A BIG DEN MILESTONE, THE ROAD TO CHINA, AND JOHN ROYER

Over the past 17+ months, there have been hundreds of heroes in my life. It’s time to introduce you to another one.

This is my friend John Royer.

Double Edged Notes would not be the same company without him. Literally. Let me explain.

I met John last year (2015) in July. We were at the same table of a men’s Bible Study at Watermark where I shared my story. John followed up with me and immediately we grew close.

We got together for breakfast. Talked about job opportunities and entrepreneurship ventures. I shared with him where I was with Double Edged Notes – that we had a dream for a great journal (and beyond). I shared with him that I was adamant about not wanting to go overseas, specifically China, for the printing of the journal, but I kept running into dead-ends with printers in the States. We had a bid from a local printer on the table to produce a journal that I didn’t like for way too much money. Still, we were 2-3 days away from accepting the bid.

John stopped me. And in a moment of what felt like God’s Providence, John told me that he knew a guy here in Dallas that helped run a company in China that prints journals.

What?!?

Ok. That would be a little different to me than just picking a random printer in China and crossing my fingers. Needless to say, the printer worked out. They were great people who ran a nice-sized printing operation with integrity and quality.

The dream was back on to its fullest. And it was but a week or two later that the vision of giving back to China (or to countries closed to the gospel) was born.

John has clearly propelled DEN forward in monstrous ways. He wouldn’t agree with that sentence, but that’s because he’s humble.

Four months later on November 17, 2015, I was on the ground in China driving to the factory for our press check.  Beyond my wife, I didn’t text many people while in China. But I texted John.

Another seven months later on June 16, 2016, we sold our 1,000th journal. I made sure it was to John Royer. Why? Because without John, we don’t sell 1,000 journals. It’s that simple.

And not because he pointed me to the printer that we would ultimately use.

When we met last July, my life, my dreams, my confidence, my purpose was still in a fragile place. It was in that season that our paths crossed.

In those days, I was battling a thousand lies. God wouldn’t use someone like me. Not with what I have done. What could I possibly have to offer. Etc. Etc. I can look back now and see them as lies, but at the time, I couldn’t quite be sure that they weren’t rock-solid truths.

When those lies were growing the loudest, God’s voice faithfully whispered to me through the encouragement from a man named John Royer.

Double Edged Notes is forever indebted to this great friend. I’m forever indebted to him.

So here’s to journal #1,000. It has found its way into the hands of a most worthy recipient. Philippians 1:3.

Use it well John!