More so than my husband, I was ridiculously into those teams, especially during the championship or playoff games. When people visited our home and saw the signed memorabilia they assumed it was hubby’s when in fact they were all mine!
They also know that I’m just as big of a fan of t-shirts
with special sayings on them. You know the kind that really express what you’re
thinking, but aren’t bold enough to say it.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Calgary, AB, Canada;
Saint John, Welsford, Westfield Beach, & Moncton, NB, Canada; Netherlands;
Curacao; Georgetown, Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana; Pakistan; Nigeria; Croatia;
Saudi Arabia; Slovenia; Nepal; Israel; Serbia; Turkey; Swaziland; Ecuador;
Bolivia; Qatar.
USA
– Asheboro, Cumberland, Holly Springs,
Hubert, Mount Pleasant & Stedmann North Carolina; Estero, Summerfield &
Ormond Beach, Florida; Anderson & Hartsville, South Carolina; Hoodsville,
West Virginia; Maurertown & Strasburg, Virginia.
I am so happy for your visit and hope that you come back
each week to participate in the weekly challenges. God has been faithful and we expect His favor
to abound in the lives of those who chose to be Discipled by Jesus on Daily
Favor Blog.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below. All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life. Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Don't miss out on this week's challenge
(below).
Precious Moments
Several years ago one of my seventh grade boys wanted to
do something special for my birthday. This
was unusual favor, because I didn’t receive gifts from my kids other than at
Christmas. He was one of those fun but
quiet students that had his own way of doing things.
Sharing our love for sports is where we found our bond,
and how our relationship grew into respect.
I suppose this is where his gift idea came into “play” (pun intended),
and a way of the parent thanking me for getting his son to finally clean his
room.
It was one of my most precious moments in teaching when Bryan
and his father presented me a Lakers jersey. I was so proud of that special
gift that I sported it everywhere, sharing the story of a sweet boy pestering
his dad into trekking all over South Jersey to find one just for me.
Whenever I wore my Lakers jersey there was no doubt in the
onlooker’s mind of which team I was representing. The message was clear and I was proud to
share it without regret.
Where are the Jerseys?
Although athletic gear emerged during the first Olympics
in Greece back in the 770’s B.C., it has evolved throughout the years from the
sportsman wearing the garment to the general public. Wear and share message t-shirts for sports fans have been around
for over one hundred years.
Many believe the game of baseball was invented by New Yorker Abner Doubleday, but it is disputed whether or not it was an actual sport. However there isn't any question as to when it turned into one, and when a specific attire was to be worn during such games.
For baseball, fan uniform frenzy all began between two teams that ended up playing out their dreams on a "neutral" field. In 1846 Alexander Cartwright
organized the first recorded baseball game that took place between the
Cartwright Knickerbockers and the New York Baseball Club held at Elysian Field
in Hoboken, New York.
It
was a Presbyterian pastor from Springfield, Massachusetts who invented the
sport we know as basketball. On December
21st, 1891 the YMCA Training School got a front row seat to this “indoor”
sport that was merely created to improve athletic skills for football and
rugby. There were guidelines for team uniforms even back then!
 |
| New York Knickerbockers Baseball Champions 1865 |
Over
the years the designs have changed, but the love for showing off that special
piece of apparel hasn’t. I wonder what
these two men would think of the modern t-shirt jersey designs.
Sporting the #1 Team
With the World Series being the highlight of the week for
many people, there were a few things that really stood out in my mind. In a round-about way it reminded me of the
first disciples as being teamsters for Jesus.
A shirt that has made the rounds for many years poked fun
of the Chicago Cubs for never making it to the World Series. It had a picture of a can of Coke (the soda
beverage) with an "h" between the c and o. It stated, "Choke,
the official drink of the Chicago Cubs".
That schtick (gimmick) can no longer be identified with
the 2016 winners. The jersey t-shirt
can be put in the rag bin and is no longer valid, as the Cubs have now won the World Series for the first time
in 108 years!
When the disciples answered, “Yes, I will follow You” to
Jesus, they were saying that they were now going to be identified as being
exclusively signed to His team.
Everything they did from that point on had to be representative of
Jesus, including their clothing.
In Biblical times, clothing was an instant identifier
that separated people, tribes and nations.
Whether we’d like to believe it or not, it still is today. Just looking at the clothes people wear tells
you a great deal about the individual, their interests, likes and dislikes.
If someone had a look in your closet or drawers, what would
people be able to tell about you? Which
team are you sporting as number one? Is
there anything that says you’re a follower of Jesus?
Jersey’s for Jesus
It’s still true, I love fun jersey’s and still have some
that could leave a few people wondering. For example as a counselor this one I own
probably doesn’t reflect the interest of the client.
“Let me drop what I’m
doing and focus on YOUR problem.”
 |
| My blessed girl t-shirt jersey. |
However, my interests have changed over the years. What people will find most among my apparel
are clothes that declare my discipleship to Christ (plus they are in super cool
colors).
God has promised to those who openly declare their belief
in Jesus that they will be favorably rewarded in this lifetime and in Heaven. That promise has been manifested in my life
so many times I can’t count them.
“So Jesus answered and said, Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who
has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children
or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in
this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30 NKJV)
“So He said to them, Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left
house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the Kingdom
of God, who shall not receive
many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)
Whenever I wear something that proclaims scripture or my
belief, favor and blessings always follow.
The Jersey’s for Jesus message is one I’m proud to wear as I share my
faith in the Only Begotten Son of God.
This Week’s Challenge:
Wear and Share Faith
Depending on current trends or events, jingles, logo brands and slogan sayings
on clothing (especially t-shirts or jerseys) will continually change. There
is one message that will never change; you can wear and share it forever –
Jesus Saves.
Sometime it’s hard to share the gospel with people and
they aren’t always receptive to being told they are “sinning” against God. In our last challenge we were asked to go beyond
doing good as the world does, and do the works of Christ.
If we are truly being the disciples Jesus has trained us
to be, people will come to expect our lifestyle to reflect the message we
preach. They might not want to listen to
us speaking about the Lord, but they will “hear” the message we wear
without opening our mouths.
The challenge this week takes us into the clothes closet or drawer for a
peek at what message we’re sharing with the world, by wearing something that will
let people know we are all about team Jesus.
November 4th (the day of this post) is designated the actual “Jersey”
day, where people all over America (world) flaunt their favorite teams by proudly
wearing a representative t-shirt. This
is where we’re taking that concept farther.
Instead of wearing something that identifies us with Jesus on one day,
try doing it every day for the next week (continue on throughout the year). If you don’t have anything in that category you
might want to think about that … hmmm. Be creative and design your own jersey, after
all if Alexander Cartwright could do it why
not you? Paint or draw a message on an
article of clothing and show it off to the world.
Wear something that proclaims your faith through a message, whether it is
a clever saying, scripture or picture representing a biblical subject. You may want to wear a jersey, scarf, tie,
headband, bandanna, socks, jacket, shirt, jewelry … it doesn’t matter what as
long as it’s something people can see as you “wear and share” your faith in the
Lord.
With so many days in the year to wear whatever we like, isn’t it time
that people find out about our favored number one champion of the world - Jesus?
(How to) Share Your Faith
If this article has encouraged or helped you, please
consider sharing it by using the social media icons provided at the end of this
post.
Until next time, God’s favor is for sharing!
“Share your faith & receive My favor.”
Jesus Christ
*Unless
noted, the names in articles are changed to protect the individual(s) privacy.
Note: Emphasis
is given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is not to take
away from the inspirited Word of God.
When used,
the words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him
no place in our lives.
... and
yes the word "discipled" isn't a word used by the world, but that of
believers.
Disclaimer:
Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical
issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
What’s New This
Week: The Ball is in Your Court
I could give you tons of links to scriptural
apparel, but this one is for you to figure out on your own. You have a message to share about Jesus. What
do you believe? Who do you follow? Then wear and share that every day!
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Gateway Bible.Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified.
Image: Phillies World Champions Lakers World Champions NY Knickbockers Champions 1865 Choke T-shirt Chicago Cubs 2016 Champions
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
A great message for our time when we want not to offend so we keep our faith to ourselves. Our actions also speak louder of our discipleship. This is where I feel I need to grow.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Sometimes my discipleship gets lost when my actions don't follow Christlike behavior. Thankfully we have a forgiving God. Thanks Mary. Always great to see you.
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