Magnolia Offers New Line of Crickets at Target

Wanted to be sure and update y’all on Chip and Joanna Gaine’s response to Target’s recent controversies surrounding their chosen PRIDE month merchandise. As of Tuesday, June 6th, 2023… here is their thoughtful response.

”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ”   —Chip and Joanna Gaines

 

Come on, y’all. I know you’re in a difficult position.

But if you wanted to have a well-crafted, gracious, response concerning your partnership with Target by now—you would have.

 

I understand that good help may be hard to find in public relations, so I will offer my services for free. I’ll even give the benefit of the doubt and assume you are contractually bound to avoid addressing specific corporate issues within Target. Further, let’s assume you cannot even acknowledge them as well. Here are some options.

 

“Magnolia understands Target has the autonomy to partner with whomever they choose, as do we. We thank Target for a wonderful and productive partnership thus far and as always are prayerfully considering what the Lord has for us in the future.”

 

“There is much that we do not have the freedom to speak on concerning our partnership with Target. Until we can speak freely, please know those conversations are being had internally.”

 

“Magnolia would like to thank Target for giving us access to their consumers and allowing the opportunity to partner with them in helping create homes, moments, and memories for so many. We may not always agree with everything they do corporately but do want to honor our relationship with them, both the limits and potential of it.”

 

Now, those are public access and yours to use freely. But if you want the really top-shelf, high-end, wordsmithery… you’ll need to reach out to my people for permission to use the following statements. But I think you will see the obvious difference and value.

 

“Target did not make our empire and Target will not take it. Our work and wealth was provided by Christ Almighty for such a time as this. We have sought to honor that fact and acknowledge it in all we do. Our partnership with Target can no longer accomplish that—honoring the Lord—so we are ending it and trusting the Lord to honor our commitment to Him.”

 

“Ending our partnership with Target will create an extremely complex and complicated situation for our companies, employees, loyal customers, following, and family. Nonetheless, hear us say unequivocally, it is worth it to be found on the side of Christ. We rejoice in this opportunity to count our losses as gain and humbly be allowed to honor our King, who has provided all that we are and have, in this critical moment in our history and culture.”

 

Maybe flowery is not your jam or jelly, and straight to the point is more your vibe.

Consider this option. “Chip and Joanna Gaines are ending their partnership with Target.”

 

The thing that is great about that one is that you have to say little else, because the action speaks louder than the words anyway.

 

Friends, your actions speak louder than your words. Already.

 

You may think you are riding out the storm, but you are underwater and don’t yet know it. Get out tha’ boat. It’s sink or swim time.

 

Hey Believer—nowhere in Scripture are you called to obedience and loyalty to Christ your Maker, Restorer, Furnisher, Hearth and Hand Provider in every way… but the costly ones.

 

He is either worthy of our sacrifices, missed opportunities, loss, reputations, etc. Or He is not.

 

Is He Provider? Or is man Provider? That question is answered by whom you bow before, by whom you work to curry the favor and blessing of, by whom you choose to be faithful.

 

Come on, y’all. Say something. After all the Lord has provided, I would think quick obedience, quick trust, and a quick defense or apologetic would be brimming from tasteful cups and stemware. I mean it would be an entirely different thing if you were not yet sure that HE WAS GOOD.

 

I truly did a dive online because I didn’t want to miss a statement that had been made. But I found nothing. And it seems there was no statement in 2017, 2020, or 2022. Each year, Target crossed the line a little more, was a little more brazen, a little bolder in their reasonably priced idolatry for the masses. And you said nothing.

 

That strategy has not seemed to work. Strangely, silence over sin does not discourage sin. Silence in the face of boorish or blasphemous behavior, does not curtail boorish or blasphemous behavior.  Who knew??

 

(Lots of people knew. You are not the first to face the crossroad of commercial success and conviction. Or even comfort and conviction. Children who have stood for Christ at school and been ostracized or bullied, adults who have been fired or lost jobs because they could not abide by corporate policy that disrespected their Savior…  martyrs who have withstood the scorn of fires and piercings of flesh to proclaim Christ before kings… THEY ALL KNEW. They all knew silence was an insufficient deterrent and an even more inadequate offering.)

 

Following Christ is costly. What will you tell your children around your farmhouse table when they face the same realities? How will you encourage bravery in them, when in this moment it has eluded you?

SAY SOMETHING.

It’s a lot to ask of you, I know. If only you had been given a deep well of “MUCH” to draw from. Or a silo even.