Leadership Library Spotlight
by on Oct 16th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Book: The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life
Author: Os Guinness
As you continue to read books throughout the course of your lifetime, you might find yourself categorizing books by quality. There are books that make you feel upset because you actually paid someone money to read them. There are books that have good points, but will probably do nothing more than collect dust on a shelf in your home or office for the rest of eternity. There are books that challenge your thinking and deserve to be referenced on a number of occasions in the future.
Then there are books that demand additional readings to fully grasp the treasures that rest within their pages.
Os Guinness’ book, The Call, fits that final category for me. I did not find myself embracing every word that he said, but I did find that he makes compelling argument after compelling argument in chapter after chapter. He forces readers to understand the logical conclusions that accompany their presuppositions, and his knowledge of history and philosophy add layers of understanding to his points.
This book will attempt to make us think about why we exist, and how we can know what we are to do with the short lives that we are given. For Christians, this quest brings with it questions of finding the right job, the right spouse, the right ministries, and the right role in each stage of life. His suggestions will surprise you, and though he will not offer verse-by-verse expositions of Scripture in his text, he will at least warn you of the extremes that can occur from incomplete thinking on the issue of purpose.
As soon as I read the book, the first thing I did was read it again. A third reading soon followed, and now I am working through this book with my staff because I want to see them wrestle with the larger issues of life while they are still young and can take advantage of applying their youth to God’s call.
Whether you ultimately find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with Guinness’ thesis, you will at least benefit from the challenges that he will throw at your arguments.