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Calling All Years Good: Christian Vocation throughout Life's Seasons
A uniquely comprehensive discussion of vocation from infancy to old age
Do infants have a vocation? Do Alzheimer's patients? In popular culture, vocation is often reduced to adult work or church ministry. Rarely do we consider childhood or old age as crucial times for commencing or culminating a life of faith in response to God's calling.
This book addresses that gap by showing how vocation emerges and evolves over the course of an entire lifetime. The authors cover six of life's distinct seasons, weaving together personal narrative, developmental theory, case studies, and spiritual practices. Calling All Years Good grounds the discussion of vocation in concrete realities and builds a cohesive framework for understanding calling throughout all of life.
Do infants have a vocation? Do Alzheimer's patients? In popular culture, vocation is often reduced to adult work or church ministry. Rarely do we consider childhood or old age as crucial times for commencing or culminating a life of faith in response to God's calling.
This book addresses that gap by showing how vocation emerges and evolves over the course of an entire lifetime. The authors cover six of life's distinct seasons, weaving together personal narrative, developmental theory, case studies, and spiritual practices. Calling All Years Good grounds the discussion of vocation in concrete realities and builds a cohesive framework for understanding calling throughout all of life.
244 pages, Paperback
Published July 5, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 21, 2018
Examines the issue of vocation/calling in each stage of life from childhood through to late adulthood and end of life concerns. I felt the first chapter overview by Cahalan was worth the price--it gave a broader perspective of vocational stewardship than I have seen elsewhere, applicable to all of life's seasons.
April 26, 2020
"Calling All Years Good" is a collection of essays on how vocation changes throughout life's stages. I read this as part of a graduate course on vocation and discernment.
The authors are practical theologians, psychologists, and educators. Together they examine how God's call to the individual is unique and, indeed, very good, at each season of life: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood, and older adulthood. The book is introduced by Kathleen Cahalan of St John's University, Minnesota. Her opening chapter, "Callings over a Lifetime" was one of the strongest chapters of the book. Jane Patterson, an exegetical theologian, intersperses scriptural meditations throughout the book, ending each chapter with a few pages of reflection on a particular Bible character who fit into the life stage just explored by the previous author.
There was much useful material in the collection; the authors freely draw from contemporary (and older) sociological and psychological research; they integrate the biblical meditations throughout their essays; they give the minister and teacher plenty to think about when it comes to counseling, preaching, teaching, and spiritual direction; and the book should be a useful as an aid to introspective spiritual work for the reader herself or himself.
Some of the essays were theologically uneven; occasionally during my reading I forgot I was reading something published by Eerdman's. Overall I do not think there was enough theological reflection; the biblical interludes were doubtlessly included to fill this hole, but they served more as distractions or, in the case of the final one, as deflections of real theological engagement. Patterson ends the book with a chapter on "resurrection" in the Bible. At one point she writes, "Resurrection of those who have died for their faith is a way of speaking about how a just God can still bring justice to an unjust situation, even after the person in question has died. Resurrection is God's vindication of the righteous after their unjust death, and the vindication of God's Messiah is the primary understanding of the significance of Jesus's resurrection in the New Testament Gospels." Christ's resurrection is, indeed, God's vindication of the Son. Yet resurrection is not only a way of "speaking," and its primary understanding in the New Testament is not only "vindication." The dead Jesus became alive again and made his appearance to the women and to many disciples. His appearance means He is Lord and God. It means He is the "firstfruits" of those who have fallen asleep. The Fathers pictured Him as the first Man to climb out of a deep pit. Now He leans over the side and helps each one of us escape. Resurrection is a sure and certain hope, a clear picture of triumph in Christ, a song of victory over death. Patterson has reduced it to a "way of speaking" about justice. This soft, politically correct view of resurrection, undoubtedly influenced by post-modern, secular leanings, is not the confession of the Faith of the Apostles. It's a weak final chapter of an otherwise helpful, though at times uneven, book.
The authors are practical theologians, psychologists, and educators. Together they examine how God's call to the individual is unique and, indeed, very good, at each season of life: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood, and older adulthood. The book is introduced by Kathleen Cahalan of St John's University, Minnesota. Her opening chapter, "Callings over a Lifetime" was one of the strongest chapters of the book. Jane Patterson, an exegetical theologian, intersperses scriptural meditations throughout the book, ending each chapter with a few pages of reflection on a particular Bible character who fit into the life stage just explored by the previous author.
There was much useful material in the collection; the authors freely draw from contemporary (and older) sociological and psychological research; they integrate the biblical meditations throughout their essays; they give the minister and teacher plenty to think about when it comes to counseling, preaching, teaching, and spiritual direction; and the book should be a useful as an aid to introspective spiritual work for the reader herself or himself.
Some of the essays were theologically uneven; occasionally during my reading I forgot I was reading something published by Eerdman's. Overall I do not think there was enough theological reflection; the biblical interludes were doubtlessly included to fill this hole, but they served more as distractions or, in the case of the final one, as deflections of real theological engagement. Patterson ends the book with a chapter on "resurrection" in the Bible. At one point she writes, "Resurrection of those who have died for their faith is a way of speaking about how a just God can still bring justice to an unjust situation, even after the person in question has died. Resurrection is God's vindication of the righteous after their unjust death, and the vindication of God's Messiah is the primary understanding of the significance of Jesus's resurrection in the New Testament Gospels." Christ's resurrection is, indeed, God's vindication of the Son. Yet resurrection is not only a way of "speaking," and its primary understanding in the New Testament is not only "vindication." The dead Jesus became alive again and made his appearance to the women and to many disciples. His appearance means He is Lord and God. It means He is the "firstfruits" of those who have fallen asleep. The Fathers pictured Him as the first Man to climb out of a deep pit. Now He leans over the side and helps each one of us escape. Resurrection is a sure and certain hope, a clear picture of triumph in Christ, a song of victory over death. Patterson has reduced it to a "way of speaking" about justice. This soft, politically correct view of resurrection, undoubtedly influenced by post-modern, secular leanings, is not the confession of the Faith of the Apostles. It's a weak final chapter of an otherwise helpful, though at times uneven, book.
February 7, 2024
This book is separated into life's stages: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood, and older adulthood. First off, the definition of calling is broadened to expand beyond what a lot of us think of calling is in being related to vocation/career/work, etc. However, the definition is just simply what it means to be a Christian. After reading the introduction I was confused as to why this was not a "how to follow Jesus" type book. But then you start reading. The childhood chapter, written by Bonnie J. Miller-Mclemore was incredible. It brought up some great points and gave practical ways for church's to better their ministry towards children and gave examples of what is not helpful.
Unfortunately, after this chapter it started to go downhill. The adolescent chapter was okay, but after that I became very frustrated. The book felt so secular! And! even with that, the conclusions the authors were drawing were all obvious. I didn't feel like I was learning anything different than I have already drawn conclusions about in American society, and it even became at times, to be against Christianity or at least not promoting what it means to follow Christ. I didn't think they tied God's "calling" to especially the young, middle, and late adulthood chapters. There was no ministry support or evidence of failures/successes, etc. Overall, I would not recommend, I am very sorry to the authors. I know yall worked really hard, but I am sorry this book was just not marketed or titled well in my opinion.
Unfortunately, after this chapter it started to go downhill. The adolescent chapter was okay, but after that I became very frustrated. The book felt so secular! And! even with that, the conclusions the authors were drawing were all obvious. I didn't feel like I was learning anything different than I have already drawn conclusions about in American society, and it even became at times, to be against Christianity or at least not promoting what it means to follow Christ. I didn't think they tied God's "calling" to especially the young, middle, and late adulthood chapters. There was no ministry support or evidence of failures/successes, etc. Overall, I would not recommend, I am very sorry to the authors. I know yall worked really hard, but I am sorry this book was just not marketed or titled well in my opinion.
June 18, 2018
I read this collection of essay about vocation and different life phases in preparation for a reunion of the NetVUE Faculty Seminar that I attended last summer, and it was a perfect way to find my way back to these discussions after a year of administrative duties that took me away from them. (Not to mention, the ability to reflect on the issues raised with a fabulous community of folks working on these issues at other institutions!) I especially appreciated how the various authors considering the shifting nature of vocation, calling, purpose, and community as we age. It both affirmed experiences I've had (and am having) and opened up insights into what might be coming. Even more so, though, it provides us with a way to think about vocation as embodied, which I'm finding especially helpful as I begin to think more about vocation in relation to LGBTQ folks.
January 8, 2026
This unique work walks us through the human Lifespan, looking at each phase with a focus on a since of vocation. The authors treat vocation in its classical sense: what does God call us to, and how does that shift as we move through the stages of life. While the writing is clunky at times, the concepts are rich and important. Definitely worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews