Life has a way of eroding away our dreams … our deepest desires.  You would hope that with time, they would strengthen and deepen, but the reality is that once you begin to even remotely understand the transcendence of your life, the great part that you are to play in this story, the opposition can become cataclysmic.  I wish I were just speaking theoretically here, but the truth of the matter is that for all that God has shown and taught me about the battle and spiritual warfare I have recently been hearing those deep earth-shattering questions about my own part in the story.

And so a few weeks ago, when I received a copy of Gary Barkalow’s new book, It’s Your Call - What are You Doing Here, I was really a bit intrigued.  After all, that was … No, that is the question that I am most wrestling with, what am I doing here?  Just a few short years ago I could have told you exactly, in detail.  The problem is that most of that detail has yet to be unearthed and so the question arises: did I miss it?  Was I just delusional?  Have I blown my chance?

I’ve heard Gary speak a number of times on the subject of calling.  He is one of the most authoritative and knowledgeable voices that I have ever heard on the subject.  But it is impossible to squeeze enough information into a one hour presentation to adequately cover all that the Bible says about our individual lives in Christ.  It’s Your Call really dives into the depths of God’s call on our lives.  His first chapter is entitled The Weightiness of Your Life, and yet what I’m discovering is that as I read through It’s Your Call, while I am reminded of the significance of my life in Christ, it doesn’t feel so heavy any longer.  Gary has a unique ability to re-orient our coordinates in such a way that even as life erodes our dreams, we can begin to understand that it is just that eroding that most often uncovers the deeper aspects and truths of those dreams. 

A few nights ago I took my grandson through a corn maze.  It’s amazing how quickily in the the dark you can become disoriented.  But then we found a map showing where we were and where we needed to go.  It was like a breath of fresh air.  It’s Your Call is like that map.  It reminds you of where you are, helps make a little sense of your surroundings, and then sends you off to the rest of the adventure.

I’m only half way through It’s Your Call, but I’m already breathing easier and stepping a bit lighter.  I’ll up date you next week on the second half.  Thank you Gary for re-orienting me as to what I am doing here.   If you are asking that same question, here is the link to order your own copy of It’s Your Call .

To the King,

David