Dysfuntion Unction

Theologian Mark Biddle in his book Missing the Mark: Sin and Its Consequences in Biblical Theology defines sin- at least in part- as  underacheiving. That is, we human types trod through life never fully living up to the glory God created within us. We are slothful. We make excuses. We fail to allow God to fully engage us with his power.

I think he is on to something.

Regularly I hear folks speak of themselves in less than biblical ways. Summarized it comes out something like this: “Well, God probably could use me to a greater extent but I (or my family or my faith or whatever) is so dysfunctional that he can’t.” In other words- I am just too messed up.

Really?

Have your ever traced the ancestral family of promise in the Old Testament (that would be  Abraham and his generational kin)? Talk about dysfunctional! Lies, deceit, betrayal, sibling rivalry, lust, adultery, murder- all seemed to flourish within this bunch. Their problems could fill an entire season of Dr. Phil. Yet God used them anyway- and in incredible ways.

In spite of it all they still got his annoiting- his unction and God’s work in them still blesses us.

So don’t go excusing your way out of this thing. You were created in God’s image to reflect God’s glory- dysfunction and all. He is waiting to use his power to accomplish in you- more than you can ask or imagine. 

Let’s quit underacheiving. Instead let’s lift the veil of sloth and be “transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 2:18).

It is our anointing.

What’s New

Several new things (at least to me) are in the getting-crisp fall air. Just thought I would share.

Recently one of our elder’s wives, Kay Watson,  here at Gateway wrote a new book entitled Becoming Myself Becoming His.  It is an excellent resource for women and women’s study groups.  Go here to better see the book and find out more information about it and Kay. If your women’s group is needing a fresh resource- this is it!

Last week I had the fantastic opportunity to address over 4000 students in the chapel services at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. What a joy to be in that atmosphere and on that campus. Harding is now (in terms of student population- of which I am one in their grad program) the largest university affliated with Churches of Christ. It was a blessing being there!

My friends from Lithuania, Ilia Amosov and Juozas Puodziukaitis are scheduled, God willing, to arrive in Dallas on October 6th for a two-and-a-half week tour of the states. Their purpose is to spread the good news about their ministry in Vilnius. From Dallas they will go to Jackson, Forest, Brookhaven and Gulfport, MS; Lake Charles, LA and Houston TX; Pensacola, FL; Statesboro, GA and Windsor, CT. It will be an exciting and no doubt tiring journey for them, but they cannot wait!

And the last new thing to report is about our four year-old Jordan. Recently she played in her first-ever soccer game! She was pumped and ended up runing almost non-stop-  sometimes to the ball and sometimes away from it, but it sure was fun.

P.S. Jordan scored her first-ever goal in soccer this morning. Yay!