Run with God

iDENTITY for sale, iNQUIRE within

Met with my Broadman & Holman rep this evening... and he excitedly showed me this...

Yep, time to buy Eric's new book, iDENTITY. The new B&H title is hitting the street, er, bookshelves September 1 and it's time to order copies for The Living Word.

BTW, I ordered 72 copies for the initial order.

For comparison:
* Initial order for Joel Osteen's "Become a Better You" was 90 copies
* Initial order for Ted Dekker's "Skin" was 36 copies
* Average initial order for any given frontlist (read: new) book: 2-3 copies

Yeah, Eric, hope your book is good. Otherwise, I've got to pay freight to send these bad boys back...

iDENTITY will be available @ The Living Word, as well as through the Media Resource Center at Christ Fellowship.

Christian Baby Onesies Missing: 5 Finger Discount Suspected

Theft hasn't been that much of an issue lately at The Living Word... then I get a call today from my manager, Kyle.

Kyle: Hey Jeff, did you or Amy take a bunch of those baby clothes we got in earlier this week?
Jeff: I didn't. I don't know why Amy would...
Kyle: Well, we're missing like eight outfits.
Jeff: Wait, are you saying someone stole Christian Baby Onesies?

To the thief, thank you for stealing from the Living Word. I hope your baby appreciates the outfits we've provided for her at no cost to you. I hope she enjoys them! If you would like to steal a wider variety of clothing, please do not hesitate to place an order with us at the front desk. We will make sure to meet all of your kleptomaniac needs. Thank you for allowing us to serve you, and by serve I mean stand by while you break one (if not multiple) commandments on my property.

To my readers, if you would like to check out the wide variety (or what's left until the reorder shows up) of baby clothing... I'm sure you must know someone who is having a baby...

Christian Bookstore for sale

As painful as it is for me to say it, I'm selling The Living Word. It's time for me to simplify my life. I've enjoyed the opportunities God's allowed me through the unconventional ministry of a Christian Bookstore in Miami. Initially, when I took the position at Christ Fellowship I thought I could do both. The workload has become too much for me, and I'm ready to let go of the bookstore and put it in the hands of someone that can give it the attention that it needs. I am mentally exhausted from the pace of my life, and with the arrival of myBaby in the Fall - I am the first to admit my life needs to change.

Honestly, the economy is down right now. With that in mind, I have priced the store reasonably to allow the buyer a cushion... I live 4 minutes away from the bookstore, and I want to continue to have a Christian bookstore in my neighborhood! The ministry of The [Living] Word has been in Miami almost 15 years now. Lord-willing it will continue.

So to you, my readers, please pray about the opportunity.

Maybe you'd be interested in ministering to the people of Miami through the unconventional method of retail. If so, comment/email/call me and I'll go into specifics on what I am offering, and what I am looking for. I promise you, it's a good deal.

Maybe you know someone who would be interested in this opportunity. I am offering a significant finder's fee... if a buyer is referred to me by another person, then the referring person will get 1% of the selling price of the business (I look out for my peeps!)

Questions? Please don't hesitate to ask.

God, thank you for the ministry, the experience, the friendships in the community. I pray that You would lead the right person to this ministry, and that Miami would continue to have the resources available to them.

Caitlin & other (more important) TLW Emps

Okay, so I got Facebook'd by Caitlin Berndt today...

So, in order to keep an employee happy, including ones that live in other cities and come back to the bookstore to work for holidays and special occasions, I need to say thank you. To all of my emps I need to say thank you.

So yes, I'm thankful Caitlin is coming back... but I'm more appreciative, thankful for the rest of my employees.

If you knew me when I first bought the bookstore, you knew me as a CONTROL FREAK! In recent months, though, I've learned to trust my emps... and have seen how they all have gone above and beyond my expectations. And now as my attention is focused on CFDT, CFR, CFH, CFWK, CFPB (and NOT on The Living Word) it's great to know that there are dependable, stable people watching my best interests at the bookstore. And that while I'm not there, the store still functions.

Kyle, Bri, Scott, Kathleen, Marlene, Priscilla, Steve, Deanna, Caitlin (and maybe Michael)... thanks for continually meeting people's needs and serving the customers @ The Living Word.

As a side note, there has been a lot of research recently discussing the stability of Gen Y in the workplace. Check out some of these stats.

Thanks, guys and gals, for being trustworthy, driven individuals. Christmas is going to be crazy.

Hinn, Dollar, Meyer, Copeland, White and Long under Investigation

Another black eye for Christian Retailing this week. An Iowa Senator (Carles Grassley, R) is investigating six televangelists and their finances for possible fraud. The six include: Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, and Eddie Long. Check out the AP article for a more complete breakdown. I'll share a brief quote from Grassley:

"I'm following up on complaints from the public and news coverage regarding certain practices at six ministries," Grassley said in a statement Tuesday. "The allegations involve governing boards that aren't independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces."

It's been a rough year for Christians on the national scale. Paula & Randy White. Juanita Bynum & Thomas Weeks. Ted Haggard. Now possibly five more people's ministries could be taken from them. (It could be argued that Paula's testimony was already taken when she divorced her husband because "God told her to.")

At this time, note, there is no information to cast blame, to point a finger. People often say "where there's smoke, there's fire." I personally have been in multiple situations where that was not the case. And I hope that the Senatorial probe answers all questions clearly so, if not true, these people can continue to serve God.

Honestly, though, can the Christian Retailing Industry take another hit? Three of the six authors were in TLW's Top 10. Another is probably the most requested special order we have through the store.

Yesterday, I wrote an article about how Apple was able to reinvent themselves. It's time for Christian Retailing to reinvent themselves. Recently I would have told you that it was time for them to close their doors (as many are). However, there is a benefit, a ministry, a need that we provide.

Just this past week, a mother who just watched her son die came in the bookstore looking for help. We can do things, and go places, that a church might not be able to.

So we are needed. We're not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. But maybe it's time to get some new heroes, some new names, some new diehards. Maybe that's the problem. We're promoting the names instead of the message? Or maybe we just need to forgive these six (if there was misappropriation) and move on with our life?

Honestly, right now I've got more questions than answers. But I do know this: something has to change.

Million Dollar Baby, er Fraud

I'm sorry, I saw this coming. Check out the story via CBSNews:

Man Jailed In Pittsburgh After Trying To Pass Off $1 Million Bill At Grocery Store

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 9, 2007

(AP) Change for a million?

That's what a man was seeking Saturday when he handed a $1 million bill to a cashier at a Pittsburgh supermarket. But when the Giant Eagle employee refused and a manager confiscated the bogus bill, the man flew into a rage, police said.

The man slammed an electronic funds-transfer machine into the counter and reached for a scanner gun, police said.

Police arrested the man, who was not carrying identification and has refused to give his name to authorities. He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.

Since 1969, the $100 bill is the largest note in circulation.

Police believe the $1 million note seized at the supermarket may have originated at a Dallas-based ministry. Last year, the ministry distributed thousands of religious pamphlets with a picture of President Grover Cleveland on a $1 million bill.

Jeff's Take: We used to sell these at the bookstore. They legitimately looked real. Not real enough to think "hey, I could create a scam using these," but real enough to do a double take.

Okay, only a moron would try to cash out a million dollar bill on one side, and on the other text saying "Jesus loves you." The only moron bigger than that is the employee that would actually cash the fake million dollar bill. The only moron bigger than that guy is the manager of the store that has a million dollars in change in the register to allow the moronic employee to create change for the moronic guy who thinks he can trade in a witnessing tract for a million dollars!

Thankfully, there was only one moron here. And that's the moron that didn't take off running when the gig was up.

Truthfully, I just wanted to see how many times I could say moron in a post. Thanks!

Thanks to Anne Jackson for the story.

"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.

Thank You, WMCU

This news will hit the Chrisitan Community in Miami Wednesday, but it's public knowledge in the webosphere...

WMCU (aka SpiritFM) has been sold. SpiritFM has served as a Pop/Contemporary music station in the Miami area for longer than I can remember. And now a staple, a voice that aimed to strengthen it's listeners for the Cause of Christ... is being silenced.

According to reports, WMCU was purchased for $20 million... sold to American Public Media Group. Instead of Christian Radio, APMG will be broadcasting classical music.

Wow. Classical. Really?

As a supporter of WMCU Radio, I will miss the Christian influence that it brought to South Florida. Thank you for investing into the community. Those of you that worked at the station, may God open doors for you and continue to guide your paths.

For more information, check out APMG's Press Release online.

For those of you that were supporters of Christian Radio in Miami, may I recommend 91.9 CallFM? While CallFM may be "slightly more edgy" than WMCU, I think you'll find the staff hugely evangelic, driven to reach the younger generations with the message of Christ! So, while you're going through SpiritFM withdrawls in the coming weeks, turn the dial to 91.9fm and give it a try.

Thank You, WMCU, for your efforts in South Florida. You will be sorely missed.

Steadfast in Christ,

Jeff Reed
The Living Word Christian Bookstore

Paula and Randy White Divorcing

The Christian "Industry" (I really hate to call it that) is taking a pounding. Megachurch pastors Randy and Paula White announced this past week they are filing for a divorce.

"It is the most difficult decision that I have had to make in my entire life," said the Rev. Randy White, 49. "I take full responsibility for a failed marriage - 100 percent. I don't blame Paula, and I don't blame other parties. But as the man of the house, I take full responsibility for that."

I've discussed this with Ted Haggard. It was just a couple days ago that we discussed it with Juanita Bynum/Thomas Weeks.

And now we're back here again. People who are supposed to be living the example of a Godly life, failing. Paula has a huge following nationally through her books, video and TV ministry, and is easily in the top five female authors coming out of The Living Word. Randy is well known as well (he's famous for doing the Pamela Anderson/Kid Rock wedding... and we all know how that ended...)

The real question I want to ask is: Why is this happening? Are people taking ministry positions they shouldn't have? Are they being thrust into the national limelight that they are not prepared for? Are they living their lives for ego, or for God? Or is Satan doing a very good job at dismantling powerful, God-fearing tools for the Kingdom?

Thomas Weeks forgot to read his book...

When I bought The Living Word back in 2003, the best-selling book was Thomas Week's Teach Me How To Love You. Thomas is married to Juanita Bynum, a well known evangelist, recording artist, and author. Together, they were Pastors of a church they co-founded in Duluth, Georgia called Global Destiny Church. Teach Me How To Love You is a book about their relationship, how it started, and how to become a "Godly Mate" to your spouse. Sounds good, right?

Weeks and Bynum made the news earlier today. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Juanita was severly beat by her now estranged husband in a hotel parking lot. Another story gone bad. Feels like we were just having this conversation about Ted Haggard.

Rule of thumb, I guess, is if you're going to write a book about Christian Marriages, make sure you're marriage is strong enough to handle it.

God, help us to live a life worthy of Your sacrifice. Give us the patience to work through problems and the strength to deal with the consequences of our actions.

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?

Marriage Advice from Haggard

I was doing some spring cleaning at the bookstore, returning older stock, and I ran across a copy of from this day forward: making your vows last a lifetime" by Ted & Gayle Haggard. You, of course, will remember Ted as the head of the Evangelical organization, pastor of a megachurch in Colorado Springs, CO who had a scandal several months ago surrounding methamphetamine usage and an ongoing homosexual relationship with male escort Mike Jones.

from this day forward discusses a Biblical marriage relationship, how God created marriage, structured it so that it would be a symbol of Christ and the church. Honestly, it's not a bad book.

Does anyone else catch the irony of this situation? from this day forward was published in April 2006. November 2006, Haggard was a household name as the story broke surronding him and Mike Jones, and the advice that Haggard probably wrote in this book went out the window. (In fact, Jones said the relationship went for three years. So when this book was being written/published, Haggard was literally cheating on his wife with another man).

I don't want to delve into the story.
I do, however, have a dilemma.
What do I do with this book?

It's not a bad book. The truths in here are good. Here are some quotes.

* If we live according to God's plans, we receive blessings that benefit us and our family and extend to future generations.

* The goal is for a wedding to brim with significance for the bride, groom, weding party and guests so that everyone can understand the holy solemnity and joy God intended for marriage.

* Every couple must determine the mission and calling of the family, and commit to be joined together for that purpose.

* In marriage, the husband sacrifices his life, and the wife responds by laying her life down, too.

That's good, right? It may be that because Amy's in Ukraine I'm a little more sappy romantic, but if I was to give people advice, I would say something like that. This tells me that the truths in here are valid. Biblical grounded.

"But Haggard's a hypocrite." So because he's a hypocrite and didn't mean these words I should just throw the book away, right? It's trash and he's a sinner. Burn in Hell, Haggard!

Wait, I'm a hypocrite too! I'm a sinner, like him, forgiven by grace. Aren't we all sinners, really? Have we lived a perfect, sinless life? How can I advise someone on something when I, too, have made mistakes in the eyes of God. So I should sell it.

But by selling it I am endorsing a man who wrote a book making his vows last a lifetime, yet was cheating on his wife when he wrote it. Not exactly a good role model for my customers.

See my dilemma?

Haggard had another quote that I find valid:

* No matter what or who we are today, by the grace of God and the forgiveness of Christ, we can become something more, something better.

I hope in time Haggard's wife, children, church and the Christian community will forgive Haggard. Through Christ, we know God will...

If you were me, what would you do with this book?

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.

Christian Bookstore Bombed in Gaza Strip

It's ironic how God can give you a taste of humility every once in a while. I've been known to gripe about Cost of Goods Sold, Freight Charges, Bad Economy, Criminal Masterminds, and weak frontlists... but I don't have to deal with this...

Taken from the Associated Press

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Three explosions hit Gaza City early Sunday, damaging two Internet cafes and a Christian bookstore.

No one was hurt and no group claimed responsibility for the blasts, which took place around 3 a.m. local time, Palestinian security officials said. Several similar attacks on Internet cafes and music stores in recent months have been claimed by a little-known extremist Islamic organization calling itself the "Swords of Truth."

The officials would not speculate on the identity of those behind the Sunday attacks, saying only that the incidents were under investigation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Heavy external damage was visible at the three stores. At the bookstore, which is funded by American Protestants and known as the Bible Society, a number of books were also burned in the explosion.

In recent months, about three dozen Internet cafes and shops selling pop music have been attacked in the Gaza Strip, with assailants detonating small bombs outside businesses at night, causing damage but no injuries. Palestinian security officials have said they suspect a secret "vice squad" of Muslim militants.

God, protect our brothers overseas as they share Your message. Give them the strength to rebuild, the patience to see Your path, and the faith to know that You are still in control.

Thanks to Joel Rosenberg for the heads up.

Staff MTG and BOXING

Amy and I invited the bookstore staff over to the house today. It was our monthly staff meeting, however, we haven't met since January. It's been a little busy on the other fronts...

The great thing about the bookstore is that they are always solid. January was very weak, but once we worked out the post-Christmas blues the bookstore has met every expectation. I think the frontlist offerings have been weak first quarter 2007. There really has not been that super-HOT book or CD that everyone has to have. My best-selling item is the movie "FACING THE GIANTS" and second best-selling item is another movie "ONE NIGHT WITH A KING" based on the novel "HADASSAH". Crazy that movies are selling better than books... not really sure what that is telling me. It'll be interesting to see if the pattern will hold.

There will be some changes coming... we're adjusting the management structure, and giving the employees more responsibility. They have always proven to me that they can handle what's given to them. So, why not give them more!

In addition to planning for the future and discussing policies.... we got to play Nintendo WII too! I added a couple names to the list of "People I beat the crap out of..." in Wii Sports BOXING. I won't drop any names, but they know who they are...

Businesses closed on Sunday

Perry Noble, Pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC posted some controversial thoughts on Blue Laws, which in South Carolina restrict businesses from opening on Sundays. He is very passionate on the topic; Below are some exerpts on the subject:

I know I will take heat for this…but frankly I do not care. If you are a Christian then please hear me–it is ridiculous to think that sealing off options for people on Sunday’s will drive them to church! I say open the mall–open Wal-Mart…businesses do not scare me at all–BRING THEM ON! If NewSpring cannot provide more excitement than Wal Mart then we need to shut our doors! It’s up to the church to provide something worth coming to.

To be honest…this blue laws debate proves the hypocrisy of some Christians in our county. I mean, the same people that are yelling about stores being open on Sunday have NO problem when the county “temporarily” lifts the ban on blue laws during the Christmas season. Uh…WHAT THE HECK? If there is EVER a time to fight for the blue laws…shouldn’t it be Christmas? Uh…Jesus’ birthday!!! BUT…because it is convenient for many Christians to shop on Sunday during that time they say nothing

This whole thing is just stupid. Then there are the Christians who yell, “You should not work on Sunday!” I have two problems with that…I WORK ON SUNDAY…so does our entire staff. Like it or not–it takes WORK to make things happen around here.

And then (this BURNS ME UP) the same Christians that YELL about people NOT working on Sundays…what do they do when church is over? Answer: THEY GO OUT TO EAT!!! Uh…isn’t that forcing people to work on Sunday’s? HYPOCRITE…don’t you dare scream about people not working on Sunday’s and then go to a business that is open on Sunday and support it with your money!

NOW…I am ALL for a day of rest. God COMMANDS it in Scripture…if you will look at Exodus 20 the LONGEST of the ten commandments is the one about rest. BUT somehow I do not think that by this command that God meant that Christians are supposed to legislate morality and pass laws that force people to follow Him!

Jeff's Take: to be honest this is one of my biggest struggles in Christian retailing, not being able to be open on Sunday. Our Christian Bookstore is closed on Sundays. I have several customers (and some friends) that are adamant that we remain closed on Sundays. And I know the spiel, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy". I hear you, I understand.

Jump to 2007. Here I am, as a Christian business, unable to open. Unlike South Carolina, Florida does not have "Blue laws", but I know if I open my business on Sunday it will receive persecution from Christians in the area. I've already seen it, as many Christians "boycott" the local Family Christian chain since they are open on Sunday. And I know the arguements...keep the Sabbath holy.

What I don't understand is isn't the Sabbath really Saturday? I'm no Biblical Scholar mind you. But isn't the seventh day really Saturday? Where does Sunday come in? Beyond that, though, a large (and growing) number of churches are offering a Saturday service. Many of my employees go to church on Saturday. If I was not on a church staff, Amy and I would attend our Saturday night church service. Does that make us any less "godly" or invalidate our spiritual experience because the service is not on the "cultural" definition of the Sabbath?

However, in Mark 3 Jesus healed on the Sabbath. He didn't "work" on a Sabbath, but he did minister. I believe the intent was not to prevent ministry, but to maintain a time to focus on God. "Which is lawful on the Sabbath? To do good and evil, or to save life or to kill?" Jesus ministered on the Sabbath. He basically slapped the religious leaders in the face. The intent is not to prevent ministry.

The thing that frustrates me the most is when I think of how much ministry we lose by not being open on Sundays. How many lives are out there that we lose impact? Who approaches our doorway, sees our "Closed" sign, and never comes back? If God gave us this ministry, are we being good stewards of it by closing our doors 14% of the time?

Understand me, though, I will never have the bookstore open on Sunday. It cannot happen. There are many Christians who would applaud our direction and support us. And there are some Christians who would make sure that the world knew were were sinning against God. For the reasons I shared, I don't believe it's a sin. I just hope that the ministry we "lose" are ones that God can afford. And I hope God forgives me for not using the gift He's given to it's fullest extent.

YFC Ad

The Living Word is proud to sponsor Youth for Christ, and their passion to reach students NOT IN CHURCHES BUT IN SCHOOLS. Please find their ad in this blog, and for those that need access to the raw file, it can be downloaded here.

A Criminal Mind: The Photo Album

The Living Word has had some issues recently with theft. Within a month or so we've had a person literally stealing TVs out of the bookstore. The guy came back in the store to steal the other TV, and we caught him in the act (and scared him out of the store). Keep an eye on the guy in the blue shirt.

What you are seeing is a man walking in the store, going back to the video section and try to unplug the TV from the electrical outlet on top of the bookshelf. At one point he physically has the black plug in his hand. Jake goes back to check on him (having seen him act suspicious on the internal video system), and starts to call the police. The culprit gets spooked and runs out the store. If only Marlene had tackled him before he made it out the door! (Just kidding, Marlene doesn't tackle people anymore.)

My employees did an excellent job handling the situation. As we've said, customer service is the best way to prevent theft! Great job to Marlene and Jake!

Son of a Criminal Mind

Wanted to update on the criminal activity and The Living Word over the weekend. The police were called onto our property once again because of theft. We acutally caught the guy this time, though, redhanded. Evidently one of my customers (an honest one) saw this guy stuff some little gift items in his pants and walk out the door. Rather than report the theft to an employee, the customer walked out and called the police for us, and the cops nailed the guy before he left the shopping center. This is the second time cops have been called out in 3 weeks. I'm hoping this is not a start to a trend. The person had $50 retail of plaques, and he said he was giving them to a friend of his who had a terminal disease.

Christmas Financial Review

Christmas retail sales were ugly in 2006. Yahoo reports that the season was not quite as cheery as expected:

It was clear that shoppers, worried about the housing market and energy prices, were waiting to get the lowest possible prices — a cautious stance that's expected to continue this year...The tone was more pessimistic than optimistic... Although retailers had a good start during the Thanksgiving weekend, many stores struggled in December and a shopping surge just before and after Christmas wasn't enough to make up for lost sales.

This was echoed by CNN.com who predicted that some 33mil people hadn't started shopping before December 21st.

Many of you are asking how The Living Word and C28 did this Christmas?

The bookstore had a slight growth over Christmas 2005. We were sluggish from Thanksgiving through December 20th, and then literally I think everyone remembered they had to buy gifts in that last couple days. We broke the highest-sales day on Friday, December 22nd, and then shattered the record again on Saturday the 23rd. Even with those two booms, our sales barely matched last year.

C28 is continuing to define who it is. West Palm Beach got something like 20" of rain in the 2 weeks before Christmas, so mall traffic never boomed for us. My employees did a great job of handling the customers that come in, but we need to get more customers. The good thing is there are now thousands of people walking around with c28 billboards on their chests, and we are continuing to see a grassroots movement rise.

Continue to pray. We need all the help we can get!

"The Criminal Mind Christmas"

for those of you keeping up with "the criminal mind saga" (part 1) (part 2). Police arrested one of the guys that has been cleaning out our store of Gospel Music without paying for it. He came in the bookstore today, and after some quick thinking by our employees the police arrived and arrested him on tresspassing charges. I will be pressing charges, of course, and although I'm sure he'll be out of jail soon hopefully he's got the message. The good thing is that every one of my employees was in the store today to see the guy get arrested, so everyone knows what he looks like. The bad thing is that there were like 30 customers in the store today that saw the guy get arrested too. Oh well.

Bite of the Apple

Okay, first off I'm the first to admit that I'm biased here...I've been a Mac guy before I could spell "PC". I'm a biz consultant for Apple, and I'm glad to say I've been a stockholder before anyone knew what an iPod was... So when Apple speaks, I listen.

Red Herring posted an article recently on how successful Apple's Retail portion has been. And if you've been in an Apple Store lately, you know how busy they are. Here's a quote from the article:

Apple’s stores have hauled in annual sales per square foot of $4,032, compared with Best Buy’s $930, Neiman Marcus’ $611, and luxury store Tiffany & Co.’s $2,666, according to Bernstein.

Apple’s recipe works like crack. Apple gives customers instant gratification by keeping inventory in stores, unlike its rivals. Apple has opened its stores slowly, building up anticipation for its stores. Finally, those stores are some of the toniest in retail—encouraging customers to drop far more money than they might in a dusty computer shop or utilitarian web site.

What lessons can be learned here in the Christian Retailing area? Best Buy tries to be everything to everyone...from plasmas to kitchen appliances. And while there may be a need for that, does Best Buy have to fill that need? What if Best Buy slimmed down and focused on a niche, a market... and let someone else worry about some of the less-popular departments. At The Living Word we've looked at a lot of our sales, trying to figure out what we need to be. And honestly, a lot of the things that people would expect a Christian Bookstore to be, we're not going to be. Some people may be upset by that, but honestly it doesn't make sense (or cents) to do some of these things.

At the bookstore we could get bigger. We could expand our inventories. We could be everything to everyone. And we could get so big we couldn't pay the rent. Our employees could be clueless on what they were selling. Customers could get lost between the aisles. The store could feel like an empty warehouse. Instead, what if we did a smaller space, employed it with people passionate about God and product, and turned inventory like crazy.

What does a "Christian Bookstore" look like on crack? It's called C28. That's actually one of the things I love about C28. They know who they are targeting. They know their audience. Their goal is only their audience. If a product doesn't reach the audience, then don't carry the product.

Enjoy the article, and dream with me about what a "christian bookstore on crack" would look like. (Feel free to e-mail me on the whole "crack" reference too!)

Fear of Tables

Let me say first off that today is typically the second busiest day in the retail year, and both of my stores did very well. TLW continues to raise the bar of expectations, and C28 WPB is paving the road in the middle of spiritual unrest. God is good, and even though there are times when I question His timing, it's good to lean back on memories of successful days and know that He is in control.

It was really good to see all the customers come in today. This week in SoFL we've had nothing but rain, rain, rain, rain. It was like a cold front was coming in, but we never really got the cold front. Instead we had rain almost solid for a week. ARGH! Nothing kills biz like the rain. What was great about today is that it still rained, and the customers came out anyway.

I worked at the bookstore this morning. I thought they would need some help and they did. I worked the floor for the most part, answering questions for the customers while the emps ran the registers. We were clicking and the registers were ringing. Running a retail store in December makes up for the lousy 11 months leading up to it.

It's funny how God finds ways to humble you right before the whole pride thing kicks in. There was this woman I was helping in the Bible section. She was trying to find Bibles for her 2 twenty-something kids. They don't really go to church, and she was hoping to find something that was easy for them to understand. I was showing her some of the NIV Study Bibles, and explaining how study bibles work.

Lesson #1 in selling a Bible: Crack it open. Find a scripture and read it to the customer. Let them hear the language, see the text, see the helps. It's like sitting in a car you want to buy. You got to "feel" it before you can own it. So I opened up the Bible and flipped to a "random" verse. Usually I am quite specific on what verses I read to customers. Go with something simple, John 3, Luke 2, ets... In this Bible, the pages got stuck and I ended up in Matthew 21 and read the verse found in the upper right hand corner of the page... verse 12.

What's the big deal? This verse is my nightmare.

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

As a Christian retailer, my greatest fear is standing before my God and having him say "You made a mockery of me by selling _____________ in My Name." Really, I do fear that. I think sometimes as Christian retailers we try to justify what we're doing. So did the moneychangers. "Selling doves? We're providing a service? Well, the churches can't handle selling the doves to everyone! If we don't give them doves, then who else will? We have to pay the rent somehow? God made the doves, we're just the middleman for the people!" All of these may be valid arguments, but it evidently was bad enough to cause Jesus, a man who is known to literally turn the other cheek, to go medieval on some tables.

And I don't know about you, but I don't want to be on the wrong end of Jesus' temper. Would you? So yes, on the eve of this holiday season when we will do 3 months worth of sales in one month, I encourage you to join me in remembering the reason we celebrate.

Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity we have to celebrate Your arrival, your name, your renown. May my actions, my intent, my life be perceived not as a moneychanger selling doves, but a person intent on impacting lives for your kingdom.

The Return of "The Criminal Mind"

Wanted to update you on the criminal mastermind that has been terrorizing The Living Word. Yesterday one of our many criminal clients moved beyond stealing product, and we actually had a small TV stolen from our video section. Yes, a TV. How a TV disappears from a crowded store in the middle of Christmas sales is a little beyond me, but we're working through this issues.

On a more serious note, The Honey Baked Ham a couple doors down from me was robbed at gunpoint yesterday afternoon too. The thefts probably were not related. It's funny, once you start talking "gun" losign a tv here or there isn't that serious.

Please do me a favor. If you actually decide to shop this Christmas, please pay for your merchandise. Your retailers thank you.

The Criminal Mind

Okay, I hear you. I've been so obsessed about the East Coast launch of the coolest Christian clothing store in the country, as well as the new Church Campus I am helping launch, that I have neglected to talk much about my first love, the Living Word Christian Bookstore. I do apologize for that. Many of my employees have said they feel like the Red Headed Stepchild sometimes, and we're doing everything we can to prevent that.

So how's the bookstore doing? Very well. The community continues to support us, and in an industry where Christian bookstores are dropping like flies we are continually trying to stay relevant to culture, and have seen growth and stability because of that. We are a healthy business and show no sign of decrease in sales, praise God.

However, if we do go out of business, I can tell you why it would happen... theft. I am continually shocked at how much stuff gets stolen from this bookstore. Just today, one of my employees brought in four jewelry bags from four Bob Siemon "True Love Waits" Rings. For those of you that do not know, a "True Love Waits" ring symbolizes the promise of sexual purity between a person and God/their future spouse. So basically I had someone steal four symbols of sexual purity. Makes you glad you're in the biz, don't it? We're staying sexually pure, but evidently the other nine commandments don't mean much! It's not just rings, either. Over the past 3 months I've had Gospel CDs valuing over $4,000 (retail) get stolen from the store as well.

All this begs another question: who wakes up in the morning and thinks, "Hey, I'm going to go rob that Christian store..." And once again, for the record...when we go out of business it will be because we've literally been robbed out of business. Honestly, I'm afraid to look at how much stuff is getting stolen because I'm too afraid of what I'll find.

Have a Merry Christmas! Show some love to your local retailers. It's not just the Christian Stores getting ripped off either. And if you see some guy peddling "True Love Waits" rings on the street, tell him Jeff at the Living Word says hello.

Church Porn and Horny Bookstore customers

Ran across an article at ChurchMarketingSucks.com. (Please don't e-mail me about Sucks).

http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2006/11/church_loses_do.html

Church transfers ISPs, and in the process the ISP decides to sell the website domain name to a PORN WEBSITE! And oh, you just handed out thousands of flyers to kids announcing your Fall Festival, and it now has a website address with Porn on it!

It is times like this that I'm glad I no longer work with eBeliever. To this day, my ears are still burning from being yelled at by pastors or youth guys because of website problems. This must have been chaotic. Thankfully, the problem seems to be resolved, and there are currently no topless dancers available on the church's cyberspace.

It's a shame, though, the church probably had a huge increase in traffic those couple days before the DNS servers repropigated out. Hope they were able to build off of it.

We have a similar problem over at The Living Word. No, our website doesn't link to porn. The Christian Bookstore Association is an organization that supports Christian bookstores around the country. They have a 800 number that a person can call, and an automated phone system routs the call to the closest Christian bookstore to that person. So if Suzie in Topekia, KS is looking for a store, she'll call the 800 number, find a store in Topekia, and get connected to that store immediately. Sounds great in theory.

Evidently if you invert two of the digits, you get a "singles party line" and we have had several instances where guys have called in, and thinking they were looking for available singles in their zip code instead find a Christian bookstore on the other end of the phone. It's funny how quickly heavy breathing stops when they hear the word Christian.

Well, to my knowledge this has happened 4 times in 3 years. I've answered the phone on the first three, but the fourth one - the one that happened within the past week - was a little more awkward. One of my more innocent, quiet employees answered the phone. The guy, looking for love in all the wrong places, started into an inapropriate diatribe. She flips out, and tells the guy that this is a Christian bookstore. Ultimately, though, he does not care and keeps going... at which point she freaks out and hangs up the phone.

Not exactly porn, but I thought it was funny in a sad, demented way. The employee eventually healed, although she doesn't answer the phone anymore.