So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:31-33
In serving Tony Wear during the past quarter, the Lord worked through us to fulfill a very practical need for this company. As Elder Donald Wu sought after Christ’s Kingdom priority in reviving the company brand equity, the Holy Spirit revealed to us the need to establish the company’s core values on His word.
A company’s core values will drive its brand identity, products, and culture. For example, Apple carries a core value of “simplicity” that has its origins in Steve Job’s Buddhist beliefs. Many aspects of Apple’s product design reflect this “minimalist” philosophy and have resulted in very sleek iPhones and iPads simple enough to mesmerize even three year olds. Driven by this simple core value of “simplicity”, Apple has been rewarded by the “world” as its most valuable company.
What about those who seek after Christ’s Kingdom and righteousness? According to Christ’s promise, the rewards of “pagans” will only be the beginning. God has called us, as market place pastors, to help companies strive for success and significance through practical expressions of “seeking first His Kingdom and righteousness”. The practical expression for Tony Wear in this endeavor lies in establishing its core values on the word of God. Through a process of prayer and scripture study, the Lord provided Tony Wear the following statements:
Company Destiny: to reflect God’s fervent redemptive heart. In God’s very first act of giving after Adam & Eve sinned, He provided them clothing to cover their shame through the sacrifice of a life (Genesis 3:21), to give them a path to the restoration of life – of purpose and significance.
Core Values: driven by the principles of “The River of Life” – to live for purpose and significance.
Through “The River of Life” core values “to live for purpose and significance”, Tony Wear has established its 2013 autumn/winter seasonal theme as “All Things are Possible”. This theme, as a building block of Tony Wear’s brand identity, will drive all product and promotional design for that season. We expect that this activation of Kingdom DNA will bring to the fashion world a tremendous testimony of creativity as we reflect the image of Christ.
For a glimpse of the conceptual basis for “All Things are Possible”, please see the theme narrative below.
Market Place Meditation and Prayer
- What are the practical expressions of “seeking first Christ’s Kingdom and righteousness” for your company, department, or career?
- What are your company’s destiny and core values?
- What are your personal destiny and core values?
“All Things are Possible” – Tony Wear AW2013 “River of Water of Life” Seasonal Theme
Inspiration Unlocks Our Potential
The human DNA has been encoded with untapped potential that can be unlocked by the key of inspiration.
Inspiration comes from a confluence of “living water” and faith.
“Living water” opens our eyes to our destiny, our God-given potential that can achieve beyond what we believe is possible. Faith fuels the courage that drives our determination – the perseverance to live out that vision of the “living water”, to overcome great odds in the belief that “all things are possible”.
Stories that flow the confluence of “living water” and faith can inspire. And when such inspiration unlocks our DNA to taste the fruits of defeating the impossible, we, in turn, become vested with a story to inspire others, bringing to them the “living water” and faith. The TW man strives to thrive in such virtuous cycle, seeking to taste the stories and to become, in himself, a story to inspire others.
The Bible’s Story of Inspiration
The ancient book of wisdom, the Bible, tells a story of inspiration where “living water” and faith converged. The story spoke of a woman devoid of any respect from her community because she lived with a reputation of a licentious lifestyle. She was relegated to a life of rejection and never dared to hope that she can influence others for any good.
One day, this woman came in contact with Jesus and learned about His “living water” – the water that flows from the River of Life. When she drank that “living water”, it activated the true potential of her DNA by opening her eyes to her destiny. Within a matter of hours, her “gift” as a promoter of her body to men was dramatically transformed into a promoter of “living water”. In the determination fueled by her faith, she set out to influence her town by promoting to them the “living water” of Jesus. Inspiration allowed her to achieve the impossible – a licentious woman bringing to her community the greatest moral transformation it has ever experienced. Through the “living water”, this woman saw the sunshine behind the shadows of her life. Through her faith, she lived out the story of that sunshine, an unwavering testimony proving that all things are possible.
We live in a harsh world. But in a place where the odds are stacked against us, the sunshine still shines behind the shadows, hope can reign in the face of extreme adversity, and the power of inspiration will activate when “living water” and faith converge.
An American poet eloquently expressed this message as such:
We are crooked souls trying to stay up straight
Dry eyes in the pouring rain where
The shadow proves the sunshine
The shadow proves the sunshine
Two scared little runaways
Hold fast to the break of day-light where
The shadow proves the sunshine
The shadow proves the sunshine
– “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine”, Switchfoot
The TW Man’s Pursuit of Inspiration
Whether or not he is cognizant, the TW Man, like everyone, carries the baggage of a “crooked soul”. But even in his struggle to reconcile the mixed motives of ambition and nobility, or his fight to stand in the pressing “shadows” of past failures, the TW Man instinctively seeks the “sunshine” that can set into motion the virtuous cycle of inspiration. He vigorously pursues to activate his DNA, to taste those stories that can elevate him to become a story himself, to inspire others in the amazing confluence of “living water” and faith – where all things are possible.
Tony Wear and Tony Jean have a call to envisage the AW2013 TW Man, a man who longs to activate his DNA by tasting the recipe for inspiration – the confluence of “living water” and faith. As a “crooked soul”, he is not without fear, uncertainty, or insecurity. But in such shadows, he takes to the inspiration that can bring hope, confidence, imagination, determination, perseverance, and sacrifice – the inspiration that seeks the satisfaction of overcoming great odds, to prove once again that “everything is possible for him who believes”*.
