submitted by Lorri Carter, Vice President of Creative Development

It’s a new year and time to start on a new line!
 
Really – in the Creative Department at Kerusso designers are prayerfully working on new items that you will see online and in stores in June and into 2010. If you’ve ever wondered about or process I’ll give you a little of the skinny. The brand new items that you can buy now on our site are the results of months of brainstorming, Bible study, market research and countless consumer surveys. To create a line of 12 new t-shirts we start out with about 50-60 scripturally sound and culturally relevant ideas. Some of them we come up with and some are submitted by people like you who visit our site’s “Tell us your Idea” tab. (http://www.kerusso.com/ContactUs/Ideas.aspx)
 
From there we will develop as many as 35 of the designs for consumer testing – if you are a part of our survey group I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you! You help us make better products – we look at every single comment and response and give everything a thorough review and chop it down to 10-12 designs that we unleash on the world. We can’t wait to hear how you affect those you encounter with this brand new crop and we realize that all of our prayers and vision for this line now rests on your shoulders. As you summon up the courage to wear your Kerusso Tee as you go forth on your daily errands you are proclaiming the Good News hundreds or even thousands of times – and you look pretty cool doing it! Thanks for doing your part!

Submitted by Lorri Carter / Vice President of Creative Development

In the Creative Department at Kerusso we work on projects that are months away from release  - in Spring of 2007 we started work on products for Women of Faith’s 2008 line. We knew the topic was “Infinite Grace” and had a design guideline and scriptures to include in our design. This year’s scripture is 2nd Corinthians 9:8 - “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

We finish projects like this and move on to the next project - so much time elapses that it’s easy to get disconnected from the message. Well several of us got reconnected last weekend as we attended the Infinite Grace Conference in Oklahoma City. It was 2 days of encouragement, fun and refreshment and we all left reminded that we need to find that space of grace and dwell there - whenever you slip into your favorite negative emotion (mine is crankiness) - remember that His Grace is sufficient for you!

If you get a chance to attend a Women of Faith Conference - I can promise you that you will have an amazing time and that you will come away from the event with lots of fun memories and profound truths to apply to your everyday life! Check them out at womenoffatih.com.

As you prepare to vote take these thoughts with you from Kerusso VP of Creative Development, Lorri Carter.

Can you imagine a time more contentious than the current election cycle? Both sides are convinced that they are in the right - their vision for America is the correct one. But it's nothing compared to the situation that Abraham Lincoln faced as he was sworn into office in 1860. The division in our country was so deep that it would take 4 years of war and the loss of almost 250,000 lives to reunite our union. Articles and letters from the period indicate that both North and South were quick to claim divine authority – absolute certainty that their cause was just and favored by God.

During the war Lincoln attended a scientific convention in Washington - as he exited the building one of the members approached him and asked "Mr.President, we trust during this time of trial in which the nation is engaged, God is on our side and will give us victory." Lincoln's reply was simple and profound, " Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My great concern is to be on God's side. For God is always right!"

I have worn the “Whose Side” shirt dozens of times since June, and it never goes unnoticed. I have used it to share the Gospel with grocery clerks, neighbors and strangers on the street – and the reaction is almost always a refreshing one. I don’t have to agree with your politics to share my faith! So “whose side” are you on? Put away your party politics and tackle the big issues! Republican, Democrat, Independent – whatever your affiliation, make sure that you are on God’s side. For God is always right!