Covenant News

New Book Focuses on Finding God's Call

EDMOND, OK (July 5) - Craig Groeschel hopes that combining interactive materials on the Internet with his new book and its strange name will help people focus their lives on what God has called them to do and be.

Chazown (pronounced khaw-ZONE) is a Hebrew word for vision, and too many Christians are floundering because they don't have one, says Groeschel, lead pastor of the multi-site Life Covenant Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. He draws on the King James Version of Proverbs 29:18 - "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

The book is arranged so that people can systematically begin to find God's vision for them. The book started as a sermon series, Groeschel says, adding, "We tried to build this as a discipleship tool."

Groeschel has preached the series twice. He developed the materials to help people apply the messages to their lives. Over the last two years, he and other staff members have worked to refine the ideas.

Groeschel writes that people can find their chazown by locating the intersection of their past experiences, core values, and spiritual gifts. Small steps, not superhero giant leaps, are needed for people to find and live out their vision.

Short chapters help people to take the small steps, Groeschel says. He likens the book to an "interactive devotional." Accompanying the book is a bevy of interactive materials on the Internet, including a journal, study guide, tools for developing a personal mission statement, a life assessment tool, a section to set goals, and a list of helpful books that address each area of a person's life.

People can set goals in five areas that Groeschel says are key to living out the vision God has for them: relationship with God, relationships with people, finances, health and fitness, and work.

Free registration is required so that people's information can remain private. Groeschel says it is important that the information be shared with at least one accountability partner, based on his belief that individuals are unable to live out God's vision for them without assistance.

The book may be purchased through the online Covenant Bookstore at Chazown.

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