Spirit Alive: It's a Matter of Character and Calling
6/14/2016
Spirit Alive is a twice a month blog that looks at different aspects of mission and ministry throughout the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference and beyond.
June 14, 2016 Food for the Soul:What's Your Calling? And...Who Are You at Your Core?Often when I read books, I read them in pairs so that the two different books not only have a dialogue with each other, but so that through their interaction I can benefit from the fruit of their conversation as well. Recently I've been reading two interesting books: Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work by Dave Isay and The Road to Character by David Brooks. Both books have much to teach us about life.In Callings, Dave Isay, the founder of StoryCorps and the recepient of numerous broadcasting honors, takes us through the stories of countless individuals as they share their personal stories related to work. In the process, we learn about contemporary dreamers, healers, philosophers, and groundbreakers, who Or what about what Chassitty, age16, tells her mother, Noramay, who is an engineer and entrepreneur, after hearing her describe her calling: "You graduated high school. You graduated MIT. And you graduated MIT again. I see people who are stuck in situations and they can't get out. But you showed me that anything is possible. So when I do find my career, I want to make sure that it's something I love and don't feel stuck. I want to go to work and be happy." Many of the responses I found in Callings naturally took me into the realm of character that David Brooks so meaningfully explores. Brooks believes that "we are summoned by life," and that "character is built both through drama and through the everyday." The interplay between what we experience on the inside and how that is manifested on the outside is evident throughout Brooks' work: "Your ability to discern your vocation depends on the condition of your eyes and ears, whether they are sensitive enough to understand the assignment your context is giving you. As the Jewish Mishnah puts it, 'It's not your obligation to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from beginning it.'"
Lowell Spirit Alive is a twice a month blog and email by Rev. Lowell Greathouse, Mission and Ministry Coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference. It seeks out where the spirit is alive in our congregations and communities.
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Lowell Greathouse
Lowell Greathouse is the Mission and Ministry Coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church. He looks for places to find where the spirit is alive and help them grow in vitality and fruitfulness. Share with him at lowell@umoi.org