I grew up in the projects and in the projects there were two things that I looked forward to each summer. One was the ice cream truck and the other was the book-mobile. While I didn’t always know if we would be able to come up with some loose change for an ice cream I did know that I would be able to climb up the steps of the book-mobile and exchange the book I got last week for another.

I never once thought that they were coming to help the poor kids from the projects. I just assumed that the they were coming to MY house just for ME! And that made me feel important.

The ice-cream truck and the book-mobile both had bells and horns that would announce it’s arrival as it came down the street and into the projects and I could recognize the difference between the two. Man, when I heard the book-mobile I’d frantically search for last weeks book and run like mad because I wanted to be the first one on the truck so that I would be able to get the book I wanted.

You and I are supposed to be like that ice cream truck and the book-mobile that takes treats and books to those who can’t go get them for themselves. We are supposed to be taking Jesus Christ to the world in which we live. We are the church-mobile.

Like the bells and horns that announce the arrival of the trucks, it’s our body that announces the arrival of the good news. But what do people see when they see us coming? Do they see something they want?

Is it possible that the good news of Jesus Christ is being delivered in such poor packaging that people turn away?

If that is true, are we responsible to change the packaging to better reflect the abundant life that Christ has promised us?

When we begin to see our bodies as more than “our” bodies then we will change how we care for them. Paul clearly teaches us how we should view our bodies:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19

It’s when I began to view my body differently that I began to pray that my body become my business card or, if you want me to sound more religious, my tract. I want my first impression to be so impressive that people want to get to know me better so that I can tell them how Jesus has changed every aspect of my life.