Limited Release

Greetings,

Have you ever had to do something and had a limited window of time to do it? I know you have. Whether it's a school paper that you procrastinated on and had to do by midnight (guilty) or had to get to a meeting but finish a presentation before you leave, our lives are constantly pressed for time. Well, the sneaker industry works the same. I'm writing this post on a Saturday night and thinking about how I could have gotten up at 5:45 this morning to pick up a pair of Jordan 6's. One thing that most people won't know about the sneaker culture is that there are two kinds of releases: general and limited. General release shoes are the typical team shoes or shoes you can find at your local Footlocker or Champs (Hyperdunks, Frees, Crazy Lights, Roshes, etc). Those shoes don't typically sell out, and if they do, they are restocked fairly quickly (there are exceptions, full other story). Then there are the limited releases. This is what a lot of people don't know about. Every brand has shoes that come out in a limited quantity, and most of the brands do this on a weekly basis. These shoes sell out typically very quick. Why? Well it could be because of a collaboration (Ronnie Fieg x Asics), a brand new shoe to create hype over the upcoming general release colorways (Kobe 9 elite low "Beethoven"), or a retro Jordan people have been waiting to be released (black cement 4's). People camp out at shoe stores to get them (look up the Supreme x Foamposite release earlier this year), and there have even been shootings because people cut in line or get shoes that someone else couldn't get (again, a whole different story, may make an appearance later). Most normal people (I fall under this category) will wake up for an 8:00 am EST launch of shoes on a website and attempt to purchase a pair of shoes that sell out within an hour tops from the comfort of their own home. Those Jordan's I thought about getting this morning sold out in a half hour according to @NikeStore. So sneakerheads work with a short time window on a weekly basis. And don't even get me started on restocks. 

The limited amount of time a shoe is available for got me thinking. A specific pair of shoes could be available for less than an hour. Okay, could be a big deal. But our lives are only available for an average of American is 79.8 years (according to Wikipedia, has to be true). Now that's a big deal. If I know that one of my friends hasn't gotten the pair that we both were going after and I see his size pop up on the website, I shoot him a text as quickly as possible so he has a chance to get them. But how often do I do something like that in a spiritual sense? How often do I let someone know that the life they are living isn't glorifying God, or is? How often do I spread the good news of Jesus as quickly as I spread the news of a restock or a shoe still available? Man, the more I write for the pages on Sneakers & a Savior, the more I learn about myself. 

Life is short. Are we as Christians holding on to what we have hope in? Are we holding on to the way to Heaven? And if you are a nonbeliever reading this, do you want to know about this hope that I have? Would you like to find freedom, have your chains broken, and have a peace like never before? If you fall under those last two questions, please contact me. I'm available 24/7. 

As always, thank you for reading this. I sincerely appreciate you taking a minute to read an article by myself. While I don't always mention the verses, all of my articles are backed by Scripture. Let me know if you would like the verses I use for any of my posts to make sure this blog stays biblically backed and I would be more than happy to give you them and explain my intentions behind it. If any of these strike a chord, feel free to share this blog. I have faith that God can and will do something through all of us if we are willing. Live life as if you have 35 minutes to purchase a pair of shoes. 

Mahal,

Nathan

Twitter: @Nathan_A_Jones
Instagram: Nathan_A_Jones
sneakersandasavior@gmail.com

Restock

Greetings,

There is one word in the sneaker culture that gets people running to their computers, texting their friends, checking their bank accounts, taking extra long breaks at work, mentioning friends on Twitter. That word: RESTOCK. Here's a little insight into the sneaker world. Shoes are released typically on Friday or Saturday mornings at 8:00 am ET (6:00 am for myself). If that shoe sells out (which happens a majority of the time, and quickly), that shoe is no longer available for retail price. The only way to get your hands on a pair is to buy from a reseller, who inflates the price to make a profit. And that's only if you can find your size. But, there could be another chance at copping those kicks. A twitter account could tweet a link with the word "RESTOCK" and the excitement ensues. Getting a pair is still difficult, requires you to be on the ball 24/7 365, and there's no guarantee that the shoe that you are looking for will ever be restocked, but it still provides some hope. 

Being a part of the sneaker culture, it makes me wonder why the word "restock" creates so much anticipation for myself, yet very few other words have the same effect. I'm going to be real with you: that word creates more excitement than a lot of words in the Bible. And that's a battle I have to fight daily. Unfortunately, the words in 2 Peter 5:7, John 16:33, Jeremiah 29:11, and countless other verses don't have that effect on me all the time. Don't get me wrong, at times of my life, those are the words I cling to, but why don't I do that all the time? Maybe you can relate? Words like "sale," "clearance," "exclusive," "limited," etc. get you stoked. 

This hit me. I mention friends when I hear restock. I text others to make sure they know the news. I retweet tweets to talk about my excitement and say which shoes I plan on copping. Why don't I text my friends when I hear that someone accepted Jesus as their Savior? Why don't I tweet about my excitement when I hear someone say that God did amazing things on a mission trip or church camp? Why don't I retweet someone's tweets talking about how God healed someone or someone turned their life around?

I'm being pretty transparent here. It's easy for us as humans to get hype over something that you can gain out of it. Whether that's meeting your max goal in bench press to talking about how great you did on a test to tweeting your support of an up-and-coming artist who just put out a single that hit iTunes top 20. And none of that is always bad. What I'm challenging myself with is to get more excited when I hear things about the Kingdom. Will you join me?

As always, I am honored that you would take a minute to read this. Hoping that through this page the Kingdom is furthered and that God is glorified. As always, I'm open to any feedback and conversation. Tell me what you like, what you dislike, what you're encouraged by. Appreciate you giving me a few minutes out of your day. 

Mahal,

Nathan

Twitter: @Nathan_A_Jones
Instagram: Nathan_A_Jones