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 showshow 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 resistancefrom 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 todayis 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 Lin is the director of the Urbana Student Missions Conference and vice president of missions for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. He has planted a student movement in Mongolia with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, helped plant sixteen campus fellowships in the U.S. and spoken to thousands about missions. He is the author of Losing Face Finding Grace, and he also serves as the vice chairman of the board for Wycliffe Bible Translators and as the Lausanne international deputy director for North America.



Letting Go of the Dream



Embracing a Global Vision



A Costly Choice



Obstacles to Obedience



Saying "Yes" to God's Global Mission



God's Unexpected Blessings



Unprecedented Opportunities



Four Ways to Bless the Nations



A Dream Transformed



Questions for Reflection



Acknowledgements



Notes



About Urbana



"Tom's willingness to be transparent helps us wrestle with our own circumstances and feelings that hinder us from joining God's mission. He effectively takes us through the process of evaluating our lives, letting go of selfish ambitions and embracing God's kingdom work of blessing the nations."



"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 throughout history. To some they have seemed tragic. To others their actions are like the worshipful pouring of ridiculously expensive perfume upon the feet of Jesus. Tom has both modeled in life and commended such worship in this worthy booklet. I heartily recommend it."



"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."



"Tom Lin offers both comfort and challenge as he guides us in hearing God's call on our lives--especially in contrast to all the other calls emanating from our culture, our assumptions and our sense of entitlement. If you want help in discerning God's desired future for you, this is it."