MORE ON CALL

It was well that I wrote a couple of blogs recently on calling. Today, I spoke in Richmond at a conference that helps young Christians determine their vocational calling. Students could select from a number of workshop tracks, including the elderly, youth ministry, and counseling. Each track had a speaker that represented a church perspective and another that represented some sort of minitry outside the walls of a church.

I was paired with a youth director, and we hosted four sessions, each with five students. We had some really interesting, and hopefully useful, dialogue. Discussion topics included pursuing a vocation in youth ministry, setting relational boundaries, and spiritual gifts and personality types that youth workers need. The young participants, all in high school or college, seemed genuinely interested in discerning what God's will was for their lives and their careers. Each was as idealistic as a young person should be, while at the same time asking practical questions like "What schooling did you need?" and "How do you spend a typical work week?"

It's funny, but as I continue to explore my own personal calling, I am finding that it may have something to do with helping others explore theirs. Call it a meta-calling: a calling about calling. Anyone answering?