This year’s best Super Bowl spot, according to USA Today’s Ad Meter, was Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” spot.

It’s hard to argue against it. Puppies. Horses. An acoustic version of “500 Miles” sung beautifully by Sleeping At Last. Add it all up and it’s an emotional wallop that’s tough to beat.

But is it a great beer commercial?

Sure, the farmer dude in the spot has a Budweiser hat that we see a few times. And the Budweiser logo shows up at the very end (#BestBuds).

Ask yourself this: If you took the Budweiser stamp off the end of the commercial would you know it was a beer ad?

Take that logo out of the commercial and what do you have? A very pretty story about a dog and his horse friends that makes me want to adopt a puppy, not drink a beer.

I’m not trying to be a hater here. The commercial was pretty and poignant.

I just think that sometimes commercials have a tendency to veer far away from what they’re supposed to be advertising.

Sometimes I think our lives veer off course of what we are supposed to be advertising as well.

If you took the label Christian off your life would anyone know what you stood for?

We try to live good lives, painting a meaningful picture with the gifts we have been given. But sometimes in the midst of creating something beautiful we forget to spread the word about the product we have been put on this Earth to advertise for.

There’s a phrase that a lot Christians like to toss around, often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (though there’s no real evidence as to who said it first). It goes something like, “Preach the gospel always. When necessary, use words.”

It’s a well-meaning phrase, one I’ve quoted often and truly believe in.

I do think we misconstrue the true meaning of the saying though.

I think sometimes we use this quote as permission to keep our mouths shut out of laziness or fear. The phrase becomes an excuse to just live a good life and hope people recognize that we were Christians through our actions.

I think we forget that sometimes it is necessary to use words.

Using words can be messy and confusing and complicated and offensive. But we can’t always leave it up to the viewer’s imagination as to what our lives stand for.

We can’t always let our actions do the talking, no matter how well-intentioned they are. There are certain times in life when we must speak up for what we believe in and why we believe in it and why it makes us live the way we do.

Your life is not a beer commercial. It’s not meant to be beautiful and ultimately confusing as to what it all stands for.

Let your actions speak loudly. When the time comes let your voice be heard as well. Make it clear what you stand for.

Use your words, and use them wisely.

Do you think it’s possible to preach the gospel without using words?