How a Christian may follow the call to discipleship through daily life and work Essay Example

How a Christian may follow the call to discipleship through daily life and work Essay Example How a Christian may follow the call to discipleship through daily life and work Essay How a Christian may follow the call to discipleship through daily life and work Essay Essay Topic: Bishop the Fish The English word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare meaning to call. Every Christian has a calling or vocation from God to be good, to serve Him and to serve others. The term disciple is also applied to every one who calls them selves a Christian.What am I going to do with my life? or What is God calling me to do with my life? We tend to think of the vocation in terms of religious life or priesthood when asking a general question about doing something. Being a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus and every one of us has our own vocation from God. Christians are called by God to use their wisdom to help Him and to help others as a part of Gods family. The calling of people to a life of holiness, to be servants and witnesses of the Gospel is called a common vocation.As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, Come after me and I will make you fisher of people. And at once they left their nets and followed him.(Matthew 4:18-20)Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.(Matthew 4:21-22)As Jesus walked beside the Sea at Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.(Mark 1:16-20)One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding round him and listening to the word of G od, he saw at the waters edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.Simon answered, Master, weve worked hard all night and havent caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus knees and said, Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man! For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simons partners.Then Jesus said to Simon, Dont be afraid; from now on you will catch men. So they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed him.(Luke 5:1-11)As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collectors booth. Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.(Matthew 9:9)Anyone could be a disciple of Jesus, as we can all see that Jesus has picked his disciple living in a normal life. These four fishermen were like peasants, they were uneducated, and knew nothing about philosophy or religion but still Jesus chose them. He didnt pick a person with a name or rank in a public, a surgeon would be valued by God as much as a bus driver would, although their salaries are extensively different. A mother thats working for a part time job in Tesco to save up some money and also that she could afford to look after her children better. If this is a job a person can only do with their full potential then this is the right vocation for them.Arch Bishops, nuns, monks, priest or prime ministers are not the only ones have a vocation from the Almighty God. The message for us today is that ordinary people like us should act immediately and help Jesus to catch people when we hear it. A person who wants to be a disciple should commit and prepare them selves to God and his commandments first. They must fulfil their duties to protect God and the gospel. A nun, monk, priest, and the other parts of the religious orders turn their backs on their personal wishes and their other beliefs, to serve the people like them and specially our Almighty God. They are not considering what they will receive during their life on Earth, but they will be judged at the end of their time and as a reward they can go to eternal life in heaven.Laity, religious orders and holy orders are the three different kind of vocation. Laity are people who are not called to live in a specific state of life, this could be an everyday jo b such as an architect, manager, nurse, bus driver, doctor, seller, etc. Religious orders include nuns, monks and brothers, these people dedicate their lives to fulfilling their vocation as one of Gods brothers and sisters. Holy orders are the people like the priests, nuns, monks and brothers that dedicate their life by following God, but they would serve people, in masses and others.The followers of Jesus learned from his words and actions, which mean they put their faith into action, by spreading the word of God and serving others. Being a nurse or a doctor in England would be highly paid, but because of our vocation sometimes other doctors or nurses are assigned to another country, which is less salary. Sometimes we tend to give up a comfortable life, which one of them is our social life. Some of us sacrifice our free time to run a small business that will help other people, or run an extra-curricular activity to teach children, students, or adults. The first disciples of God wou ld sacrifice their own lives just to protect and to keep the name of Jesus Christ. They also obeyed the order of Jesus, they preach and teach other people what God taught them.People like Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi and Oscar Romero are the people whose vocation to change injustice leads to their death. Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King made very large sacrifices to become apostles of God, Martin Luther King gave his life in an attempt to stop racism and Mother Theresa left her family and way of living to help those in need in India. They both showed that it is possible to be a disciple of Jesus if you have the will of power and strength. Oscar Romero was a Roman Catholic priest from South America and he was shot while celebrating a mass. He was very much an important figure in El Salvador and he felt that he had to speak out after his friend had been shot by a military firing squad. He inspired many people with his speeches and gave the people some hope.T here are still some organisations, which carry the mission of the twelve disciples in a modern way.The parable of the Sheep and GoatsWhen the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on hit throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separate the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats in his left.Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drin k? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.(Matthew 25:31-46)Cafod and Christian Aid prioritise t o help the needy.One of the most important teachings of Christ is the passage of the Cost of DiscipleshipThen he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.(Mark 8:34-35)The specifically Christian vocation meets that fundamental human vocation with resounding affirmation. For we are baptised into Christ Jesus (Romans 6:3). That challenging invitation Follow me! is not an appeal to heroic or the wilful. It is rather a call to awaken to the new reality, discover in the depths of your being that you are in Christ. Your spirit and Holy Spirit bear a united witness that you are a child of God (cf Romans 8:16).

Interview with Darren Rowse on Building a Better Blog

Interview with Darren Rowse on Building a Better Blog Interview with Darren Rowse on Building a Better Blog Interview with Darren Rowse on Building a Better Blog By Daniel Scocco Last week we published a post about Darren Rowses new ebook, titled 31 Days to Build a Better a Blog. I asked Darren if he was willing to answer to a small interview giving more details about the book to our readers, and he agreed. There are some interesting points, so check it out. 1. Do you believe that any writer can benefit from having a blog? Im always a little hesitant to make sweeping statements and claims about blogging and how its the best tool for every person but I do think that a blog is a fantastic tool that most writers should at least consider. There are a many reasons why I think blogging is a great medium for writers three that immediately spring to mind: 1. Profile, promotion and branding I know in writing my own book with Chris Garrett that having a blog was a big advantage, both in landing the book deal and in promoting the book once it was launched. My blog (and Chriss) built our profiles, credibility and authority on the topic we were writing about. This in turn led to Wiley approaching us with a book deal. It also meant that when we launched the book, we already had an audience ready and waiting to buy it. 2. Idea development one of the things I love most about blogging is that it enables me to grow in my own understanding of the topics that I write about. This happens as I research, develop and write up posts, but also as readers respond to what I write in comments and on their own blogs extending and deepening my ideas. 3. Practice one of the best ways to improve as a writer is to write particularly in a public forum where you know people will be reading and interacting with your ideas. Regularly publishing your writing on a blog is a great way to grow your writing skills. 2. What feedback did you get from the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog project? The reaction to 31DBBB was amazing on a number of levels. Firstly, I was overwhelmed by the numbers of bloggers signing up. Within just a few weeks we had 13,000 participants, which showed me just how many bloggers felt that they needed an injection of fresh ideas and inspiration for their blogs. The main feedback I initially got from participants was simply that they felt energized, inspired and equipped to improve their blogs. However, as the initial 31 day period progressed I began to hear stories of bloggers seeing real and significant improvements in their blogs as they took the tasks seriously. Some reported significant rises in traffic, others reported deepening relationships with readers, others yet reported that the quality of their posts were on the rise. The other two things that I heard time and time again from readers was: 1. The pace of daily tasks wasnt right for everyone. Some wanted to do it faster, some wanted to take their time and slow it down. 2. People wanted it all in one document either on their own computer or to print out. They wanted it all in the one place so they could keep digging back into it over time. It was these last two pieces of feedback that motivated me to develop the content into a workbook. 3. Why do you think most bloggers procrastinate when it comes to improving their blogs? There are a number of reasons. 1. For some it is simply that the blogger doesnt know what to do. They start of with loads of ideas and energy, but in time lose steam, inspiration and ideas. Many bloggers get to a bloggers block, where they simply dont know what to write or how to move their blogs forward. 2. For others it has more to do with discipline. Just like many aspects of life, successful blogs are something that you need to dedicate time to. Getting into a rhythm of blogging can be hard particularly when life is full of other competing interests. 3. The other reason is that many bloggers have one or two particular aspects of blogging that they love and are good at, and which they do to the point of excluding other aspects of building a successful blog. For example, some bloggers love designing their blogs so much that they end up sinking a lot of time into continually tweaking how their blogs look, at the expense of actually writing content. For others the obsession can be SEO, networking with other bloggers, writing a particuar type of post, adding and playing with blog tools. the list goes on. None of these things are bad in and of themselves, but when you obsess over them at the expense of other activities, you can end up being distracted and ignoring some important aspects of your blog. 4. What is your favorite task out of the 31 listed in the workbook? Tough one I actually really enjoyed writing most of them and got quite into doing the tasks for myself over the month. Some of the writing focused tasks were great to watch participants do, but two of my favorites were Day 11 where I share a technique for coming up with 10 (or more) blog post ideas, and Day 18, where participants develop a Sneeze Page for their blogs (a type of page that can drastically increase page views on a blog and increase reader loyalty). 5. Is the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog workbook useful for people who are just getting started with their blogs? The workbook is designed for people who have blogs but who need a kick start for one reason or another. This might be a new blogger who doesnt quite know what to do after setting up their blog, a blogger who has been at it for a few months who loses his way, or a more advanced blogger who simply has run out of steam or has hit the dreaded bloggers block. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?Excited ABOUT, not "for" 5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers