Classic Illustrator — First appearing in 2003

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

Once in Northern Newfoundland, we were amazed to find a variety of jams made out of fruits we had never heard of before!—Squashberry, bakeapple, partridgeberry, to name a few. They were available everywhere. In souvenir stores, grocery stores, camp stores—literally everywhere. And most of them carried a label sporting the name: Dark Tickle.

Dark Tickle??? What kind of a name was that???

We learned that in Newfoundland, where they use a different English word than we would for almost everything, “tickle” had nothing to do with gently passing a feather under your nose! Instead, it is a shallow water inlet into a bay. Because of the shallowness, the bottom of a boat might be “tickled” on the rocks or sand of the inlet floor.

Okay, so that explained the work “Tickle” of the name. But why “Dark Tickle”? And why put the name of a shallow water inlet on a jar of jam???

It wasn’t until we found the place where the Dark Tickle jams were manufactured that the mystery was solved. The store had apparently been originally located on a Newfoundland “Tickle”, known as the “Dark Tickle” because of its lack of natural sunlight.

We thought that this unusual product was only to be found in the Northern part of Newfoundland, and so we bought a few small jars of different kinds. However our assessment was far from correct. We found the product in Labrador, in Bonavista, and even as far east as St. Johns. It soon became apparent that the Dark Tickle jams were well known throughout ALL of Newfoundland! A local unusual product had become a provincial celebrity.

How?

Because tourists like ourselves who had been to this region and had discovered these unusual jams had spread the word to family and friends throughout the province! As word spread, the product became in demand, and soon it had a market all over Newfoundland. And as a result, tourists from all over the world are now discovering it as well!

Words. How powerful they can be! How eager we are to share unknown delicacies with others. With our words we can make unknown delicacy renown all over the world.

“Have you ever tasted partridgeberry jam?”

“I never heard of it. What is that?”

“Here, taste it.”

“Wow! Out of the world!”

Why is it that we are so eager to share such delicacies with others, but not so eager to share the greatest Good News of all times? Why don’t we just as eagerly tell people that eternal life is theirs if they accept Jesus’ offer of Salvation? Why don’t we go out of our way to say: “Have you ever heard of the Gospel of Jesus?”

“No. I never heard of it. What is it?”

“Here, come experience Jesus into your life. You won’t regret it.”

“Wow. Out of this world!”

What about you, friend? What news are you talking about? Unknown jams? New products…? What about the greatest news of all?

“Would you like to taste some bakeapple jam?”

“Absolutely, if you let me share with you the greatest news of all.”

“What news?”

“Well…”

Is Jesus as exciting to you as unknown jams?

In His love,
Rob Chaffart
Founder, Answers2Prayer Ministries