VEV Recommended Reading - Vocational Discernment

VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT

Living Into The Answers: A Workbook for Personal Spiritual Discernment
Isenhower, Valerie
Todd, Judith
Vocational Discernment/Vocation/Practice

Resource for asking for and receiving God's guidance in approaching issues or choices.

The Practice of the Presence of God and The Spiritual Maxims
Brother Lawrence
Vocational Discernment/Daily life
Spirituality/Historical sources Historical sources

This book by the monk who came to know God in the kitchen is very good for volunteers .

Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations
Benefield, Margaret
Vocational Discernment/Daily life

Describes the profound role that awareness of soul, or spirituality, can play on leadership and organizational life.

Freedom of a Christian, The: Grace, Vocation, and the Meaning of Our Humanity
Meilander, Gilbert
Vocational Discernment/Daily life

How does Christian Freedom apply to such issues as vocation and biotechnology.

Learning the Language of the Fields: Tilling and Keeping as Christian Vocation
Deffenbaugh, Daniel
Vocational Discernment/Daily life

Marries Christian theology and spiritual discipline with Native American mythology and organic gardening to deepen our engagement with the places in which we live.

Nurse's Calling: A Christian Spirituality for Caring for the Sick
O'Brien, Mary
Vocational Discernment/Nursing

A unique blend of practicality with a strong spiritual dimension.

Preaching Life
Taylor, Barbara Brown
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Episcopal priest and acclaimed preacher shares accounts from her personal life and thirteen of her sermons.

Radical Compassion: Finding Christ in the Heart of the Poor
Smith, Gary SJ
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry
Peace and Justice
Service/Urban Issues

This Jesuit priest has lived among and served the poor of Portland, Oregon for 25 years and addesses issues related to that work that many choose to ignore.

Awakened to a Calling: Reflections on the Vocation of Ministry
Svennungsen, Ann (editor)
Wiginton, Melissa (editor)
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Ms. Wiginton is the VP of Ministry Programs and Planning at FTE. Collection of sermons on the theme of discerning a pastoral vocation.

The Close: A Young Woman's First Year At Seminary
Breyer, Chloe
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

An incredibly realistic account of an Episcopal priest's first year of seminary, this book is especially valuable for those contemplating pastoral leadership.

Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx
Newmark, Heidi
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry
Spirituality/contemporary sources Contemporary sources

An FTE Fellow, this parish pastor in the south Bronx shares insights and inspiration through her own ministry.

God Underneath: Spiritual Memoirs of a Catholic Priest
Beck, Edward
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Memoir by a Roman Catholic priest, who believes "spirituality is the very stuff of our lives," and demonstrates that belief with stories from his life and ministry.

Calling & Character: Virtues of the Ordained Life
Willimon, William
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Willimon, United Methodist bishop, popular preacher and former dean of the Chapel at Duke University offers a clear and compelling picture of pastoral life that can inform those considering ordained ministry.

Who Will Go for Us?: An Invitation to Ordained Ministry
Campbell, Dennis
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

A look at ordained ministry, its role, responsibilities and sacrifices.

What to Expect in Seminary: Theological Education as Spiritual Formation
Cetuk, Virginia Samuel
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Cetuk, a dean at a theological school, offer a practical book about what to expect in that experience.

What Shall I Say?: Discerning God's Call to Ministry : A Resource from the Division for Ministry, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Evangelism and General Resources)
Setzer, Sue
Bouman, Walter
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Resource of the Division of Ministry from the Evanglical Lutheran Church in America, available from Amazon.

Turn the Pulpit Loose: Two Centuries of American Women Evangelists
Pope-Levison, Pricilla
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

The lives of 18 women evangelists who helped shape American religious life.

Still Called by Name: Why I Love Being a Priest
Dominic, Grassi
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Urban priest and storyteller reflects upon his vocation of 30 years as a priest and the moments of grace and special people who have touched his life.

The Calling: A Year in the Life of an Order of Nuns
Whitney, Catherine
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

An article from Sojourners (Jan 1, 2000), available from Amazon.

Listening For God: A Ministers Journey Through Silence And Doubt
Weems, Renita
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Weems, an ordained Methodist minister, gives an honest portrayal of her own "spiritual breakdown" and an honest assessment of her love affair with God.

Is It I, Lord?
Chatham, James
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

Chatham, a Presbyterian pastor and popular preacher, address the question, "Is God calling you to be a pastor?".

In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience
Martin, James SJ
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

The story of one man's remarkable journey from corporate America to the Jesuit order.

Travelers On The Journey: Pastors Talk About Their Lives And Commitments
Constantine, Mark
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

An accounting of the experiences of six pastors (Protestant, Catholic and non-denominational) in the American South who have worked on issues facing their communities with innovation.

God's Yes Was Louder Than My No: Rethinking the African-American Call to Ministry
Meyers, William
Vocational Discernment/Ordained ministry

An outstanding study of the call to ordained ministry among African-American clergy.

How to Find Your Mission in Life
Bolles, Richard
Vocational Discernment/Practice

The author of What Color is Your Parachute, uses wit and wisdom to explore the spiritual aspects of finding one's place in the work world.

I Will Not Die an Unlived Life: Reclaiming Purpose and Passion
Markova, Dawna
Vocational Discernment/Practice
Spirituality/contemporary sources contemporary sources

This charismatic teacher and thinker invites readers to follow their passion.

The Holy Longing: The Search for A Christian Spirituality
Rolheiser, Ronald
Vocational Discernment Spiritual practices

Reminiscent of the best work by Henri Nouwen and Daniel Berrigan.

The Teacher's Way: Teaching And The Contemplative Life
Litchmann, Maria
Vocational Discernment/Teaching

This award-winning scholar, educator and author, connects the monastic practive of lectio divina to the heart of the teaching experience.

Touching the Hearts of Students: Characteristics of Lasallian Schools
Van Grieken, George
Vocational Discernment/Teaching

Written by the director of vocational ministry for the Brothers of the Christian Schools and describes the unique charism of the Lasallian schools in which volunteers serve through the Lasallian Volunteer Program, a VEV partner.

Radical Presence: Teaching as Contemplative Practice
O'Reilley, Mary
Vocational Discernment/Teaching

The secrets of good teaching are the same as those for good living.

Enhancing Religious Identity: Best Practices from Catholic Campuses
Wilcox, John (editor)
Vocational Discernment/Teaching

Essays that develop the Vatican's vision of ethical higher education.

Answering Your Call: A Guide for Living Your Deepest Purpose
Schuster, John
Vocational Discernment/Vocation/Practice
A spiritual "how-to" book that helps readers discern what they are called to do, find the courage to respond to that call and stay the course to make that vision reality.