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Called: Hearing and Responding to God's Voice
Throughout the Bible, God interrupts the lives of ordinary men and women, calling and empowering them to lives of service they never could have imagined on their own!
Discover how to hear and respond to the unique call God is placing on your life through the stories of ordinary people found in the Bible. Called will examine the lives of the Abraham, Samuel, Esther and Mary Magdalene, Jonah, and the beloved disciple.
The same God that called these unlikely characters calls you, too, to bring hope and transformation to the world.
Additional components are available for purchase separately to create a six-week group study include a DVD featuring Susan Robb and a comprehensive Leader Guide.
Discover how to hear and respond to the unique call God is placing on your life through the stories of ordinary people found in the Bible. Called will examine the lives of the Abraham, Samuel, Esther and Mary Magdalene, Jonah, and the beloved disciple.
The same God that called these unlikely characters calls you, too, to bring hope and transformation to the world.
Additional components are available for purchase separately to create a six-week group study include a DVD featuring Susan Robb and a comprehensive Leader Guide.
144 pages, Paperback
Published February 5, 2019
40 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 9, 2019
I was really intrigued by the title of this book, *Called: Hearing and Responding to God's Voice*. I have heard many stories of how people received and responded to the call of God in their lives, but I was curious to read whom the author of this book was going to highlight from Scripture and what lessons she would draw from her six examples.
The first thing I liked about this book was its small size. It's got just six chapters, contained in 144 pages. That means it can easily be covered in a seven-week Bible study with an introduction, followed by weekly reading assignments and discussion of each chapter. There's apparently a DVD by the same title available, along with a leader's guide to facilitate this usage of the book. However, those were not available for me to review.
The second thing I appreciated was the simplicity of the author's language and discussions. She used modern Bible translations and paraphrases and used an easy-to-follow conversational style of writing. She not only used a moderate amount of biblical references (mostly quoted in her chapters so you don't have to stop and look them up), but she also gave personal examples to illustrate her points.
I was quite familiar with each of the six examples of individuals who were called for a specific purpose--either for a season or for lifetime service. These included: Abraham, Samuel, Esther, Jonah, Mary Magdelene, and the beloved disciple from John's Gospel. However, the author added some information and interpretation of these accounts to provide fresh insights into who these folks were and how God chose to communicate His calling to them.
The reader should be aware that Susan Robb is a minister in the Methodist religion. As such, she mentions that denomination's practices of infant baptism and adolescent confirmation (traditions of that denomination that are nowhere mentioned in Scripture). Persons from other denominational backgrounds may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with this--along with the notion of women being ordained as ministers. Fortunately, those nuances of her particular flavor of Christianity don't necessarily detract from this study, unless you or someone in your study group chooses to take issue with those practices. If you are leading this study in a non-Methodist or ecumenical setting, you may be advised to offer a disclaimer and request that members focus on the topic of callings, rather than take a rabbit trail to discuss the pros and cons of those traditions.
One of my favorite things that the author brought up in this book was something she mentioned in her introduction and the conclusion of the book. Referring to what many call "the Great Commission" in Matthew 28:19-20, she said, "...while all who are followers of Christ have the same call [to make disciples], each person is gifted and called in unique ways to live out that call" (p. 10). She reinforces that thought with the differing examples of how God called people in both the Old and New Testaments, what He called them to do, and how they each responded. In her final chapter, she affirms this sense of both universal value and individual purpose, when she writes, "We don't have to be like everyone else, because while Jesus calls all of us to follow and love as he loves, the call he places on each of our lives is unique and carries us to different places" (p. 136).
If you are a seasoned saint familiar with God's call on your life and how he calls others, this book will likely not deliver many deep or profound revelations. It's really a very basic primer on the subject. But if you are or are working with some relatively new believers who may not know how to hear or recognize the Lord's leading, then this may be a good study to move you all from square one to a place where you or they start considering what God may be trying to communicate.
As slender as this volume is, I am not sure why Abingdon Press is charging $16.99 for this book. But, perhaps you can get it cheaper in volume, using a church discount or buying it on sale. If you want to go deeper into the subject of hearing God's voice, then I would suggest Loren Cunningham's book, *Is That Really You, God?*
The first thing I liked about this book was its small size. It's got just six chapters, contained in 144 pages. That means it can easily be covered in a seven-week Bible study with an introduction, followed by weekly reading assignments and discussion of each chapter. There's apparently a DVD by the same title available, along with a leader's guide to facilitate this usage of the book. However, those were not available for me to review.
The second thing I appreciated was the simplicity of the author's language and discussions. She used modern Bible translations and paraphrases and used an easy-to-follow conversational style of writing. She not only used a moderate amount of biblical references (mostly quoted in her chapters so you don't have to stop and look them up), but she also gave personal examples to illustrate her points.
I was quite familiar with each of the six examples of individuals who were called for a specific purpose--either for a season or for lifetime service. These included: Abraham, Samuel, Esther, Jonah, Mary Magdelene, and the beloved disciple from John's Gospel. However, the author added some information and interpretation of these accounts to provide fresh insights into who these folks were and how God chose to communicate His calling to them.
The reader should be aware that Susan Robb is a minister in the Methodist religion. As such, she mentions that denomination's practices of infant baptism and adolescent confirmation (traditions of that denomination that are nowhere mentioned in Scripture). Persons from other denominational backgrounds may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with this--along with the notion of women being ordained as ministers. Fortunately, those nuances of her particular flavor of Christianity don't necessarily detract from this study, unless you or someone in your study group chooses to take issue with those practices. If you are leading this study in a non-Methodist or ecumenical setting, you may be advised to offer a disclaimer and request that members focus on the topic of callings, rather than take a rabbit trail to discuss the pros and cons of those traditions.
One of my favorite things that the author brought up in this book was something she mentioned in her introduction and the conclusion of the book. Referring to what many call "the Great Commission" in Matthew 28:19-20, she said, "...while all who are followers of Christ have the same call [to make disciples], each person is gifted and called in unique ways to live out that call" (p. 10). She reinforces that thought with the differing examples of how God called people in both the Old and New Testaments, what He called them to do, and how they each responded. In her final chapter, she affirms this sense of both universal value and individual purpose, when she writes, "We don't have to be like everyone else, because while Jesus calls all of us to follow and love as he loves, the call he places on each of our lives is unique and carries us to different places" (p. 136).
If you are a seasoned saint familiar with God's call on your life and how he calls others, this book will likely not deliver many deep or profound revelations. It's really a very basic primer on the subject. But if you are or are working with some relatively new believers who may not know how to hear or recognize the Lord's leading, then this may be a good study to move you all from square one to a place where you or they start considering what God may be trying to communicate.
As slender as this volume is, I am not sure why Abingdon Press is charging $16.99 for this book. But, perhaps you can get it cheaper in volume, using a church discount or buying it on sale. If you want to go deeper into the subject of hearing God's voice, then I would suggest Loren Cunningham's book, *Is That Really You, God?*
May 31, 2021
This is the last book we'll be reading in a Bible Study with our current pastor. It was one that she chose... more or less randomly. It looked interesting and the price was right, basically.
I have to say: it was one of the better books we've read for one of these Bible studies. It focuses on six people from the Bible who were called: Abraham, Samuel, Esther, Jonah, Mary Magdalene and "the beloved disciple". There was a video accompanying the book that... sort of repeated/restated what was contained in each chapter. Some were similar enough that we almost stopped watching them. Then, we got to Jonah and decided to go ahead and listen to the last ones.
The writing style is very readable and her stories were relatable. By and large, I agreed with her take on each of the called people. I wasn't sure how I felt about her take on Jonah, but... well, after the study I saw that she did actually like him.
I especially enjoyed her take on "the beloved disciple" and I'm looking forward to seeing how my pastor feels about it. I think the idea that the disciple remains unnamed so that he's kind of a placeholder for us was neat!
Anyway: I highly recommend this book, if you're looking for a Bible study text. Go ahead and watch the videos for each session. They are just different enough from the reading to make it worth the viewing.
I have to say: it was one of the better books we've read for one of these Bible studies. It focuses on six people from the Bible who were called: Abraham, Samuel, Esther, Jonah, Mary Magdalene and "the beloved disciple". There was a video accompanying the book that... sort of repeated/restated what was contained in each chapter. Some were similar enough that we almost stopped watching them. Then, we got to Jonah and decided to go ahead and listen to the last ones.
The writing style is very readable and her stories were relatable. By and large, I agreed with her take on each of the called people. I wasn't sure how I felt about her take on Jonah, but... well, after the study I saw that she did actually like him.
I especially enjoyed her take on "the beloved disciple" and I'm looking forward to seeing how my pastor feels about it. I think the idea that the disciple remains unnamed so that he's kind of a placeholder for us was neat!
Anyway: I highly recommend this book, if you're looking for a Bible study text. Go ahead and watch the videos for each session. They are just different enough from the reading to make it worth the viewing.
September 15, 2019
We are all called by God. The book ask us to hear the call. As you read the book, it does not matter your age or what is in your past, it is the simple fact God is calling you. This is great for small group or individual. There is a DVD to use with the book and a leader’s guide with the scripture. I recommend this book for everyone to learn you are called.
December 16, 2019
I enjoyed this book. It is a fairly quick read, but gives fresh perspective on familiar characters. If you are wrestling with the idea of a calling or want to flesh out your definition this is a good starting point.
June 8, 2021
This book is very readable. The author's voice is easy to follow along with. She teaches without getting esoteric but also without talking down to the reader. The book brought a fresh prospective on classic tales of God calling people in the Bible.
February 25, 2025
A good book about how various people in the Bible were called by God and did things that they did not expect that they could do. She selected a variety of people from different parts of the Bible to illustrate different points.
October 16, 2023
Done as a church study group with accompanying videos.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews