Defining this “super-spiritual” word

I can’t remember when I first heard the term calling. I just know that by the time I got to seminary at age twenty-four, I was using the word to describe why I was there and why I picked the particular seminary I attended.

Why did I come to this seminary? Simple. “God called me here,” I replied, to knowing nods and murmurs.

By then, I had marinated in Christian subculture for long enough that I think the word had just seeped into my vocabulary. Growing up in church, I heard missionaries talk about how they were called to specific countries and people groups. I heard my pastors talk about how they had been called to (or away from) our church. In college, I probably heard chapel speakers talk about the importance of following God’s call. I also talked with friends who had been dumped by a boyfriend or girlfriend who felt God “telling” them to do it. (Of the validity of that last “calling,” I was often skeptical.)

As a Christian, calling definitely seemed like a super-spiritual word. A “call” from God implied a close relationship with him. Who wouldn’t want to hear from God directly? Plus, using the word calling raised the speaker and his or her behavior above dispute. How do you argue with someone who claims to act on the voice of the Lord?

As I continued through seminary and then into vocational ministry, I heard and used calling frequently. I heard it used in so many ways, however, that I wasn’t actually sure what it meant. And as I progressed through different stages of my own life, I continued to wrestle with calling: both what it was in general and what mine was.

So, what is calling, really? Can it be defined?

Defining Calling

In Scripture, calling is a ...

Continue reading...

As hardships come, you have 1 of 3 options.

This was not how things were supposed to work out.

Every night for a year, my husband and I had prayed that God would direct us to the right place in his right timing. Based on our own prayers as well as confirmation from others, it seemed that the “right place” would be a church where Dave could serve as senior pastor, giving him more opportunities to exercise his gifts of preaching and shepherding. Now that we had two little boys, we also desired to be closer to family. We told God that we would go anywhere he led us (and we meant it!), but that we would love to end up somewhere in the southeastern United States, ideally within three hours of Dave’s parents.

We explored options around the country. We prayed, waited, and sought counsel from wise and mature believers. We continued to serve faithfully in our current ministries. We prayed and waited some more.

Twelve months later, our little family made the 1,200-mile journey from Minnesota to our new church in North Carolina—just two and a half hours from our sons’ beloved Nana and Papa—where Dave would serve as lead pastor. We felt God had clearly answered our earnest prayers, as evidenced by all sorts of confirmations that seemed like way more than coincidence. I mean, at the boarding gate for our flight home from our interview weekend, we discovered that our pilot “happened” to be a friend who first came up to Dave a year earlier and said he felt God was preparing my husband for a lead pastoral role!

We were over-the-moon excited. We felt we had come home, and we thought we’d be at that church and in that city for life.

Yet three years in, our dream situation had turned to a nightmare. Our church was slowly dying, our marriage ...

Continue reading...

Preaching Today provides pastors and preachers sermon prep help with sermon illustrations, sermons, sermon ideas, and preaching articles.

How ideas and encouragement to adapt your craft, care for your soul, and shepherd your people during this challenging season.

Incarnational preaching and connection creates a stronger community.

Preaching with heart: A case for emotion in expository preaching.

Know what's being discussed on CT Women, Christianity Today's special section for women. We report on news and give our opinion on topics such as church, family, sexuality, discipleship, pop culture, and more!

Successful students remember the professors who guided them.

Angie Ward discusses cultivating leadership amid ever-changing responsibilities.

Biblical principles are shaping best practices.

As you prepare for record-breaking numbers, bring us your heart and hope.

A vocation of ministry isn’t just for churches and nonprofits.

Introducing the first-ever biblically-based and research-based disaster spiritual and emotional care intervention, manual, and summit.

From Bible studies to streaming services, find hope in this uncertain season.

These institutions are important. But they must change.

Join NT Wright, Danielle Strickland, Efrem Smith, and others at the Spiritual First Aid Summit.

Insights from the Spiritual First Aid Summit

As COVID-19 sends the globe into crisis, it also sends us to our knees.

Film reviews, interviews and commentary from Christianity Today.

‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ taught us to love—not fear—our neighbor.

What the new Netflix drama can teach us about the interdependency of orthodoxy and reform.

The real story is not whether the four young women will marry, but whether they will become better people.

The problem is, which one?

The author of the book behind the new film ‘Just Mercy’ shows the church a way forward.

What Christians might take away from a godless but moral imagining of the afterlife (and after-afterlife).

What the Oscar-nominated film teaches us about classism, fear, and dependence on God.

The Eubank family offers food, shelter, and medicine on the frontlines in Iraq and Burma.

As one of Jerusalem’s most ancient Christian celebrations is threatened by COVID-19, a brother-sister filmmaking team helps viewers experience the “Narnia” of their missionary-kid youth.

Faith-driven streaming services can’t compete with the ever-growing number of entertainment giants flooding into homes. Maybe they don’t have to.

The latest reviews, news, interviews, and commentary from Christianity Today.

How the pastor of a small, nondenominational Bible church ended up in Kanye’s circle.

Artists and storytellers cultivate beauty and mystery. So do teachers, parents, and church potluck planners.

When I visited Kanye's Sunday Service, I was met by contradiction, a mix of characters, and a spiritual lesson.

Mix up your holiday listening with releases from Phil Wickham, Audrey Assad, and others.

Listen: Immigrant congregations bring diverse worship to the Lutheran Midwest.

How do you pay your bills, change the world, and be true to yourself—all at once?

The Grammy-award winning teen’s dark music can help us have necessary conversations with our children.

A tribute to a pathbreaking Pentecostal historian who also knew the value of a cannoli to a grad student.

Can people of color work in white spaces without getting pushed out, burned out, or sold out?

The group’s latest album offers a timely message for this global moment.

Question: What is the biblical hope and comfort we can offer a suicide victim's family and friends? —name withheld

Consejos de cristianos en la “Antioquía de Asia” sobre cómo su congregación puede sobrevivir (y prosperar) en medio del brote de COVID-19.

Wisdom from Singapore, Spain, Italy, Korea, Brazil, Martin Luther, BSF, Tish Harrison Warren, Screwtape, and more.