Trusting God in Faith, Life, and Work
What do men think when they see other men cry?
The men’s ministry at the church I attend invited me to share my testimony. It’s a 10-minute talk; you can skim it in less.
I have no problem with public speaking. Put me in front of 10 or 1000 people, and I don’t get nervous. Well, maybe a little.
But that morning, I also talked about our kids. And when I started to talk about our daughter—her life and her mission work in Central America—I just couldn’t hold it together. I get to see her in person maybe twice a year, and FaceTime just isn’t the same.
I lost my composure.
What do men think when they see another man cry?
At the same time, there’s real joy in knowing that the country she lives in has become one of the safest in the world—safer than most big American cities. I’m trusting the Lord to keep her and her husband safe.
If you’re a dad with a daughter, you know exactly what I mean.
My name is Brian Sooy. I’ll try to condense 64 and a half years into 10 minutes.
Frederick Buechner wrote:
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Every day, I seek to follow God at that intersection.
From my perspective, my testimony is ordinary. For the first 19 years of my life, I was alienated from God by nature and by choice. Then, in his grace, God called me to himself—and that changed everything.
Like many of us, my relationship with God through Christ began long before I knew him. I’m like the lost son from Luke 15. I often joke with my barber, “Do the best you can with what’s there.” I ask the same of our Father. God has given me a great inheritance, and I constantly pray not to squander it.
Now, I view life through the lens of three callings: the call to Christ, a conviction to co-create, and a commitment to my wife. God continues to weave these into one strong cord.
My First Calling: to Christ
I was called to Christ in 1979. By “called,” I mean I literally heard Jesus say, “Come.”
At 19, I was singing tenor in our tiny church choir during an altar call when I heard his voice. No one else heard it, but I still hear the echo. That day I confessed Jesus as Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead.
Not long after, God got my attention through a near-death experience—a wake-up call that he wanted my trust and obedience.
I was reconciled to God, but I lacked the discipleship and discipline needed for Christ to be formed in me, and I struggled for a couple of years to follow and obey.
“When I think of calling, I think of a statement by Os Guinness in his book, ‘The Call.’ He said our primary call is always to Christ — then to vocation.”
–John Beckett
Then God unlocked a passion for his Word as the source of truth for my life and a lifelong desire to understand his character. I spent the next two years in college unlearning and relearning what I believed about God, Jesus, the Bible, and living by faith. (Guided by the book, Search the Scriptures: A Three-Year Daily Devotional Guide to the Whole Bible.)
In college, I wondered what a lifetime of faith would be like. The last 45 years have been God building on that foundation through study, prayer, and the people whose lives I’ve been given to share.
My Conviction: Co-creator and Entrepreneur
My second calling is a conviction to be a co-creator with God and an entrepreneur. I grew up surrounded by art and craft—antique clocks, stained glass, fine woodworking, and music.
My father was a business owner and craftsman, and my mother was his lifelong partner in life and business. My grandmother encouraged me to draw, and I learned to play violin, bass, and guitar.
In our basement, my father restored antique clocks to their original glory, maintained a dozen aquariums, and built a slot-car track; it was there that I learned how to cut gemstones, create stained glass, and appreciate the highest level of craftsmanship.
One day, I found a box of pens, a bottle of ink, and a Speedball book on drawing letterforms, and that small discovery set a direction I couldn’t have predicted. Seven years after that first discovery, I asked the Lord to confirm my path through a design competition, and when a letter and a check arrived saying I’d won, it felt like a thin fleece—but it was enough for me then.
I went on to earn a BFA with a minor in Design from Bowling Green State University, and since then, creating has never been just a job; if I’m not creating, I’m complacent, and I believe design can make everything better.
Early in my career, I studied with leading lettering artists and calligraphers in the U.S. and abroad, and my first decade as a design professional laid the foundation for the next 30 years.
Today, Lisa and I own Aespire, a design and marketing agency that has opened doors to ministry and impact beyond anything we could have asked or imagined, and we have operated as a mission- and ministry-driven business for three decades.
Psalm 37:23 says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
I return to this verse as I reflect on what I might have done differently and on what God has made possible through the gifts he’s given me.
My obsession with the Bible, words, and letterforms led to a small place in the history of Bible design. I may be the only person here whose name is in the Bible, where I get credit for the fonts I designed:
I designed my first Bible font family, Veritas, to make two-column Bibles easier to read. Veritas was used in the ESV and is still used in The Readable Bible and a Creole Bible for ministry in Haiti.
In 2006, Tyndale Publishing commissioned me to design a custom Bible font for the New Living Translation. Veritas became Lucerna, still used in the Life Application Bible, Tyndale’s Life Application Chronological Bible, and the NLT Giant Print.
Aespire helped resurrect the GOD’S WORD Translation Bible by creating new designs and sales channels.
Our business is also where my love of reading unlocked the gift of writing:
I’ve self-published seven books so far—with more planned. (If you’ve read any of them, share a review!)
I founded EntreWorship, an online journal of working by faith.
That writing opened the door to contribute content for YouVersion in the Bible app. Three of my Bible plans are available there, with another in progress.
Aespire served over 200 clients over the last three decades. We helped nonprofits raise millions of dollars, equipped businesses to sustain billion-dollar growth, and empowered authors and influencers.
In mid-2025, the Lord presented me with an opportunity to join a longtime client, Gorjanc Home Services, as their full-time marketing director.
My Commitment to My Amazing Wife
My third calling is my commitment to my wife, Lisa. We’ve been married 41 years—about two-thirds of my life. I can’t imagine life without her!
We’ve been blessed with a life partner, business partner, travel partner, and ministry partner in each other. We’ve led small groups together and supported one another as our gifts serve the body of Christ. We’re equal partners in everything.
And if you notice we occasionally disappear, it’s usually because we’re visiting our children.
Our son and daughter-in-law live in the south and are raising their adopted son.
Our daughter Alyssa is married to a godly Salvadoran man and serves as a missionary in La Libertad, El Salvador. We’re grateful that our church chose to partner with her and the ministry she serves. (The ministry can always use your support as well!)
I also believe, “What is ordinary about you should unleash the extraordinary in others.”
It’s simple. It’s profound. It calls us to think about everything through somebody else’s eyes. It reminds me of Derek Sivers’ insight from the book “Hell Yeah or No,” and this article, Obvious to you. Amazing to others.
God promises in Psalm 37:23–24:
“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.”
Each strand of my story has its ups and downs, successes and failures.
For every failure, I can only point to God’s unfailing love, forgiveness, and grace.
For every accomplishment, I can only point to his ability to work with the little I offer—and his faithfulness to his purposes.
The strands are wound together in the family we raised, the talents and gifts God gave me for his glory, and the business Lisa and I have stewarded for the last 30 years.
God continues to teach me to serve him wholeheartedly, stay focused on him, and not squander my inheritance.
The story isn’t finished. I’m still a sinner by nature and by choice—but I’m also God’s adopted child by grace and his invitation. I will always be the son who came to his senses and returned home to his Father.
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