Dear Team Life Remodeled,

Because of your support, last weekend I was able to experience one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve had all year.

The story begins in October 2016 when one of our supporters opened the door for to meet one of my heroes. Nick Vujicic was born without limbs, and he has been living an epic story full of adversity and triumph that all people need to hear.

Last October I flew to Los Angeles to meet Nick, and I also ran into one of his friends who was so impressed with Life Remodeled’s story that he shared about an opportunity that would take our mission “to the next level.” It’s an accelerator program called Praxis for high-potential entrepreneurs who have launched early-stage ventures that make social impact.

The application process is highly competitive, and Life Remodeled was selected as one of twelve nonprofits from around the globe. These past six months, I’ve received world-class mentorship, training and consultation. Last weekend was the grand finale, where I had the opportunity to pitch Life Remodeled to more than 100 philanthropists who each donate a minimum of $200,000 every year to charitable causes.

Thanks to your prayers, I can confidently say my presentation was near perfect, and I was able to spend an hour and a half with numerous potential donors who want to continue the relationship we began, and consider making substantial contributions to our cause.

I’m excited to see where this leads, and I’ll look forward to sharing great news with you along the way.

However, what I really want to emphasize is that everything in life is about relationships.  

Last weekend I was very disappointed with the continued divisive language that is being used in politics, social media and in various conversations around the country. Whatever our opinions are on NFL players kneeling or not kneeling during the national anthem, we must use words and tones of voices to express our perspectives in such a way that give the most potential for America’s divided relationships to heal. 

In my 37 years on this planet, I’ve never witnessed this massive scale of bridge burning. People are constantly saying things that are guaranteed to rapidly increase animosity and fuel divisiveness.

The meaning of all life is relationships, but there is a force of evil at work in this world… and even working within us… with a mission to do everything it possibly can to divide us.

Sometimes confronting evil means boldly challenging even our closest relatives when they make a racist comment at the dinner table… and other times it means biting our tongues in order to use the two ears God gave us to listen to what is truly going on… take the “planks” out of our own eyes, and respond in love.

In my opinion, often life’s boldest and most challenging comments will only make an impact when relationships between the people making those comments are strong.

From what I have experienced living in Detroit (which is 84% African American), most residents support protesting the national anthem as an effective way to bring attention to issues of systemic oppression. For my non-black friends who feel strongly opposed to this act of protest, I want to invite you to spend at least a few minutes face-to-face with an African American person who supports NFL players who kneel, and genuinely attempt to understand their perspective.

Honored to be in relationship with YOU, because I know your desire to love others as effectively as possible is genuine!

If you’re interested in continuing this conversation, please just let me know.

Chris Lambert | CEO | Life Remodeled