According to The American Standard Dictionary, PR or Public Relations is: “The art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public”

Wikipedia says that Public Relations is “the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its publics.”

Many of today’s “Relevant” churches believe that it is up to them to be God’s PR representative.  In fact, church marketing is a booming business.  There are businesses devoted solely to creating websites for churches, blogs dedicated to telling about the best church marketing techniques, and even marketing consultants whose purpose is creating influence for the local church.

There are state-of-the-art mega churches that have the latest technology reaching out to the masses, yet 60% or more of their attendees do not believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

According to www.cia.gov, 78.5% of Americans consider themselves to be “Christian”, yet according to a Pew poll, 70% of Americans believe that there are many ways to get to Heaven.

Obviously this “church marketing” phenomenon is not succeeding in bringing people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

By the world’s standards, these relevant churches are doing everything right.  They are leveraging current technology and culture.  They go out of their way to be “seeker sensitive”.  They make sure that they avoid controversial topics like politics, marriage and sin.  Numerically, the churches that use the previous techniques are succeeding.  Spiritually, they are failing appallingly.  Why would that be?

Perhaps it is because Christianity is not a product, it is a lifestyle.  Evangelism is not marketing, it is the natural expression of the joy of our salvation.  And Jesus is not a brand, He is our Redeemer.

Jesus was the only PR Rep that God ever will need and the Bible is God’s press release.

I made you some brownies!  I will bring them to you!  They are hot and fresh and smell wonderful!  Would you like some?

I should probably tell you that I put just a small teeny tiny spoonful of dog poo in them.  Don’t worry, the dog poo was fresh!

What you don’t want any now?  How come?  The brownies are MOSTLY good!

You won’t eat something that is just MOSTLY good?  Why not?

Unfortunately mostly good is good enough for many Christians.  We listen to music that is “mostly good” and ignore the references to pre-marital sex, foul language or the fact that the music was written by a guy who openly expresses his hatred for all things Christian.  We watch TV shows that are “mostly good” and ignore the fact that its characters are taking God’s name in vain, having extramarital affairs and ridiculing the neighborhood Christian.  We read books that are “mostly good” and ignore the references to the new age/witchcraft.

We have become content with “good enough.”  Well, guess what?  Good Enough is not good enough!  We can do so much better!

We are blessed by a salvation that is not based on works.  But that doesn’t mean that we should not do good works!  That doesn’t mean that we can wallow in our former filth!  We are called to be Christ-like and something tells me that Christ wouldn’t be doing half of the things that we do that are “mostly good”.  And I am pretty sure that He would be doing a whole lot more that “good enough”.  He is the standard by which we are to live our lives.  “Mostly Good” and “Good enough” aren’t!

Visitation vs Habitation – Making God comfortable

II Kings 4:8-17 tells about Elisha and how he would frequently visit the town of Shunem.  Each time that he would be in town, a local woman would have him come for dinner.  She requested her husband to make a room for Elisha saying “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” (v9-10)

This woman made Elisha comfortable enough for more than just a visit, but to live with her family.  Elisha was grateful and asked her if he could do anything for her.  She politely declined, so Elisha asked his servant.  His servant told him “she has no son and her husband is old” (v14)

Elisha went to her and said, “About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.”

Last week, while we were on vacation, Hubby and I stayed at three different people’s houses.  The first house was no really a comfortable place for us at all.  There weren’t enough chairs for everyone.  We weren’t offered a drink unless the hosts got thirsty and didn’t feel comfortable asking for one.  We needed to ask permission to use the bathroom.  It was a place that was okay for a short visit, perhaps a few hours, but that was it.

The second place was a bit better.  We had a place to comfortably relax while chatting with our host.  We were offered drinks, but didn’t feel comfortable getting our own.  We asked permission to use the bathroom the first time and were told “you don’t have to ask”.  It was a place that was okay for a little longer visit,perhaps a weekend, but not much longer.

The third place was Hubby’s best friend’s house.  We were welcomed with open arms by Hubby’s best friend and wife.  We were told to make ourselves comfortable.  We had no hesitations about helping ourselves to food and beverages.    We talked.  We laughed.  We hated leaving.  We probably could have stayed forever.

I think that all Christians are one of those places for God.  Maybe we are the place where He can visit for a bit, perhaps when we are worshipping at church, but He cannot comfortably abide in our homes because His spirit is too grieved by our attitudes and actions.  Or maybe we make our hearts and homes a bit more comfortable for Him by having personal devotions for a few minutes each day before spending the rest of the day on our selfish pursuits.  But hopefully we have the heart and home where He can come and not just be temporarily comfortable, but instead be blessed and glorified.  Hopefully, we provide God a place where He feels like family and not just a temporary guest

In John 14:23, Jesus said If anyone loves Me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

I do indeed have the best husband ever!  He is a caring, sensitive, protective, wonderful man of God.  And I am so blessed to have him!

We have been wanting to have a baby for a while now…a long, long while.  And while I have been pretty vocal about my struggle, my husband hasn’t been.  Sure, I knew that he wanted to have children…that was something that we talked about before we even were engaged.  He has always been nervous about the whole idea.  (Which I love, by the way, because it shows how desperately he wants to be a great dad!)  But sometimes I used to think that I struggled with our infertility more than he did.

Over the past year, as I watched him with LSS, I could see what an amazing father he would make.  (Even when he didn’t see it!)  And during our last weekend with LSS, my heart was so filled with love for him as we held LSS in our arms one night and sang “Jesus songs” to her.  And then again, as she crawled onto his lap to have him give her butterfly kisses.

Last night, I heard the pain and loss in his voice as he told his mother about the possibility of us never getting LSS again.  I heard him tell her how much he had been looking forward to telling everyone that he was the “proud new daddy of a 40lb, 44″, five year old girl.”  And I realized that he is feeling this loss just as much as I am and that he has been trying to shield me from the pain that he is feeling.  WOW!  He loves me so much that he would quietly deal with his own feelings in an attempt to not cause me more pain.  He has been carrying my pain as well as his own because I have taken this whole situation with LSS so hard.

I knew that he missed LSS, but I just didn’t realize how much.  I am so glad that I now know how much.  It makes me feel even more secure, knowing that he not only understands my pain, but feels it too.  And it makes me feel so loved that he would be willing to carry my pain!

My hubby is the living embodiment of Ephesians 5:25 which says “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

Jesus understands and feels our pain.  And He carries our pain for us too.  My wonderful hubby, does just want he is commanded, he loves me the way that Jesus loves me.

Can a woman be anymore blessed than that?

On Saturday, LSS, hubby and I were eating dinner together.  LLS reminded me that we chew with our mouths closed and don’t talk with food in our mouths.  I praised her for remembering our rules and asked her if her Grammy had the same rules.

“No,” she replied, “It is different here because we have Jesus.”

WOW!  Now I am not saying that as Christians we have cornered the market on manners, but how cool is it that she sees a difference in our home and recognizes that it is because of Jesus?