TRIVIA:
Well the candy bar that has continued to grow in fame from its beginning in 1920 in honor of Babe Ruth the Chicago Cub base ball player up to 2018 is the Baby Ruth candy bar.
Here's a little more trivia from the past; What were the 20'sv women called, with short skirts and bobbed hair? Clappers; Poppers; Flappers; or Slippers?
Challenge:
Psalm 40:9-11 "I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. 10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power; I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. 11 Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
This segment of Psalm 40 reminds us of the importance of our testimony to our world. In fact, I have learned that just as the Psalmist reports that we never have a testimony until we are faced with tests in life.
That's really the way it works, once we go through tests and we experience the Lord seeing us through them, then we now have a testimony. That's when we either go through the test and learn of God's love and faithfulness, or we become overcome by the test and fall into silence.
Our call is to share God's workings in our lives, and let others that come into our lives learn of just what our magnificent Lord has done for us, with us, and in us.
These verses take me back to my college days when as a college student a group of us students would travel to the close college town of Calgary, Alberta and gather on a street corner and sing songs of praise to God, then some student would play trumpets, and brass ensemble to draw even more curiosity seekers.
After that we would have one of us students speak to the crowd that had gathered and share the good news of a God who loved them. This was during the Vietnam war and there were many U.S. students who had moved to Canada to avoid the draft.
During the time of sharing the gospel, many would mingle through the crowd and hand out tracts, Bibles, etc. as well as a flyer inviting them to a church nearby for refreshments. After we finished sharing, upon our inviting them to a nearby church, the crowd would walk towards the church, where we had tables with finger foods, small sandwiches, and various warm sweet breads, and assorted hot drinks, as the weather was usually below freezing.
We had set up chairs in groups of ten in order for the crowd to ask questions, about our home state, about the message or whatever they were curious about. I found that since I was from Missouri which was 3,000 miles away from there, if I wore overalls, a red plaid shirt, and a red hanky around my neck, many would begin by asking about my home state, and then I could move the conversation to Jesus. My roommate played the banjo so he would play songs, while they warmed up with the teas, hot chocalate, etc. then we would sing hillbilly songs and then tell them about Jesus.
During those times many college students would gather to learn of this Jesus who most of them had never heard about. We handed out tracts about the science of the Bible and how that evolution had very little evidentiary truth. They were hungry to hear more and would many times set and talk, soaking up these foreign thoughts.
I found out that these young people were hungry to hear about a God who cared for them. Who had a plan and purpose for their lives. The church where we met followed up with offering more information, meetings, of course more food, but these college students wanted to hear our testimonies.
SO GO WITH GOD those around you are drawn to hear your testimony, but we must open our hearts and listen to their hurts and then pray, care, and let them share their needs. As verse 11 says, "Don't hold back" tell them of God's tender mercies, unfailing love and faithfulness in your life. You might be surprised of their interest in these truths.
Flappers