Mustard Seed Faith by Camille Jones
Leaving the Comforts of Corporate Life During COVID
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus spoke of the mighty mustard seed: “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Faith is the seed. When planted, it produces a cycle of kingdom building and expansion through ministering to others and uniting faith. My husband and I are on a mission to plant seeds of faith and move mountains, all for the glory and kingdom of God.
Guided by God and the wisdom of the mustard seed analogies, my husband and I quit our jobs in the middle of the pandemic. It wasn’t easy, but our faith in His greater plan led us to persevere as we work to help others and spread his teachings through our businesses.
We both came from humble beginnings. I was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, which is right next to Chicago. Most people consider it the hood. It’s a desolate place – no Walmart, no movie theater, very few grocery stores. But that's just the story of every hood in America. My husband spent half his childhood in Guyana, South America, and moved to the D.C. area around age 10. He was a skater, and I was a hooper, but at our cores, we were both nerds and loved God.
Our faith brought us together at Howard University as engineering students. After graduation, I got what I thought was my dream job at Boeing. I was working with robots – who doesn’t love robots? – and, on top of that, my husband worked at the same company. I thought surely this is what God wanted for us.
But four years into the career I still enjoyed, and where we both prospered, my perception changed. During this time, I felt a calling. God was pushing me to explore a deeper relationship with Him by reading His word more and completing cycles of fasting. This was when I experienced two very vivid dreams that opened my eyes; dreams sent straight from God.
The first dream happened in late 2018. I had a dream about starting a technology business. Together, we created Seed Technologies LLC; a company focused on mobile app development and smart gadgets. My husband is passionate about building a suite of Christian apps, such as a spiritual fasting app and angelology app, to help those in their Christian walk go deeper in understanding. Currently, these apps are available for Android download under the developer’s name AppsBySeed. But we will be expanding to iPhone in the future.
Some months later, I dreamed about a black t-shirt. BLACK, BLACK, BLACK was scrawled on the front of the shirt. Following the dream, I awakened with the words to a Christian rap song repeatedly playing in my mind. The words to the melody were, “Black on black on black on black,” by Lecrae. Instantly, I knew that the combination of my dream and the song lyrics were an indication that I should create Christian apparel. Even though this was completely left field, I felt this was God’s calling for me. From there, Black Mustard Seed (BMS) apparel was born.
To serve God’s will, BMS provides unique styles with bold patterns and imagery with the same power and message of faith. BMS is a reflection of my faith but also reflects the Midwestern Street style and my husband’s skater background. My vision is to make Black Mustard Seed a signature look for streetwear without diluting God’s message. BMS apparel illustrates truth through visuals, connecting believers and nonbelievers by sparking conversations about faith.
The mustard seed is important to us because Jesus uses the mustard seed to describe faith and the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus told a parable: “…The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” Many theologians believe that the black mustard seed is the seed Jesus preached about.
The black mustard plant, or Brassica Nigra, is described as an invasive plant that takes over the area where it’s planted. One seed can cause an overwhelming outbreak and change the landscape into a sea of mustard plants. These plants then intertwine and form strong thickets. Each plant can grow as high as 10 to 15 feet and are home to many birds. When planted in a field, the mustard seed creates a chain reaction of rapid contagious growth and unity. When you hear “super bloom,” that’s what mustard plants do, and it serves as great symbology for believers spreading God’s word.
Faith is the seed for the Kingdom of Heaven. When planted, faith grows and produces more seeds of faith that change the landscape. More plants grow and grab hold of each other, strengthening the group and forming a strong, rapidly growing ecosystem. The Kingdom of Heaven plants faith, grows faith, shares faith, and unites faith. BMS and Seed Technologies are ways for us to plant seeds into the world so God’s message can bloom – change the environment.
With our companies, we have a goal of giving $100 million to help those in need and spread the glory of God. We aim for the stars and give God the glory every step of the way, even if we only hit the moon. Though our path hasn’t always been clear, we trust in God to guide us. We are kingdom builders for Christ, people with the gift of giving and the talent and skill to build businesses that fund Christian organizations and missions.
Once I opened myself up to God and let Him lead me, it became clear that fulfilling our mission would not be possible working at corporate jobs. God was leading us in a different direction. By faith, my husband and I quit our jobs in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic because this is a season of change and freedom. We now devote our time and skills solely to serving God.
What does being FREED mean to you?
To be FREED is to be supported and lead by God. Knowing my needs are taken care of. I have the pleasure of living in and for Christ by the instruction of the Holy Spirit. It's not on me. All I must do is follow.
What are you FREED from?
I am freed from my own mind and destructive ways. I am freed from seeing the world through my limited eyes so I may see the world through the love and power of God.
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