By Charles Christmas

If you are a regular reader of my column, you have discovered that I am one of those rare individuals in this state who has strong personal ties to both Auburn University and the University of Alabama. Prior to four years ago, I would very often replace my hairpiece with either an Alabama or an Auburn cap for activities and outings that were informal and non-ministerial.

I had done that forever, but four years ago it dawned on me that all that my caps were saying to people was, “I am for Alabama” or “I am for Auburn.” And, really, there was something much more important to me that I wanted and needed to be saying through my caps.

Without any loss of interest in Auburn and Alabama football, I asked the Lord for caps that would give priority messages. Not finding what I wanted at Christian stores, I went in a better and super direction: to my friends at The Sports Shop. They were able and willing to provide exactly what God had laid on my mind and heart in tailor-made caps. They produced my first cap with exactly what I desired written on it. Within the next few weeks, I requested eight more tailor-made caps, each with a different, concise statement that was three to five words long. Each was a capsule relating to a central Bible truth.

Not only were nine different caps made for my own personal use, but I also secured an extra 63 caps to give away to men or boys who desired to wear one. Following is a listing of the nine different statements: Jesus Christ is Lord; God is able; Always pray, never give up; God’s grace sufficient; Renewed day by day; God gives peace; Remember the Cross; Unless we repent; and Without faith impossible.

With confidence, happiness and freedom, I have enjoyed wearing each of the nine different caps many times. I call them silent confessing caps. You may remember that our Lord Jesus and the Bible have important things to say about confessing unashamedly. I have found that not only does each different cap silently confess a powerful truth; it becomes an acceptable open door for the sharing of a brief verbal confession.

These nine capsule statements are very important and challenging to me. I intend to use a different one each week during the summer as the title of my weekly Thursday article for the “Simple Truth” column. Without doubt, such can be very profitable for me and my readers.

Do I have a Bible passage to support today’s article? Yes! Yes, indeed! I Corinthians 9:22-23: “…that by every possible means I might win some to God. I do all this for the sake of the gospel.”

—Charles Christmas is a religion columnist for The Clanton Advertiser. His column appears each Thursday.