CHAPTER 1
CALLED
FIND YOUR UNIQUENES
When you live your life knowing the mission and calling andvoice of God in your soul and you know where that compassis driving you forward, you will become a rare commodity in aworld searching for direction.
—ERWIN MCMANUS, CATALYST WEST
LOOKING BACK IN OUR LIVES, WE CAN OFTEN IDENTIFY THEmoments when our gifts were beginning to bubble up andpoint us toward God's callings for us. I remember the daymy mother dropped me off at my first-grade class. Bristow,Oklahoma, is a small town of five thousand, not far fromTulsa. Since my dad was principal of the middle school andknew all the teachers in the school system, he informed meweeks earlier that Mrs. Weaver would be my first-gradeteacher. With a new pair of jeans, a Brady Bunch lunchbox,and a bowl haircut, I was ready to conquer the world. OrBristow Elementary School at least.
Mom was proud—reminding me at least a dozen timesto behave and play nicely with the other kids—but she wasalso emotional. I was filled with excitement. Even at thisyoung age, the thought of connecting with others energizedme. Walking into the classroom, I hung my backpack on thecoat hook, located my desk, and began memorizing my classmates'names. In hindsight, this was probably the first sign ofmy calling as a leader.
These passions continued to surface with each passingyear. I became one of the captains of the football team in thirdgrade and landed the lead role of Pecos Bill in the school playin sixth grade, the same year I was elected class president.
One memory of elementary school was a showdownregarding the lunch menu in the cafeteria. Our lunchroomonly served chocolate milkshakes, and I was convincedthat lunch would not be complete without both vanilla andstrawberry. I led the student council to victory in the milkshakeshowdown, and though some might say our win wasdue to my dad being the principal of the middle school, Iclaim it was my fearless and staunch stance in the face ofopposition!
Even in those elementary moments, I sensed a compellingurge to lead, like a rumble in my gut. Maybe you knowthe feeling. Something inside is pushing you to the edge, tothe front of the line, to make a difference, to leave a mark.From first grade in Mrs. Weaver's class trying to make sureeveryone knew each other, to eighth grade when I led thecharge for a new school dance. I again felt the rumble inmiddle school when I was elected student council president.I experienced it in high school when I became senior classpresident.
During my formative years, I attempted to lead in whateverI did, from school plays, to the classroom, to becomingone of the captains of the football and basketball teams. Idesired to be out in front.
My sophomore year of high school, two friends and Istarted a rap group. I dropped beats under the name Crème-L—aname I was actually proud of at the time—and our triocommitted to make a difference through our "music." Whenthe "Don't lay your trash on Oklahoma" anti-litter campaignlaunched, we wrote a song for it called, "Clean Up theStreets." We performed it in front of the governor and Houseof Representatives. I'm sure the tape of our performance istucked away somewhere, and I'm more certain that I'll neverlet anyone find it.
Approaching my senior year of high school, I beganto ponder career paths. My friends and I dreamed aboutthe great accomplishments waiting for us. Some wanted tobecome teachers and football coaches. Others desired tobecome doctors or business managers or cattle ranchers.When it came time to share the dream for my life, a clearanswer evaded me. I knew I loved connecting with othersand convening people and investing in leaders, but thatwasn't a job description. Could I do that in politics or educationor business? Perhaps. All I knew was that I felt calledto lead.
Graduation day finally arrived, and since I served assenior class president, I had to announce 130 graduates'names—first, middle, and last—as they walked across thestage. The music played and procession began. I stepped upto the microphone without any notes and called out eachname from memory. To many who were there, reciting allthe names by memory seemed like quite an accomplishment.But for me, it was normal, since I felt a connection to all ofmy classmates. When the final name was called, my mindflashed back to first grade and I recognized a pattern thathad been emerging all along. Looking back, the most importanttreasure I received that day wasn't a diploma, but rathera glimpse of my calling.
Though I didn't realize it at the time, God had beenplotting my path. He opened up doors in college to developnetworks of future leaders. I convened members of rival fraternitiesand sororities for a regular Bible study. I was giftedas a connector, someone who brings people together andequips them to work toward a common purpose. I'd go onto exercise these gifts and my calling through my work inmagazines, media, web content, hospitality, and conferences.
KNOW YOUR CALLING
Every Christian has two callings in life: a spiritual one to salvationand also a vocational calling. Life is too short to misseither one. Your two callings are separate but inseparable.The first informs the way you'll live out your second calling.The realization of what Christ has done for us produces acompulsion to live for Him. When we talk about one's "calling,"we're speaking about the vocational kind that answersthis question: "I've decided to follow God, but how does Hewant me to use my gifts and passions?"
In the years since my high school graduation, I've cometo realize that living one's calling is a necessary first step toleading well and becoming a change maker wherever Godhas planted you. Without understanding your purpose, you'llend up bogged down in the mud of life. But when you areliving out your calling, your work will be better, and you willnaturally want to work harder. That's why Catalyst has incorporatedcalling into our events and organizational fabric.
Our team works hard to create spaces where leaders canhear from God about His direction for their lives. We handpickspeakers with great visions who will challenge attendeesto discover the visions in their own hearts. If participantscome to a Catalyst event not knowing what God might haveplanned for their lives and leave without inching any closerto that purpose, then we've failed as a team.
We've found that participants often have the oppositeexperience. We hear from scores of people each year who saythey were encouraged to fully pursue their callings becauseof a Catalyst event. Each year, handfuls of people sit on oneof our couches and thank our team for the emphasis we'veplaced on this important topic. Oftentimes, attendees werealready making a huge impact through their work or ministry,but our event created a space where they could dreamabout even greater goals.
Similarly, when someone joins our team, we want tomake sure he or she is on this journey too. My desire in thefirst year of a team member's employment is either to affirmthe employee's calling or to release the person to pursue itelsewhere. I've set this goal because I desire for Catalyst'sheartbeat—both internally and externally—to be equippingthe next generation of Christian influencers to discoverGod's plan for them. Without knowledge of one's calling,leading well is impossible.
God's interaction with His followers throughout theBible seems to indicate that He places a high value on calling.He visited Moses through a burning bush, spoke to Samuelthrough a midnight echo, disrupted Paul through a roadsideencounter, and gave visions to John in a remote cave. Whilemodern Christians may not encounter God in the same ways,I believe God wants to share His plans for us and inspire usto passionately pursue our purposes. And whenever Godspeaks—however He chooses—it's always a miracle.
As I have surveyed some of today's rising Christianleaders, I've discovered a profound thing they share in common:leaders who make the biggest impact also have thestrongest sense of calling. They seem to know the directionGod has marked out for them, andthey're chasing after it.
Britt Merrick is one of those leaders.As a teenager, Britt planned to take overChannel Islands Surfboards, his dad'siconic company. His father, Al, is a legendin the industry. Britt grew up in the surfingindustry, hanging with the famousclients of his family's company, including the most decoratedsurfer ever, Kelly Slater. But once he reached his mid-twenties,Britt decided to follow Jesus, and his plans shifted.
He began to sense that God was calling him to plantand pastor a church. Britt questioned the intuition since heseemed primed for another path. After much prayer, however,he decided to run after what he believed was his personal calling.Twelve years later, he leads one of the most innovative andinfluential churches on the West Coast. His church, Reality,is impacting the West Coast and California's surf culture in away no other church could. But Britt is only one of many leaderswho are passionate about living their purpose.
Katie Davis is another. In 2007, at nineteen years old, shetraveled to Uganda to teach kindergarten at an orphanage.She never returned home. She felt God pushing her towardthat country and its children. Today, she runs an orphanageand a child-sponsorship program that provides hundreds ofchildren with education, food, medical care, and Christiandiscipleship. The founder of Amazima Ministries, Katie isnow a single mother, having adopted fourteen Ugandan childrenas her own. It would have been easier for Katie to finishcollege and pursue the American dream, but God had somethingbetter in store for her.
After hearing Katie share her story at our CatalystAtlanta event, I decided to create a scholarship fund to sendKatie's fourteen Ugandan children to college. I felt stronglyprompted by God to do something more for Katie and herfamily in that moment. I decided while walking back ontothe stage after Katie's interview to create the Katie DavisScholarship Fund. Katie responds,
People tell me I am brave. People tell me I am strong.People tell me good job. Well here is the truth of it: I amreally not that brave, I am not really that strong, and I amnot doing anything spectacular. I am just doing what Godczalled me to do as a follower of Him. Feed His sheep, dounto the least of His people.
When I decided to create the scholarship fund, I had noidea how we would accomplish it, but I truly wanted to live outthe principle of putting others above ourselves. The Catalystteam was so impressed by what Katie had accomplished at sucha young age, we felt moved to act. This is an example of the waywe want others to be highlighted at our Catalyst events—wewant to be focused and intentional about celebrating others. Infact, royalties from this book will be used to help fund Katie'schildren going to college, along with several other strategiccharitable projects we want to fund through the proceeds.
Of course, God doesn't always call His followers to fulltimemissions or ministry. Consider Scott Harrison. Duringhis twenties, he was one of the top nightclub promoters inNew York City. He was earning lots of money, living a glamorouslifestyle, and enjoying the luxuries of the Big Apple. Butdeep down, he wasn't satisfied. He knew God had wired himto do something else. Something that would affect peoplearound the world and not just in New York's club scene.
When he turned thirty, he made a bold decision to giveup his job and launch an organization called charity:water.Starting a nonprofit was risky, but Scott felt certain this waswhat God wanted him to do. More than six years later, hisorganization has provided clean water to millions and hasrevolutionized the way American charities operate. He hopesto eradicate the global water crisis in the next twenty years.None of it would have been possible without his strong senseof personal calling and the courage to pursue it.
Our sense of calling should be like an unfolding epicadventure.
—CHRISTINE CAINE, COFOUNDER OF A21 CAMPAIGN
My DVR is set to record Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice,Shark Tank, and The Voice. Do you know the executive producerbehind all of these shows? Mark Burnett. He's becomea legend in the entertainment industry over the last fifteenyears, often credited with creating the global reality televisioncraze. Now, he and his wife—Roma Downey, Touched byan Angel actress and celebrity in her own right—feel calledto create a new made-for-TV Bible series project titled TheBible. They both feel a sense of purpose and calling to leveragethe influence they've created through their careers toshare the gospel. I've been able to work together with themto advance this cause, and I count them among the bestexamples of people living out their faith and calling in theentertainment industry.
Like Britt, Katie, Scott, and Mark, the next generationof Christian influencers is passionate about finding andpursuing their divine purposes. They don't want to workthirty or forty years in a job that fails to fulfill their deepestlongings. Instead, this generation wants to find careerpaths that utilize both their talents and their passions.They are locating and living their callings, and we're allbetter for it.
TRACKING DOWN YOUR PURPOSE
Sadly, too few leaders today understand their life's purpose.They meander through life, wandering with no sense ofwhere God is leading them. In our study, only 3 percent saidthat "purpose" was their defining leadership quality. Thatnumber fell to a measly 1 percent for those ages 18 to 39.Only about one-third of Christians (34 percent) feel calledto the work they currently do. This seems to indicate to methat many young Christian leaders have not found their callings,or at least feel their current work doesn't fulfill them.According to our study, younger Christians are more likelythan older Christians to confess they have never even consideredthe idea of being called to their current role.Watch Mark Burnett talk about the Bible Project.
Many reasons exist for this travesty. Some simply complicateor mystify the issue. In the last five years, more andmore young leaders have often asked me about vocationalcalling. They realize its importance, are obsessed with findingit, and are frustrated by the hunt. I've found that toomany people think of calling as a hidden treasure for whichone must search high and low. They feel trapped in a cosmicgame of hide-and-seek-my-purpose. Irritation intensifies asthey attempt to locate a clearly marked map that can leadthem to their life's purpose.
But one's calling isn't a pot of gold to be found at the end of arainbow. It's not buried deep beneath the ground in unmarkedsoil. God wants us to use our gifts and passions, and He'splaced them in plain sight. Many of us take the perspectivethat his or her calling is mysterious and a hidden treasure forwhich there is no map. But I find that God's calling is apparentand more easily identified than we might think.
Instead of wondering what your next vacation is, maybeyou should set up a life you don't need to escape from.
—SETH GODIN, AUTHOR
Kent Humphreys, author, CEO, and business adviser, oncetold me that your life's calling is usually apparent at an earlyage, often emerging between the ages of five and nineteen.He encourages people to look back on their childhood andformative years up through their late teens and evaluate whatthey were passionate about, good at, and drawn to. When I lookback over my formative years, I see how those critical leadershipmoments—from fighting over milkshakes to becomingcaptain of the football team—shaped me into who I am.
Each of us is embedded with clearly marked instructionsfor how to accept God's purpose for our lives. Theseinstructions are your talents and passions, and they shouldnot be ignored; for when you combine these two critical components,you unlock the work that God has for you. Callingis not necessarily about a title, position, or even a certaincareer, but more about a vision and purpose for your life thatspans all the seasons of your vocation.
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