I've read The Hidden Art of Homemaking. I know all about fresh flowers and art work and candles and lovely music. And I think that's all great.

But if I had a dollar for every meal that I've prefaced with, "It will taste better than it looks," I could redecorate the whole house.

Somehow, I just miss the whole presentation of it.

My family has gotten good at naming these mystery meals:

almost chicken sandwiches
What Is It? AKA, Manna.
Oh-No Casserole
Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday on Thursday

I make lopsided cakes, not-so-round pizzas, green "Orange Julius", and I've served soup in strawed cereal bowls. To guests.

But it all tastes good, really.

Suffice it to say, I need to work on my presentation skills. I need to work on presentation because what I've made actually is good, it's just cut short by the appearance of things.

Who wants to dig in to a meal with questionable results?

I thought about this the other day as I mixed several different leftovers into a meal. Shelby asked what it was and I said, "It's kinda like...". Not very reassuring. I need to at least have a name for what I'm serving up.

I thought about the importance of presenting things in a way that was not only appealing, but also true and indicative of the contents.

I wouldn't put whipped cream on the veggies just to make them look good, and I wouldn't put the pie in a blender just to make it easier and faster to consume. Both of those things are good just simply because their ingredients are good.

But sometimes good things are disguised in bad packaging.

Eventually I was thinking about the gospel. About all the ways we try to package it up nice and tidy, the ways we manipulate situations to make sure the gospel gets inserted, the way we live like presenting the gospel is uncomfortable.

And I thought about how our presentation, be it style or attitude or just sour character, can turn people off.

We are the presentation of the gospel to the world. Through nature and logic and miracles and the risen Christ, He reveals His goodness. And also through dirt-made-image-bearer. Mankind.

It's the grace of God that brings salvation, teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age (Titus 2:11-12).

Because those things aren't appealing to everyone, should I therefore tweak the presentation a little, make it more palatable? Or should I be in-your-face with it and forget tact and respect and love for my neighbor, all in the name of getting the gospel out?

We are the presentation of the gospel. The aroma of Christ is the stench of death to some, and to others the hope of life (2 Cor. 2:16).