Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential [Paperback]

Gordon T. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1999

God has called you--first to himself, to know and follow him but also to a specific life purpose, a particular reason for being. This second call, to a defining purpose or mission in life, is often termed a vocation, from the Latin root meaning "calling." And while it has implications for your work or occupation, it also reaches wider. It includes your giftedness, your weakness, your life in community, what you do day to day. In this book, Gordon Smith invites you to discover your vocation by listening to God and becoming a coworker with him.

• What is my calling?
• How do I live it out in the midst of difficult relationships or moral challenges?
• Will my vocation change as I enter a new stage of life?
• As I cope with competing needs and demands, how can I craft a balanced, ordered way of living?
• Where do I find the courage to follow God's call?

Smith addresses these questions and many more, pointing the way in this book toward freedom--and toward emotional and spiritual maturity. If you long to hear and follow God's call to you, here is the book that can get you started.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Smith (academic dean of Regent College, British Columbia, and author of Listening to God in Times of Choice) simplifies the process of sound vocational decision-making. Smith explains that God has given every person three expressions of vocation: the general call to follow Jesus as a Christian, the specific call that is each individual's mission to the world and the immediate call that includes the duties and tasks for which we are presently responsible. In Part One ("Taking a Sober Look at Yourself"), Smith raises four questions to ensure vocational integrity: What are my gifts/abilities? What is my heart's desire? Where do I most connect with the needs of the world? What is my unique personality? This section evaluates our suitability for our chosen vocations. Using Jesus' promise of an easy yoke and a light burden, Smith writes that our vocation can be an easy yoke if it is fitted around our character, strengths, potential and personality. Part Two ("To Be All that You Are Called to Be") illustrates the necessity of developing courage and character, expanding our capacity to learn throughout our lives, facing hardships with maturity, working effectively within organizations and developing a life balanced between solitude and community. Smith's text is thoroughly engaging as he deals with one of life's most important issues. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Courage & Calling guides readers on the fulfilling journey toward self-discovery. Smith opens by acknowledging that Christians realize God has called them first to Himself--to know and follow Him--but he wonders how many learn that God has also called them to a specific purpose--a particular reason for being--and he invites readers to discover their vocation by listening to God and becoming coworkers with Him. . . . Helps readers locate their giftings and define their callings, enabling them to fulfill their God-given destiny. It's recommended reading for anyone grappling with their place in life, but it's likely to appeal especially to graduates and young professionals and could also be used as a resource by educators and guidance counselors. -- Christian Retailing, Jan. 20, 2000

Smith, a Regent College dean, targets 20-somethings with a blueprint for identifying their specific calling (a vocation unique to each person), which he differentiates from the general call to salvation and an immediate call to daily tasks. Smith provides a theological foundation for identifying vocation. Then he focuses on vocational excellence, which is achieved through courage, wisdom, moral integrity, gratitude, humility, and patience. Recommended to those seeking vocational guidance in early adulthood or during a midlife re-evaluation. It's also a valuable resource for educators, counselors, and pastors. -- CBA Marketplace, February 2000

Product Details

• Paperback: 203 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books; 1 edition (December 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830822542
• ISBN-13: 978-0830822546
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing and Unconventional, February 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential (Paperback)

This book was given to me by a friend who is an avid reader and said it was the best book he had read in years. I totally agree. Gordon Smith provides an unconventional, but highly Biblical approach to God's will and leading our lives. His emphasis on vocation rather than work or tasks, challenges many of the basic pillars of life people believe today. Yet he substantiates these differing views with solid evidence from the Bible. Especially helpful is the discussion on transitions through stages of life and the vital issues that must be addressed to make these transitions successful.

This book is a must read and applies to people in all stages of life.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT a phony how-to-know-God's-will guide, May 27, 2002

By 

D. Foster "bookloverhere" (Michigan, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential (Paperback)

This book is tremendous. After reading it I can say that I still don't know what I want to do with my life, but I have a much better grasp on how to go about identifying my vocation...and am willing to be patient and take the long view. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to take a thoughtful (and potentially life-changing) look at where they are and what they're doing with their time on earth.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really great book, August 17, 2007

By 

Friend (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential (Paperback)

This is one of the best books I have ever read.
I heartily recommend it as a source of great wisdom about matters such as callings, courage, mature living, choices, living. Written from a Christian perspective by a very wise leader. I am giving lots of copies away to good friends - both young adults and mid-career friends struggling with lots of priorities. Smith offers very helpful, practical guidance!!