3/21/23 - PowerPod: The Number One Tool for Work

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work.

How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: Today we're gonna be talking with Amelia Nizynski. She chooses all the really cool products that Dayspring sells outside of greeting cards. Amelia's involved in the things you to put on your desk or the things you put on your wall, you put in your wallet or you put in your purse, or you put on in your car.

She gets to choose those things and we're gonna hear from her about those. What she won't tell us what her favorite is, but she will tell us because she said that it's like...

Amelia Nizynski: Well , it's like saying, which is your favorite child.

Jim: Right? She's got 700 favorite children, but she's gonna let us know what, what she thinks might be one of the [00:01:00] most effective ones for your cubicle. In case you happen to work in a cubicle. But we also ask her a difficult question about obedience. She says that she's got a struggle with certain types of obedience. And I mean, Amelia, when you get to see the video and you hear from her, you're like, how could she be struggling with obedience?

Martha: Well, I think it's just a really good little sneak peek into realizing that we all have things that God still wants to work on us with. And really that comes from Amelia's time. She said she spends every day in the word, and then she also surrounds herself with the word. And that's really that connection between her personal walk with the Lord and then the DaySpring products and the resources that you can surround yourself with to help remind you to what you might have been reading.

Jim: Here to talk about Christian consumer package goods, I know she didn't really wanna say that, but the really cool stuff that you get to buy that has scripture on it, that's on your walls, it's in your purse. Not my purse, but maybe your briefcase. Your backpack, on your desk, in your [00:02:00] car, is Amelia Nizynski. She's the product marketing business leader at DaySpring in Siloam Springs, where we are today. And we're so grateful. Welcome to iWork4Him. Let's just talk about your faith and work experience.

At what point in time in your life, Amelia, did you realize that your faith and your work were supposed to be intricately connected?

Amelia Nizynski: That's a really great question. I have had the privilege for my whole professional career to work in business and started off right after college with lifeway Christian Resources.

At that time it was a Baptist bookstore. And did that for several years. Moved around several times and was a buyer for them, store manager for them. And then went into a company where I started doing product development and worked there at Lighthouse Christian Products for many years.

And then DaySpring. So, my faith in my work has always been together. I grew up in a family with one parent who was in ministry work and another parent who really lived out what Christ's hands and [00:03:00] feet. My mother was a nurse. And the way that she dealt with patients and the way that she dealt with the employees that worked for her just was a beautiful example of what it means to be a servant.

Very much a great example of a servant leader. So I've just grown up in an environment of what you do and who you are, it's all a total one person. There's no separation.

Martha: I want you to share with our listeners because I think it adds a whole nother level of purpose behind for people to understand why would it be better to buy a cutting board that has a scripture on it then a plain, you know, is the color of my kitchen table and things like that. So talk about that.

Amelia Nizynski: No, absolutely. I love in the Old Testament, when you look, Moses tells the people all the time, or God through Moses tells the people. Remember. Remember. Remember. I'm the God who took you out of Egypt. Remember, I'm the God who parted the sea. Remember who I am. And it's just such a great reminder that our memory leaks . Yes. And what God has done for [00:04:00] us in the past and who he is. We forget it and we need those reminders.

And what I love about what I get to do and my team does cuz I work with an amazing team of people, is we create products that live with us. And so whether it is a coffee mug with truth on it, whether it's a piece of wall decor, whether it's a tote bag you take with you whether it's a piece of plush for a child, whether it's a pill box you're able to keep in your purse. It's little pieces of truth, little reminders of who God is or who you are in Christ that get to go with you and that you get to see daily you know. My first experience with DaySpring was about 25 years ago when I started managing the stores for lifeway.

And I had a card on my desk that said, just think you're not here by chance. But by God's choosing for this purpose. And it goes on, it's beautiful words, but that's been a piece that's sat on my desk for 25 years and when days are hard and they are. And everybody's work environment is difficult and we all have different challenges. That was a great reminder for me that you know what, no matter what the challenge [00:05:00] is, God has you exactly where he wants you at this exact moment, and he's already equipped you to do what he needs you to do.

Martha: It's impactful. And that poem, that idea has carried on throughout DaySpring even to today.

Amelia Nizynski: No, absolutely. And to go back to what we were talking about before just a little bit is, you know, memory leaks. Yeah. And the biggest challenges in my life have been when I've forgotten who God is or who I am in Christ. And when I forget those two things, I make really bad decisions. Cuz I think either I'm not enough or he's not gonna show up this time or something is somehow different.

And that's the great thing about the God we serve, is he's the same - today, yesterday, forever. And the great news about who I am in Christ is that I can be a conqueror. I can be an overcomer. I'm complete. I'm enough. I'm forgiven. I'm loved, I'm chosen. If we can remember all of those messages about who we are and who he is, the way we approach life [00:06:00] and are able to attack the things that come our way is completely different than if I live in, if I live in something that's not true.

Jim: I mean, you're talking about stuff. Christian consumer packaged goods. How do you choose the goods? How do you know that if I buy this, this is gonna touch somebody's life? If I build this, make this, put this, sell this. I mean, how do you know?

Amelia Nizynski: Well, that's it, we don't know. I was gonna say, we don't know. I think we spend a lot of time, number one, I would tell you we always start off with a consumer. What, what does she need? And so it's coming up ministry appreciation is right on us right now. And so as we look at pastors and we do research and we learn what do pastors really need?

Well, they do need encouragement. A lot of times they feel alone. You learn about pastors wives, and we know those kinds of needs. And then we really do, we've got a wonderful creative team with designers and with editorial. I think you spoke with Matt and and Aaron earlier this week that we sit down and we brainstorm and we, you know, our number one strategy is prayer. And we pray. We look at consumer research, [00:07:00] we really look at needs, and then we look at trends and say, you know, what's relevant and what's really gonna speak to that? Because you know what, we can have truth of God's word and that power and still have it look beautiful.

 And so we put all of that together to actually create something. So whether that is, pastor appreciation. We know most ministers will sit down with a nice good cup of coffee as they work on sermon preparations. Well, what's better than a mug that says Faithful Servant and has Hebrews on it that talks about how God will not forget all the good things that you've done?

How wonderful and a tough day to look down on that and go, you know what? That's great. I don't feel like anybody else knows me right now, but God knows what I've done. And he knows the work and what a great encouragement for somebody in that position. And so that's really what it is. It's a lot of prayer and it's a lot of working together to say what's the need and how do we marry God's truth with trend with the format that's gonna speak to that person, depending on what that need is?

Jim: What is the one that you like the most? That it's being received [00:08:00] just super well out there in the market?

Amelia Nizynski: That is a hard, hard question. I mean, we really do have a wide assortment of products.

Jim: How many products do you guys have?

Amelia Nizynski: Over. between Mary and, Martha, which is the home party channel that we do things in DaySpring.com, all across it, we probably have about 700 active items, so you can't just pick one. It's hard to pick one, but I'll tell you some favorites.

Jim: I just figured out a way to refine it. Picture the perfect thing for somebody working in a cubicle, that would be a phenomenal way for them to start up a conversation with somebody and they're not in their cubicle. Somebody walks in, knocks on their cubicle door. What's the perfect product from DaySpring to prompt that conversation?

Amelia Nizynski: Well, there's one thing that I am excited about and what's exciting is also they are small. It's a small glass plaque and has a look and feel of kind of mid-century mod, very similar to what you see on Chip and Joanna Gaines now. With the kind of refined farmhouse. And what we did with those are beautiful.

So there's four different ones. One is called [00:09:00] Made to Shine. There's perfect Peace. The Made to Shine is probably my favorite. And then when you look at it, it says, made to shine on the front. And then if you look at the behind, it looks like a texture, but it's actually words that are written out in a hand script that says just a really personal message from God that you know, that I made you as one of a kind.

And it goes on and on and on. And so what we did with that is we found some of our customers, they like to have, some people like to have A bold message. You know, they wear the Christian t-shirt that says, you know, with the cross in the nails and, you know, one cross, three nails forgiven.

And they want that kind of message. And then other people want a softer message. And that's just a beautiful, where you have that message of made to shine and then you have that deeper message and it goes deeper. Part of what excites me about that is that biblical truth, those are actually gonna be on QVC come this fall in a couple weeks. And just the fact that all those eyeballs are going to be able to, to interact with God's. See his messages of truth is really exciting.

Jim: You said off the air that you struggle with obedience sometimes and everybody says [00:10:00]like this, Amelia Nizynski. You see, she just sounds so sweet. How could you struggle with obedience? Tell us about how do you deal with becoming more and more refined like Christ as you get to do one of the coolest jobs in the country?

Amelia Nizynski: Well, that's a really good question. I think as we walk with the Lord and as we, you know, we get some of those big churchy words like sanctification, I think God is very gentle to us. And I heard someone say one time that, you know, if we thought of our hearts as like the basement where we put all our junk, he doesn't ever just flip on the light and we see everything at one time and go, oh my gosh, this is so overwhelming. How am I ever gonna deal with this?

He just shines a little light on places. And that's really the kind of work that God's been doing in my life lately. He has been shining the light on small places. So as I read things - this morning I was reading the beatitudes and you get to a place and it talks about unforgiveness.

Hmm. And Jesus ups the ante on those things. Like, you know, the law says this, but I'm gonna tell you, you need to, it's even bigger. It's even more important. It needs to go even deeper. It's not keeping the letter of the law, it's keeping the [00:11:00] spirit of the law, understanding your real heart condition.

And that's a place where he has been continuing to refine me. With Amelia, no, it's not okay if you just check off these things and say, you've got the big 10, let's go deeper. And that's been the place where he's really keeps on putting that flashlight.

You have been listening to iWork4Him. With your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace. It's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him.

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPod with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast@iworkforhim.com. Stay connected and receive power packed content. When you sign up for our blog@iworkforhim.com or follow us on social media at iWork4Him.

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