Friday, February 1, 2013

DISCIPLE TRAINING GEAR

We are proud to announce the acquisition of a small business, Disciple Training Gear(DTG).

God had been speaking to us about a small business to assist in funding our ministry.
I had ideas about a clothing line and I wanted to pursue it.

I had been a "sponsored" athlete of Disciple Training Gear(DTG) for a few years and Had built a relationship with the founder and Owner Chad White.
ORIGINAL DTG LOGO, NOW THE
"LEGACY LINE" by CHAD WHITE


I had reservations about starting a new "christian" based clothing line as I did not want to hurt Chad and his business, By taking business away from him. So I prayed and the Lord had me lay it down. The during one of the many conversations I had with Chad, he mentioned the laying down the business and possibly closing it and or selling it. MY SPIRIT JUMPED. But waited on confirmation from GOD and suddenly felt complete and total peace about it.  So I asked would you be interested in selling me the business? Chad stated that in a his thoughts and prayers about Disciple Training Gear(DTG) that God had given him MY name as one that he thought could take over the business.

SO we are announcing TODAY that we are now the new owners of Disciple Training Gear(DTG).
DTG- GENERATION 2 LOGO
DESIGNED by BUBBA DOWLING 


So during the next month there is going to be a transition time from Chad to myself. So to assist with that we are shutting down any and all sales until MARCH 1st 2013. SO Disciple Training Gear(DTG)will be up and running full throttle on March 1st 2013.


Bubba and Heather.


Here is Chad's letter introducing the transition of Disciple Training Gear(DTG).


EXCITING NEWS - NEW OWNER


Exciting News for Disciple Training Gear.

DTG has been been an absolute pleasure to run for the past few years.  I was able to combine my passions - my faith and fitness into a way to supplement our family income while allowing me to stay home and homeschool my children while all the while my wife serves in the military.  I truly believed (and still do, of course) that I would be able to reach non-Christians and Christians alike and encourage them while providing a product and service.  What I didn't expect, was that there were many people searching for something like DTG and not finding it.

DTG was successful from the very beginning.  Immediately, people latched on to DTG and unselfishly promoted it and me at the same time.  I was so encouraged as DTG grew more quickly than I ever imagined.  However, along with initial success came a heftier time commitment than I had anticipated.  My family dynamic also changed along the way.  I went from having two kids to being the proud daddy of five kids.  Homeschooling and taking care of babies also required way more time and commitment than I had anticipated.  I sacrificed more and more (my workout time, my sleep, my family time) and it worked for a while, but now it has taken its toll on me and my health.

In the past year to 18 months I have purposefully had to try and slow DTG down.  I've stopped sending out newsletters, stopped posting on DTG's Facebook page, and pulled all my advertising.  It has been successful inasmuch as you can say intentionally slowing down a source of income and encouragement to others is successful.  However, as more of my children become school-aged, my role as a teacher has become even more demanding.

I prayed and prayed and I believe God has called me to put my energy into being  the best dad and husband I can be, being the best teacher I can be, and to work on living a less stressful and more healthy life. I also knew DTG deserved better and the clear choice was to let DTG go.

BUT, HERE IS THE EXCITING NEWS.  I had a few people in mind who I thought could/would do a great job of running DTG, but the more I prayed, one name came to me over and over and I truly believed God had him in mind already - Bubba Dowling of GodsStrongMan.com.  I casually mentioned to him in conversation what I was going through and that I was thinking of giving up DTG and he paused for a bit before telling me that the spirit was moving in him right then and there.  Long story short, we were both sure of God's will in this situation and that is truly EXCITING and a cause for JOY.

Bubba Dowling has been married to his wife, Heather for over 15 years. They have 6 children, Anna, Nathan, Luke, Esther, Miriam and Johanna. They have been in full time ministry now for over 5 years.
Bubba has had the opportunity to travel all over the United States and to 8 countries with two strongman evangelistic teams, sharing his story of transformation and healing while sharing the love of Jesus. While traveling he has witnessed 10s of thousands of people make public commitments to Jesus Christ.
Bubba holds state and regional Powerlifting Records in various federations, and American/ National records in the AAU and USPA and World Records in the AAU. Bubba is ranked in the top 50 in Squat, Bench, Deadlift and Total according to PowerliftingWatch.com.
I am so excited about this transition with DTG. I look forward to serving DTG customers past and to the ones of the future. Building upon the strong foundation that Chad White started. With the keeping of the original DTG designs, now going to be called the “LEGACY LINE” and also throwing in some new designs, A “ Gen. 2”, line is now being developed. 

Finally, I want to thank you all for your support over the past few years. There were numerous times when I received more support from you guys than I could every possibly give back. Thank you for buying the gear, sending me photos from meets, and all the uplifting emails and calls.  It was a joy when individuals shared with me how someone asking about their shirt presented an opportunity for personal witnessing.

It has been an honor and may God bless you all!


Chad White

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