Living The Call

Since 1965 the number of priests in the United States has fallen by some 30,000. But over that same time period, more than 30,000 laypeople have come into the employ of parishes and other Church institutions. Laypeople have stepped up to serve in a variety of new ministries, and they are relieving their pastors of many administrative burdens, enabling them to focus on their proper priestly duties. Lay teachers now outnumber nuns, brothers, and priests in Catholic schools by at least 19 to 1. In the history of the Church, laypeople have never been asked to do so much. William E. Simon, Jr. and Michael Novak call attention to this great shift in Living the Call. The first part of the book tells the personal stories of nine faithful laypeople now serving the Church in new and diverse ways. Simon and Novak’s insight is that more and more who work in the Church feel the need to shape their lives in a new way, matched to their different needs and adjusted to the new base of knowledge about the world with which they begin. In response to this need, the second part of Living the Call offers practical examples and reflections on a number of themes, including entering into the presence of God and learning different forms of prayer, reading that refreshes the mind and deepens the soul, and the graces of the sacraments and how being a spouse contributes to holiness.

Getting A Life will be an excellent resource for high school and post-secondary students who are wrestling with future life directions. It not only addresses questions of vocation and career but, more importantly, identity and character, recognizing that one's primary commitments precede any decisions about profession. The book's tone is invitational as it seeks to show how a Christian world view can help us make life-giving choices in a sometimes bewildering postmodern world. Sheila Klassen-Wiebe Associate Professor of New Testament Canadian Mennonite University If you cannot take a trip to Mt. Horeb to hear the still small voice and God's question "What are you doing here?" this book is the next-best word. Much more than a textbook, this text can serve as a life-guide to be used with the Bible. Wise, gentle, sensitive, smart. Lynn Jost Professor of Old Testament and Preaching Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary On their journey through this book, readers are invited to reflect on matters of self-identity and faith formation. With examples from pop culture, discussions of biblical texts, and suggested reflection questions, this book can be a helpful resource for use at colleges and universities where there is a commitment to help students discern their calling as followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of God. Christina Bucher Carl W. Ziegler Professor of Religion Elizabethtown College Doug Miller has provided a much-needed resource for college and university students embarking on the exciting and overwhelming journey of self-discovery toward meaning, identity formation, and vocation. It will be a welcome addition to any curriculum that attempts to shape hearts as well as minds from a Christian perspective. Paul Keim Professor of Bible and Religion Goshen College

"Fifty-two readings about The Sermon on the Mount designed to be read together with others, to discuss what it might look like to put these radical teachings into practice today"--

Should we feel inadequate for failing to be healthy, balanced, and well-adjusted? Is such an existential equilibrium realistic or even desirable? Condemning our cultural obsession with cheerfulness and “positive thinking,” Mari Ruti calls for a resurrection of character that honors our more eccentric frequencies, arguing that sometimes the most tormented and anxiety-ridden life can also be the most rewarding. Ruti critiques our current search for personal meaning and the pragmatic attempt to normalize human beings’ unruly and idiosyncratic natures. Exposing the tragic banality of a happy life commonly lived, she instead emphasizes the advantages of a lopsided life rich in passion and fortitude. Ruti shows what counts is not our ability to evade existential uncertainty but to meet adversity in such a way that we do not become irrevocably broken. We are in danger of losing the capacity to cope with complexity, ambiguity, melancholia, disorientation, and disappointment, leaving us feeling less “real,” less connected, and unable to metabolize a full range of emotions. Heeding the call of our character may mean acknowledging the marginalized, chaotic aspects of our being, for they carry a great deal of creative energy. Ruti shows it is precisely this energy that makes us inimitable and irreplaceable.

This spiritual how-to book helps readers discern what they are called to do, find the courage to respond to that call, and stay on course to make that vision a reality. Schuster first explains what it means to be called to something larger--then to find the life that best fits.

"What if your life hinged on a decision you had to make in a split second? That's the story of NFL referee Lance Easley. As a 'replacement referee' during 2012's labor dispute, Easley thought he'd earned his dream job--until he made a disputed call in a Monday night game viewed by more than 18 million people. Suddenly, he found himself the target of scorn, hatred, even death threats. But for Lance Easley, a solid Christian faith saw him through the controversy. Now, in Making the Call: Living with Your Decisions, he shows that life is about much more than making a single call. It's about deciding beforehand just how you'll live with the calls you make."--Page 4 of cover.

No one is born courageous, but everyone hopes courage will come. Here's how to stand strong. Like many other people of faith, you may be concerned about what the future holds for Christians in America. Every day we wake up in a nation and world that is increasingly hostile to our beliefs and values. Even the basic freedoms that define America--speech and religion--are under attack. The result is that many of us have become fearful, apathetic and detached. The great need of the day is a sweeping revolution of courage in our lives, families and houses of worship. A Call for Courage will spark that revolution in you. Michael Anthony understands how fear can paralyze us, and in this revolutionary new book he shows Christians how to stand up and speak out, mobilizing them to walk by faith, not fear. Drawing from Scripture and deep personal experience, he proves that anyone can learn the secret to putting fear in its place and becoming more courageous. A Call for Courage will help you stand up and speak out while others demand you sit down and shut up. You will learn how to develop the secret weapons God has given you for courage, handle haters, racists, and everyone in between, overcome attacks against your freedom of religion and speech, speak the truth with love when disagreements threaten to create division, and develop courageous humility as your new way of life. A Call for Courage is a handbook on how to live with courageous humility. No matter who you are or what you're facing, A Call for Courage will help you live with power, truth, and love in an age of intolerance and fear.

Over 60 testimonies of missionaires from around the world.