I'm particularly grieved today for those who have lost their jobs in the past few months--both members of our church and those around our country. In December, the National unemployment rate was at 7.2 percent, in Washington State the unemployment rate is 7.1 percent, and our rate at Mars Hill Church is similar, as several staff were laid off in December. I've been reading a clarifying and thought-provoking book on the subject of calling, and I believe it applies specifically to Christians who’ve recently lost their jobs. In no way do I mean to belittle the trial of unemployment, or offer trite prescriptions for hope (which Pastor Mark spoke against in the context of his sermon last Sunday). Nor am I looking for a new job or "calling." As a pastor, however, the question of calling works its way into a variety of circumstances. In advising and counseling others, you look for evidences of God's "call" in people’s lives. When hiring, you always want to know if a potential employee feels "called." Members of the church often wonder where God is "calling" them to serve. What does it mean to be "called"? The Call, by Os Guinness, does a good job of unpacking this concept. It demystifies the notion of "calling" without violating the inevitable mystery of the subject. Guinness defines calling as "the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service." I appreciate his distinction made throughout the book between primary and secondary callings. Our primary calling is God calling us to himself holistically through Jesus. We obey this call of first importance when we become Christians and receive our new identity in Jesus Christ. This call overshadows and influences any other temporal calling we may receive, which means that in employment and unemployment, we still belong to Jesus. Whatever your present circumstances, I highly recommend Guinness’ work.