“I wasn't necessarily a Christian,” John Roy admits. “The Lord had to push me to the bottom first.”
As CEO of Dawson Knives, John continues to put faith at the heart of everything he does, especially his knife and sword manufacturing business. “We don't just make knives,” he tells me. “We make tools you can trust. We make tools that last. But more than that, we make them for the glory of God.”
“The sword is not ours. That is God's truth.”
Growing up, John ignored God as a foolish, childish dream. “I think we all know that universities play a great role in raising atheists. I was into science and doing what I wanted to do. For me, the church was meaningless. It felt like.”
He believed only in what he could see, what he could touch, and what he could see.
“I quit school, thinking I could take care of myself. But when you end up homeless and living in your car, the things we think bring happiness are gone. , I often find myself emptying out. If I walk down the wrong path, I lose everything.”
So John decided to give God a chance. “What do you have to lose? Let's see if he shows up.”
Shortly thereafter, he met his wife. They married two years later.
His first job was selling women's shoes at Dillard's. “I never wanted to know more about women's shoes,” he says with a smile. “But it was like the prodigal son coming back. I went into the family knife-making business and started all over again.”
american samurai
His mother, a legal immigrant from Guadalajara, often told young John, “Love this country. There's no place on earth like it. There's nowhere else to go. Here. This is the only place.'' It is a place of hope.”
When we speak on Friday, December 13th, just a few weeks before Christmas, John is in good spirits, filling orders and feeling energized by the busyness of the holiday season. “And I'm very happy that Mr. Trump won the election,” he added with a smile. “That's the little gift we're opening this year.”
I respond that everyone has calmed down with the election results.
“That's right,” he answered. Everyone will feel more relaxed. The biggest thing is hope As President Trump always says, things can get better and we know we still have a ways to go to make this country great again. ”
The Dawson brand has long represented the principles that make America great, even before MAGA became a national slogan.
Founded in 1973 by John's uncle Barry Dawson, a Navy veteran who returned from Vietnam, Dawson Knives had humble beginnings in a warehouse in Texas. With limited resources, Barry built his first grinder using a shopping cart wheel.
Dawson Knives currently operates near Prescott, Arizona with a focus on small-volume production. The company combines traditional hand grinding techniques with modern machining. Each knife is meticulously crafted, heat treated and quality tested.
“We don't make knives in a factory,” says John. “Even the knives that come off the CNC machine are finished by hand. We're all about quality.” John sent me two knives, the Contractor and the Smuggler. They are stunning masterpieces of steel. Best knife I own.
dawson knife
While many companies outsource their production overseas, Dawson knives are completely made in America. John is passionate about this revitalization. In an October email, he emphasized the importance of local supply chains and strong communities to counter a market saturated with “Made in China” labels.
“Every blade, every handle, everything is American-made,” John declared. “We source all of our materials here. We believe in keeping the money in America.”
spirit sword
Each of Dawson's knives and swords echoes Jesus' warning to his disciples in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth; It is in a box with the inscription “I came to bring you a sword.''
Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Peter drew a literal sword and attacked enemy soldiers, Jesus' response was decisive. For everyone who takes up the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). He then heals the wounds of the Roman captives and embodies the higher command: “Overcome evil with good.”
This moment highlights the contradiction between knife and sword.
“The sword is not ours. That is God's truth,” John told me. “His words cut through the darkness and bring light. And in the end, it is beautiful.”
Later in Revelation, Christ says, “Repent! Otherwise I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
At Dawson Knives, this Biblical symbolism is incorporated into the company's craftsmanship. John interprets Matthew 10:34 as the foundation of this mission: “The sword can set captives free and break chains; but it can also hurt those who resist change. The truth is divided.” ”.
we are going elk hunting
John and his brother won the hunting permit lottery and were overjoyed to have the rare opportunity to hunt elk in the wilderness near Happy Jack, Arizona. Bull elk is one of the most limited tags available to hunters in the state. “We've been trying to win the lottery for years, so it was truly a miracle that we finally got in together,” John wrote in an email.
With them were John's sons and brother-in-law Dennis Cook, a Dawson knife designer.
They left just after Thanksgiving, a particularly busy time for John, but he couldn't afford to miss out on the limited elk hunting season.
It took six days to bag the elk.
Their hopes rose as they embarked on the hunt, but each day ended without success. On the last day, with no elk in sight, John prayed, “Lord, if you are willing, please send me a bull elk.” They continued the chase around Potato Lake, but fatigue set in as evening approached.
Suddenly, John saw a huge moose stop to his right and stare directly at him. But when the moment came, John hesitated. Within five seconds, the moose was gone.
Reflecting on the experience, John admits: “I wasn't ready for the blessing. God answered my prayers, but I froze. I missed the shot.”
That night, as the sun fell behind the Arizona pines, John prayed again. “Lord, if you are willing, please give me another chance.'' His brother went ahead and planted himself, lying on his stomach and lining up for another shot.
“Bang. Perfect,” John told me. “If he had waited three more minutes we wouldn't have had a chance. But this time he was ready.”
For John, this hunt was a lesson in faith and preparedness. “When blessings come, you must be ready to receive them. Don't hesitate.”
He compares it to fatherhood and divine guidance. “As parents, sometimes we have to help our children figure things out. It's hard to solve problems without intervention, but they have to learn.”
Furthermore, he adds: “God does the same thing for us. He gives us opportunities and if we are not ready we miss them. If we ask, God is faithful and will give us another chance, and we will be ready next time.”
Christ in the center
Dawson Knives is a family-run business in every sense of the word. Barry Dawson still comes to the store for guidance. John's sons, ages 13 to 17, help out after school. John's wife handles marketing, his sister-in-law runs social media, and everyone pitches in where they're needed.
“We are a family,” John said. “And to keep it together, Christ must be the center. Without God, selfishness creeps in, but with God, forgiveness and understanding emerge.”
Just as we were about to end the interview, John said with a certain urgency: We had a wonderful time. You guys are amazing and I always love TheBlaze. ”
He told me he had a special connection to Blaze News: his father. He was a Democrat but became a Republican. glenn beck It played a big role in that. He listened to Glenn carefully.
In 2020, he told John: you need to do this. Don't just take my word for it, be informed. You never know, I won't always be here. ”
So John started listening.
A month later, his father contracted the coronavirus. By August he was dead.
John pauses. “I will always be grateful for that advice. It was one of the last words he spoke to me and is part of his legacy to me.”
And it's as if he's reenacting his father's life. As I grew older, I realized that he was a really smart guy. And I now have so much respect for the path he led me down. God took something painful and turned it into a blessing. ”
“Life is so beautiful and complex,” I replied, “and it would be irresponsible to deny that God’s hand is guiding all of this.”
He nodded, his voice steady. “God is like the conductor of this beautiful symphony of life. Nothing is lost that isn't gained. I came here because my father passed away, and that's why I started this conversation. It's God's work. You never know where God is going to lead you, but you learn to trust the music.”
