My Head is Spinning

So as many of you are aware, my company was acquired (merged, bought, sold, you pick the word), by a much larger company (C&F) last week.  If you missed the announcement you can check it out here:  http://www.redwoodsgroup.com/

Now that the news is out and I have the freedom to talk more about it and can now share the experience with you.

Many of you have probably been through a similar experience.  Companies are bought, sold and merged every day.  Sometimes they make the local and even national news.  But most of those announcements are newsworthy because they mean someone is making a lot of money and others are out of jobs.

In my situation this week, yes there was a transaction that included money, but no one lost their job, no one was given a pay cut and no one's benefits change.  Yep.  I am for real.

It is business as usual at TRG.  I still get to go to work everyday.  Sit at the same desk.  Report to the same manager.  All while continuing to protect children from drowning, being sexually abused or getting injured because they were riding in a 12-15 passenger van.  All of these are core to TRG's business model.   Our mission is to protect.  Our mission is to provide an insurance product that provides coverage that is appropriate and unique to nonprofits that serve their communities.

TRG wants to make the country (we would love to be world wide and we may now have that opportunity) a much safer place for children (and adults too).  And our new owner wants to help us do that.  They want us to help us grow our business.  They want us to provide even better coverage.  They want us to find other nonprofits to partner with.  And they want to help us do that in a more efficient and effective way.  They want us to Scale our Movement.

As an actual insurance carrier now, we get to take out what we call the frictional costs.  We will have more authority, less oversight  We will have the ability to rate and price that makes sense for our customers.   We will have access to more capital.  We will have access to better resources.  We will have new systems.  Yep, I get to learn a whole new claims system and have been in trainings this week and next.  Good thing Lent is over, I am going to need coffee.  We get to keep doing what we do best.

As many of you know, TRG is a certified B Corp.  There are some B Corps out there that you may recognize -- Burt's Bees, Ben & Jerry's, Seventh Generation, Patagonia, Method..... just to name a few.   If you don't know what that means, in simple terms, it means that we are a company that focuses on more then the bottom line.  We are for good or for benefit.  Not necessarily for profit.  We give back more then we take in.  We volunteer.  We open up our offices for others to use.  We give grants.  We love.  We Serve.  We Transform.  We call it The Redwoods Way.

And as part of this transaction, we get to keep our B Corp status.  And as if it couldn't get any better, our new owner wants the rest of their brands and companies to look at doing the same thing.

Who knew that a small company based in Morrisville, NC that started with 6 employees in a warehouse (for those of who that remember, I was one of those first 6) could be so instrumental in changing the communities in which we all live.  

This transaction has restored in me my faith in the business world.  Good things can still be done.   We can make money.  But we can also focus on more.  We can make a difference.

We can love, serve and transform.

Good Friday, Yes it is Good Indeed

Today is Good Friday.   A day for Christians to not only mourn but to celebrate.  Yes, I know that it seems odd to want to celebrate a death.   But for Christians, death, in particular Christ's death, means so much more.

It is on this day some 2000 years ago that Christ died for us.   For me.  For You.  All because He loved us.  He didn't have to.  I am sure that God could have stopped it.  There was probably someone that could have been bribed.  A jail break could have occurred.   He could have just run away.  But none of those things happened.

Christ took the punishment.  He took the beatings.  He took the humiliation.  He carried the cross.  He paid the price for our sins.   He took our place.

Christ didn't deserve to die.  He hadn't done anything wrong.  He was perfect.  He was a servant.  He was a healer.  He was a provider.   He was a teacher.   But He was also our Savior.  He was the Savior that God had sent.   A baby that would grow up to be a man.  A man that would became a King.  And a Savior that we all desperately need.

We are broken. We are in pain.  We are sick.  We are sinners.    

I don't get very spiritual or write "Christianize" (yeah, I know I made up that word) very much but today I feel inspired.  This past Tuesday, eight women sat around my kitchen table.  These women are part of the community group aka small group aka bible study that meets at my house each week.  This week we abandoned the lesson that had been prepared by the church staff and did something different.

We prayed.  We ate.  We laughed.  We enjoyed wine.  We shared.  And most importantly we loved. Just like Christ's disciples did some 2000 years ago.  They gathered to eat... to celebrate the Passover.
We admitted that we are not perfect.   We are all in some sort of pain.  But one thing that we all have in common is that we know we need Christ.

Several of us will gather again tonight to worship and commune together.  We will watch one of our own sing.   But more importantly we will celebrate what Easter is all about.  Christ's death.

Easter is more then bunnies, baby chicks and chocolate..... well maybe it's okay if I enjoy my Reese's peanut butter eggs a little more then I should, but you get the point.    Easter is a time to celebrate.  To rejoice.

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday (well Saturday for some of us), are all days to be celebrated.  Days to rejoice.   Days to be so thankful for.

Christ died.  Christ is Risen.  And all because He Loved.

Whole New Facebook Feed

Part of being on the launch team for Jen's upcoming book is being a part of a private Facebook Group.  The group is only for other women (and a few men- looks like there are 3) that are members of the For The Love launch team.   The Facebook page is a way for Jen as well as the publisher to communicate to the group.  Yep Jen actually "talks" to us.  It is also a way for the group to communicate with each other.

One neat thing about the group is that people are making connections (I found a women that worked at Camp Oak Hill in the early 90's).  People are sharing prayer requests.  Sharing their blogs.  Sharing their stories.   Sharing Life.  Being Honest.  Yes we are talking about our favorite quotes or lessons learned --- but most importantly, the Gospel is coming to life  -- right there on Facebook.

The look and feel of my Facebook news feed is totally different now.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with my Facebook peeps.  I love each one of you dearly and I love seeing your posts.  But now my feed is full of so much more.

Now granted, it can be a little over whelming and I can't keep up with all of the posts.   It is crazy.  I don't know how some of these women are doing it.  Reading, taking care of multiple kids, running a house, being wives, posting on Facebook.   I have had a hard enough time just starting the book and I don't have all of those other things.

Well, I did have a test to study for and there was this thing called the ACC Tournament.  My Tarheels are important to me, especially during this time of the year.  There is no doubt about that.   But still.   How do the others find the time?

But there are moments when I want to check my "new" Facebook feed.  I want to see what others think about certain chapters.  I want to laugh with them.  I want to cry with them.  I want to pray for them.  I want advice. I want to support.   I want to love.  I want to share God's Grace.

I am really thankful to be a part of this group and a new and different Facebook feed.  If only Facebook knew what was really happening.  For The Love.

Exciting Week

So this has been exciting week.

Not only do I get to be a part of book launch... first time ever being a part of something so cool.

This was delivered on Wednesday.   First delivery from the Produce Box.  If you have never looked into it, you totally should.  Local Produce delivered right to your door. Talk about farm to fork.  Gonna happen here now.

Yes I am excited about eating veggies

And this happened:

Five down, one more class to go. 

And to top it all off.  THE TARHEELS ARE PLAYING FOR THE ACC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP.   B got to see a whole different side of me last night.  He has watched games with me before, but last night it got REAL.  For REAL.

Yep.  Kind of a cool week.  But another exciting part of this week is that I have resurrected the blog.  I got out of the habit of writing and I am not sure why.  Maybe it was all of the other distractions.  Maybe it was my busyness. Maybe it was writers block.  I just don't know.  Looking back on my post list, I started several posts in 2014, but never finished them or posted them.   I may go back and finish a couple of them and post them, but right now, I will leave them as drafts.

I always enjoy curling up with the laptop, and at least one of the cats.   Plus I normally have some sort of beverage, whether it is coffee (no coffee during Lent though- gave it up), tea (yep, I have been getting addicted to hot teas), wine or beer.  So on this cold and raining Saturday, I will get the blog back on track.  No beverage this morning--- no coffee and I am not in the mood for tea.

Whatever the reason, I am glad to be back to writing.  It really is something that I enjoy doing.  Plus this will be the place where I talk all things FOR THE LOVE.

So for all of those Jen Hatmaker fans out there.  Stay tuned.  Digital copy of book has been downloaded and paper version is on its way.

#forthelove @jenhatmaker #teamFTL OMG

So earlier this week, I was the recipient of a very awesome email:

Knock, knock. Who's there? YOU, because YOU are on my Launch Team for 'For the Love'!! Yeah baby!! We only had room for 10% of all applicants (what the??), and we think you got the stuff. THANK YOU for your amazing enthusiasm; I couldn't possibly love you more if I tried with all my might. You are leading well and using your influence like a boss. We all think you are amazing. We are going to get this thing off the ground together! Let me tell you, launching a book is really fun. And some of you are going to end up on the inside cover, so THAT. I said on January 1st this year that one goal was to spend less time pleasing "Not My People" ... well let's be clear: YOU ARE MY PEOPLE. I love you so. I really do. I am loyally yours forever. Let's do this thing.
My marketing team will now tell you all the fun details.
- Jen

I immediately got very excited and turned around in the kitchen to tell Brandon. He tried to get excited for me (BLESS. HIS. HEART), but he had no idea why I was so excited.  But he did acknowledge that if I was excited that he would be happy for me.  

I am sure that some of you are saying the same thing.  What’s the big deal?  Who is Jen Hatmaker?  Does she make hats or something?.  But then I also know that there are a few of you that are excited for me and don’t lie, maybe a little jealous. 

For those of you who have never heard of Jen Hatmaker, I highly recommend that you check out her blog, follow her on Twitter or Facebook and/or grab one of her books that she has already published.   She is a Godly woman, full of grace and joy but most importantly... Complete Honesty.  No sugar coating things for her. 

I get to part of the inner circle of Jen Hatmaker’s peeps.  It’s okay, we have been told that it’s okay to brag about this fact.     It all started a few weeks ago when I read one of Jen’s (yep, we are on a first name basis now) blog posts inviting her people to be a part of the launch of her new book.  I thought that it would be neat to apply, so I did.  I never thought that I would get picked.   There are a few perks to this “job”.  I get an early copy of her new book entitled For The Love.  Get to be a part of a secret Facebook group.  And I get to write an endorsement for the book. The marketing team and Jen will pick the endorsements from the group and some of them will actually be published in the book.  No celebrity endorsements, just us peeps.  Jen’s peeps.   How cool would that be! 

The book officially releases on August 18, 2015 and you can pre-order it on Amazon.com and through Barnes and Noble. 

As I am allowed, I will share more information about the book and about being a part of the launch team.  Until then, please pray for the group of women (and a few men) that have been selected to be a part of this group.   I am already seeing some pretty amazing works of God's grace in just a few days.