Profiles Archives

Lessons Learned. Lives Led. Legacies Left.

“This is the story of your life
You decide
How the rest is gonna read
This is your chance between the lines
To redefine what kind of legacy you leave
This is the story of your life
And it’s a story worth telling” ~Matthew West

Overview

In today’s society we look up to celebrities more than ever before. We make celebrities out of football players, pop singers, fashion models, and movie stars. We read about them in tabloids, magazines, follow them on Twitter, watch their every performance or game, and emulate the way they act, talk, look, and even think. So often, though, they portray a selfish, poor image of who God wants us to be. Sure some may claim to be Christians, but rarely back it up with their actions. So who do we look up to? Who do we idolize and inspire to be like? How do you choose a good role model for your life? That’s why the ministry, Profiles, was created to show people who are Christ-like examples, led lives of integrity, and more than anything else inspire us to live like they are. Here is a brief overview of the main purposes of this ministry:

• To educate you on Christian athletes, writers, artists, and heroes of the faith who have led lives that should be emulated.
• Show how God used these Christians to further His kingdom and the legacy they created (are creating).
• Provide interesting facts, trivia, videos, and picutures on these Christian men and women of faith that you weren’t aware of, in other words–have fun in the process!
• Give lessons that can be learned from their life that we can apply into our everyday lives.
• To inspire us, encourage us, and give us hope no matter where we are in life

Why the Title: “Profiles?”

The word “Profile” means many things such as a brief description, a short biography, or to classify someone. It’s a very common word used today and was used on the internet with Facebook for several years. In the same way, a Profile for the purposes of SHOUT IT Ministries provides a brief description/biography on a person’s life.

The Slogan:“Lessons Learned. Lives Led. Legacies Left.”

Why did we choose this slogan? First, because we wanted the slogan to be simple but memorable. Alliteration is one of the themes that defines the creativity of this site. Ultimately, though, we wanted the slogan to sum up the core basis on what this ministry is. First we look at what these men and women experienced and what we can learn from them; which is one of core values of SHOUT IT Ministries–application. Next, we look at how they led their lives in currently and how God is directing them towards the next chapter of their lives. Finally, we analyze the legacy they’re leaving or have left; along with the lives they’ve impacted. This gives us an illustration of how we also can create a legacy in our own lives. To put it simply, Profiles covers the past, present, and future of a person’s life and how we can apply it into our own life.

Who Will be Profiled?

The main group of people who will be Profiled will be Christian athletes, song artists/bands, and writers. If attainable there will be an close equal balance of men and women profiled as well as it’s only natural to have a stronger connection to a person of the same gender. At the same time, there will be many others profiled outside of the main three categories such as–movie actors and producers, pastors, evangelists, everyday people, and more! What about people from the past? Will they be Profiled? Yes! Just because they’re not part of our generation doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t learn from and emulate their life. Will Biblical characters be included? At this point of the ministry–No. This isn’t to denote the amazing lives of many of our favorite heroes of the faith. This being said, for the purposes of this ministry we feel like there are many resources and books already written about them (outside the Bible) already and there’s little to add to it. Maybe down the road this door will open up itself to this ministry, but at this moment it’s closed.

One final question to ask: How old are these people being Profiled? For the most part the people Profiled are middle to late aged but again this isn’t inclusive. There will be exceptions to this rule if a person’s life was cut short or they are still at a young age and have already left an incredible legacy. In summary, there are very few rules to who will be Profiled–if their life shouts a life mirroring Christ–they will be considered!

What Features Will Be Included?

Each Profile will have most, if not all of these features included:

Prologue

A brief section that will introduce that Profile to you.

Setting the Stage

Provides information on that person as they grew up, the conflicts they faced, and the problems they overcame before the turning point of their life.

Turning Point

This is where the person’s life turns around and is changed; whether it be to give their life over to Christ, overcoming an obstacle, or their defining moment.

Running the Race

How their life changed after their turning point and their life’s progression all the way to the present day of the initial writing.

His/Her Illuminating Impact

How have they impacted the people around them? Whose lives have they touched? What group of people are they most passionate about? This section gives us an overview of the love, service, kindness, and compassion a person gives back to people.

Lessons From His/Her Legacy

After getting a solid basis of a person’s life we need to apply the truth’s of their life to ours. Thus, this section will help us see what we need to avoid, how to grow, what attributes to develop, and how to emulate their certain aspects of their character.

Trivia

This is where we test your knowledge and see how much you know what the person being Profiled. Obviously not every Profile entry will have a Trivia section only people of the faith who have lived long enough to warrant large amounts of information that is written over the long course of their life.

Quotes

There are certain quotes that will inspire us, challenge us, and make us think; so we feel like this feature is a must. Obviously Christian writers are much easier to quote since they write for a living but athletes, music artists, and others will have a section if warranted. Quotes will also be scatted throughout the biography sections to complement the story when necessary.

Song Lyrics

This section applies only to music artists as it’ll be a place where the artist’s most memorable song lyrics will be provided and from what song it was from.

**NEW**Photo Gallery

A picture is worth a thousand words and we’ve become a visual learning society–so pictures of the person being Profiled will be throughout the Profile entry. Also a new feature that will soon be added is a photo gallery of that particular person throughout their life.

Videos

For music artists it may be a music video or an interview with them. For a writer it could be a brief lesson they taught and something they taught that we can apply. Or it could be an athlete’s highlight reel or shining moment–whatever is useful, applicable, or valuable will be included.

How Often will Profiles Be Written?

For the time being, one Profile a month will be added. Expect a new Profile at the end of each month. News updates will notify you of upcoming Profiles and when they’re expected to be finished. Also check out the Future Features Profiles Page to find out which Profiles will be upcoming next.

Do I Have Input in this Ministry?

Yes! For starters, starting in late 2012 you will be able to vote on who you want to be Profiled next. There will also be polls included about a particular Profile in late 2012. A place for comments is provided as well. Furthermore you will be able to give feedback on how the people being Profiled have impacted you and what they mean to you personally. This feature will also be added in late 2012.

Profiles in the Near Future (2013-2014)

Here is a short list of people who could be Profiled in the next few years:

• Kurt Warner
• Chuck Colson
• Thomas Kinkade
• Jona Erickson Tada
• Rich Mullins
• Tony Dungy
• Nick Vujicic
• Michael Card
• David Robinson
• And Many, Many More!

Final Thoughts

We hope you’re excited about this ministry! Our prayer is this ministry will be a tool to bring people to Christ and also for Christians to further their walk with Christ. We want you to see that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things! Many of the people profiled here came from normal, average circumstances and even rose above incredible adversity to be where they are today. May they inspire you, give you hope, lead you to live a better life, and provide the framework of a life that’s on fire for Christ! If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please feel free to Contact Us. This is their story–what’s yours?