Calling: A Song for the Baptized

by Caroline A. Westerhoff

The author begins her exploration of the Christian life with the memory of childhood afternoons spent rocking in green wicker chairs on her grandmother's front porch, listening to the stories of women who came to call. The image of calling as baptismal vocation, the sharing of time and conversation, the vision that informs our choices and actions is vividly described through Westerhoff's stories drawn from her life and work. Narratives of what it means to live as a Christian provide the variations on the baptismal themes of ministry, community, and responsibility in this "song for the baptized."

172 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[Rivkah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought Westerhoff's book was a nice read. Definitely structured in a daily devotional type manner. It was mostly her personal viewpoints on God and how He worked through her personal experiences, and she made little Biblical references to support her impressions which I feel is bothersome, not because her impressions are wrong, but because if they are spirit based we should be able to support them Biblically and as a minister I felt that Westerhoff should have done that.

[Joey Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really great book about all the different ways we, as Christians, are called to live out our baptismal covenants. Each essay in this book can be approached separately, but the experience of the book read as a whole is a moving and insightful.
There is a lot to get from reading this, much can be gotten from a quick read, but even more can be gained when you linger and explore the implications of some of these reflections. Simply mind-opening.