After our discussion on “calling” about a month ago, I talked with Shandel and we came up with some more definitive thoughts.  None of this is great insight from us, but I think gets us closer to how God would have us see our “callings” in this world.  I’d love your thoughts on it as we continue the dialogue and the quest for following and serving Him with our lives. 

First, we all probably use the word “calling” a bit too liberally and people end up thinking it is something that they MUST FIND…so they end up seeking “calling” instead of seeking the Lord.  This we must guard against!! 

Second, I think the Lord does have a “Calling” (capital C calling) for each of us individually that pertains to our vocation and/or our ministry service, but not much else.  In this case, Calling means (this is a loose, not well researched, Heather Flodstrom definition–so don’t put stock in it!) a direction from God to us individually about what we’re supposed to do or how we’re supposed to operate for the Kingdom.  That Calling should encompass at least some of our spiritual gifts, and we should be rockin’ when we’re working/serving in it.  (I continue to have a question about whether this type of Calling can change as we move through life and I’m pretty sure the answer is yes…but it will be interesting to see as life progresses.) 

Third, I know that ALL of us have “callings” (small c callings) and those are spelled out throughout the Bible and are the directives of how we’re supposed to live as Christians, i.e., honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12), love one another (John 13:34), provide for your family (1 Timothy 5:8), spread the gospel (The Great Commission – Matthew 28:19-20), honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10), etc.  There are MANY of them and these are things that we are ALL ‘called’ to do as Christians and we must live them out everyday. 

If that all makes sense, then I think the answer to my question about whether we have calling in all areas of our lives is yes–but they’re not capital-C Callings in all areas–some are small-c callings that transcend all areas of our lives.  AND, (a wise piece of wisdom from Shandel) we must make sure that we don’t forgo living out our small-c callings ALL the time in order to live out our capital-C Calling.  Because if we’re not operating on the foundation of being a Christian, then it doesn’t matter if we are doing what God has given us as our individual direction in work/ministry/life. 

Folks,

Shandel asked that I post the following.  If you are interested, please contact either Shandel or myself. 
Respected Leaders Help Others “Lead Like Jesus” — Live Via Satellite!
When it comes to leaders in leadership, there are many choices: CEOs, coaches, professors, politicians. The shelves of the local bookstore are filled with their leadership insights. Yet the most revolutionary leader – and the only perfect one — walked the Earth 2000 years ago.


“After studying both the theory and practice of leadership for more than 35 years, I have found that Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest leadership role model of all times,” said author Ken Blanchard, co-founder of Lead Like Jesus.
 
In conjunction with Church Communication Network (CCN), Aurora Church of the Nazarene is presenting Lead Like Jesus Now: The Leadership Revolution on Friday, October 19 at time — live via satellite on CCN. The outstanding array of business and church leaders scheduled to speak includes:
 

• Ken Blanchard, Co-founder, Lead Like Jesus; co-author of The One-Minute Manager
• Erwin McManus, Lead pastor, Mosaic Church; author of Soul Cravings.
• John Ortberg, Teaching Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; best-selling author of The Life You’ve Always Wanted
• Nancy Ortberg, former Teaching Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church; founder of Teamwork2
• Laurie Beth Jones, best-selling author of Jesus, CEO
• Rosey Grier, former professional football player; founder, Impact Urban America
• Margie Blanchard, Co-founder, The Ken Blanchard Companies; author of Working Well: Managing for Health and High Performance
• Bill Pollard, former CEO, The ServiceMaster Company
• Phil Hodges, Vice Chairman and Director of Product Development, The Center for Faithwalk Leadership; co-author of The Servant Leader
• Patrick Lencioni, Founder, The Table Group; best-selling author, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team
• Phyllis Hendry, President, Lead Like Jesus
  

“Lead Like Jesus brings together some of the best leadership practitioners in the world,” says Bill Dallas, founder and president of CCN. “This broadcast will challenge people to grow as leaders. We’re proud to host Lead Like Jesus Now: The Leadership Revolution exclusively on CCN.”
 
Lead Like Jesus Now: The Leadership Revolution is presented by Lead Like Jesus, an organization co-founded by Blanchard and dedicated to inspiring and equipping people to adopt the servant-leadership model of Jesus Christ. For more information, go to www.leadlikejesus.com.

Aurora Church of the Nazarene
1900 North 175th Street, Shoreline, WA  98133

Founded in 1998, CCN provides more than 150 satellite events per year to churches. With a desire to help local churches become continually more effective, Silicon Valley-based CCN focuses on providing leadership training, special events, and outreach opportunities for member churches throughout North America. For more information about CCN, visit www.ccn.tv