African American Heritage is often symbolized by the red black and green flag introduced to us by Marcus Garvey. The Nike Company is linked to the Swoosh symbol. As soon as you see it, you know that it's Nike. They're inseparable. A few years back, the musician Prince legally changed his name from Prince to a symbol he drew up. Whenever we saw the symbol we thought of him. Companies spend millions of dollars each year to associate the company logo with their name. So, at baseball parks, football fields and countless other places a company name is plastered against a billboard or wall to etch it into public mind. We are often associated with the way we package and present ourselves to others. What we wear in some ways symbolizes what we believe about ourselves and sends a message to those who do not know us that indicates who we are, who we think we are, and what we want people to think we are.

   In the religious community there are also symbols that immediately identify a person's religious orientation. The crescent moon of the of Islam immediately conjures images of Muhammad, The Qu'ran or mosques. The Star of David of the Jewish community is associated with Moses, the Torah and synagogues. The Lotus blossom or wheel of Buddhism is immediately associated with temples, large overpowering statues and meditation.

   When people see us, do they see believers in Christ? Does our package belie our content? Let's be careful that we represent the cross of Christ in everything we do and say. Today, choose your words wisely. Let each one represent Christ.