The story of Rick Varner, a parachuted angel brought to save the early 9 Fruits busines

The 9 Fruits book started 14 years ago on my flight out from Nashville to Sacramento, California to attend my mother's funeral. I was the oldest of her three children and was to give the Eulogy. As I was writing on the plane at 33,000 feet simultaneously peering out my rectangular window seat at the landscape of America below, I reflected on the immense love she had for everyone.

Her's was a sacrificial love that far exceeded anyone's expectation as she was always placing others first in her life. Wishing I possessed a sliver of her love, I was now beginning to realize how vast her love was by merely being tasked to write about it!

Our family had already initiated the 9 Fruits smoothie business three years earlier and we were opening our third location when I faced losing my mother. 

I'd discovered the monumental challenge of trying to personally represent a business "name" referring to the Fruit of the Spirit. It seemed not just daunting, but impossible at the time. I didn't fully realize that most of our customers actually expected ME to embody or consistently "live out" what our business moniker stated - The 9 Fruit. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self control.

With full transparency, my greatest weakness was the fourth "fruit of the spirit" - Patience. 

Since I've opened this door to my own personal walk in life, I can tell you that I also struggled with Joy, and Self-Control. Well, I can tell you in hindsight that if you know your weaknesses, can admit them, and embrace a way to overcome them, you can turn them into strengths.

I can confess to you that the naming of our business with a Spiritual element referenced to the Bible put a target on me and our family. A target that the spiritual enemy focused on daily. Just starting a business from scratch would place an inordinate amount of stress on launching any new venture in today's world.

Welcome to one of life's greatest journeys in life - starting a new business! 95% failure rate in the first three years! Hindsight is fully 20/20 as they say and I can attest to that adage. Were we inoculated from all the normal stress related challenges facing a new business just because we had embraced a business plan employing the "fruit of the spirit"?

NO! In fact, looking back, we may have been tested with a higher degree than most because of a foe who didn't want us to succeed. If you know anything about spiritual warfare, the Devil doesn't like the good guys to achieve victory in Jesus. 

So, without going into all the details of our daily struggles, suffice it to say we felt the onslaught of evil and devilish attempts to STOP our 9 Fruits business in its tracks every week.

As fate would have it and what I commonly refer to as Providence, the life preserving acts of the Holy Spirit always "show up" on the most challenging days or moments. Just when you might entertain the thought of giving up, in the 9 Fruits front door would walk a person, who was providentially led to share inspiration to overcome whatever daily plight we faced.

It became almost uncanny as a cavalcade of God's elect from our local community of faith were mysteriously led to get a 9 Fruits smoothie. Not knowing the trials we were facing as we put on our "face" of hospitality and "how can I help you", a spiritual giant in the Franklin, TN community would ask for a fresh fruit smoothie.  AND then, humbly ask how they could pray for us. I can't begin to tell you how often this situation played out.

Looking back, in our attempt to dispel the notion of another small business fatality, God prevailed by creating what now appears to be like a local community bartering program. "Will trade fresh fruit smoothies for your counsel and inspiration"!

Many times feeling literally like our backs were against the wall facing another daily calamity, God "delivered" us just the same way he delivered the Israelites, who were driven to their ultimate disastrous destiny at the Red Sea by the Egyptians. As Moses, in faith, raised up his staff and placed his foot into the Red Sea, it opened for all of them to cross, escaping their danger and dodging their demise.

I have to tell you about one of God's "special delivery" guys - Rick Varner. Just when 9 Fruits appeared on the brink of another of the 95% group of failures, Rick comes waltzing in out of nowhere. Rick was retired, entering into his 70's, and fresh off his personal California family business trek. A trek that was filled with stories of how his family started and ran a successful business in the Central California town of Bakersfield.

Rick had seen "it" all from the perspective of operating a family business. As one of three siblings who all took the helm to help their Dad continue his extremely successful enterprise, he had faced every "headwind" of running a family business.

Ejecting from the California family business for a retirement in Tennessee, Rick immediately detected the same headwinds being hurled at this local smoothie shop. While I was still managing a $200 million division of a $2 Billion dollar Philadelphia based business, and not readily available to assist our sons, Rick stepped in to counsel and help Kevin and Kyle manage the 9 Fruits business.

I called Rick a "parachuted angel"! I didn't fully realize the measure of his wisdom and impact at the time. Now after years of overcoming all the obstacles we faced, it was Rick who was literally brought in to shine a light on a small path to local success. Thank you Rick Varner!

Without Rick's providential support, 9 Fruits smoothies would have never made it. His almost daily dropins to get a smoothie and help out our sons, paved the way for all of us to ultimately grasp the 9 Fruit of the Spirit and embody them. 

From that early flight to Sacramento to share a story of my Mother's love to all, to eventually finishing the story that would unfold for us to serve smoothies for 1,000's, I stand amazed at God's "delivery program". I'm now convinced that He is waiting for us to act on His vision in life. Once acted upon, He will join you in helping you complete the work He has tasked you with!