Guest post by Kristy Cambron, bestselling author of the NIV Verse Mapping Bible.

2020 has changed us. There’s no doubt about that.

It’s shifted the fundamental constants of how we live, work, worship, and connect.

In a blink our families are no longer fragmented between environments and schedules. It became clear the moment I was knee-deep in the throngs of a quarantine, navigating e-learning for three kids in three different schools, in a kitchen that had become home office, restaurant, classroom, Zoom studio, and family worship center all in one. The spaces for each area of life had merged together, showing us that in order to navigate this season there may be as many things we had to unlearn as the things we actually needed to learn.

The last time I’d been in a similar season—of grief, loss, and the need to cling to the promises of God—was after losing my Dad to cancer and circumstances that sent our family in a series of life plot twists to follow. I turned to the Bible. Broken. Hopeful. Expectant. And hungry. But I needed to unlearn habits that had left me feeling alone, unsure where or how to study, and stunted in spiritual growth. What’s more, I wasn’t confident I could truly understand Scripture enough to apply its truths to this—and every season—of my life.

It’s when Verse Mapping sparked a new fire in my heart.

Out of years in a corporate training career, I wanted to apply what I’d learned there to unlock the learning that was possible in Scripture. And it’s why introducing families to the concept of Verse Mapping—5 simple steps that call us to deep, meaningful study verse by verse—could make this the right time for families to unlearn a few things, to learn a few more, and to step out on a new story road of faith… together.

Verse Mapping: Study Space

With a shift to home-learning, we’ve likely turned kitchens into laboratories and storage closets into academic arsenals. And that’s what I loved about Verse Mapping to begin with—it works in a coffee shop, church classroom, online study group or outdoor gathering the same way it does at the kitchen table. In a season where families are tackling all manner of subjects together, what better place to learn and experience the living story of God’s Word than right in our own homes?

Verse Mapping: Study Tools

Verse Mapping takes what we already have—a Bible and God as our guide—and ushers us on a journey of personal discovery. It’s as simple as gathering pens, turning on a smart device, and turning pages of an NIV Verse Mapping Bible to embark on the next step in our story. Between Bible apps, online concordance sites for Hebrew and Greek word studies, and YouTube videos of nearly any subject we could hope to research, the possibilities for deep discovery are endless. We can take what we already have on hand and begin to build the lifelong habit of studying the Bible, one verse at a time.

Verse Mapping: Study. . . Together

Establishing study habits for family units is at the heart of this Bible series. It’s why we included the same 350 maps for both adults and for girls ages 8-12 knowing that we may already have a study space and tools at the ready, but it’s that fear of tackling Bible study alone that we may need to unlearn. Building a support system with others—whether in a faith community or inside the walls of our own home—means we’ll stick with it, and we’ll learn from each other along the way.

Whatever we’re learning—our unlearning—in this season, may the strongest takeaway we receive be to turn back to the Bible. And perhaps for the first time, to find that what we truly need to build a lifetime of faith has been here all along.

About Kristy Cambron

Kristy Cambron is a vintage-inspired storyteller, writing both award-winning historical fiction and Bible Studies. She’s served as a Women’s Ministry Leader and speaks at events across the country, encouraging women to experience a deeper life in the Word through verse mapping. Her work has been named to the Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal Reviews’ Best Books, RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, has received multiple INSPY Award nominations, and is a 2020 Christy Award Finalist.

The post Verse Mapping: How Families Who Learn Together Build a Lifetime of Faith appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

Guest post by Rob Flood author of
‘With These Words: Five Communication Tools for Marriage and Life’

This is such a unique time in which we are living. No one could have foreseen this global COVID-19 pandemic, nor the ripple effect on economies and the daily life of people across the globe. The spread of the coronavirus and all of the related shutdowns have brought us to a stark dichotomy. While we are separating from the rest of the world through social distancing, we are spending constant time with our immediate families. In real time, many are experiencing the opposing truths of two well-known cultural proverbs, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and “Familiarity breeds contempt.”

But for the Christian marriage, for the marriage that seeks to bring God great honor and reflect Christ’s relationship with the church, we have the opportunity to throw those cultural proverbs into a blender. Christian marriages can create a new proverb: “Familiarity makes the heart grow fonder.”

As God ordained our marriages, he created one flesh out of two people. And, in times like this, we have the golden opportunity to live daily as one flesh in increased ways. This begs a very important question—what can we do to build into our marriages during this time of social distancing and isolation?

Here are four ways you can build your marriage during social distancing.

Create Memories

A lack of time together often keeps us from making great memories. Work schedules, long commutes, soccer practice, dance lessons, and social obligations often limit our time with our spouses. For many of us, this pandemic has drastically changed our schedules and has opened up an unlimited amount of togetherness. Take advantage of that opportunity by packing a picnic lunch and throwing a blanket on your lawn. Make your own movie theater popcorn and watch a new movie. Share your favorite memes with one another and enjoy the gift of laughter. Take a virtual tour of a museum together.

Catch Up on Conversations

If your marriage is anything like mine, there are important topics that can get bumped down the to-do list. This is a perfect time to catch up. Create a list of all of the things you need to discuss, both important and mundane, heavy and light, as well as personal and family-related business. Then pick a time of the day or a day of the week and gradually work through the list. If you don’t complete a conversation, that’s okay. You have tomorrow or next week to continue. You’ll be amazed at the growth God creates in your marriage when you discuss the things you’ve put off for weeks, months, or years. As both husband and wife earnestly desire to please God in these conversations, you’ll find more than sufficient grace from above to be make these times constructive.

For this idea in particular, you’ll find helpful tips in my book, With These Words: Five Communication Tools for Marriage and Life. It will provide help and guidance as you catch up on conversations.

Learn Together

Find some common areas of interest and learn something new. Read a book together on the topic or watch a related YouTube video or listen to a podcast. Also consider areas of your walk with Christ where you can learn together. Maybe you’ve heard your pastor share a number of quotes from an author you found helpful. This is a great time to get one of his or her books and read it. Perhaps you want to grow as a couple in a specific spiritual discipline, or joy, or contentment, or evangelism. Get recommendations for a resource from your pastor or a trusted friend and get busy learning side-by-side.

Develop Routine

Most of us are finding our daily routines entirely disrupted. Employees are working from home. Homemakers now have a spouse in the house all of the time. The kids are not going out of the home for school and they’re always underfoot. This can all result in a lack of order that can quickly generate anxiety and conflict. To combat this tendency, create a routine. Create a daily or weekly schedule for your new reality. Set aside specific time for your kids and specific time for your spouse. Keep a normal wake time and normal bedtime. Each of these practical rhythms can serve to establish a sense of normalcy and healthy relational habits.

Think Creatively

Some of these ideas will be more useful to you than others, depending on your individual situation. Use these suggestions to spur on your own creative thinking. We know that God desires us to cherish our spouse in all seasons and to grow together in Christlikeness. Hidden within this global pandemic are boundless occasions to do just that. Don’t miss them. Seize the opportunities of this unique season and come out of this crisis stronger and healthier as a married couple.

– Guest post by Rob Flood author of
‘With These Words: Five Communication Tools for Marriage and Life’

The post 4 Ways to Build Your Marriage During Social Distancing appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

As our days of physical distancing continue, for who knows how long, I’ve experienced a restlessness in my spirit. While talking to Jesus, I’ve been asking the question: ‘what is this pandemic exposing in me that I need to address?’ I started a list and it’s growing.

Yesterday, author Alicia Chole, shared these thoughts on her social media accounts and her words resonated so deeply in my heart. I’m sharing them with you because, well, maybe they’ll cause you to pause and reflect like they have me.

_____________________________________________________________

Today, a dear friend asked me what I was sensing in this crisis. God did not cause this but He will not waste it. My heart is filled with anticipation of a healthier Church emerging from these troubled days. Though I cannot speak of the global Church, here is what I hope for in the Western Church.

I HOPE THAT THIS CRISIS WILL…

awaken our hearts to the sacred.

loosen our attachment to the shiny.

jolt us into new respect for freedom.

transition our faith in faith to faith in God.

inspire gratitude in us for the simple and small.

remind us that Jesus is our Source, not our servant.

expose any wealthy worries as the thorny fruit of privilege.

unmask entertainment that has been masquerading as discipleship.

redefine “contentment” with more sustainable (and attainable) ingredients.

burn off unhealthy fat that has collected around (and weighed down) our faith.

empower us to never again mistake abundance for obedience or emotion for devotion.

shock us with our spiritual shallowness and drive us anew to the depth of God’s Word.

reveal anything that–though it may “sell” well in Western Christianity–isn’t strong enough to stand on.

wean us from the noise inherent to prosperity and give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.”

Take heart, friends. While our daily lives feel limited during this pandemic, there’s nothing that can limit the deep, purifying and strengthening work of God in our hearts. Lean into Him.

– An award-winning writer, Dr. Alicia Britt Chole’s messages address both head and heart and are often described as grace-filled surgeries. Alicia is a speaker, author, and leadership mentor who enjoys thunderstorms, jalapenos, and honest questions.

You can find her books, Anonymous, The Sacred Slow, and 40 Days of Decrease here.

The post What Are You Sensing in This Crisis? by Alicia Britt Chole appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

This is a guest post by Michael Anthony, popular speaker, blogger and founder of Godfactor®. His latest book, ‘A Call for Courage: Living with Power, Truth, and Love in an Age of Intolerance and Fear’ – is available to purchase by clicking here. 

“A Call for Courage is the book we have all been waiting for . . .”

– Joel Richardson, New York Times bestselling author

Hello, Christian Book family! I think it’s time for a second American revolution, don’t you? Not the kind fought with conventional, chemical or biological weapons, but the kind that comes courtesy of God’s power – through ordinary people just like you and me. God’s power is available to you, your family and your church. God is extending an invitation to you, to help him write history at this dark time in America.

America needs a revolution of courageous humility, because fear and arrogance are running rampant. Only God can overcome the shouting, hatred, division and violence that is now sewn into the American fabric. This is where you come in – and it’s why I wrote, A Call for Courage: Living With Power, Truth, and Love in an Age of Intolerance and Fear. I wrote the book with you in mind, to spark your personal spiritual awakening. I spent six days in a secluded Pennsylvania cabin writing the first draft because I felt compelled to pen it – for you, your family and for our nation.

A Call for Courage is a practical how-to-handbook. In it, I don’t just talk about the problems we face in our personal lives, families, churches and nation. I wove personal stories into it, and did my absolute best to provide practical, biblical solutions that you can immediately apply. That’s part of what makes A Call for Courage a different kind of book. We need a different approach to what we’ve been trying in America. I think this book offers you a fresh start with God that will truly renew your life.

Much of what ails America – and American Christianity – stems from our misguided belief that the Bible is primarily a book of exceptions rather than a book of examples. Many of us were children when we first heard the amazing stories of ordinary men and women who accomplished extraordinary exploits for God. There was a time when the lives of biblical heroes and underdogs mesmerized and inspired us. We even dreamt about having an impact like them someday in our lives. But then we matured just enough to diminish a key reason why God wanted their stories recorded in the first place: to inspire us to live lives just like them.

It’s time to stop dreaming about having a huge impact for God. We must no longer mistake the Bible primarily as a book of exceptions when it comes to being used mightily by Him. It’s time for you to stand and deliver, to live your life like the heroes and underdogs we read about and respect in the Bible, where you honor God and flow with His power like never before – now.

My prayer is that A Call for Courage will spark a revolution of courageous humility in you. When that happens, the spiritual awakening America needs – the one you need in your personal life, your family and your church – will be underway. It’s time to unleash God’s power in your life, family and church. Why wait for the outpouring God is offering everyone at this vital time? It’s time for courageous humility to arise in you.

A Call for Courage: Living with Power, Truth, and Love in an Age of Intolerance and Fear’ is now available. You can order your copy by clicking here. 

The post A Call for Courage // Guest Post by Michael Anthony appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

This is a guest post from Eric Metaxas bestselling author of ‘If You Can Keep It’, ‘Bonhoeffer’, ‘Amazing Grace’, and ‘Miracles’. His latest book, ‘Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World’ is available to order by clicking here. 

With your previous biographies, you tackled historical figures like German pastor and spy Dietrich Bonhoeffer and British abolitionist William Wilberforce. What led you to the subject of Martin Luther, and why did you want to write about him now?

The two friends to whom I dedicate the book—Markus Spieker and Greg Thornbury—are the ones I must hold responsible for prodding me into writing about Luther. Of course, the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation helped, too. In fact, that was part of their argument, that this anniversary would pique interest in him, and that I ought to tell his extraordinary story. But the more I learned about Luther, the more I was bowled over, by the humor and passion of the story, and by the almost inconceivable path the story ended up taking, and as a result of that, affecting the world in ways unimaginable to a monk born into the medieval world. The world we know today is a direct result of what he did 500 years ago.

What are some of the most common myths and misconceptions about Martin Luther?

Much of what we think we know about him—and have repeated endlessly—is in fact a myth and misconception. For example, that he was the son of a poor miner; that he hated his father, who was abusive; that a bolt of lightning caused him to foolishly blurt out a promise to become a monk, which he then felt obliged to keep, and did; that posting the 95 Theses to the Castle Church door happened precisely on October 31, and that it was intended as a dramatic and courageous warning shot across the Pope’s bow; that his infamous constipation was rooted in something beyond the merely gastro-intestinal; that he was a committed, lifelong anti-Semite; that he hurled pots of ink at the devil; and that his wife travelled to him in a foul-smelling herring barrel—all are something far from the truth about him.

You write that, “Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Luther’s story is that it need never have happened. Martin Luther was not a man born—or later inclined—to tilt at papal windmills.” What do you mean by that? In what ways was Luther an unlikely, or even unwitting, rebel against the Catholic Church?

Luther’s deep devotion to the church was the very thing that drove him to urgently alert the church authorities about the scandalous practice of indulgences. He never dreamed that things could go so wrong that, in the end, he would painted as an enemy of the church. By the time this unanticipated bird was in full fan, he thought the only way to preserve the church was to do so outside of the institutional church of that day. But for him this would have been entirely unthinkable before 1521. 

This year marks the 500^th anniversary of the posting of The Ninety-Five Theses. What did Luther hope to accomplish with this document and just how important is it now, half a millennium later?

Luther’s simple object in posting his theses on Indulgences was to spur the theologians in his academic circles to look seriously at the issue of Indulgences. He knew that if they did this, it would lead to some theological clarifications that were long overdue. But he hardly was hoping to reform the entirety of the church. It simply wasn’t something that occurred to him. But what that innocent and well-meaning act in fact set in motion was like a snowball that rolled down the hill until it somehow became bigger than the hill itself. Everything we think of as the modern world came as a result that seemingly innocuous initial shove on the last day of October 1517. History can be funny like that.

You describe Luther in his early years as pious and serious, and later, as bolder and more boisterous, even something of a joker. What did you learn about who Luther was as a person, and how his character changed over the course of his life?

Luther was always intense and passionate. This is what led to his decision to enter the monastery. While in the monastery, these qualities evinced themselves in deep humility and concentrated, sometimes perspiration-inducing, acts of piety; but once he lived through the four harrowing years that followed his 1517 posting of the theses, his intensity and passion manifested themselves dramatically differently. He was freed, as it were, from his earlier constraints, and could indulge his hidden penchant for bitter invective and gut-busting japery.

Luther’s stand at the Diet of Worms—in which he famously stated, “Here I stand. I can do no other.”—is considered one of the most significant moments in history. What were the ripple effects of his speech, and how does it rank against other important events like the Battle of Hastings, the signing of the Magna Carta, and the discovery of the New World?

Like Luther’s posting of his theses in 1517, his 1521 stand at Worms was hardly meant to be heroic or threatening. Theologically speaking, he was at an impossible impasse. Unless the men judging him could clarify their difficulties with what he had written, he felt quite powerless to retract a syllable. His now lapidary words—“Here I stand. I can do no other.”—were nothing more than a simple statement of fact. He had no idea what would become of what he said, but simply trusted God would lead the way forward. Whether that way would lead to ignominy or to glory, he had no inkling at the time. But the ripple effects have formed the world in which we live today. His stand at Worms is unavoidably monumental and epochal.

What were Luther’s key arguments against the church, and what are the most important takeaways from his sermons and religious teachings?

In a nutshell, Luther rediscovered the illimitable treasure of grace. God was not a remote and cruel judge, but rather an intimate and loving Father, one who desired more than anything to rescue us from ourselves. This was at the time as though he had discovered the world was made of chocolate. It was unthinkable for most people, but generally good news for chocolate lovers, so to speak.

In many ways, Martin Luther was the first celebrity of modern culture. How did he become a hero of the people, and in what ways is he similar to current public figures—such as President Drumpf?

The people, so to speak, had never had an advocate. Luther was essentially the first person who spoke for them, who made their concerns known to the cultural elites in the governments and in the church. I suppose there are some comparisons to Drumpf that are apt. Like Drumpf, he had a wild, iconoclastic personality that ran roughshod over well-established norms. He also had an ability that maddened the cultural elites of that day (the church bigwigs and the nobles), to speak directly to those in the middle and lower classes, to do an end-run around those elites. You could say that the printed pamphlet was for Luther what Twitter is for Drumpf. It was an alternative means of communication that gave him an astounding platform.

What was the most surprising thing you found in your research about Martin Luther?

There can be no question of this: the shocking fact of his parallel experience with St. Martin of Tours, which took place eleven centuries before Luther’s birth at Borbotemagus. It is without question one of the most superlatively strange coincidences in the history of history—unless one believes it is not at all a coincidence, but something planned by the God of history from before time. I am inclined toward that latter view, though in truth it makes the parallel no less shocking and spectacular. I will not here reveal what that parallel is, but it is in the beginning of the first chapter of my book, and when I discovered it, I nearly fainted. I trust readers of the book will find it no less baffling than I did.

You argue that modern society owes Martin Luther a great debt—that ideas like pluralism, religious liberty, and personal responsibility all stem from his teachings. Can you expand on that? Do you think Luther gets his due as an influential figure in modern history?

There is no question that he doesn’t. The more I think about it, the more amazed I am that so many don’t know his story. That really is why I wrote this book. Everyone who lives in this modern world—and that’s pretty much all of us—needs to know how we got here. This book is a big part of that story.

-Eric Metaxas

‘Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World’  will be released on October 3rd. You can preorder your copy by clicking here.

The post A Conversation with Eric Metaxas – Author of ‘Martin Luther’ appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

This is a guest post from bestselling Christian Fiction author of the Mitford Series, Jan Karon. Her soon-to-be-released novel, ‘To Be Where You Are’ is the 14th book in the series and can be purchased by clicking here. 

WHEN I SURRENDERED MY LIFE at age 42, to the One Who loved us first, I had no idea what was supposed to happen. I honestly did not want to wind up on a street corner with a tambourine.

Right away, God began to work in a way I could only see with opened eyes. After two years of focused prayer about the way ahead, I was able to move to the mountains of North Carolina and begin the journey of writing a novel (my known destination since the age of 10). I had notes, I had a sort of outline about the mountain inn in which it would all take place. Surely I could make this happen.

 But it didn’t happen. No effort was enough.

 I realized I had never given my work to God. I realized my Inn story was a thin story. It would not, by any endeavor, become animated.

Now I was ready to surrender my work to him. I had to learn, as Joni Mitchell said, to peel the onion–all the way down to the heart’s core, from which I wished my work to flow. I knew then that I would not write only for entertainment and for the like-minded. But for those who had not yet stripped down before the throne of grace. To put it simply, I discovered a lot of love at the heart’s core and it was completely crucial that it be shared.

I am deeply grateful to have a devoted following of believers, and just as grateful for the many others who join this divinely-inspired circle of love when they open a Mitford book.

by Jan Karon

The post The Christian Books That Weren’t Written for Christians appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

This is a guest post from author of ‘Follow the Cloud’, John Stickl. ‘Follow the Cloud’ releases August 1 – you can pre-order your copy by clicking here.

What if I told you that God was more interested in setting you free than making you religious? That He wanted more for you than He wanted from you?

You probably wouldn’t believe me. I know I didn’t believe it. I was convinced that if I just did the right things and did them well, then I would thrive and experience the peace and significance that I longed for.

Because I was believing a lie that no one wanted me for me but that they wanted me for what I could do, I spent most of my life performing, achieving, and striving to become someone. Trying to keep up. Trying to measure up. Trying to live up to an impossible standard hoping my efforts would produce the love and acceptance that my heart craved.

But instead of living the abundant life, that line of thinking quickly led me to a place of loneliness, striving and exhaustion.  I had no idea who I was, where I was going, or what I was doing. I strived to do the right thing but was disillusioned with the end result—a frustrated and at best distant relationship with God.

And from personal experience I can tell you that is an exhausting way to live.

Maybe you can relate.

I mean do you ever find yourself busy, overwhelmed or lonely? Do you ever feel like you’re trying to perform for God or earn His love only to find yourself doing all the right things but living an unfulfilled life?

I knew something had to change. I didn’t want to just teach on the truths of God’s peace, acceptance and purpose described in the Bible, I wanted to experience them.

It was right about that time that God extended an invitation for me to follow the cloud—to follow him one next step at a time on an intimate journey toward freedom. He began to show me the difference between being set free and living free. I started to hear His voice and experience His presence in new, life-altering ways.

Follow the cloud? It was an image that represented the journey of more than a million people as they moved from slavery to freedom one next step at a time. You see when God set the Israelites free after hundreds of years of slavery he gave them a cloud to follow.  Of all the ways God could have led them from slavery to freedom he chose to do it through a personal and ever present cloud.  From within this mighty cloud he spoke with the gentleness of a whisper. Follow me one next step at a time.  When I move, you move.  When I stop, you stop.  Where I go, you go.  Keep your eyes on me and I will lead you to discover who you are, who I am and what you were created to do.

Whether it was crossing the red sea, walking through the wilderness, or fighting the giants each physical next step was designed to heal and free their hearts.  The entire journey of the Exodus wasn’t about getting to the Promised Land it was learning to live free as beloved sons and daughters by simply following the cloud.

Though I had read it many times before, the fresh truth revealed in this story captured my heart and changed the way I lived. It began to set me free from a life of performing, striving, and achieving.  It has completely changed how I live my life and how we lead our church.  It’s simply the invitation to follow the cloud one next step at a time.

No matter where you are, God wants to lead you on a journey of learning to live in the fullness of the freedom he offers.  Destiny is not about finding God tomorrow; it’s about walking with God today. With each step you take He is inviting you discover who you really are, who he really is and what you were really created to do. As you receive his grace, you will experience his presence, and start releasing his kingdom and that is a life of freedom.

We are drawn by grace not driven by expectations.  And each next step helps us see more of Jesus and become freer of the greatest bondage of all – ourselves.  Every step God invites you to take whether it’s facing an obstacle, being faithful in the little things, starring down the impossible, staying when you want to go, or going when you want to stay is designed to help you discover who you are, who he is, and what you were created to do.  In a world of exhaustion, performance, confusion and religious bondage God offers us a better way.  To simply follow the cloud.  To listen to his voice and respond with faith.

The truth is that wherever God is leading you is better than where you’ve been. You have nothing to achieve, prove, or earn. You have everything to receive, discover, and explore.  So maybe it’s time to stop performing.  Maybe it’s time to start receiving.  Maybe it’s time to follow the cloud and live free.

This is a guest post from author of ‘Follow the Cloud’, John Stickl. ‘Follow the Cloud’ releases August 1 – you can pre-order your copy by clicking here.

The post Follow the Cloud: Learning to Live Free appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

Guest post by Jeff Goins, the best-selling author of The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve, which are both for sale at Christianbook.com

The first job I ever had, at twelve years old, was delivering newspapers. I had long hair, was overweight, and wore lots of baggy clothes. Puberty was still a few years away, so most masculine features, including facial hair, were nonexistent.

After that first month on the job, I went around town, collecting dues, and one of the last houses was that of an older gentleman whom I had never met before. When he paid me, the man said, “Well, aren’t you an enterprising little lady! I’ll bet you’re going to be an entrepreneur some day.”

Well, he was right about one thing.

This wasn’t the first time I had been mistaken for a girl. In this case, however, I didn’t correct the man. I’m not sure if it was because I was too embarrassed or because he had just paid me, but I let the comment linger. And that was my first mistake. For the rest of the time I delivered that man’s paper, I lived with the lie that I was an “enterprising little lady.”

Has this ever happened to you? Someone mistakes your name at a party and calls you “John” instead of “Josh” or “Katherine” instead of “Kathleen,” and because you didn’t catch it, you have to live with it. Why do we do this? One reason is that it’s sometimes easier to live with a lie than embrace the truth about who we really are.

In sixth grade, I wasn’t brave. Unable to face the man, I quit the paper route six months after starting it. This kind of thing kept happening to me throughout my adolescence. It took a long time to realize I didn’t have to assume the identity other people gave me. I could be who I really was without fear of judgment. But it would take a long time before I’d fully grasp that concept.

Not too long ago, I quit my job working for a ministry and became a full-time author. I was able to do this because I believed this wasn’t just a career change, but a calling, and because I finally knew who I was, who God created me to be. Through the process of making this transition, I learned a few important lessons.

A calling takes faith, not just in God but in who God says you are

The world wasn’t just going to acknowledge who I was. I was going to have to believe it before anyone else would. The artist Michelangelo learned a similar lesson. He grew up believing he had been born into nobility, and this belief guided his understanding of himself. When the young man set out to be an artist, a profession that did not possess much prestige at the time, this put him at odds with his father who was determined to see his family name restored to prominence.

Because Michelangelo believed he was an aristocrat, he acted like an artist who deserved respect. “I was never the kind of painter who kept a shop,” he wrote, suggesting how different he was from his peers. And because he believed it, he became it. By the end of Michelangelo’s life, he was the wealthiest artist of his time, possessing a fortune of nearly $50 million. And the most incredible part is he wasn’t actually from noble lineage. But because he believed it was true, it became true.

Turns out, what we believe about ourselves matters. Another word for this is “faith.”

We need to become uncomfortable with our comfort.

Sometimes, it’s easier to assume the role we’ve been given in life than it is to ask the deep question, “Who am I really?” As Trappist monk Thomas Merton writes, “We are not very good at recognizing illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves.”

Many people never become their true selves, because it’s simply more convenient to play the roles we are expected to plan than to embrace our God-given identities. But at a certain point we have to embrace what makes us stand out. We must become comfortable with who we are and uncomfortable with who we are not, regardless of the acclaim it may bring.

Years ago, when I made the decision to become a full-time writer, it was because a friend told me, “If you don’t do this, you need to consider the possibility that it might be an act of disobedience to God.”

At the time, I was thinking about myself. How would this affect my comfort, my reputation? What would people think of me if I failed? I was more afraid of failure than of disobedience to the call, and that’s a dangerous place to be. But upon hearing my friend’s rebuke, I quickly became more afraid of not trying than of failing.

Fitting in is not what we were designed to do.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world,” Paul writes in Romans 12:2. Anytime we find ourselves following the pack, fulfilling the expectations of the world, we need to step back and ask ourselves if this is what our life should be about.

The world does not always understand the gifts we have to offer. In different seasons of life, we may find ourselves pigeonholed, and in these instances, we must escape. The way we do this is through constant reinvention, never settling with what others expect of us and always striving to become who God made us to be.

Look at Gordon Mackenzie, a member of Hallmark’s Contemporary Design team, which he described as “an unruly, but prodigiously productive stepchild” of a department. Towards the end of his career when he could have simply phoned it in, he dreamed up a place where he and his creative peers could thumb their nose at the growing bureaucracy at Hallmark and still be creative. He called it the Humor Workshop, and to his dismay, his superiors approved the concept. The Humor Workshop became a creative paradise, a place where the team experienced a rebirth within a corporate culture that had grown antagonistic to innovative work.

What do we do when we feel that call to be one thing when the world seems to call us in another direction? We listen to it. We follow it where it takes us, because wherever that is, it is certainly better than standing still. And like Gordon, we reinvent ourselves, if necessary. We become the artists we were meant to be, even if that means doing the unexpected thing, the thing that others will surely disapprove of but in our hearts we know is the right thing. Risking rejection, we stand out, because we know it’s better to share our true selves with the world than it is to hide behind a false self.

A calling is a creative act, because it comes from the Creator. This means that in one for or another, we are all artists, creating the life we are meant to live. But sometimes, we must remember, artists are not born. They’re made.

So what kind of life are you going to make for yourself, and what will it cost you?

—

Jeff Goins is the best-selling author of The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve, which are both for sale at Christianbook.com. You can follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffGoins, subscribe to his blog at Goinswriter.com, and learn more about his latest book at dontstarve.com.

The post 3 Reasons Why Pursuing Your Calling Won’t Be Easy appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.

Guest post by Adam Weber, author of Talking With God: What to Say When You Don’t Know How To Pray.

Ever felt like everyone else has this prayer thing figured out except you? When Paul said “pray without ceasing” did he really mean, like, never stop praying? Sounds pretty impossible to me. The truth is, prayer doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact it’s just talking. Like talking with a good friend. Here are five practical ways to a healthy prayer life:

#1 If you tell someone you’re going to pray for someone, do it!

For years, I struggled with the bad habit of telling people I would pray for them but never getting around to doing so. I would simply forget.

I didn’t want my words to be hollow, so I made a simple change. Now, if I tell someone I am going to pray for him or her, I either ask if I can pray right then and there or else I silently pray as we part ways. There are other ways to act on this. My wife will often set a daily reminder on her phone to pray for a certain person at a specific time so she doesn’t forget.

It might feel strange at first, to pray for someone audibly, but it’s amazing the impact our words have when talking with God on someone else’s behalf.

#2  Just let the words come up!

The truth is most people pray, Christians and non-Christians alike. People who go to church and those who don’t. Everybody prays, sometimes without knowing it.

When we’re on a plane, as it takes off. For some reason we pray. When we’re wheeled into an operating room, even if it’s a simple surgery, we pray. When our favorite sports team is in a close game, we bite our nails and we pray. It just happens. We might not even hear the words we’re saying, words whispered under our breath:

Lord, help my team to win!

God, help me pass this test.

Lord, help my mom be okay.

God, I hope this pilot knows how to fly.

Jesus, why am I doing this?

Whether we’re pursuing God or not, the words, our prayers, just come out.

#3 When something reminds you of God, pray!

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes about praying without ceasing.

Without ceasing? Like never stopping?

When I first began to take my relationship with God seriously in college, if something reminded me of God, I took the time to acknowledge him. To sit with him. To talk with him.

Write a short prayer on a notecard. Set an alarm on your phone. Find something that reminds you of God and talk with him.

#4 Write prayer notes!

One of my favorite things to do is to write notes to people. To thank people. To encourage people. To let them know I’m praying for them.

I want my notes to have a personal touch, but since my handwriting looks like a first grader’s, I type them. Not on a computer. I use a typewriter. I should say typewriters. Let’s just say I have a few. I may have an addiction to buying them. Anyway, it’s just a simple way to let people know that I’m thinking about them, cheering for them, and praying for them. It’s a simple way to let them know that they’re loved and noticed by me.

As I’m typing a note, I simply begin praying for the person.

“I just want you to know that I prayed for you today…”

And I begin to list the specific things that I pray.

“For you.”

“For your work.”

“For your family.”

“For your walk with the Lord.”

“For your health.”

“For your marriage.”

“For decisions you’re trying to make.”

It’s so simple, and yet I never cease to be blown away by the responses I get.

“The timing of your note was perfect. I was waiting for test results.”

“You prayed for my marriage, and we just started seeing a counselor.”

“I’ve been struggling with depression, and your words were comforting.”

“No one’s ever told me that he has prayed for me.”

“Lately I’ve been overwhelmed by life and your letter was so encouraging.”

It’s amazing how powerful our words to God can be. How powerful our prayers on behalf of others can be.

#5 Encourage others through prayer!

Practically speaking, encouraging others through prayer can look a million different ways.

It can be done while grabbing lunch with a friend. You can ask if there’s anything he’s going through right now, then pray for him, his needs, his marriage, his health (and maybe the meal) before chowing down. In so doing, you can almost see the person gain strength right before your eyes.

Some folks keep a list of names. Others pray as God reminds them of people throughout the day. I often write a person’s name down in my Bible. It reminds me to pray for that person, either for a specific need or just because. Sometimes I pray words of comfort for a relative who’s going through a difficult season. Other times, I pray words of encouragement for a person who I know has a job interview.

Guest post by Adam Weber, author of Talking With God: What to Say When You Don’t Know How To Pray. Now available to purchase!

The post 5 Simple Steps to a Better Prayer Life appeared first on Christianbook.com Blog.