Faithfulness in Motherhood & Business

Do you judge a book by its cover? What about the Bible?

“Katie founded Hosanna Revival in 2015, after re-binding and painting her Bible. She pictured how a beautiful Bible could draw someone in—leading them to know God through his Word. This blossomed into the beautiful ministry we now know as Hosanna Revival.

Ten years later, Katie continues to lead the team, spending her days designing new products, leading the marketing team, and fostering a creative and intentional company culture.

She hopes to glorify the Lord in her work and life—and help women find honesty and peace in their walk with Jesus. Outside of work, Katie cares for her baby boy Louie, her big dog Frank, and her kind husband Nick.

Hobbies include but are not limited to: trying creative recipes, hunting for antique art, planning trips, doing puzzles, and writing cards.”

Topics Discussed

1. How did Hosanna Revival get started?

2. How do you balance the business with a baby?

3. What’s the heart behind the company?

4. What are your thoughts on art & AI?

5. How do you cope with the stress of running a company?

6. & more!

Transcript (Autogenerated)

  📍 ​  Hi everyone. Welcome back to Grace Notes. Today I have Katie with me, founder of Hosanna Revival. Welcome Katie. Oh hey, I'm so glad to be here. Alright, so tell us a little bit about where you are in the world and your family right now. Hi. I'm in Cincinnati, Ohio. I have my husband Nick and our little 10 month old boy Louis.

Oh, that's so fun. I have two young kids and that is such a fun age. Tell us a little bit about, um, the business and what you're doing for work right now. I. I own a company called Hosanna Revival with my husband Nick. We design and manufacture beautiful Bibles. So we are 10 years old this summer, 2025. So I started it when I was in college as a brand new believer.

Um. I was discovering for the first time God's Word and how beautiful it was, and I was genuinely curious if this book is so important to Christians, why are they all so ugly? That was just like a simple idea, but I was an artist and a business student, and I just thought if I could design a beautiful cover that could connect the way that I feel about the words on the inside, um, would I be more excited to crack it open and read it?

And if that's true for me, could it be true for others who aren't interested in the Bible at all, or maybe someone who's in a dry season? Mm mm-hmm. Yeah. I know there's this saying, don't judge a book by its cover. And traditionally that Bibles could just be kind of a black cover. And I love the idea of making these beautiful images.

Now, do you guys like hand paint those or I'm sure there's a faster way. How do you manufacture those? Great question. Yeah. In the beginning I was hand painting and then rebinding bibles, so each one took me five to six hours and it was just a really slow process and I was so excited about what God was doing, and I wanted Bibles for the masses, but each one took so long to make.

Um, so that's why I started pursuing a partnership with publishers and trying to figure out how to make these at a larger scale. Um, so at this point I do one painting or drawing, and then we can scan it in. Um, digitize my art and then produce overseas. Very cool. And, and how do you choose sort of the covers of some of these?

I know some are more nature inspired. How do you pick a, a cover We've learned a lot over the years for a while it's just what I liked and as we've understood our market and what people are looking for, um, we spend a lot of time, um, and ideation and brainstorming and being inspired just by other things.

As a creative, it's important, um, to be inspired, but of course not by, um, things in your own medium, because I don't ever wanna like. Copy or take ideas from others. So my inspiration boards are pretty much anything but paintings. I've got pottery and interior design and fashion and nature. Um, and so once those ideas come together, uh, we, we do try and we decide between, you know, do we just like this as a bunch of creatives or would the, our, our most common consumer be interested in this?

We found over and over again that people. Want a simpler design, which breaks my heart. 'cause I love the, the fun or busier or louder ones that are just a little bit more intricate art. But I think a bible, like, especially if someone's carrying it around with them, they, they like it to maybe coordinate with their outfit or just like the simplicity feels like a safer choice for most people.

Mm-hmm. That's so interesting. Yeah. I would love to see your inspiration board. That's so fun that you use tangible products. And I know the company has several components. You guys also have a blog and some other resources, journals, devotionals. Um, tell us a little bit about the, the heart behind the business.

Yeah. So in the beginning, this heart was pretty evangelistic. Like, if, if I could make these Bibles beautiful, would my family, my sisters, my friends that don't know Jesus, would they be excited to crack open the Bible? And then can we trust God to do what he does and draw us in once someone is actually reading his word or engaging with him in prayer?

Um, so that is our mission, is to excite people to engage with God by making these. Beautiful and intentional tools and so that every time we've thought of ideas for new products or new avenues, we're filtering it through that mission. Is this an intentional tool that showcases the beauty of the Lord and will that tool draw someone to engage with God in a new way?

I love the focus on intentionality and, um, using that as a springboard to reach out to others. Um, maybe there are some moms who are wanting to use their gifts and their faith as well to impact their family, their churches or their communities. Um, what sort of advice would you give to the woman listening, wanting to pursue more of that?

Oh my goodness. Absolutely. I think that's worth pursuing because if God's made us each so intentionally with these unique gifts, I think it's, it's a trick of the enemy to have us think that our, our giftings aren't really worth much or aren't special. Um, but just think, because it's been a part of you your whole life, it starts to feel commonplace and you might tell yourself like, oh, well.

I can write, but everybody can write or I can paint, but everybody can paint or you know, I'm just friendly and good at talking to people. But that's not special. But it doesn't feel special because it's been a part of you your whole life. But I think really, if you are good at anything, if you have any kind of exceptional gifting, like you have to believe that the Lord has given you that gift to be used for his kingdom and to glorify him.

And so truly, whatever comes most naturally to you is a really great place to start. Hmm. Yeah, I've been studying Genesis and I love from the very beginning, we learned that God is a creator. So now as a mom, how is that going with work and the baby?

How are you balancing that right now? Oh goodness. Yeah, that is, I've entered into a new world that many, thankfully many have gone before me, and I've seen many moms do it well and, and work through those struggles. Um, I think, yeah, the capacity change is, is really interesting because as. A mom, I'm seeing like this whole new side of the Lord and my world, I'm seeing in a whole different light.

So I, I get all these ideas, but the timing and the capacity to be able to execute has changed. So a lot more inspiration boards stirring, stirring up ideas, jotting them down and keeping them so when, when the time strikes, I'm ready to act. Um, something else that's been helpful is taking the pressure off to finish a project.

You know, it's, it's easy to say like, okay, I've got this one nap. I'm gonna start to finish this thing. But just realizing like, if I used to be able to do it now in an hour, let's, let's just plan on it, taking three. So, yeah, I have a lot of unfinished projects, but it's, it's been fun to jump in and out, um, when that, when the timing arrives.

Yeah, I totally relate. And just being open to what the Lord wants us to do with that day. And this week we've been a little sick and so we, we pair down our plans and like you said, the Lord can teach us so many things through motherhood, through work, and yeah, to use it as an opportunity to, to build the kingdom.

Um. I'm curious what your future plans are for the company. Are you wanting to keep doing Bibles, more journals, devotionals? What? What are you seeing right now in the marketplace that is a felt need for women and mothers, um, interested in, in the Bible and growing more, oh, that's a great question.

We, we always do have so many opportunities before us. I mean, we have such an amazing team of people and we have this platform, God's gifted us. And so that's always a prayer of ours is how are we stewarding these talents and our time, the best that we can and our resources, uh, because yeah, I mean there's no, there's no limit to the things we could try and make.

Um, but from the beginning, that was always a, um, a burden that I carried of. Okay. Just 'cause I could slap a Bible verse on a dish towel. Doesn't mean that that's the best use of our resources, you know, I know it would sell, but is that the best use of our time and talent? Um, so for us, we've really, we've tried to identify our lane and, and stay in our lane, and, and we've kind, kind of found these, these ruts.

I don't wanna say, you know, we never wanna be stuck in a rut, but just really identifying, like in the marketplace, there's, there's a million ministries out there, there's so many content creators and spaces on the internet that people occupy. Like what has God uniquely asked? Us to do. Um, so for us, like you mentioned, it is really revolving around the word of God.

So. To, you know, we equip people with the Bible and then what's that next step? It's equipping them to read it and, and giving them the gas that they need to continue to, you know, break through dry seasons and continue to come back to God's word. Um, that looks like we have, we have published devotionals.

We pursue a lot of free internet content as well, just knowing that that's a gateway for so many people. So free, you know, advent devotionals or Holy Week studies through emails. Um, so we're putting a lot of time into that this year. Um, and then the last thing I'll mention is we've been really working for years to try and get a Spanish Bible, and we think this year it's actually gonna happen finally.

So really looking forward to that. Amazing. That's great. And, and I love your emphasis on stewarding the gifts that God has given you. And sometimes it can be overwhelming. There's so many ideas and so many needs, but just to be faithful to what, what God has called and, and the gifts he's given. Um, I am curious though, in this digital age where chat, GPT and AI is becoming so much more prevalent.

How are you guys feeling about that? I mean, I could plug in a prompt and it could write me a devotional. Um, how are you guys managing, you know, these new changing landscapes? Oh my goodness. I love this question because yeah, it's, this is a part of our landscape whether we like it or not. Um, and as a team of creatives, this really has just challenged and, and brought up questions and brought up like standards of ethics that we have to develop as a team.

Um, so yeah, copywriting chat, GPT, like we can write something and then you plug it in chat GPT and say, make this sound better. And chances are it will sound better, you know? So I think, uh. Really just trying to rely on the Lord here and say like, okay, you gave me this gift and you also created the tool of chat pt.

So how do these things work together? We try on our team to use it for, for things like grammar and editing. Uh, but when it comes to the, the creative writing and the, the sourcing, like never starting there. Like just can you trust that the Holy Spirit will give you what you need to create something beautiful.

And if a robot can do it better, like. Not surprised that a robot can do something better, but you're gonna have such a richer experience creating alongside of the Lord than, than letting it be done for you. Yeah, but I think like, God, I mean he made us, he with the breath from his lungs, like he put breath into our lungs and rubbed his hands in the dirt and made us, and I just don't think anything's ever gonna replace being able to work with our hands in Imago Day like we're, if we're made in God's image.

We are experiencing his character when we are leaning into that side of how we've been created. And so I just really, I caution myself and I caution my team to like, okay, let's use this as a tool because it's all under the sun and God has an opinion over all of these things. But, um. Look at what you're giving up.

If, if you lean too far into this, this AI side and the potential loss of not getting to create alongside of the creator, um, is just such a, such a loss that I just don't wanna miss the beauty that's found creating with the Lord. Yeah, I think that discernment aspect is key because there can be some good things and there can be some dangerous things.

I really appreciate that perspective and you know, as we're we're closing, I'm, I'm curious about, I. Um, advice you would give to, uh, you know, moms or entrepreneurs pursuing something like this. I'm sure you guys have learned a lot. Um, maybe some successes along the way. Some mistakes. Any lessons or stories that stand out.

You might wanna share? Goodness. I think, I mean, so, so much comes to mind, but I, I do think the commitment to the grind of starting a business or starting something like, no, no one's telling you it's easy. I don't think people are deceived to thinking like, small business is gonna be easy. But I think really looking at the lifestyle you have and trying to anticipate how.

How does such a huge addition fit into what God has given me and what God has asked me to do? Because it, I mean, it's as big as another person, you know, like running a business, the capacity that it takes to do that is almost like adding another person to your family. And so, you know, you would think a lot about having another baby before having another baby, uh, because this, this affects.

It affects everything like it takes, it takes brain power, it takes passion from your heart. It takes time from your spouse or your kids. And so really questioning like, is this a pursuit, um, or desire that I, that I am pursuing on my own? Or is this something God's asking me to do? Uh, because we know if God's asking me to do it, although it's so hard, like he's gonna help all things work together and, and beautifully.

Um. Bring glory to himself through your passion and your pursuit. But it is, it is hard in the consequence of, um, lowered capacity and just the weight that that'll take on you and your family. Like, I'm someone that has lived it for 10 years and it is, it is, it's a consequence, but it's something absolutely that you learn to balance and you learn to work through.

But I think some families or some, um, ecosystems at the time might not be in a place where they can take that stress. Um, but of course, like I'm someone that says, you know, follow your dreams, take the risk. Try the big thing. Like I don't, I don't wanna discourage someone from trying, but I think it is, it's wise to really think through and play this out picture.

You know, if things don't get easier two years from now, like, can I keep running at this pace? And just try to picture, um, the burden of business and say like, do I have the capacity? And if you don't rework it and try and find a business model that does work with the family and the lifestyle that you. Or trying to create.

Definitely. Do you feel like there's some things that help you cope with that stress when you're trying to figure out that balance? Man, I think having a really understanding spouse, I'm so grateful, um, for my mild manner husband who really helps, um, keep me level to the ground. Um, but yeah, I think being able to share the burden has been really important.

And over the years I've felt like, okay. There's other college students, but they don't run a business. Or there's other young married couples, but they don't have a business. It's been really hard for me to find someone that understood, uh, the season I was walking through and, and I've learned more and more that, you know, that's everybody in every season.

Like it's never apples to apples like we might. Have the same age kids, but our marriage looks different, where our financial situation looks different. Um, and so really like learning to look to the Lord and say like, okay, Jesus, like you see me, like you see me and you know the intricacies of my scenario and my situation, and you will give me what I need.

Uh, I can keep company with you and learn to live freely and lightly where you carry my burdens. Um, and just like letting that be enough. And, and going into it knowing like this is, if I, if I go on this endeavor, nobody else is gonna understand what this looks like. Not even my spouse and, and a personal burden I carry.

So look into the Lord for that. I love that. 'cause even as moms, a lot of work is unseen and. It's hard sometimes for people to understand what goes on every day, and we could share with our spouse or our friends, but at the end of the day, it's the Lord who sees and gives strength. So I would love for you to just close with prayer, um, just asking him for help as we each go day by day doing the things that he's called us to.

Absolutely. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, um, thank you for the unique gifts that you've given us and again, for how you've stirred up ideas in our heart. Whatever they are, we, we know that to create with you or to work for you and toil in your name, this is such a blessing that we've been given. Um, and I think passion and stirring up something exciting in us is just a picture of who you are, and we know you made us that way.

Um, so we ask you to meet us in those pursuits, in those endeavors and give us everything that we need. When, when the stress or the burden of the grind just starts to feel like too much, just help us, um, come back to that place of excitement. Uh, where you first called us to whatever you've laid before us or, um, but we, we look to you for our strength and we rely on you for every good thing.

Um, we pray all of us in your name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Katie. Where can folks find you if they'd like to learn more? Yeah, we're on 📍 Instagram at Hosanna Revival or hosanna revival.com. Fantastic. Thank you so much for your time today. Absolutely.