The Dysfunctions of Being Anointed

We picture the anointed as people lifted above ordinary struggle: steady, certain, untouchable. Scripture tells a different story. A shepherd boy is anointed king and sent straight back to the sheep, then hunted through caves for years. A prophet calls down fire from heaven and, days later, begs God to let him die. A disciple swears he will never fall, then weeps at the sound of a rooster.

In The Dysfunctions of Being Anointed, Bishop Mpendulo Zondi looks honestly at the hidden costs of a divine calling. He writes about the long seasons of obscurity when nothing confirms the promise, and the burnout no one is allowed to admit. He writes about the tiring work of keeping up a perfect image, and the loneliness of those who carry everyone but are carried by no one. Drawing on the lives of Joseph, Gideon, Saul, Elijah, Peter and Thomas, along with insights from modern psychology, he arrives at a freeing truth: God's power is not held back by our cracks. It shines through them.

This book is for the pastor running on empty. It is just as much for the teacher, the parent, the caregiver, and anyone who has sensed a calling on an ordinary life. Bring your "left-handedness" out of the shadows. It may be the very thing God intends to use.

This expanded second edition includes new material on what the anointing truly is, the sacredness of everyday work, and the community every anointed person needs.