Pardon the Mess

June 13, 2019

Ep. 2.15 : What have you done for the Lord lately? with David Green

David Green is the seventy-seven-year-old founder of Hobby Lobby and our guest this week on Pardon the Mess. Mr. Green began his retail journey many years ago with a six-hundred-dollar bank loan for a frame business he operated out of his garage. The Lord grew that little start-up into a multibillion-dollar craft business that we know today as Hobby Lobby.

Mr. Green shares a great word for us today, talking about the legacy his parents left him by modeling a deep generosity and commitment to faithfully giving back to the Lord. His parents worked hard to be sure they raised kids committed to the Lord, evidenced by his mom following up his successes by asking, “What have you done for the Lord lately?”

His parents were faithful in the small things of parenting, ultimately making a big difference in Mr. Green’s life and how he runs his company today.

In today’s interview, we talk about the importance of modeling our faith well for our kids, how Mr. Green and his family strive to run Hobby Lobby guided by a higher biblical standard, and what it looks like when you decide you won’t compromise your faith—even when it may cost you everything in business.

I was so touched by this interview that I wrote an article about Mr. Green last week. His words are such a great reminder that we don’t know what we don’t know when it comes to raising our kids. Mr. Green’s parents had very little of what this world counts as material success, but they raised their family to know Jesus and live strong in their faith.

In doing so, they had no way of knowing they were raising a future billionaire who would someday take on the United States government in litigation because of his deep commitment to God’s word.