Prologue
1. Called to Flourish
2. A Lost Church in a Lost World
3. The Primary Call
4. Relocating: Where Are We Called?
5. Reorienting: How Are We Called?
6. Refocusing: To Whom and What Are We Called?
7. The Way of the Beloved
8. The Way of Wisdom
9. The Way of Suffering
10. So What Does God Call Me To Do?
Epilogue: Light and Salt
Mark Labberton is president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He previously served as Lloyd John Ogilvie chair for preaching and director of the Lloyd John Ogilvie Institute for Preaching. Prior to that Labberton was senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, California. He has served as chair of John Stott Ministries. Today he continues to contribute to the mission of the global church as a senior fellow of the International Justice Mission. He is the author of The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor and The Dangerous Act of Worship.
"Reading Dr. Mark Labberton?s book Called is like taking a glass of
cold water after a long, tedious and dreary journey on foot under
the tropical African heat. Simply put: it is refreshing. It is
re-assuring. It is practical. But it is also troubling . . .
because the observations Mark makes are sadly true. There is a
crisis of following Jesus today. Most of what we profess, our lives
and attitudes and what we have become as Christians and churches,
contradict our primary calling. Called is therefore a call to
repentance. As I read each of the chapters, I cannot but cry out to
Jesus: 'Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy.'"
*David Zac Niringiye, retired assistant bishop of the diocese of
Kampala, Church of Uganda*
"Mark Labberton uses fresh language and powerful word pictures to
give readers easy access to deep truth. What a gift! Called is fine
food for both the head and the heart. He extends a compelling
invitation to live out the large life of Jesus in a world that is
at once both beautiful and broken. He emphasizes the fact that you
can't live this life alone. It can only be lived in the close
company of others who have heard the call of Jesus to simply
'Follow me.'"
*Denny Rydberg, president, Young Life*
"Too often we settle for a 'calling' that is really just sanctified
individualism, paddling in the shallows of the self. This book
pursues the deeper questions of flourishing, sacrifice, community
and transformation that are the heart of the Christian life."
*Andy Crouch, executive editor, Christianity Today, author of
Playing God*
"Much of the most critical wisdom I have gleaned in my own life has
come from the mentorship of Mark Labberton. Called brings together
so many of the 'aha!' moments that so many have experienced from
Mark's leadership, and offers these truly urgent insights in the
form of a gift to anyone who opens this book. . . . This book needs
to be read far and wide amongst followers of Jesus all over the
world, because it clarifies in profound depths what we very most
need to remember as we wake to each new day God gives. There is one
call, and but One who calls, and the invitation to be answered is
'Follow Me.'"
*Bethany Hoang, IJM Institute for Biblical Justice, author of
Deepening the Soul for Justice*
"Mark Labberton is a source of wisdom and deep friendship to me
personally and to the whole of IJM as we join God's invitation to
seek justice in the world. In this latest book, Mark offers the
gift of great clarity in the midst of urgency. Jesus beckons,
'Follow me' and he shows us the path—love. Love God, love your
neighbor. Mark's teaching helps us understand this simple, powerful
call to follow, to love. This is what we must most urgently know
and do and live. This is the call that will transform the world as
we answer."
*Gary Haugen, International Justice Mission, author of Good News
About Injustice*
"When I read Mark Labberton's writing I can almost hear Jesus say,
'Well, there it is. That's what I was literally dying to tell you.'
This book is a call to free the church from its distractions in
order to return to the most profound and basic question—what does
it mean to follow Jesus?"
*M. Craig Barnes, president, Princeton Seminary*
"The New Community as heralded by Jesus seems completely alien to
the present culture in which it resides . . . forgiving, loving,
reconciling, serving and transparency, as virtues increasingly
stand out in a world of barriers, posturing and communal disparity.
A trusted cultural navigator and biblical guide, Mark Labberton
identifies key principles and practices for the Christ-follower to
not simply exist but to flourish. Road tested. If all one did was
incorporate the end of chapter practices into their daily routine,
the impact dividend would be earth transforming."
*Steve Haas, vice president chief catalyst, World Vision US*
"Called is a book that will call to you with a vision for a life
well lived in God's presence in the world that God loves."
*Ruth Haley Barton, founder of the Transforming Center and author
of Sacred Rhythms*
"Following Jesus is both the greatest opportunity and highest
challenge ever afforded the human race. Mark Labberton sheds vivid
light on life's ultimate path."
*John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and
author of Soul Keeping*
"Christian leadership should arise from a calling to God's kingdom
rather than manipulated as a means to build a personal empire.
Called challenges us to renew our calling to follow Jesus as
servant leaders for God's kingdom. This important text offers us an
opportunity to learn at the feet of a seasoned leader who offers
insightful stories and practical application to spur us toward life
as salt and light in the world."
*Soong-Chan Rah, North Park Theological Seminary, author of The
Next Evangelicalism*
"This book is a warm, visionary invitation to rediscover the joy of
following Jesus. It resists simplistic dichotomies, unfolding a
biblical vision that embraces both prayer and action, both the
mundane and the extraordinary, both suffering and rejoicing, both
global and local concerns, both individual and communal engagement.
The book will serve as a compelling, generative resource for both
individuals and congregations."
*John D. Witvliet, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Calvin
College*
"I read everything Mark Labberton writes and his newest sings the
songs of the kingdom. You will want to read Called."
*Lance Ford, Forge America, author of Revangelical*
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