"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16Recently I went to put on a t-shirt that I bought several years ago for one of the youth gatherings I attended with our teens.  Sadly, I had second thoughts about wearing it because it had a "religious message.I looked at some of my other t-shirts to select an alternative.  Let's see, I had one that had University of Maryland Alumni on it, another that boasted Camden, Maine, another that said, "Be the Change" which I got as a volunteer at Challenge Day at Watchung Hills High School. Of course, I have a CrossFit shirt, and yet another that has a Norwegian flag on it.  It occurred to me that I never had second thoughts about wearing any of those!  They each told something about me:  my college, my travels, my volunteer activities, my determination to stay fit, my family traditions.But what is, in fact, the most important thing about me?  I would like to think that it is that I am a Christian.  Why then was I hesitant to wear a shirt boldly proclaiming my faith?  I pondered this question and decided that I didn't want it to appear that I was pushing my faith on someone else.  But, I wasn't pushing the University of Maryland on anyone else by wearing my alumni shirt. I wasn't telling others to visit Camden, Maine or to volunteer for "Be the Change" or to join my gym or to adopt Norwegian traditions.  However, if someone would inquire about any of those shirts, I would have the opportunity to share information.  So, I donned the shirt, realizing  that it wasn't about anybody else!  It was about me boldly proclaiming who I am and what I believe!  And if someone should ask?  Well, I would be delighted to witness.A few weeks ago, Judy Crawford, provided hats to any child who wanted one that said, "I love Jesus".  She did not have enough to go around and promised to bring in more!  The children were anxious to proclaim their love for Jesus.  As the Bible says, " ...and a little child shall lead them" Isaiah 11:6Sports fans have no shame when they yell out, "Go, Yankees!" or Mets or Giants or whatever!  They are proclaiming their loyalty to their team.  No one objects to this!Christmas is approaching and along with that comes the controversy of saying, "Merry Christmas".  We emails about this and listen to debates among our friends, and read editorials about it.  Well, why do we hesitate to boldly declare our faith by saying, "Merry Christmas"?  It really is simply declaring who we are....Christians. It isn't about pushing our faith on the other person.  Christmas is a joyous celebration of the birth of my savior and of yours. It is personal!Let u boldly proclaim our faith and Have a Merry Christmas!