The Story Behind the Shirt: Putting God First…

Written by Kim Avant
Edited by Jamie Baddorf

When I first became involved with SweeT-Shirt, I was already  a loyal customer. I love the bling and my jeweled shirts were quickly taking over my closet.  So, I decided it might be a good idea to become a SweeT-Shirt rep, not only because I loved the shirts, but also as a way to fund my daughter’s competitive dance fees.

My daughter, Brooke, is a precious ray of light whom gives me so much joy. Since she started dancing when she was 2 years old, the number of hours we spent at the studio gradually continued to grow.

As our family time continued to dwindle, my heart began to ache.  My son, Brady, and I found ourselves resenting the long hours we spent, sitting in that parking lot waiting on Brooke to come out. So, I went to God.

I knew He would help me with all things. I also, knew I had to change the way we spent our time. How I could say that we put God first in our family life while we spent far more time on extra-curricular activities?

God helped us see how precious time is and that we need to make the most of every minute together. So although Brooke still dances, she no longer competes.  We have more time together as a family and we have time to enjoy all of God’s sweet blessings without so much rushing around.

Brooke and I now do SweeT-Shirt shows together.  Whether we sell 2 shirts or 20, we love that precious time together as mother and daughter. When we have a show or wear our jeweled shirts, we are able to share the story of SweeT-Shirt and the ministry it represents.

Although I am still a busy mom, God is in control of our time now and helps us to enjoy each minute together!

Friday Devotion: The One

By Shannon Milholland

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Lately my youngest has taken a keen interest in putting together puzzles. My middle two daughters showed little fascination with puzzles so she’s pulling out boxes untouched for as long as a decade. She dumps out the pieces, sorts them and in no time has all the pieces together. The problem is quite often the puzzle is missing a piece. The picture just doesn’t look right without the final piece in place.

Some of these puzzle boxes have resided in six different homes located in three different states. No matter how long I searched, I could not locate the rouge shapes. For us, those pieces are gone forever.

Each of us starts out life as a missing piece. We are disconnected from God by wrong thoughts, words and actions. But no matter how far away from the puzzle we move, God never loses track of us.

He searches for and finds His missing puzzle pieces. All we have to do is agree to be reconnected.

Do you feel disconnected from God today? Allow Him to pick you up and place you back where you belong – connected to the One who fashioned you to be perfectly intertwined with Him.

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Shannon is married to Scott Milholland, Chief Operating Officer of Hope Church, Cordova, Tennessee. God has blessed Scott and Shannon with four daughters – Hannah, Hayleigh, Clara and Carynne. Shannon finds joy, purpose and contentment among laundry, dishes and endless errands and delights in helping other women find that place of joy in life.

Shannon is the author of a blog entitled “Jesus and My Orange Juice”. In her blog, she offers inspiration and practical advise on how God’s word speaks into the crazy life of an ordinary wife and mom. She also speaks on a variety of topics bringing messages packed with encouragement and wisdom.

Monday Story: God Answers Prayers

By Jill Dyson

I have the most unusual yet entertaining story to share with you involving a very old reptile and a friend of mine.  Sam, a Galapagos Tortoise, decided to take a stroll from his suburban home in Germantown TN, when he was discovered by a neighbor nearly 4 blocks away.  Imagine the shock to see such a creature meandering through the quiet streets of her home.  This is no box turtle mind you, this is a creature weighing in about the same as your average sixth grader.   Sam had made his way into April’s yard where there were plenty of fresh plants and grass to feed on.  My animal loving friend was bewildered to find Sam, yet quickly prayed about what in the world to do next.  No one had heard of Sam or had seen him before, so it was uncertain that anyone would ever claim him.  After a few days of care, she decided to place Sam at a nearby greenbelt area known as Wolf River and let him live out the rest of his long life in a natural environment.  Dropping Sam off on the North side of the river, April and Sam parted ways and she prayed that she had made the right decision in leaving him there.

Well…a few days later,  Sam’s owner was found on her street posting flyers in search of his…yes, you guessed it… Galapagos Tortoise!  As it turns out, Sam had been in the family for 3 generations and was 80 years old!!  Sam had somehow escaped his home and his owner had been searching ever since.  April was devastated to know that she had given away such a family pet!  She drove the owner to the place where she had let Sam roam free and made herself available as a search party volunteer should he need one.  She immediately prayed to God about Sam and wanted so badly for Him to redeem the situation.  She prayed that God would allow her to be a part of the recovery process of the animal and believed in her heart that God would answer.

Anything is Possible if a person believes…Mark 9:23

About a week later, April received a phone call from her son who was biking through the Wolf River Trails and had stumbled upon Sam the tortoise!  The interesting thing is that he was biking on the South side of Wolf River, not the North side where Sam was dropped off.   Tortoises may enjoy wading in very shallow water, but they do not have limbs or bodies built for swimming.

With God, everything is possible…Matthew 19:26

April joined her son and husband at Wolf River and promptly returned Sam to his home.  This is a picture of Sam when he was lost.  Now he is found and is back at home…

Friday Devotion: Unchained

By Shannon Milholland

Psalm 119:30, 32 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption. The main character, Andy Dufresne, is falsely accused and wrongfully imprisoned in Shawshank prison. After nearly twenty years of incarceration, Andy escapes. As his intricate plan of departure unfolds, the audience realizes that Andy had spent many painstaking years chipping away at the prison walls with a tiny pickax he had hidden in the pages of his Bible. The vile warden had quipped years earlier that, “salvation lies within.” That certainly proved true for Andy Dufresne.

I‘ve been reading 2 Timothy. Paul writes Timothy while shackled in prison. He even invites Timothy to join him in his suffering. That is one party invitation I do not want to find in my mailbox. In reality, rain falls into the life of every person. God doesn’t skirt storms around the homes of those who love and worship Him. The difference between one walking with God and one who is not isn’t whether the storms come, it is how they react to the weather.

As Paul writes from his dank confinement, he relates to Timothy that “God’s word is not chained.” Power, promise and provision lie in those pages. Andy Dufresne found logistical freedom tucked between the covers of his Bible. It appears, however, that he missed the greatest treasure – what was written on the pages he destroyed while concealing his implement.

God’s Word isn’t chained but all to often we keep it neatly tucked on our bookshelf instead of hiding it in our hearts. When we do so, we render its’ life-changing power useless. For many years I knew about the Bible. I even knew all the major stories, characters and passages. Like Andy, I was wrongfully imprisoned. My cell was a joyless life devoid of knowing the pleasure of walking with God. As I began to open the pages of God’s love letter, I found the secret to handling the storms of life. My rain clouds gave way to sunshine. No the weather did not change but my reaction to it altered dramatically.

Jesus, thank you for Your Word that delivers Your people from chains. Salvation truly lies within the timeless pages of Your book. Today I will escape away with You and find salvation within.

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Shannon is married to Scott Milholland, Chief Operating Officer of Hope Church, Cordova, Tennessee. God has blessed Scott and Shannon with four daughters – Hannah, Hayleigh, Clara and Carynne. Shannon finds joy, purpose and contentment among laundry, dishes and endless errands and delights in helping other women find that place of joy in life.

Shannon is the author of a blog entitled “Jesus and My Orange Juice”. In her blog, she offers inspiration and practical advise on how God’s word speaks into the crazy life of an ordinary wife and mom. She also speaks on a variety of topics bringing messages packed with encouragement and wisdom.

The Story Behind the Shirt: Connecting Women Through the Cross

Brandy Cross Fitted Shirt

By Jill Dyson

I have a cousin who I connected with last Fall for the first time really.  We were introduced as toddlers, but didn’t come to truly know each other until last season.  I was in Little Rock during a big show put on by the Jr. League and I can remember my mom saying that my cousins were going to stop by perhaps and see my booth for SweeT-Shirts.  Since I was away from home for the week, it was comforting to know some familiar faces would be there.  Brandy Vines and her mom Joy showed up as promised and the connection was instantaneous.  Brandy and I spoke about the ministry a bit, she purchased a couple of tee shirts and I gave them each a “Jane” cross SweeT-Shirt in honor of my mother since they knew her story.  Little did I know that God had planned on connecting me and Brandy through that cross…  Now, almost a year later, the two of us speak every week about our growing ministry.  As a SweeT-Rep, Brandy not only spreads the ministry to people of Little Rock, but also uses it to financially bless her family.  Not long ago, Brandy sent me the following e-mail and it made me smile to see the impact that the ministry is making and how God continues to bless us with amazing partners!  I had to share her personal testimony…

“It’s crazy how I have not had to “market” these designs to make it successful.  I’ve only had one home show so far too….I just know that the Lord is going to bless my family through all of this…

I finally understand that there is a bigger purpose to this whole endeavor than I am able to visualize thru my “here and now” perspective.  I have no idea what  God has in store but I’m learning so much everyday about just being still and knowing that He has a plan that will become more and more clear in HIS time.  In the mean time, I’m just blindly trusting that He knows my needs and will continue to meet them as I follow and heed to His will.  I’ve learned so much these past few months about the business world and about trusting God when I can’t see the purpose or even possibly visualize the outcome of what I’m doing.

And I just thought I was signing up to sell some shirts….

Friday Devotion: I Stand at the Door and Knock

By Shannon Milholland

James 4:2 You do not have because you do not ask God.

I grew up with two sisters. One was precise and decisive. She knew what she wanted and when she saw it, she was persistent with her requests. She often got what she wanted. My other sister was far less assertive about her needs. No doubt she had just as many but her requests were more of a whisper than a shout. Her desires sometimes passed unnoticed.

Of my four girls, I have two like each sister. I have two that will bug the stew out of me until they get what they want and two that would prefer me to see them and discern their needs with less conversation and more intuition. I pray often that God would open my eyes to their hearts’ desires.

My two incessant children are heard; at times my two hesitant children are not. This reminds me of a story that Jesus told in Luke 11:5-13 about a man who went to his friend at midnight for bread. His friend thought surely this could wait until morning and refused the request. The man is undeterred and continues knocking until the door is opened.

Unanswered prayer is not a matter of proximity. Jesus is near. Unanswered prayer is a matter of perseverance. Am I willing to pester God with my dreams, desires and needs? Or do I just sit back and wait for Him to come to me?

Jesus, You miss nothing. Unlike me with my kids you know every beat of my heart’s desire. You don’t fail to meet my needs because You don’t notice but because I didn’t take the time to ask. Today, Jesus, I will knock on Your door and even pound. The desires inside can stay there no longer. I need You to open the door.

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Shannon is married to Scott Milholland, Chief Operating Officer of Hope Church, Cordova, Tennessee. God has blessed Scott and Shannon with four daughters – Hannah, Hayleigh, Clara and Carynne. Shannon finds joy, purpose and contentment among laundry, dishes and endless errands and delights in helping other women find that place of joy in life.

Shannon is the author of a blog entitled “Jesus and My Orange Juice”. In her blog, she offers inspiration and practical advise on how God’s word speaks into the crazy life of an ordinary wife and mom. She also speaks on a variety of topics bringing messages packed with encouragement and wisdom.

Wordless Wednesday