…people use their bodies to advertise. I'm not talking like the guy on the corner in the "King" or "Hamburglar" costume. I'm talking about the average Joe, you and me.
…a glance at my closet reads like a series of 30 second commercials. Between my shirts, hoodies and hats, I cover the wares of many of the stores on Route 59 (a street I avoid at all cost because of my dislike for traffic lights.) I'm willing to give free shout-outs to the Chargers, Padres, Aztecs, USC, Purdue, McDonald's, Guinness, the MMA, Xyience, Habitat for Humanity, Kiva and Feed My Starving Children. There is proof (if a piece of clothing suffices) that I've been to Hawaii, London, Oklahoma (don't ask), Israel, Los Angeles, Greece, and Orlando to name a few.
…in the last couple of years I've added Jesus, the cross, Iron Sharpens Iron, Good Shepherd Church, Mens CRHP 21 (pronounce "chirp") and Dodgin' 4 Dough...but it does feel kinda weird. Why? Certainly Jesus is as important to me as the Padres (they came in last place.) God means more to me than Guinness beer (I'm required to go the light route as my metabolism slows to a near stop.) The cross and what it represents is so much more powerful than the Oklahoma Electric Company.
...but I feel a bit leery when I decide to wear any of my Christian garb. What if people think I'm some kind of Jesus freak (I know I am.) What if someone asks me a tough question like "Is Gandhi going to Hell"? What if a non-Christian feels offended (like wearing a Sox cap to a Cub’s game.)
…i want to be bold. I want to share the joy I've gotten from my relationship with Jesus. I want to be asked the tough questions, and believe listening to the question is just as valuable (if not more) then having a great answer. I want to be a willing lump of clay in the Master’s hands...and advertise to that effect.
...I'm not going to get rid of all my other 30 second spots...it's nice to relate to other "fans". I do want friends to know that I am a fan of Christ, His grace and how cool the "fish" looks on a baseball cap.
…thank goodness we don't give free press on cups, mugs and car bumpers...
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Along those same lines, sometimes I wonder about how the cross is used. I know that for many the sign of the cross means more than pain, because through that pain one has hope. But Jesus said that those that would come after him must take up their cross daily and follow him. When we wear prettied up crosses with diamonds in them or have beautiful ornate crosses on our walls or in our churches, I feel that sometimes that we forget that taking up our cross daily means self-negation, not a stronger self-identification (nor do I mean self-denigration).
ReplyDeleteYou said:
ReplyDelete".but I feel a bit leery when I decide to wear any of my Christian garb."
I think that is so true! The christian brand has been so tarnished that you almost feel guilty to publish that you're a christian for fear that people will not take you seriously.
There's a great section in the Everlasting Man by GK Chesterton where he says that if we used a different name for christ (like if we said we followed zanzabar) and everything else stayed the same, all of the sudden it would be cool and people would be more open.
But familiarity (or bad past experiences) has bred contempt and cynicism so it's hard to get people to take another look without them saying "been there, done that"!