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Rising to the Call: Discover the Ultimate Purpose of Your Life
Facet by facet this internationally acclaimed Christian thinker examines life and the universal search for its meaning. What is "the call"? Far bigger than our jobs, deeper than our personal accomplishments, higher than our wildest ideas of self-fulfillment, our "calling" addresses the very essence of our existence. Discovering it in times past has changed whole nations and cultures. It could do the same to ours. A classic reflective work in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers,now ready to challenge the latest generation of high school and college graduates.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
34 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Os Guinness
77 books345 followersOs Guinness (D.Phil., Oxford) is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including The American Hour, Time for Truth and The Case for Civility. A frequent speaker and prominent social critic, he was the founder of the Trinity Forum and has been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies. He lives near Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 21, 2024
mid…
not horrible but took way too long to say something that could have been said in 5 pages or less
not horrible but took way too long to say something that could have been said in 5 pages or less
September 8, 2009
This is the short version of Guinness's book, "The Call".
The subtitle to this book is "Discover the Ultimate Purpose of Your Life"
For those who are trying to narrow down what to do with their life, vocationally, they may be somewhat disappointed. This is more of a "why" then a "how-to-discover" specific book.
This book helped me to clarify general thinking and pondering about my own sense of calling. In my adult life as a Christian and as a businessman, I have often struggled with a sense of specific vocational direction.
This book helped me confirm in my own mind that the greatest thing to get "right" is a complete devotion to Christ. The rest works itself out. Having made that simple statement, here are some things for my own review of the material at later date:
"Calling is the truth that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to His summons and service."
"Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him, and for Him."
"Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for him."
Catholic Distortion: elevating sacred work over secular work.
Protestant Distortion: elevating the secular work over sacred work.
"God normally calls us along the line of our giftedness, but the purpose of giftedness is stewardship, not selfishness"
"God has created us and a our gifts for a place of His choosing."
"God does call us to 'be ourselves' and 'do what we are'. But we are only truly 'ourselves' and can only truly 'do what we are' when we follow God's call. Giftedness that is 'ours for others' is therefore not selfishness but service that is perfect freedom."
General Charles Gordon: "I live before the Audience of One. Before others I have nothing to prove, nothing to gain, nothing to lose."
"Calling, by breaking through with an outside perspective on the present, is a prime source of Christian vision and Christian visionaries."
"Faith therefore means restlessness".
"Dreamers of the day come into their own and stay on course when they follow the calling of Christ."
The subtitle to this book is "Discover the Ultimate Purpose of Your Life"
For those who are trying to narrow down what to do with their life, vocationally, they may be somewhat disappointed. This is more of a "why" then a "how-to-discover" specific book.
This book helped me to clarify general thinking and pondering about my own sense of calling. In my adult life as a Christian and as a businessman, I have often struggled with a sense of specific vocational direction.
This book helped me confirm in my own mind that the greatest thing to get "right" is a complete devotion to Christ. The rest works itself out. Having made that simple statement, here are some things for my own review of the material at later date:
"Calling is the truth that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to His summons and service."
"Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him, and for Him."
"Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for him."
Catholic Distortion: elevating sacred work over secular work.
Protestant Distortion: elevating the secular work over sacred work.
"God normally calls us along the line of our giftedness, but the purpose of giftedness is stewardship, not selfishness"
"God has created us and a our gifts for a place of His choosing."
"God does call us to 'be ourselves' and 'do what we are'. But we are only truly 'ourselves' and can only truly 'do what we are' when we follow God's call. Giftedness that is 'ours for others' is therefore not selfishness but service that is perfect freedom."
General Charles Gordon: "I live before the Audience of One. Before others I have nothing to prove, nothing to gain, nothing to lose."
"Calling, by breaking through with an outside perspective on the present, is a prime source of Christian vision and Christian visionaries."
"Faith therefore means restlessness".
"Dreamers of the day come into their own and stay on course when they follow the calling of Christ."
November 13, 2017
Excellent book. A friend of mine highly recommended OS Guiness to me. This book did not disappoint. It clearly defines what the true meaning of calling is and I will certainly be reading more by Guiness.
October 4, 2022
"To call means to name, and to name means to call into being or make... This type of calling is far more than labeling, hanging a name-tag on something to identify it. Such decisive, creative naming is a form of making... "naming-calling", a very different thing from name-calling is the fusion of being and becoming... calling gains a further characteristic meaning in the New Testament. It is almost a synonym for salvation. In this context, calling is overwhelmingly God's calling people to Himself as followers of Christ." (p22f)
"Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him and for Him... Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere and in everything should think, speak, live and act entirely for Him. We can therefore properly say as a matter of secondary calling that we are called to homemaking or to the practice of law or to art history. The are "callings", rather than the "calling". They are our personal answer to God's address, our response to God's summons." (p24f)
The Catholic distortion of "calling" was to define vocation as pertaining to priests, monks and nuns; everyone else had "work" (a spiritual form of dualism). The Protestant distortion of "calling" was a secular form of dualism - to elevate work to the status of vocation; calling was simply a job.
A test for spiritual gifts that ignores natural gifts points people to use their discovered gifts in their churches, not in secular contexts and therefore deepens the Catholic distortion.
Instead of, "You are what you do," calling says, "Do what you are." (p47)
George Foreman, flamboyant heavyweight champion and Baptist preacher says: "Preaching is my calling. Boxing for me is only moonlighting in the same way as Paul made tents." (p58)
"Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him and for Him... Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere and in everything should think, speak, live and act entirely for Him. We can therefore properly say as a matter of secondary calling that we are called to homemaking or to the practice of law or to art history. The are "callings", rather than the "calling". They are our personal answer to God's address, our response to God's summons." (p24f)
The Catholic distortion of "calling" was to define vocation as pertaining to priests, monks and nuns; everyone else had "work" (a spiritual form of dualism). The Protestant distortion of "calling" was a secular form of dualism - to elevate work to the status of vocation; calling was simply a job.
A test for spiritual gifts that ignores natural gifts points people to use their discovered gifts in their churches, not in secular contexts and therefore deepens the Catholic distortion.
Instead of, "You are what you do," calling says, "Do what you are." (p47)
George Foreman, flamboyant heavyweight champion and Baptist preacher says: "Preaching is my calling. Boxing for me is only moonlighting in the same way as Paul made tents." (p58)
September 27, 2017
Required for school.. It was a little dry and I feel like the author packed way too many things into such a small book. Many points were reiterated and I found it a little redundant and boring.
February 28, 2023
Really good quick read about rising to the ultimate call!
October 7, 2023
Good book! I read it for one of my classes, it had good material but I was a little lost at times. Not something I would have picked up otherwise. Nothing wrong with it though! :)
August 17, 2020
This was a very timely and intriguing read for me personally. Timely because the pursuit of purpose and God's calling on my life is exactly what I have been praying about this year. Intriguing because of Guiness's use of historical perspectives on the subject which always grabs the attention of a big nerd like me. One could definitely tell that there was too much information crammed into this little book however. The over use of quotes and references from famous and influential figures, as well as from other writings, takes away from the effective parts of the book. Regardless, it was still very insightful and informative. Pretty good read.
July 9, 2012
I liked this book better than the other "calling" book I read. I actually learned some stuff from this book. Where "A Purpose Driven Life" had focused only on the primary calling (which wasn't exactly what I was expecting), this broke out the primary and secondary calling. So I understood better, and it didn't only focus on the primary calling.
I also really liked how there were stories to explain each chapter. It helped me understand better what Guinness was trying to prove in each of the chapters. It was much shorter than the other book too. So I really enjoyed this one better than "A Purpose Driven Life".
I also really liked how there were stories to explain each chapter. It helped me understand better what Guinness was trying to prove in each of the chapters. It was much shorter than the other book too. So I really enjoyed this one better than "A Purpose Driven Life".
February 20, 2016
Penetrating, Exalting, & Encouraging
This summary is a laser penetration of the larger book by this stunning author. Dr. Guinness Exalts the glory of God's beauty into the daily fabric of this fallen world with grit and grace. All this while stirring the soul to live for and with Jesus Christ in harmony with holiness yet as unique as each persons DNA, culture, and time. This book is an encouragement to encourage God,s called ones to answer the CALL.
Lastly I would encourage as many who could to read both books.
Ephesians 2:10 Rev. Bruce R. Kuiper
President ~ Grace Legacy Builders ~ Family Worship Ministry!
This summary is a laser penetration of the larger book by this stunning author. Dr. Guinness Exalts the glory of God's beauty into the daily fabric of this fallen world with grit and grace. All this while stirring the soul to live for and with Jesus Christ in harmony with holiness yet as unique as each persons DNA, culture, and time. This book is an encouragement to encourage God,s called ones to answer the CALL.
Lastly I would encourage as many who could to read both books.
Ephesians 2:10 Rev. Bruce R. Kuiper
President ~ Grace Legacy Builders ~ Family Worship Ministry!
November 30, 2011
One of my least favorite books ever. Terrible read.
March 29, 2017
Good understanding of the calling and practice about d calling to change our life, spitual, and carrier.. Nice book..
January 31, 2014
required read - very repetitive and impractical.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews