Saturday, August 18, 2012

Maximize Your Potential

This past week, when I stayed the night at Spring Hill's White House, this guy named Zach stopped in just after 11 to check on something in the house and we got talking for a bit. 

As it turns out, he's also working on a book.  In fact, one of the stories he's hoping to include in his book, I'm also hoping to include in mine.  It's a story involving Enoch Olson, the founder of Spring Hill.  I won't go into the details of the story here, because I want to save it for our books, but yes, funny that we've both been working on writing the exact same story. 

Anyway, this Zach guy and I got talking a bit about this other writer named John Eldridge.  Who, I actually use to like, but then he got all weird in one of his more recent books and now I don't trust the theology behind his writing any more.  It was a story involving Eldridge's dead dog named Scout that did his writing in for me.

Zach told me, it was the book Eldridge co-wrote with his wife Stasi that turned him off to his writing.  He told me he literally threw the book across the room because he was so disgusted by the content.  Zach is one of those smart theologian types, and he didn't appreciate how the book Captivating:Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul minimizes the giftings and potential of how God might want to use women in this world. 

I never actually read the book, because I heard it was "earthy" and for women who don't actually want to live out great lives.  I'm not a feminist, by any means, but I'm tired of the silencing of women in the church through the abuses of Scripture.  Somehow the absorbed Christian message is that woman's sole purpose is to support her husband in his pursuits.

Ladies, yes, please do support your husband in his pursuits, but don't forget God has great things in store for you too! 

Zach pointed out, using the Body of Christ imagery, if a hand is always focused on helping the arm be the best arm it can be, the hand will never be the best hand it can be.

With that having been said, I think I'm one step closer to establishing a workable platform - a much needed message that I hope will set women free to pursue the gifts God has given them to make a significant, impact in the world.

The Body of Christ includes both men AND women; everyone's gifts need to be recognized and embraced in order for us to live out our greatest potential together - leave no woman behind.

Dear Church,
Please celebrate rather than suppress the many gifts God has given women.


Females are valuable for far MORE than sex and baby making.

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