Rating: 
Summary: Start Your Search Here...
Review: Os Guinness provides the reader a broad spectrum of how finding and fulfiling the central purpose of our life is possible.He provides us with a good definition of Calling. "Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service. (1)" Why Calling is important and urgent. "The notion of calling, or vocation, is vital to each of us because it touches on the modern search for a basis for individual identity and an understanding of humanness itself. (3)" Guides on our search for the Call. "Words are the deepest, fullest expression is which God now discloses himself to us, beginning with his calling us. So it is in listening to him, trusting him, and to obeying him when he calls that we "let God be God" in all his awe and majesty. (8)" How knowing our Calling will transforms ourself and the community we live in. "Calling transforms life so that even the commonplace and menial are invested with the splendor of the ordinary. (22)" In short, this book is crucial for those who are keen to know their purpose in life.
Rating:
Summary: So true to those who have been on the road of searching !
Review: Os guinness sagaciously described in words a journey walked by those who are serious about this life on earth. If you are a thinker who is not satified with "peer advice," you probably would feel this book very inviting. It is a very fun book for those who seek the deep bottom of the ocean of life. Going deep under the surface by no means equals to going down. Instead, searching for the fundamental meaning and the ultimate satisfication may motivate us to soar upwards -- if we allow the real answers to guide. The final answer may well indeed lay outside the human radius. The good news, however, is that it is not beyond our reach -- if we truly want to embrace the truth. Reading Guiness' "The Call" may help you to leave the plateau where you have desired to leave for a while. (Ps. I have no personal relationship to the author or to the publisher. I just enjoyed reading it very much :-) Yet, I don't mind at all if I will get paid because of some good words I said about this book. :-)
Rating:
Summary: So true to those who have been on the road of searching !
Review: Os guinness sagaciously described in words a journey walked by those who are serious about this life on earth. If you are a thinker who is not satified with "peer advice," you probably would feel this book very inviting. It is a very fun book for those who seek the deep bottom of the ocean of life. Going deep under the surface by no means equals to going down. Instead, searching for the fundamental meaning and the ultimate satisfication may motivate us to soar upwards -- if we allow the real answers to guide. The final answer may well indeed lay outside the human radius. The good news, however, is that it is not beyond our reach -- if we truly want to embrace the truth. Reading Guiness' "The Call" may help you to leave the plateau where you have desired to leave for a while. (Ps. I have no personal relationship to the author or to the publisher. I just enjoyed reading it very much :-) Yet, I don't mind at all if I will get paid because of some good words I said about this book. :-)
Rating:
Summary: So true to those who have been on the road of searching !
Review: Os guinness sagaciously described in words a journey walked by those who are serious about this life on earth. If you are a thinker who is not satified with "peer advice," you probably would feel this book very inviting. It is a very fun book for those who seek the deep bottom of the ocean of life. Going deep under the surface by no means equals to going down. Instead, searching for the fundamental meaning and the ultimate satisfication may motivate us to soar upwards -- if we allow the real answers to guide. The final answer may well indeed lay outside the human radius. The good news, however, is that it is not beyond our reach -- if we truly want to embrace the truth. Reading Guiness' "The Call" may help you to leave the plateau where you have desired to leave for a while. (Ps. I have no personal relationship to the author or to the publisher. I just enjoyed reading it very much :-) Yet, I don't mind at all if I will get paid because of some good words I said about this book. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book That Challenges You to Think and Evaluate!
Review: Some earlier reviews commented on the difficulty of the book's writing style. Personally, I found it to be mentally and spiritually challenging! I am concerned about how our hurried society has dictated not only how we live, but also how we think. God has given us a brain - we must use it! Admittingly, the book is profound. However, when read devotionally ( a chapter a day like "My Utmost For His Highest"), the reader is encouraged to think about what was read and how to apply the chapter to everyday living. I personally thought some of Guinness' better points were: 1. Be devoted to Jesus instead of your service to Jesus.
2. Be inner-directed by God than other-directed by the
opinions of others (what God thinks matters most!).
3. God calls us to a life of faith.
4. Deliberate spend time in solitude with God.
5. Glorify God in the ordinary things of life.
6. A sense of calling keeps us focused when modern-day
life threatens to tear us apart.
7. Taking God's call seriously means we will pay the
price of being abused and treated as fools by those
who do not understand. All in all, an excellent read! To use the old saying: "be ready to put on your thinking cap" when reading this one!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book That Challenges You to Think and Evaluate!
Review: Some earlier reviews commented on the difficulty of the book's writing style. Personally, I found it to be mentally and spiritually challenging! I am concerned about how our hurried society has dictated not only how we live, but also how we think. God has given us a brain - we must use it! Admittingly, the book is profound. However, when read devotionally ( a chapter a day like "My Utmost For His Highest"), the reader is encouraged to think about what was read and how to apply the chapter to everyday living. I personally thought some of Guinness' better points were: 1. Be devoted to Jesus instead of your service to Jesus.
2. Be inner-directed by God than other-directed by the
opinions of others (what God thinks matters most!).
3. God calls us to a life of faith.
4. Deliberate spend time in solitude with God.
5. Glorify God in the ordinary things of life.
6. A sense of calling keeps us focused when modern-day
life threatens to tear us apart.
7. Taking God's call seriously means we will pay the
price of being abused and treated as fools by those
who do not understand. All in all, an excellent read! To use the old saying: "be ready to put on your thinking cap" when reading this one!
Rating:
Summary: Very good read
Review: The previous reviews are pretty good. I found the book to be refreshing. A couple extra points: The style, making heavy use of quotations and super-condensed stories, can make the reading difficult. But if read in short spurts (devotional manner), this is less of an issue. Each chapter is pretty much self contained and this book should not be read like a novel - too much of a whirlwind to read from cover to cover. Guinness is not only a great scholar of history, but he is very keen analyzer. He helps point out how Christian faith/thought has played a huge role in shaping history since the first century, a point that is often overlooked or underemphasized in today's modern, secular environent. I think it is great that he draws on extra-biblical historical figures for examples. There is no shortage of resources for studying Biblical characters. But Christian scholars skilled in both theology and non-theological fields are relatively rare, especially those who can popularize their scholarship. And general history is a great starting point from which to engage non-Christians in thoughtful discussion. How many scientists realize that Newton and Keppler were men of faith who wrote quite a bit on theology? I also appreciate Guinness' criticism of the modern church. It is helpful to attempt to step outside our current environment and view modernity from a historical perspective, and how modernity affects the church. Guinness criticizes Christian ghettos, privatized faith, over-alignment with political parties, among other things. I enjoyed his explanations of the "Protestant Distortion" (over-emphasizing work) and "Catholic Distortion" (falsely elevating the contemplative life). If you're unsure about buying the book, you can read the first few pages and get a very accurate feel for the style and content of the rest of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Very good read
Review: The previous reviews are pretty good. I found the book to be refreshing. A couple extra points: The style, making heavy use of quotations and super-condensed stories, can make the reading difficult. But if read in short spurts (devotional manner), this is less of an issue. Each chapter is pretty much self contained and this book should not be read like a novel - too much of a whirlwind to read from cover to cover. Guinness is not only a great scholar of history, but he is very keen analyzer. He helps point out how Christian faith/thought has played a huge role in shaping history since the first century, a point that is often overlooked or underemphasized in today's modern, secular environent. I think it is great that he draws on extra-biblical historical figures for examples. There is no shortage of resources for studying Biblical characters. But Christian scholars skilled in both theology and non-theological fields are relatively rare, especially those who can popularize their scholarship. And general history is a great starting point from which to engage non-Christians in thoughtful discussion. How many scientists realize that Newton and Keppler were men of faith who wrote quite a bit on theology? I also appreciate Guinness' criticism of the modern church. It is helpful to attempt to step outside our current environment and view modernity from a historical perspective, and how modernity affects the church. Guinness criticizes Christian ghettos, privatized faith, over-alignment with political parties, among other things. I enjoyed his explanations of the "Protestant Distortion" (over-emphasizing work) and "Catholic Distortion" (falsely elevating the contemplative life). If you're unsure about buying the book, you can read the first few pages and get a very accurate feel for the style and content of the rest of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good theology but tough reading
Review: This book came highly recommended, but I was not as impressed. Os shared important theology and what he has to say is certainly worth hearing. However, I didn't like the he quoted Friedrich Nietzsche more often than the Bible. I almost thought this was Os's attempt to write a book on Christian theology without quoting the Bible. Os could make a great contribution to the average Christian's understanding of his or her calling from God, but I don't think this book is going to do it.
Rating:
Summary: Good theology but tough reading
Review: This book came highly recommended, but I was not as impressed. Os shared important theology and what he has to say is certainly worth hearing. However, I didn't like the he quoted Friedrich Nietzsche more often than the Bible. I almost thought this was Os's attempt to write a book on Christian theology without quoting the Bible. Os could make a great contribution to the average Christian's understanding of his or her calling from God, but I don't think this book is going to do it.
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