Jeff: While I became a Christ follower as a 3rd grader, God used my church youth group and a ministry group in college to solidify and strengthen my faith and my de- sire to follow Him. The valleys and moun- taintops of the journey have been there for sure, but I seek to learn and grow through each of them.

RRJ: You two are a business team with a unique story because you worked together in one field and are now a team in an en- tirely different field, first at Heritage Baptist Church in Montgomery and now with New Waters Realty. What led you both to work in a local church serving God’s people?

Linette: For a number of years, I served families through the child development cen- ter of our church. Over time, that grew into a larger opportunity to lead the children’s ministry there at Heritage. Jeff began his career as minister to students. We loved working together for our students and their families.

Jeff: It was truly about serving people and investing in their lives. Summer was ap- proaching and someone was needed to lead our Student Ministry so, after prayer and counsel, I decided to leave my first “real job” as a young adult and accept a temporary position on church staff as Student Minister. That summer turned into seven years, at which time I transitioned into an adminis- trative role on our church staff and served for the next eight years. During many of those years, I had the opportunity to partner with Linette in ministering to students and families, especially with the transition from elementary to middle school ministry.

RRJ: “Sunday Christian” is a term used to describe those who live for the Lord only on Sundays at church because it’s easiest there. Did working at the church make it easy to live for the Lord on a daily basis?

Linette: That’s kind of a yes and no for me. It was easier to be focused on spiritual matters, because I was constantly studying and working to share God’s word with the children. At church, we were all there for basically the same reasons…encourage- ment, worship, personal growth and service. It was easy to share your faith with one another and those who chose to visit the church. Now, I try to be more intentional about finding ways to encourage others and reflect my faith through words and actions with my clients and the other folks involved in the real estate process.

Jeff: The environment each weekday and each weekend is certainly focused on leading people into a life changing rela- tionship with Christ, so it was definitely an encouragement to be around that vision and people who were leading it and living it. Maybe not easier, but the constant mes- sages and reminders to serve, worship, share and grow were helpful in pursuing life change to become more like Christ, an everyday commitment for all of us.

RRJ: How did you both end up going from church staff to becoming realtors?

Linette: I retired from Heritage at the end of 2007 due to health concerns, with no idea if I would be able to continue to work at all. Good friends gave me the opportunity to be a part of their real estate team after I recovered. I quickly learned that real estate was such a great way to continue to serve people.  Many people are in some kind of crisis when they are buying or selling a home...new job, new family, new phase in life, etc. I love helping people.

Jeff: The common denominator is serving people. While I was not actively pursuing a change, there was a growing desire to find ways to connect with people and serve outside the walls of the church. God used a long time interest in real estate, a back- ground in business management, a passion for serving people and a great relationship with a dear friend (Linette) to open the door in joining an amazing real estate company and begin serving people as a team – The Dream Team at New Waters Realty. Buying and selling a home is a major transition and happens for many reasons, some exciting and some difficult. Being there to help buyers and sellers navigate this transition provides opportunities to serve and share time and time again and in so many ways.

RRJ: Are the challenges you face living out your faith as realtors different from the chal- lenges you faced while working in a church?

Linette: People are people wherever they are, and we all have similar needs and desires…to be treated with respect, honesty and integrity. In the church environment, that’s more of a given expectation than it sometimes seems to be in business. My
mother used to tell us often, “Actions speak louder than words.” The older I get, the more I understand the impact of that old adage.

Jeff: Our purpose in life remains thesame no matter where we spend our time each day – to know God and make Him known. Some days this is more of a challenge than others.

RRJ: What are some specific ways your faith in Christ is being revealed through your work at New Waters Realty?

Linette: I began working at NWR in 2013, and have been so blessed to find Christian friends and leadership in this company. We encourage each other every day. Jeff and I became “The Dream Team” at NWR in January 2015. Our partnership was based on our belief that we are all called to serve the Lord through whatever He gives us to do.  The world of real estate provides endless opportunities. We try to give our best every day and make a difference in the world.

Jeff: I had never had a job where the salary was based on commission and I said I would never have a career in sales. The decision alone to move to sales and commission based income was a huge leap of faith and an area where I trust God every
day and see His blessings. It is about people – serving and taking great care of them, which is one of the core values of The Dream Team. We work hard to take care of people each day and God always takes care of us.

RRJ: Having worked inside and outside the church, you two can relate to what Christians in the workforce might be experiencing. How would you encourage our readers to live out their faith 24/7?

Linette: Every day is full of opportunities and choices, and more is “caught than is taught.” None of us is perfect, but the God
we serve sure is! He can take our heartfelt efforts and reveal Himself to others.

Jeff: In Mark 12:28-31, Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love God and love people. When we are focused on doing these things, we position ourselves to think, act, respond and live more like Jesus in the workforce. We certainly haven’t mastered it, but striving toward it sure brings fulfillment in our work.

RRJ: What gives you the most encouragement to put your faith to work each day?

Linette: For me, it’s knowing that the Lord is going to provide in every way. He provides us with the clients and connections
to do good business. He provides so many opportunities to share encouragement, and tell others what He has done in
our lives. He gives us opportunities to help people through really stressful times, and help them solve problems. Every day is
different, and it’s a lot of fun to get up each morning and see what He’s got for us that day!

Jeff: People. God crossed our paths for a season and the task at hand. For us, that is assisting a home buyer or seller. At the
end of the task and the end of the season when the purchase closes, we want our clients to say that we served them well. Ultimately, at the end of our lives, we long to know that we served God well. We get the privilege and opportunity to work toward that goal each day through real estate.