Every Good Gift Blog

Hi Everyone,

What a blessing it was to have you stop at our booth in Atlanta! It was an exceptionally good show for us and we hope for you as well. It was wonderful to see you and we hope you know how much we appreciate you.

The show stopper again this year was the acrylic display unit. If you don’t have yours yet just call and we will get it out as soon as we can. Several people asked for a smaller version so we have put the design in motion and are hoping to release it by October 1. We also have some new & exciting items coming out in the coming months, but more about that later.

Speaking of new items, did you see the “Gifts of the Magi” gift set we introduced at the show? We will be sending a flier out about it soon so be looking for that in the mail.

For those who did not attend the show, we want to keep you “in the loop” of what is happening. God is up to something! He has so many people praying that anointing oil is flying out of here all over the world. It is so exciting to be part of his Ministry and we are grateful. Keep up the great work everyone, and we appreciate your Ministry too.

He Reigns,

Michelle

We get LOTS of questions. We always love to get them because then we know people are learning and growing in the LORD. This question was “how do I anoint someone?”

The word “anoint” means “to rub or to smear”. Many people interpret that different ways and there is really no “correct” way to actually apply the oil. Some dab it on the forehead, some form the sign of the cross, some pour (not too popular with the ladies when they are wearing nice clothes!), some put it on the hands. Some anoint themselves as well as others on their hands and feet.

The main thing is the heart attitude with which it is done. The LORD says in James that we must pray in faith when we use the oils believing and trusting in HIM alone. The different fragrances are our own choice and have nothing to do with the type of prayer or the answer we are seeking from God.

So, we suggest you see what method you feel the most comfortable with and begin in faith. You will learn as you go and we are confident God will bless you as you are obedient to Him in prayer.

Here are 2 links to help you in your study. God bless you, your family and your ministry.

http://www.everygoodgift.com/aboutchristianscents_story.php
http://www.everygoodgift.com/customerservice_faq.php

As our regular customers already know, we send a little bag of M & M’s with every order. We have been doing this for years and have a lot of fun with it mainly because our clients love it. When we go to conventions customers pass our booth and say “Look, there’s the Chocolate Company” and then share their love of M & M’s and their thanks. Except for Don in North Carolina…

He called to thank us for the candy but admitted he did not like chocolate. Since we had served his store since 1997 and was more like a friend, we started sending his very favorite – Skittles.

One Friday an employee from a Lifeway Christian Store left a message on our recorder. In a very monotone voice he said he had had an awful week but when he opened our shipment it changed everything and cheered him up!

A “complaint” came from a store manager in the Midwest who said he was upset we “no longer sent M & M’s” while we knew we always did. We asked him to check with the person in charge of receiving shipments. He came back on the line very sheepishly to report the mystery solved. Needless to say he watched carefully for our products to arrive so he could open the box himself. Good move!

And one of our sales reps thought it was part of our business strategy to encourage the receiving department to open our shipments first. He thought we were so smart, but alas, that had never crossed our minds!

After all the comments and calls about our M & M Ministry, we realize it’s all about making you, our clients, know you are important to us. Without you out there praying we would have no reason to blend our Anointing Oils. We truly value what you do so we will continue to support you with Biblically based Anointing Oil for prayer and M & M’s!

Michelle Zwicky
Every Good Gift

Hi Everyone,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, your family and your ministry! I must apologize for being so silent. We have lots to tell you about what God is doing through the Anointing Oil.

We had a call from a Chaplain going to Afghanistan wanting several bottles which touched us deeply. It was a privilege for us to be involved in prayer for our troops. Another minister took some to Iraq and prayed for the troops there as well as some of the Iraqi citizens. This year we also shipped anointing oil to Japan, South Africa, and through many ministers of the Gospel, to dozens of countries throughout the world. God is good! One dear brother told us he heard about the Oil from a minister visiting Kurdistan so he called and got some for himself. The funny thing was that he was a fellow Texan who had to go to another country to learn about the Oil available right in his own backyard!

You can learn more about our Anointing Oil and how to use them here or you can call M-F before 5 PM Central time to speak with a real person.

May the LORD bless you as you use and learn about Oil of Gladness Anointing Oil.

Michelle Zwicky

We are on the road (again) this very minute on our way home from the International Christian Retail Show in Denver. As many of you know it is the most important event in the year for our industry both for business and for the spirit. We had a wonderful time. The most satisfying for us is seeing our precious customers who have become friends over the years. We hear your wonderful success stories as well as your heartaches about your business, families and health. Please know we pray for you often for good things, good health, and good relationships.

We want to share something pretty awesome with you, especially our American friends. Since this is the International Show we have many associates visiting from other countries bringing amazing stories of what God is doing and how He is providing, but 2 things stood out. Two dear sisters from two entirely different places told us many people pray daily for the U.S.A. Here at home we are often bombarded with news of how “the world” hates us and yet our sisters and brothers pray! These ladies said that they and their congregations realize all America does for the world. WOW, that is so very encouraging.

As you remember, we introduced a new display unit for the stores for slatwall or the counter. We sold lots of them in Denver so as a little reminder, be sure to get yours ASAP. Don’t wait to get your Anointing Oil stock organized and increase your sell-through. Every store that has put one in has increased their sell through by 25%. HURRY!

Another amazing thing we have noticed is the uptick in foreign sales. This year customers ordered for their stores in Japan, China, Nigeria, Central America and Brazil God is certainly pouring out His Spirit upon the nations.

Well, we know you are busy so we won’t keep you any longer. Keep up the good work in your ministries, your homes and your businesses remembering that God is on your side and is the giver of Every Good Gift.

Here is an article about Easter you may enjoy, written by Bill Edmunds. Bill has written a couple of books for us which we will soon make available to you about Anointing Oil. He and his wife Joan have a Prayer Ministry in California called “The Healing Rooms of Lake County” which is part of the International Association of Healing Rooms. God bless you as you celebrate the most important day of the Christian year…RESURRECTION DAY!

In His Service,
Michelle & Marlin

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Weeks of preparation all but complete, Jerusalem’s gates stood open, ready to receive the tens of thousands of Jews who had already begun flooding through. Within days, every spare room, alley way, portico and rooftop would bulge with family groups from the east, west, north and south. There to celebrate the Holy Feasts of Spring, they would bring their First Fruits sacrifices to the Temple, remember their ancestor’s Passover escape from Egypt and break Unleavened bread together, once again.

On the Temple Mount the priests had already filled the enormous basins with fresh water to cleanse the altar of the constant flow of blood that would be poured out upon it in sacrifice. The greedy fingers of tax collectors and money changes, set up inside the Temple walls, ached in anticipation of the profits that would soon pass through them. Tomorrow their hawkish shouts would drown out even the forlorn bleating of the thousands of unblemished lambs penned close by.

In Bethany, less than a day’s walk away, others completed the quieter routine of straightening bowls and cushions for a banquet hosted by Simon, a Pharisee. This night he would honor the popular rabbi from the north, Jesus of Nazareth, who had prayed for his healing of leprosy. Jesus, along with his disciples, should arrive any moment.

Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary would also attend. Simon had made sure of that. Everybody wanted to see him, as well. To have them together in his own home… What a brilliant idea that had been. This night would be remembered for a long while. And Martha’s influence in the kitchen guaranteed everything would go exactly as planned. While Mary… Well, Mary was Mary.

Bursting with gratitude of her own, Mary could hardly contain herself. She too had a plan to honor the rabbi – the one who had returned her beloved brother to her. She would honor him in her own way – but how? Before the night ended, the fragrance of her appreciation would give her away.

Spikenard, a sweet perfume, cost a great deal. A whole pound would exhaust a worker’s entire annual wage. Pure alabaster also cost a great deal, too. How Mary came into possession of such a lavish gift is not known. Perhaps her father in anticipation of the possibility she might someday need the financial security it would provide had given it to her. In that case Martha would most likely have had one as well. That, too, is unreported.

However Mary obtained it, she willed to give it up as a token – no, as a sacrifice – to demonstrate her love and appreciation for the one who had called her brother forth from the tomb. For that Mary will always be remembered.

“Truly I say to you, Wherever this gospel shall be proclaimed in all the world, this also that she has done will be spoken of for a memorial of her.” Mark 14:9

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Spikenard is one of the anointing oil fragrances we offer through Oil of Gladness.

More can be read about Mary’s Lavish Act in the booklet, “Oils of Gladness”, available soon through Every Good Gift.

Dear Christian Retailer,

Have we told you lately how much we appreciate you partnering with us to bring Anointing Oil for Prayer to the customers you serve? If not, please accept our gratitude and remember that we pray for you often. We ask the LORD to sustain, bless, and prosper you in Spirit, Soul and Body. You are AWESOME!

The new permanent Acrylic Display prepack has finally arrived and will be ready for shipping by March 31 as promised! We are thrilled by how well it is being accepted and we have already sold almost 200 units – and that’s before we have even introduced it. We are planning a mailing soon with a picture and what it contains and we encourage you to get your ASAP. Until then, click here for a preview – www.everygoodgift.com.

From the business side of things we did some interesting analysis of what your store can produce per square foot of selling area. Here is what we found out.

Do The Math…

According to CBA, the larger size Christian Bookstore produces $254 per square foot per year. Let’s see how Oil of Gladness compares:

Our new acrylic display is approximately 13×10 inches or 1 square foot. It contains at retail approximately $750 worth of product.

Here’s what you can earn:
3xTurn = $2,250
6xTurn = $4,4500
8xTurn = $6,000
12xTurn = $9,000

This can make the space you allot to Oil of Gladness Anointing Oil the single most profitable real estate in your store!

Because of our roots in retailing, we are constantly trying to think of ways to help you increase your sales and profitability. We are behind you all the way and think this new display can do wonderful things for your business. Don’t wait any longer to increase your sales and make it easier to keep your anointing oil neat.

God bless you!

Michelle & Marlin

Well here we are on the road again this time traveling from Houston to Nashville, Cincinnati and Oklahoma City to visit various customers. We love this part of our business. We actually get to take time to interact with the folks whom we usually only chat with by phone. We love people and this special opportunity.

Our route has taken us through New Orleans and we have seen first hand the devastation in this city. We were not prepared for the extent of the destruction we saw – it is horrible. May the LORD help these people to rebuild and many are doing just that. We saw many families tearing out old walls and putting in new and we applaud them.

The reason we are visiting some of our wholesale customers is to show them something new we are introducing. It is a new display unit which can be used on a counter top or slat wall and will solve the problem stores have in keeping the products neat and organized. If your store is having that problem please email us at info@EveryGoodGift.com and we will send you more photos & information about it. We also plan to have it available at the summer convention in Denver.

We praise God for you and pray He blesses you this New Year.

Michelle & Marlin

We would like you to meet Lourdes and her family. She is our incredible Production & Shipping Manager and has been with us for about 10 years. Originally from Mexico City, she has lived in the U.S. since she was 18 and is now an American citizen. She and Andres have Andrea, age 4 and an absolutely delightful child who loves Jesus. She actually has grown up right here with us as we made a special place for her in our business and speaks perfect English AND of course, perfect Spanish – an unbeatable combination. In addition, Lourdes manages many people who bottle our oils and put together the products for you our customers. All are her family members we might add!

Above is a picture of Lourdes & Andres on the Boardwalk in Kemah, Texas after we celebrated a good month of sales in September.

Andrea at her 4th Birthday Party.

On another subject, for our wholesalers, we have been busy developing a new display unit for you to keep your products attractive and neat. It should be available by the first of the year and we will keep you posted so you can get yours. It will attach to slatwall or sit on your counter and it’s beautiful! Remember to log into your account to view these displays.

Whew! Our heads are STILL spinning from the wonderful Christian Bookseller’s Convention in Denver last month. I guess what we enjoy the most is seeing all of you face-to-face and hearing all God is doing in your midst. You all are AWESOME and we appreciate you so much.

We made some new friends and would like you to meet Wendy & Yuen from China. They have a wonderful ministry to Christian Businesses and are planning to distribute Oil of Gladness Anointing Oil over there. God is really opening up that country to the Gospel and it is so exciting – and Wendy & Yuen are as well.

The new Roll-on bottles were certainly well received and we sold TONS – in fact their sales caused us to have one of the BEST conventions ever. Thanks everyone. If you have not ordered yours, call us right away at 800.292.5960.

Oh, we have a new sales rep for California – Gary Devercelly. You probably already know him. What a guy! Carol Lenning will still be calling many stores and please welcome Merrilee Valentine, a good friend of Carol’s. She will be calling stores as well.

Until next time – God bless you, your families and your businesses!

Michelle & Marlin