Calling Conversation – John Mays

Perhaps it's a luxury to ponder calling as a subject. History is full of humans who understood their calling (not that they would have ever called it that) as their very day-to-day survival. These days, and in this part of the world, we often find ourselves with the benefit of many luxuries (readily available food, among others) that not only allow for such questions, but also make them more persistent and nagging.

As many Christians today report to their workplaces – or seek such – most of us continue to ask, "What is my calling?" Or, more negatively, "Surely this (whatever this may be) can't be all that I'm called to."

What does Jesus call us to? How are we to know? Where do we begin? One helpful triad points us to that place where our interests, gifts, and opportunities intersect. Yet you can only get so far pondering these things for yourself. At some point, you’ve got to talk to others. Calling is, in every way, communal – and thus, conversational.

With all this in mind, we've started a new project in which we hope to converse with various people in our congregation (and maybe outside it too) about questions of calling. How are different people pursuing a calling? What has helped them along the way? What prices have they paid? What have they learned? Besides offering insights into the topic itself, we hope this project serves as a way of introduction. You'll meet people at All Saints who you might realize you should email or talk to yourself.

Bill recently sat down with John Mays and they talked about calling, particularly as it relates to John's story. We've posted the entire conversation on our podcast page. You can listen to an excerpt below.

John Mays excerpt – a life of integrity

The point here (and with future editions) is not that you should emulate John across the board (I, for one, will continue to watch a little TV). Rather, the goal is that in listening to someone else talk about what they've done – and how they've done it – you might find helpful questions to ask yourself. Maybe you'll gain a new perspective on where you are at the moment. Maybe something will awaken your own imagination to what God might be calling you to.