On Listening to Os Guinness

Os Guinness speaks this Friday night as part of the Framework Lecture series. Tenth member Bethany Brooks sent this in recounting how listening to him changed her thinking:

"In the summer of 2004, I was living in London, nearing completion of a Master's degree.  I'd made the agonizing decision to leave London and move to Philadelphia, but I had no idea what my post-student life would look like.  Two degrees in piano performance seemed to qualify me for very few 'jobs', and even more disheartening, I'd never been able to imagine an employment situation that would capture my wide range of interests and passions.

"A friend visiting from the U.S. wanted to spend time at the English l'Abri, so I went along for a day.  During the afternoon study time, as I perused the catalog of their library, the category 'Vocation' caught my eye, and I was soon listening to a cassette tape recording of Os Guinness.

"I don't remember all the specifics of his talk, but
that afternoon I gained categories for thinking about my calling -- or better, callings -- that weren't constrained to job, career, or employment.  I was able to identify activities and ways of being specific to my gifts, interests, and experiences that are part of my purpose, though they may take different forms or appear in different proportions in various seasons of life. 

"My transition to Philadelphia and getting started as a free-lance musician were indeed difficult; I spent plenty of miserable moments feeling like I'd lost the plot.  Assurance of God's purpose, even on days that felt like a bare struggle for survival, was invaluable in helping me to keep going.  Even now, as I'm grateful for the deluge of activities and opportunities that come my way, I think back to that afternoon in southern England to remind myself of the priorities that flow from my sense of vocation.  I am thankful for Os Guinness's wisdom on this topic and look forward to hearing him again this Friday!"