Callings for Life: God's Plan, Your Purpose

by Jeffrey Leininger

College students and recent graduates are often uncertain about the future, wondering if they chose the right path and will land a job. Adults in stable jobs and full-time parents often experience feelings of being stuck, frustrated, or unhappy; they think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Those who have lost their jobs or are retired may wonder what the future hold and if they will be able to support themselves. In our quest to "have it all" in life, we might be overwhelmed or stressed, but God's Word speaks a better truth about how we're meant to live. Pastor Leininger gives readers five key themes to focus on with these struggles and uncertainties, providing reassurance and guidance while reminding us all that God does have a plan for our lives

168 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2020

Reviews

[Jared Townley · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the surface a great introduction to Luther on vocation, but on a deeper level a discourse on Lutheran theology and purpose and meaning in life. Somewhat repetitive, but is great fodder for conversation.

[Ricky Beckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Leininger steers the reader away from the me-focused tripe of attempting to discover “my purpose driven life” through a subjective mountaintop experience of spiritual meditation (whether literally or figuratively). One simply does not have a grand calling that will give deep meaning to their life. Rather, Leininger focuses on one’s CALLINGS (plural) in life—the faces, places, and spaces God has given you. These might seem insignificant and mundane to us, but it is in the ordinary in which God does His extraordinary work. Leininger pleasantly roots all these vocations in one’s Baptism—one’s status as a child of God. Drawing largely from Luther’s theology on vocation, Leininger helps the reader (especially young readers) to see how there is deep meaning and purpose in the various, simple vocations (callings) God has placed you, whether this be spouse, parent, student, classmate, church member, and so on. Although Leininger tends to be a bit repetitive in the book, he nevertheless leaves the reader with the relief that one does not have to embark on a fantastical adventure to discover their purpose in life, but rather God Himself gives them multiple purposes in the beauty of the ordinary. He does this by providing several case studies to show the realism of the Lutheran theology on vocation. This was annoying most of the time; you don’t need a case study or two for every single point you make. This might be helpful for some readers, but I found it pedantic and repetitive. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone who might be struggling with finding meaning or worth in their life, especially youth and college students. Adults can also largely benefit from this book, and the discussion questions provided at the end of each chapter make it easy for use in a Bible study group.

[Sophia Bossio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this for class. It’s an excellent book for Christians unsure of what to do with their life or what God wants them to do. It reassures people that daily vocations are just as important as any other vocation, and you don’t need to start a church in a different country to fulfill God's plan.

Personally, I think vocations are a little silly. Also, the book uses multiple real-world examples of people feeling stuck in their lives in each chapter. I'm pretty sure these stories are made up, which is somewhat weird. I get that the stories are supposed to be relatable for people. For example, a woman is exhausted from being a mother, and sometimes, she regrets not persuing something else. But then she prayed and realized god had her there for a reason, which helped her a little. It's not really an encouraging or relatable story to people in similar positions if it was never real. I couldn’t find any information saying that the example stories were real, so it kinda rubbed me the wrong way, especially with how many there are. There were other parts of the book where the author would go off on weird, slightly political tangents that loosely related to the chapter. Those were my biggest issues with the book, outside of the theological disagreements I have.

Overall, if you are Christian and unsure of your future, this book would probably be very helpful.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good, modern-day, description of Martin Luther's teachings on vocation.

[Jonathon Henry Rusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great tool for explaining the idea of vocation in modern language, especially if you work with, or are, a young adult

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the examples he included- it helped me see behaviors and thought processes in myself and other people. Reading this book takes the stress off of career callings!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great gift to anyone who is struggling to find “their calling or purpose”. So many wonderful lessons taken from Gods Word in this book.

[Stephen Maegdlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review is on amazon.com