Directionally Challenged: How to Find and Follow God's Course for Your Life

There is often a question that lingers in the minds of many Christians: How can I know God's will for my life? Many Christians desire to be obedient to the will of God in their lives, but often times struggle with how to determine what his will is. In this book, Travis Collins takes up the task of helping Christians discern the will of God in their lives. Overall, I think Travis does an excellent job helping people to understand how to find the will of God in their lives. He explains this in terms of a "call." In other words, finding the will of God for your life is almost synonymous with answering the unique call God has placed upon your life. To help locate both of these, Travis proposes a "COMPASS" to help navigate. This serves as the illustration to help readers understand the many aspects of finding and staying in the will of God, which he discusses in this book. There are really only two critiques I could offer. A few times The Message is quoted in the book as though it is Scripture. I would have preferred this translation not have been used as a Scriptural source because it is a paraphrase translation. Aside from that, the only other thing is that I felt like there was no cohesiveness among chapters four and following. The first three chapters flowed beautifully together. Each successive chapter covers an important aspect of the journey to finding and following God's course for our lives, but doesn't flow as well as the first three chapters. Become a New Hope Book Review Blogger. Visit [...] for more information.

DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED, by Travis Collins, is exceptionally well-written and thought-provoking. Written by a highly talented minister, to Christians, on how to find and follow God's will for our lives, it is one of the rare Christian books that transcends its purpose and targeted readership; the deep insights in it are valuable for all people, in all walks of life, regardless of religious convictions or lack thereof. The insights are presented in fascinating ways: sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always succinct, and unfailingly in a manner that reaches the reader. In reading this book, one feels that he/she is carrying on a mental conversation with its author: a witty, give-and-take, refreshingly honest conversation. DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED exhibits an unusual undersanding of the human mind and human condition, and is also fun to read--there's the mental conversation aspect, and also a deftness, a word-play, a lightness, and a joy that makes one finish reading it with a sense of "Hey, is this all?" On page 38 the author says, "Hearing and confirming the voice of God is not without its mystery." To read this book is to explore that mystery and the mystery of human life with a warm, generous, Christ-oriented, open-minded friend walking beside one.

Travis Collins has written a practical guide to determining God's purpose for one's life. This book follows in the tradition of Blackaby and King (Experiencing God). The application goes beyond the individual level inplied by the subtitle, to the corporate level for the family, as well as the church community. Collins has well supported his thesis both scripturally and from practical experience. I particularly like the rich metaphors he provides throughout the book ("These will preach"). I also appreciate that Collins does not gloss over the difficulties/challenges that are inevitable in such a search, but rather presents a balance between realism and encouragement. Of particular interest was the acknowledgment of the need for the community in the discernment process ("Observation by others"). This is much needed and most helpful in our individualistic society.