The Story Behind the Name
There are moments and people that quietly shape our roots — the kind of roots that steady you in every season of life. For me, one of those people was Tim Bartlow.
Over three decades ago, Tim came from Bible college to the Ozarks, eager to share the Gospel. If you had asked him then, he would have said his primary ministry was evangelism. And while Tim certainly led many to Christ, those of us who truly knew him saw something deeper. Tim wasn’t just an evangelist — he was a disciple maker.
He built his life around relationships. Over the years, Tim and his wife Donna poured into countless lives, walking beside people through their best and worst seasons — “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
I was one of those people.
Tim walked with me through some of the hardest and most shaping years of my life. He saw me when I was not easy to love — when my words, actions, or attitude didn’t reflect the faith I claimed. But he didn’t walk away. He stayed. He offered grace when I least deserved it and patience when I had none for myself.
He loved me in a way that could only come from Christ — gently, faithfully, and without conditions.
Tim understood that the Gospel is about reconciliation — not just of people to one another, but of people back to God. “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18)
Tim didn’t leave a legacy about himself; he left a legacy pointing to the Savior. His life was a living testimony that grace reaches further than we think, and that humility is the soil where faith grows deep.
Porchlight Grace was inspired by those years of conversation with Tim — on the porch. It was the kind of sacred space where real discipleship happened. Late-night talks, hard questions, quiet prayers, and honest laughter filled the air. “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
Those porch moments weren’t about advice or lectures — they were about walking life together. Tim didn’t try to be above anyone; he simply walked beside us. And in my own life, he did just that. He taught me what it meant to live humbly, to keep showing up, and to extend grace even when it costs something.
He wasn’t perfect — Donna could attest to that — but he pursued God wholeheartedly. Sometimes his choices didn’t make sense to the rest of us, because they were guided by the Spirit, not the flesh. Tim gave himself up for the cause of Christ. He saw potential in people others might have dismissed as lost causes — because he knew he himself had been redeemed by grace alone.
That’s what Porchlight Grace represents: the steady glow of faith that welcomes you in from the dark. It’s the gentle reminder that grace still shines, that no one is too far gone, and that Christ still calls us home. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
So this blend is more than a name on a bag — it’s a tribute.
To humble faith.
To steadfast friendship.
To a life that pointed to Jesus more than self.
And to a porch light that still burns bright, reminding us that the grace which changed Tim — and through him, changed me — still changes hearts today.
But this story doesn’t end with Tim — it continues with us.
Porchlight Grace is a call to go and do likewise:
To make disciples, not simply offer guidance.
To walk with people — through the highs, the lows, and all the quiet spaces in between.
To love as Christ loves — patiently, humbly, and without condition.
May every cup remind us to keep the porch light on — to keep grace within reach, and to invite others to come and sit awhile.
☕ Grounded in faith, poured out with purpose.
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