show the love? How about massive discounts at C28! Click on the coupon above, print it, and take it into C28 at the Mall @ Wellington Green and you'll get 25% off all C28 merchandise. Keep in mind that the coupon only lasts March 5-11, 2007 and is only good at the C28 in West Palm Beach. The coupon IS NECESSARY to get the discount, and tell them that Jeff said hello.

C28 article in school newspaper

The above article ran in the Berean Christian School newspaper (in West Palm Beach, FL).