Courage and calling

Courage & Calling: Embracing your God-given potential could have been designed with this website in mind. But of course it wasn’t. The author, Gordon T. Smith, wrote the first edition back in 1999 during a sabbatical in the midst of a personal transition. The edition I picked up had been revised in 2011, about the time this online resource began to take shape.

Search and you will find that all sorts of people have been reflecting and talking and writing about these issues for a long period of time. And this, I suspect, will never change. Or at least not any time soon. And each person brings something unique to the discussion.

Gordon grew up in Ecuador and worked in the Philippines before arriving in Canada, and most recently Calgary, where he now serves as the president of Ambrose University. He is ordained with the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada, has a Ph.D. from Ateneo de Manila University, and has been working as an academic and administrator in theological colleges for most of his life.

But fear not, this isn’t a dry or dull academic document. It is written, rather, in a straightforward and accessible style and is quite easy to read. As an aside, I found that focusing on this book was more refreshing and enjoyable – and likely beneficial – than staring at a computer screen for the same period of time.

What is this book essentially about? And who will benefit from taking the time to read it?

As the title suggests, the focus is on the courage that each of us will require in order to live out our unique vocation or calling. Courage & Calling is roughly divided in half. The first half is dedicated to a theological vision (for lack of a better phrase) for work and practical insight about the career selection process. The next half begins with a closer look at four specific types of work: business, the arts, education, and religious leadership. What follows is a discussions surrounding five “points of leverage” or rather ways in which we can each increase our effectiveness. This includes: developing courage, continuous learning, emotional resilience, working well with others, and establishing structure and order in our lives.

Of all the points of leverage discussed, Gordon feels that developing emotional resilience is likely the most important one. With this in mind, on page 221, you will read this: “Lack of emotional maturity and resilience will sabotage our lives and vocations.” Strong words perhaps, but nonetheless words that need to be taken to heart.

Unlike other books I have read, and briefly reviewed, this one has a strong emphasis on the organizational side of life. In other words, you will find practical advice here specifically in terms of how to be more effective within a particular organization. At the same time, Gordon emphasizes the importance of carefully selecting where you work. This may sound like a luxury to some. But it makes sense to find a place to work that is a fit with who you are as a person if at all possible. There is also practical advice here related to deciding when it might be a good idea to resign and move on.

One more point to ponder related to content.

Throughout his book, Gordon addresses a number of misunderstandings related to the career selection progress, particularly within the various Christian communities he has been a part of. For example, he feels that personal desire has been misunderstood and often regrettably downplayed. At the same time, he thinks that there has been too much emphasis on meeting immediate needs and not enough instruction on how to determine which needs to meet. For a sense of personal vision and direction is required in order to live a more effective life.

Trying to figure out what do to next? Longing for more of a sense of person direction and focus in your life? Interested in discovering what a “theological vision” for your career might look like? Hoping to move beyond a merely secular take on life? Well then, reading this book would likely be well worth your time.

*Another version of this review is available at Converge Magazine. And here is a brief video by Gordon T. Smith about vocational discernment.

My resolution for 2015

How’s this for a New Year’s resolution for 2015?

“As 2014 comes to an end, I resolve to focus less on the 10 million or so situations and problems that are completely beyond my control and focus more on specific problems and challenges I can do something about.”

Like all resolutions, this one is obviously much easier to talk about (and write about) than it is to put into action. But wouldn’t your life and mine be different – and better – if we worried less and focused more on positive and concrete action?

More and more, it seems, this world is filled with massive problems. Crazy problems. Unbelievably outrageous and ridiculous problems. And parts of the planet that by and large had been a positive influence now sometimes seem to be part of the problem. Can’t say, for example, that I have a lot of confidence in the American government. But really, what am I going to do to improve the quality of the most influential government in the world?

Keep calm and fly on

More recently, I have attempted to pray for people in the present administration. Private prayer, I realized once again, does a lot more good than passive criticism. But aside from communicating with the Super Power that makes all other “super powers” look pathetic, there isn’t much that I can do personally – unless of course you have some suggestions.

Here’s the situation: The American people will have to deal with the American government in the years to come. I wish them well, and plan to focus primarily on my own country and my own life.

Over to Asia. Sadly, as you probably know, Air Asia has been in the news as of late because of a missing plane which was found today in pieces in the Java Sea. When a plane goes down, anywhere in the world, anxiety usually goes way up – up, up, and away. These stories capture our imagination. And stress sets in. Yes, planes crash from time to time. We all know this happens. And when planes crash, people die.

But again, what am I going to do about this tragic situation? Not much. I feel bad for the people on that plane and for the families affected. But what can I do to fix this situation or avoid one like it in the future? Very little. Should I now resolve to walk everywhere? Would that help? Should I boycott flying and paddle my canoe to the other side of the ocean? Would that be the answer? Should I stay home and stay inside and never leave again?

Any other creative suggestions? Just looking for answers and options.

The only real option, as far as I can tell, is to keep on living and keep on flying from time to time because that is what I need to do. Keep calm, as they say, and fly on. That’s the only realistic option.

The idea, of course, isn’t to do nothing about problems and significant perils that wise people routinely make sure they prepare for. This lone resolution, rather, is all about picking appropriate problems, while ignoring millions of others, and then going to work. This suggested resolution raises two important questions: (1) What do I need to pay less attention to in the new year? and, (2) What do I need to pay more attention to in 2015?

How about you? How would you begin to answer these questions? Which pressing problems or projects require your focused and personal attention in the coming days?

Getting to the other side

Getting to the other sideQuestions to consider:

So, where are you at right now in your life?

Are you standing on the shore, standing still, when you should be out there on the sea?

Are you wondering where you should be sailing to in the first place?

Are you thinking that you don’t have much to offer, much to give?

Are you feeling like your journey doesn’t matter?

Where are you at right now in your life?

Are you pursuing your potential in every way?

Are you planning to make a difference, working to reach your destination?

Are you struggling simple to stay afloat?

Where are you at right now?

Wherever you are, I hope that this website will help you get to where you need to be, help you take the next step, help you make it – eventually – to the other side.

Finding what you are looking for

Arriving at your destination

One advantage of the Internet is that an incredible amount of information is instantly available. One disadvantage of the Internet, and many websites for that matter, is that an incredible amount of information is instantly available.

Where do you begin? How do you find the specific information that you are looking for?

More to the point: How do you avoid having a nervous breakdown in the process of your exciting journey of discovery? Spend too much time on the Internet and before too long your brain starts to shut down.

Entering this website is like opening a book. You could spend the same amount of time reading here as it would take you to work through a 300 or so page book. If you want to do that, fine. But if not, here are a few questions to consider in order to determine where to begin:

1. Are you here because you are young and have no idea what to do with your life?

If so, may I suggest beginning by trying to gain an overview of the task that is ahead. In other words, identify the steps that you will need to take in order to move ahead in your life. Imagine that you are watching your life from very high up and from very far away. At the moment, you notice that you seem to be standing still. Would it concern you if you were still standing still, stuck, frozen in place, five years from now? If it would, you will need to take some time and work hard now to prevent that from happening.

From there, go to the “Discover” section and work your way through what you find. While it is all important, pay close attention to the part about identifying your personality type as you begin.

In the near future, a more complete online career-planning tool will be offered at Career & Life Direction for a small fee. This resource is something you may want to take advantage of when it arrives in September 2012.

2. Are you here because you are a little older and very frustrated with your situation in life?

What you may need right now is some encouragement at an emotional level more than anything else. If you are deeply discouraged, if you have been wounded to the core, words of affirmation and encouragement and perspective might benefit you the most. You will need more than words, but words can help. You will need time to heal and rest and recover before you can launch out again on an exciting new adventure.

You will also need other people. You will need people who understand you and who are interested in your life. Interested in your future. Interested in your dreams. Wanting to be alone during a difficult time is understandable; it is sometimes necessary. Be careful, however, not to stay in a solitary state for too long. Find ways to make meaningful connections with other people. The “Connect” section on this site can help you do just that.

3. Are you here because you need help making a specific career or life direction decision?

If that is your situation, if would be prudent to talk to somebody you can trust about the details of the various opportunities before you. One way to organize your thoughts before hand, is to take a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle, and then write down possible positive and negative results. Do this for each individual option. Then, when you meet with your friend or mentor, you will be more prepared to talk about the decision that you will soon need to make.

Nobody to talk to? Sometimes confusion is present because you may not have a clear vision of where you are going or how you are going to get there. I have personally worked through a couple career-planning books which helped give me a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life. But this takes a long time. And not everyone enjoys sitting alone by themselves for hours on end reading and reflecting.

For now, try to separate your career and life planning into two separate categories: short-term and long-term. If you don’t have a fairly firm long-term plan at the moment, I would recommend that you avoid making any major decisions until you do. At the same time, be sure to make the best possible short-term decisions that you can.

Belief and doubt

When it comes to choosing a career or life direction you will often, if not always, have to deal with “believers” and “doubters”.

In my experience, these two words were usually brought up in the context of discussing the truth claims, or at least the perceived claims, of Christianity. The implied message I often picked up from many of the power-people in my culture, was that “doubt” was by and large a good word and “belief” was bad. The connection was so common, it was almost like a children’s story about what sound a cow made, etc.