My Favorite Books

The Walking Drum
Ender's Game
Dune
Jhereg
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Curse of Chalion
The Name of the Wind
Chronicles of the Black Company
The Faded Sun Trilogy
The Tar-Aiym Krang

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Review: Calling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership

Calling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership Calling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership by Scott Pace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A helpful guide to those who feel called to service in the [Christian] Church. I would be included in that category as I am currently in formation to be a deacon with a strong desire to properly discern that calling. With that said, this was not entirely what I was expecting or wanted, but it was still very helpful to my discernment process. The authors start the discussion by looking at “The Call” or 1) The concept of calling, 2) the current state of ministry and 3) practical ways to cultivate an environment for discernment … most of which I found relatively intuitive, but it was good to have them down in writing. 

I was particularly interested in the steps prescribed to “confirm your calling” that looks at your desire, gifts. external affirmation, check your motivations and clarify your understanding of the call … I would submit that overwhelming desire (which to me sounds very self centered) could be related with an inexorable pull to serve in a manner consistent with your gifts … because as a PK, I was painfully aware of what service means and would frankly desire a different path if possible.

The second part looks at how the Spirit works as Our Companion, Counselor, Comforter and Conqueror (that later being something of a stretch IMHO) before getting into some very practical advise on how to survive the call to ministry … and balancing family with ministry. In general I think it was all good advice. So … if you think that you have a calling, this book will pretty a solid foundation.

Introduction: Calling Out The Callers

Chapter 1: Wrestling with the Call
Chapter 2: Abiding in Christ
Chapter 3: Loving the Scriptures
Chapter 4: Being Men and Women of Prayer
Chapter 5: Being Should Winners
Chapter 6: Loving the Church
Chapter 7: Relying on the Spirit
Chapter 8: Serving Others
Chapter 9: Balancing Family and Ministry
Chapter 10: Persevering Ministry
Chapter 11: Preparing for entry

Conclusion: How to Give an Invitation for Calling Out the Called

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#CallingOuttheCalled #NetGalley.

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My Ratings Explained ...

  • [ ***** ] Amazing Read - Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors; a favorite that I can re-read many times.
  • [ **** ] Great Read - Highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Some aspect of the story was new/refreshing to me and/or intriguing. Recommended for everyone.
  • [ *** ] Good Read - Solid story with a 'good' ending, or has some other redeeming feature. Limited character development and/or over reliance on tropes. Noticeable discrepancies in world building and/or dialog/behavior that were distracting. I connected enough with the characters/world to read the entire series. Most of the books I read for fun are here. Recommended for fans of the genre.
  • [ ** ] Okay Read - Suitable for a brief, afternoon escape … flat or shallow characters with little to no development. Over the top character dialog and/or behavior. Poor world building with significant issues and/or mistakes indicating poor research. Excessive use of trivial detail, info dumps and/or pontification. Any issues with the story/characters are offset by some other aspect that I enjoyed. Not very memorable. May only appeal to a niche group of readers. Recommended for some (YMMV).
  • [ * ] Bad Read - Awkward and/or confusing writing style. Poor world building and/or unbelievable (or unlikeable) characters. Victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. I didn't connect with the story at all; significant aspects of this story irritated me enough that I struggled to finished it. Series was abandoned. Not recommended.