HEART BEHIND THE BRAND

          My name is Orlando Rodriguez and I would like to share my heart behind starting the Love of God clothing line. I believe God created humanity in his own image (Genesis 1:27) for his Glory (Isaiah 43:7) but my life before Jesus Christ did not reflect that. I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY in a broken single family home by my mother who died at the age of 36 ten days before my 16th birthday. I did not have much family or healthy role models in my life. I felt alone but I refused to be defined by my circumstances or to have a victim mentality. This fueled me to be independent and with very little to know help from anyone I overcame my circumstances. In the ways of the world I became successful making my own money, owning my own house and cars by the time I was 22. Ironically in spite of these achievements having a self made hardened exterior, I was still a lonely insecure vulnerable little boy on the inside trying to find love and my worth in the things of this world. This led me into a lifestyle I was not proud of, without giving specifics and to much attention to who I used to be, lets just say its only by the loving Grace of God I am alive and not in prison. At my worst God humbled me and reveal the truth about who I as becoming by allowing this world to create me in its image instead of what God intended me to be for his Glory made in his image. This broke my hard heart and led me into prayer for forgiveness. God then led me into his word where I came to personally know him through the person of Jesus Christ. In him I not only found forgiveness but also redemption. As I became born again in the spirit I no longer found my value in the ways of this world. I began to find my value in the price God paid for me on the cross. As a new creation in Christ I boldly started living for the one that died for me. About 7 years ago after praying for a way my life can significantly make an impact as an ambassador of Christ God miraculously blessed me as a new York city firefighter. As a firefighter I get to live out my faith as a living sacrifice pointing people to Gods sacrifice as well as encouraging other fire fighters to live there lives for Jesus Christ through an international ministry called firefighters for Christ. This brings me to where I am now. I have been praying for new ways to impact the world for Jesus Christ not only in the fire dept. or my local church, but every where I go. One effective way I have been able to evangelize was by wearing Christian t shirts that would tactfully present my faith at the same time uncompromisingly representing my faith. I began to find myself in genuine Christ centered conversations ranging from the elementary principles of Gods love to the accountability that comes with it  with people at different maturity levels of there faith as the holy spirit helped me to meet everyone differently based on where they were at in faith. 

          I did a bible study on what it means to be clothed in Christ and From Genesis to revelation you see its significance. In Genesis 3 after the fall Adam and Eve felt naked and ashamed. They attempted to cover their guilt and shame with an insignificant covering of fig leaves. Despite there disobedience we see for the 1st time God's love overcoming judgement as the Lord God made garments of skin and clothed them with a sufficient covering (Gen 3:21). This story represents the 1st and many sacrifices in the bible which foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice God provided through Jesus Christ for the covering and forgiveness of all our disobedient sins once and for all (Romans 4:7-8, Hebrews 10). This covering is available to all those who receive and believe in what Jesus said about himself in John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"

          When we clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ we are clothing ourselves in Gods love and we can declare what the prophet Isaiah wrote "I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for he has clothed me in garments of salvation, he has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with garland, and a bride adorns herself with jewels." (Isaiah 61:10)

          This sparked a desire within me to help believers come to fully understand the depth of what it means to clothe ourselves in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 14:13) and provide them with an opportunity to represent this through there clothing every time they choose to boldly walk in the image God created them to walk in over choosing to walk in the images of this world therefore I created "LOVE OF GOD" clothing ministry. I have decided to call it Love of God clothing because all throughout scripture  you see this biblical principle of what it means to be clothed in God's love not only as a covering, but also as a reflection of who he is, who we are called to be and how we are called to love one another as he loves us.

                                             Therefore beloved;