Called

A clear survival guide for  the earnest Christian, regardless of denomination, to practice their faith successfully in this post modern era.

Catholics get a bad rap for being inward worshipers (and they cringe at a word like that). We've spent too many years trying to make sure we look Catholic and sacramental that we've lost the priority of encountering Christ daily, filling our hearts with Him, and sharing Him with others because those hearts of our are overflowing. As an introvert, I thought I had a good excuse to know not quite how to manage evangelizing. This book guides you to encounter Him (we must begin there) and then guides you through the steps of sharing Him with others through the structure of Win-Build-Send.

I read this book (which I received for free from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review) in a couple of days, rather than over the course of five weeks, as it is intended to be read. The structure is that of a daily devotional that builds on itself. The daily reflections are never the same from one day to the next: an anecdote and questions or scripture readings and a call to pray about one aspect of it, or another combination. The variety is refreshing and I can see how this would effectively call the reader to enter into a deeper relationship with Christ. 

The timing of the publication of this book in our recent Church history can't be ignored. Before I sat down to read it, I asked myself if it would hold up against what we face as a Church in light of the PA grand jury report and Cardinal McCarrick scandals (abuse and cover up). In fact, not only do I believe the book holds up, but its entire premise thrives in the wake of such dark news. We, Christ's brothers, sisters, children, workers, disciples, etc, are the Church. The work of the Church begins with us and this is as grassroots as it gets. Reading this book and truly reflecting on your encounter with Christ will cause you to share Him with others (using his suggestions and tips, quelling that Catholic anxiety about evangelizing!). That's what we need right now and that's what we'll get from this book.

I look forward to rereading it as it was intended, day by day, building a relationship with Christ in order to share Him with others. He has no hands but ours and we are the Church.

A critical (yet all too difficult) part of building a culture of missionary disciples in a ministry is getting everyone on the same page of being and making disciples. As is common, you will have your overachievers who do everything, but the culture doesn't change unless the average student in a Bible study or person in the pew commits to giving his or her life to Christ and sharing that with others. In this book, Kevin Cotter lays out a five week crash course in discipleship through weekly units with easy-to-read yet wonderfully informative daily meditations and reflections upon different aspects of a life of discipleship. He even manages, in week five, to provide a rationale to the reader as to why he or she not only should but must, in some way, share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives. 
As a campus chaplain working with FOCUS, we have seen tremendous growth the past few years in our apostolate. The number of students attending and leading Bible studies has grown yearly and, more importantly, the number of students in discipleship and discipling others has increased exponentially. Yet, on a campus of nearly 50,000 students, we can only serve so many. 
The past year, I have been trying to figure out how we reach effectively those Catholics who are coming to Mass, involved in Bible studies, or who attend retreats, but either don't have the time or don't feel called to enter formal discipleship with another student or a FOCUS missionary. It's hard to convince many overwhelmed and overcommitted students to weekly discipleship meetings, but those same students are craving something more. Therefore, our team committed to developing a "Discipleship Crash Course." for our students either not yet or unable to be in discipleship. Kevin's book is exactly what I've been looking for and what I will be using with this group. 
I am convinced the average student in the pew on Sunday has a real place for Christ in his or her life but simply doesn't know how to take it to the next level. The practical side of Kevin's book, which starts with a week on prayer and encountering the Lord, offers the practicing but not totally committed Catholic a launching pad for greatness, for discipleship, for changing the world.

This book said I would learn how to live the faith, share the faith and raise up disciples to do the same thing.  I certainly did!  I feel better prepared thanks to this book.

Called by Kevin Cotter was a very inspiring read!  I completed this much faster than the intended five-week plan this book is set up for – I didn’t want to stop reading!  The layout of Called is designed to be read over the course of five weeks, a little each day, like a daily devotional.  Each day’s lesson is about the same length and many share both Scripture and Catechism quotes.

I really enjoyed the writing style Kevin Cotter used for this book.  He speaks on an authoritative yet friendly, relatable level.  I never felt like I was being taught at or told to implement the suggestions in this book in a way that wouldn’t be comfortable or natural for me.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone, especially my fellow Catholics, looking for a refreshing look on evangelization, discipleship and living more like Jesus.

Called is available now – visit www.AveMariaPress.com for details on this and other great Catholic resources!

I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from Ave Maria Press through NetGalley.  A positive review was not required.  All opinions expressed are my own.