Most people complain that there are never enough hours in the day. But for Smith, president of Canada’s Ambrose University and Seminary, “the urgent need of our day is not so much that we would learn ‘time management’ but rather ‘attention management.’ ” In other words, we need to better identify our vocation: the area where, according to God’s call, we should invest our limited time and energy. Consider Your Calling walks readers through six questions that help drill down to the core of one’s vocational responsibility: What on earth is God doing? Who are you? What is your stage of life? What are your circumstances? What is the cross you will have to bear? What are you afraid of?
ISIS fighters advancing into new territories have often marked Christian homes and churches with the Arabic letter n, short for “Nazarene.” The Voice of the Martyrs, an organization aiding persecuted Christians, has compiled accounts from Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, and elsewhere of bold faithfulness in the shadow of Islamic jihad. As the editors explain in the introduction, this “courageous, steadfast commitment to God in the face of persecution provides Jesus followers all over the world with a powerful picture of what being ‘n’ is all about.” Embattled believers “willingly sacrifice everything they have in this world in order to fulfill God’s calling to obey and serve him.”
While Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has historic ties to the push for independence, most Chinese congregations in the US avoid highlighting the ongoing political polarization.