Why The ANY Brand?
I often find myself in situations where I make comments like, “the world needs more Jesus”, or “the church and society as a whole have become too tribal,” and then go on about my day not doing anything about it. I’m always asking myself, “what is something I can do to bring these beliefs to life in a constructive way?” Even if it’s in my immediate circle of friends and family, what can I do to bring Jesus into those situations that will lead people to him and also make our groups more inclusive?
When I was getting my half sleeve tattoo earlier this year, I kept thinking about how much deep meaning there is within it. It’s filled with detailed elements of my life and it tells so many different stories. One of the reasons I like it to be seen is because I want people to ask me about it. It provides me an opportunity to talk about the fruits of the Holy Spirit, how He has done great things in the broken parts my life, why even the brokenness is appreciated, and so much more. During this creative and painful process, I started thinking about how cool it would be to have a brand that could create this same spark. What if I could create something that was so simple, yet so powerful with just a single word?
The ANY brand will allow you, regardless of your maturity in the faith, to have a conversation about what it should mean to follow Jesus. You will have opportunities to express powerful phrases like, “ANY who call on his name shall be saved.” You will have an opportunity to equally explain the brokenness of this world and the beauty of this world through the concept of the Already and Not Yet (ANY). ANY speaks to a shared human experience: the tension between the goodness we experience made only possible by Gods grace and the ongoing challenges we still face.
While we see glimpses of peace, justice, and unity in our lives and society, the ultimate vision of a world free from conflict, tribalism, brokenness, and suffering remains unfulfilled. It’s a reminder that we are on a journey together and we need to bring Jesus into every aspect of our lives. He is love. All good things come from him. You will have an opportunity to share your faith in a simple way that points people to Jesus by what you wear. Just as though you had that simple word tattooed on your body to spark questions about its meaning.
It will put existing Christians in a position to reflect on people and groups they are excluding once they come into the faith. What we know to be true about Jesus‘s life is that he lived radical inclusion in everything he did. We also know that the ones he scolded and got angry with were the religious people who thought they had it all figured out. This Already and Not Yet concept will challenge believers in a way that is very simple and rarely done within the four walls of the church.
We can sit around and argue about theology, who Christ is and is not willing to accept, or who is and is not saved for eternity…or….we can do whatever is possible to point people to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit do his amazing work here and now. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see a radical example of inclusion. Jesus didn’t just teach love—He lived it by reaching out to those society often rejected: the poor, the sick, the outcasts, and even those considered enemies. He welcomed the tax collectors, the sinners, and the Samaritans, crossing cultural, religious, and social boundaries to show that God’s love is for all.
His message was clear: everyone has value in the eyes of God, no matter who they are or where they come from.Jesus’ radical inclusion wasn’t about compromising truth—it was about living out love. He embraced those outside the religious norms, offering them a seat at the table and an invitation into God’s kingdom. His life is a reminder that we are called to love and include others as He did, seeing beyond differences to the shared humanity and divine worth in every person.