A Rare Appeal

A Rare Appeal: The Background

As some of you are aware, the co-founders of this ministry, Brian and Dara Shook, are currently living in separate states. Brian has been caring for his aging father, but as the economy has gotten worse, he can no longer afford to join his wife.  Caring for his father has been a full time job in itself, and because of this, he cannot get a job.

As a member of WarriorSoul Ministries, its principal writer, and a close friend of these two amazing people, I believe that it is possible to bring him home, and to do so with something everyone is fond of... T-shirts! The gist of it is this: You buy the shirt you like, and after overhead, the proceeds go to fund Brian's trip home. Any Additional Funds Will Be Used Specifically For And By WarriorSoul Ministries! There will be no individuals profiting from this fundraiser- We are NOT televangelists!!

The fundraiser itself will last from now until September 10, 2013.

A Rare Appeal: The Selection

The front of the Standard

Here is how this works (price breakdown to follow shirt descriptions).

We have two styles of tees available. The first is what we're calling the "Standard" version, which basically means that it's the least expensive of the two.  It sports only lettering, with the words "Mine is a WarriorSoul" in gray and red on the front.  On the back, in red, are the words "WarriorSoul Ministries."  These are selling for $15, and we need to sell 50 of them at the very least... If we do not reach that number, none of the shirts will be shipped, and you will not be charged- But our fundraiser will have failed as well.

 The second style is being referred to as the "Limited Edition."  It has the same wording on the front as the Standard, but features the WarriorSoul logo on the back.  This shirt is selling for $25 and we need to sell at least 20 of them.  Again, if we do not reach that number- No shirts, no charge and no Brian going home.

Both of these styles will be available in black, navy, forest green and ash gray beginning tomorrow.  Currently, they are available only in black.

A Rare Appeal: The Price Breakdown

Front of the Ltd Edition

Because we believe in honesty and full disclosure here at WarriorSoul (and because I believe it will help you understand the need for the prices and set amounts), I'd like to show you the price breakdown.

The Standard version has an overhead cost of $11.35- That's for the screenprinting, labor and service. The remaining $3.65 is what will be coming to us to fund Brian's trip.

The Limited Edition has an overhead cost of $21.75.  Again, this is for the screenprinting, labor and service, but it is higher than the standard due to the graphic used on the back.  Thus, the fundraiser will be receiving $3.25 for every LE sold.

A Rare Appeal: The Minimum Sales Limit Explained

Back of the Standard

The reasons for the minimum amounts is very simple: The smaller the sales goal is, the greater the base price.  This is due to a few things, but most notably the labor that goes into setting up the equipment which does the printing.  When the batch is smaller, it requires more supervision and prevents leaving the batch to print while getting a new batch ready.

Let me offer you an example: To print a mere 10 of the Standard shirts, the base cost would be $14.67.  However, printing a total of 50 costs $11.35.  If we were to raise our goal to 200, our base price would lower to a mere $8.55, but our relative chances of success decrease as well.

To expound on the example, let's use the LE. Printing 20 of these shirts costs 21.75.  Printing 10, however, spikes our base price to $30.75.  In order to sell the LE at a comparable price to the Standard, we'd need to sell a minimum of 130, and the base cost would be $12.13.  Once more, we see a lower price, but also a lower chance of making our goal.

These are the reasons we've set the limits where they are currently.

A Rare Appeal: The Final Word

back of the Ltd Edition

We've got readers and family from around the world, and I want to reassure everyone that we're able to get shirts to you no matter where you are- Using the company we're using, we can ship internationally, meaning out friends in Australia, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, Japan... Even Tanzania and Guatemala... Can help with this fundraiser and have something to show for it.

So aside from buying a shirt, or a few shirts, how can you help?  Well, you can tweet the shirts themselves, or this blog entry, to make sure that everyone who follows you gets the chance to hear about it, and hopefully pass it on.  You can share the shirts on Facebook and on Pinterest directly from the pages, or you can share the url from any form of social media.  You can also share this blog entry as well.

Feel free to share about the fundraiser and its purpose outside of the internet as well!  Word of mouth when speaking with your friends, coworkers, family and fellow church members can be just as vital and viral as what is shared online.

I'd like to thank you for your consideration and support of this effort, and I am confident that with all of you helping to support it and spread the word, it will be a monumental success. God bless each and every one of you!

Model Family, Model Bride

(Author's Note:  This is the devotional I brought forward at this month's men's breakfast.  Though it is written specifically towards men, I believe that women will find it of interest as well.  God bless you all!)

Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying], many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.  ~Proverbs 31:28-29 (AMP)

Most people know this as the "Virtuous Woman" passage.  It also offers instruction to husbands, children and encouragement to the Bride of Christ.  We'll look at this here today.

Note first that the children bless her.  We all have mothers, and if they still live, we need to bless them; whether we feel they deserve it or not.  "Her children rise up" - They take an active role in doing this.  They do not just sit on the sidelines and ask for blessings to fall upon her; rather, they speak those blessings forth into existence.

Now, look at what her husband says to her.  He is expressing his satisfaction in her; his joy with her; and his fidelity to her.  How many times have we heard the women in our lives speak about feeling as though they don't measure up to other women?  The virtuous husband builds his wife up by assuring her that the only reason she does not is because she stands head and shoulders above them all.  He is telling her that his eyes see only her, and she is a precious treasure.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 - 

"Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil." (NLT)  

This passage tells husbands to live in joy with his wife all of his days.  This passage gives us an example of this in action.  Song of Solomon 8:7 -

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would offer all the goods of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned and despised." (AMP)  

Read that carefully, for it tells us that nothing in this world can buy the love a husband and wife share- It should be treasured, not despised or taken for granted.

These two verses in Proverbs also speak to the joy of the family as a whole.  When we are operating in full alignment with the Word of God, there is joy and assurance within the family that no one can take away.  Indeed, we see this in Micah 4:4 -

"Instead, each person will sit under his vine and fig tree, with no one to upset him, for the mouth of Adonai-Tzva’ot has spoken." (CJB)

This passage also gives encouragement to the Church, for as Matthew Henry said, "God by His grace has formed from sinful men a church of true believers, to possess all the excellence here described" in Proverbs 31:10-31.  Verses 28 and 29, then, show us a picture of what we are to strive for in our daily walk.  A makes the point that we ought to live in such a way that we are held by those who know us best in high esteem; that those who see us at our lowest and our worst can nonetheless speak only blessings upon us, so well we serve the example of Christ.

Moreover, when we as Christians are living in the will of God; surrendered to His Word and doing nothing except by His strength; we serve as an example for the next generation.  They look back on us, as we look back on others, and bless us, as we bless those before us for their excellent example, instruction and encouragement.

Finally, Christ, our Bridegroom, praises us in the same manner when we live according to His Word.  He encourages us and builds us up- Reminding us of our future joy, and telling us not to compare ourselves with others.  His love is for us, and we surpass all others in His eyes.


So, in conclusion my friends- Be men of God.  Let us bless our mothers; build up our wives; provide the right example for the next generation; and be the Church that Yehshua earnestly awaits to rapture and bring away to Himself.  In His grace and mercy, we do not have to be perfect; in His strength, though, we can do all things.

Waffles, Bacon and a Side of Prayer

I am a breakfast kind of guy.  I love breakfast food, and at any given time of day I'm as likely to be eating oatmeal, pancakes or cold cereal as I am a "normal" lunch or dinner.  Don't get me wrong, though- I'll plow through steak, pork chops, or a good bowl of pasta in a heartbeat!  I just like breakfasts because of the great memories that come with them.

On Saturday mornings, Mom and Dad would work together to make breakfast for us kids.  Sometimes, it was a simple pot of oatmeal.  Other times, it was pancakes or french toast with bacon and eggs.  No matter what it was, one thing remained the same on a regular basis: We'd eat breakfast as a family.  It was the best day of the week, and the best time of day, as the morning sun shone brightly and we gathered around the table together with a promise filled day ahead of us.

As life dragged on, the family breakfasts grew more and more infrequent, until it was nearly a miracle to get us together at the table for any meal.  Communication began to crumble, and the family followed closely behind.  Without the support of one another, we began to make bad choices all around: I fell headlong into a pornographic addiction; my sisters began dating and befriending people of dubious influence; and my parents' marriage dissolved into resentment, hurt feelings and heartache.
Soon, the only communication we had took the form of either written notes or face to face arguments.  There was a day, shortly before my parents separated, that my Dad called the house and I didn't recognize his voice.  That moment sticks with me because, all fault to the side, no child should ever forget the voice of a parent who took an active part in their lives.  In fact, the memory haunts me to this day- In that until recently, I never knew what had gone wrong.  My family had survived car accidents, a catastrophic fire (read more here), economic hardship and several church splits...  So what went wrong?

Over a Men's Breakfast of Belgian waffles, sausage, hashbrowns, eggs, and a side of bacon, I mulled over this question once again.  As I stared idly at the smaller plate of bacon, my pastor began talking about prayer and the importance of it.  I had learned a while before that prayer was a means of communion with God.  Then, suddenly, everything seemed to fall into place.

You see, I've never ordered a plate of bacon and a side of waffles.  Waffles are a main course; bacon is a side.  (Though it is an excellent garnish for salads!)  Sometimes, though, we order a side of prayer, instead of making it our main course.  When we do this, our communication with God begins to falter, and soon our relationship with Him begins to suffer.
Likewise, it was the communication between my family that was the lifeblood of our relationship.  When that began to fail, the family began to suffer.  It was no one person's fault, though we all had a hand in its demise. When we stopped communicating, the family began to fall apart.

When we do not communicate with God, our lives suffer for it.  So remember- When it comes to prayer, order it as the main course...  And get the waffles on the side.