Matthew Paul Turner, the former editor of CCM Magazine, has an engaging writing style so I decided to read one of his recent books, Hokey Pokey: Curious People Finding What Life’s All About. The author introduces the book as a “conversation about calling”, which he presents in the form of a number of conventional chapters interspersed with interviews with “curious people” and questions for the reader to reflect upon.
Calling is a journey that takes a lifetime, rather than something that you arrive at. The journey is bumpy and uncertain. The freedom to experience your calling often just comes by getting out and living your life. Calling is not about you; it is about how you fit into God’s story. We do not all have “burning bush” experiences, but God does speak into everyone’s life. Waiting on God is about actively interacting with him, not passively expecting him to show up.
The book is filled with numerous interesting anecdotes and pieces of wisdom; however it was all a bit too random for my liking, and it took some effort for me to read all the way to the end. By the time I had finished I had already forgotten most of what I had read, and I had to hunt back through the book to find the pieces of advice outlined in the previous paragraph. What the author says is quite insightful, but the way he said it failed to connect with me.