What happens when God calls you to follow him? Where might Jesus take you? What might it cost? And what kind of surprising blessings could it bring you and the world around you? Through sharing his own personal story, Urbana director Tom Lin shows how pursuing God's call can take us in unexpected directions. As a success-driven Harvard student, Tom figured he was headed for a lucrative career in corporate business. But then God called him to a life he never expected. Despite painful resistance from his family, he followed Jesus, eventually going halfway around the world to pioneer Christian campus ministry in the virtually unreached nation of Mongolia. Along the way he saw how God had been guiding his journey all along. Our challenge today is that we too easily settle for less than God intends for us. We prefer comfort and avoid risks. But we live in an era of unprecedented opportunities for God's global mission. If we are willing to embrace a life of adventure, we too can discover the radical ways God can use us to bless the nations. So step up and answer the call. And God will surprise you beyond all imagination.
"Tom's wonderful testimony and challenge remind me of the words of missionary C. T. Studd, who wrote, 'I'm not afraid of failure; I'm afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.' Studd graduated from Cambridge University, and within a few years was serving in China to work alongside Hudson Taylor. Young people making sacrifices for kingdom purposes have been a part of God's glorious work thr
Dr. Michael Oh, president, CBI Japan, speaker, Urbana 2009, attendee, Urbana 1990
"There's nothing like hearing God's call to service. But responding to that call? That's when things get tricky and difficult and exciting and beautiful. In Pursuing God's Call Tom Lin has done us all a favor. Tom's honesty and insight come from the real-life trenches of life and will undoubtedly help many of us answer our own call with humility, courage and joy."
Don Everts, author of Jesus with Dirty Feet and Go and Do: Becoming a Missional Christian
