Calling

Reclaiming Eve: The Identity & Calling of Women in the Kingdom of God

A Book Review

The book:Reclaiming Eve: The Identity & Calling of Women in the Kingdom of God

By Suzanne Burden, Carla Sunberg, and Jamie Wright

Published by Beacon Hill Press

Why I picked up this book:

I had several reasons for picking up this book. For starters, this book is written by three women, Suzanne Burden, Carla Sunberg, and Jamie Wright, who all love the Lord and are faithful students ...

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Is Your Calling too Small?

It should be more than a job title

I'm often baffled when a committed follower of Christ asks, "What's your calling?"

To me, the answer is a no-brainer. The "call" of every Christian is the same: to commit ourselves to follow Jesus and be conformed to his image. In other words, the calling on our lives is to press our noses so close into the shoulders blades of Jesus that he's the only one we see and follow. ...

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Calling Unfolds

Myths and realities of how God calls us

She found me in the church kitchen. "I know you are busy, but…" her fingers plucked at her sweater. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I leaned on the doorjamb and leaned into the conversation. Life was hard, she said. She wondered if I could pray for her to get this new job, and she wanted to ask me about how I got to the ministry position I held at the church.

She looked ...

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Discover Your God-Given Calling

Find your passion and put it into action.
Discover Your God-Given Calling
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More often than not, you will find Yolanda staying past hours at the all girls' school where she works as a counselor. For Yolanda, her work is not just a job, it's her calling. She is passionate about counseling adolescent girls. Sure, she has a few bad days now and then, but usually she can't wait to get to work. Yolanda unlocked the key to her calling, passion. ...

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Inadequacy, Fear, and Calling

God is more than enough to conquer my shortcomings—and my insecurity

Inadequacy. It's a fear that paralyzes many women. As women leaders and ministers, we are not exempt, this 20something included. While vocationally we may be successfully directing teams, managing volunteer committees, and running effective programs, all too often we fall prey to the "imposter syndrome." We honestly think, "I'm not qualified to be here. I may appear to be ...

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Answering the Call of God

It’s all about alignment and anointing

"When did you receive the call?" That's the question young, aspiring ministers ask seasoned pastors. "The call" has come to signify the very moment the pastor knew God wanted him or her to minister and shepherd a flock.

Biblically, the most evident passage referencing "the call" is the Apostle Paul's Damascus road experience. In Acts 9, we read about God's miraculous conversion ...

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How a Calling Should Change Our Lives

I’m consumed with what it means to be called

As a preacher's kid, my youth was all about church. We discussed ministry the way some families discuss sports. When a new pastor or leader gave his first sermon, we hoped it would include an exciting story of his "calling." In fact, we were never as concerned about his resume as we were about his calling. We didn't want a businessman. We wanted "God's man." We were confident ...

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Every Need Is Not a Call

Focusing on the right community ministry
Every Need Is Not a Call
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I frequently work with churches that are located in communities with multiple needs and issues. In urban neighborhoods, and more frequently now in suburbs and rural communities, you might find the following issues:

  • high levels of unemployment, with families struggling to meet basic needs as a result
  • an achievement gap between children who live in poverty and those who don't, resulting in lower graduation rates and college attendance for youth from poor families
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Do Your Thing

Tracy is a thirty-something mom living out her faith. The embodiment of her compassion has curly hair, mocha eyes and a healthy appetite—a six-week old foster child she keeps as a volunteer in a Christian crisis care organization. Last month, I visited Tracy for a few days. I watched her care for this sweet baby boy, marveling and worrying like a true mother. Her ...

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Journeys into Leadership

The other weekend I ran into a guy (literally) who had stopped short to turn around as we followed the masses out of a church sanctuary. "Sorry," he said, looking disheartened and eying the crowd. "I was supposed to have a group following me."

"No problem," I laughed. "'Nobody behind me' is the story of my life….." ...

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