While billed as a book about career and educational choices, I consider What’s Next to be more about life purpose. The chapters are easy to read, full of Biblical examples offered both as paraphrases of Scripture and as modern retellings, and written in a casual, conversational style.

What’s Next progresses at a natural pace and is well organized. Within the pages, you’ll find a look into words that we in the church throw around like buzzwords instead of practical helps from the Lord. Words like, “calling” and “will of God.” Instead of leading you through ten steps to a brighter future and successful career, Day takes you to the feet of Jesus and reminds you of what is truly important.

Christians who are well-versed in the Bible may feel as though it’s rather basic–simplistic, even. However, sometimes even mature Christians need to see those simple stories for the gems they are. We need to revisit them with fresh, new eyes. I think that’s what Day did with his retellings. He made us look at them again.

Will this book change your life? Nope. That’s God’s job. But this book can remind you of many of the things the One Who can and does change lives can and will do in yours.

So yes, if you need encouragement, if you’re at a crossroads, if you’re confused about what “calling” even means in your life, I think Daniel Day’s, What’s Next will be a book you’ll love and enjoy. I know I’m sure glad I requested a free review copy! Recommended for people who need a refresher on discerning God’s will, for those at a crossroads in their lives, and for everyone who just needs a little encouragement.

For anyone caught in the space between life up to now and what to do next, this is a good book for thought. It gives many points that while give you pause to consider.

A decent read that gives the right amount of inspiration and guidance. I find it hard to read some Christian books offering guidance or help in your daily walk with God but this book was unlike any of the others I've tried to read. I would definitely suggest this to others.

I read this hoping for more understanding on how to grow as a Christian, but I felt that it was geared more toward helping Christians understand and accept how to accept God's call on their lives and find meaningful and fulfilling worldly jobs that embrace that calling. There were quite a few good tips in here, and while it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it does have value and I'm glad I read it.

I wasn’t sure how I would like the book since I no longer work. I enjoyed reading the book. The details on how to find your next job based on the calling of God. What God’s will is for your life. A lot of great examples from the Bible, Moses, Jonah, Mary, and Joseph are some of those.

The book is not only good for helping get your next job but also for everyday life. They are questions at the end of each chapter to help think about the information.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit. This book review is my own opinion.

This a book that gives you "food for thought" as the saying goes. Everyone of us have thought "What do I do next?" Sometimes we make decisions that didn't turn out well. We want to make a difference in the world while following our dreams. What dream job have you wanted? I can remember wanting to be a teacher but that dream didn't work out the way I thought.

One church I attended had people who loved to tell others what God wanted them to do. I always prayed before I moved forward and there were times I said no to what people thought my ministry was. Over time it was evident that what was really happening was the church was trying to fill a need in a particular ministry. I appreciated the church wanting to help get me plugged in, but I also knew that God had other plans for me.

The author has good examples from the bible of people who God called but didn't feel equipped. Our doubts can overtake us and cause us to question God. There is an example in the book about a daughter and father. The father wants her to pursue law while she wants to do photography and graphic design. I bring this up because something similar happened to my husband. His parents wanted him to go to college and either get a degree in law or business. My husband wanted to pursue his dream of art. When he told his parents of his dream, they refused to pay for him to go to college for art. So what was next for my husband? He found work doing drafting and on the side he airbrushed murals. His dream of doing art for a living seemed far away. God has used my husband's gift of art to do murals in churches and opened doors to do art work for other people.

It's easy for us to say I wonder what would have happened if I had done something different? God does have a plan for us and wants us to prosper . He has called each of us for something specific. We need to be still and listen to Him. " God 's calling is not about a specific job but about a specific way of living."

I really enjoyed the chapter about helping others. The illustration about the man who was left on the side of the road to die and a good Samaritan came and took him to the hospital is a great example of helping others. Have you walked by someone in need? God tells us to love each other and be the hands and feet of God. While we are waiting for "what' s next" we should be looking for ways to help others. The good news is that God knows what's next for us; we just need to have faith and wait on Him to direct our path.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

This helpful book offers guidance for those who aren’t certain about their future path. The teaching is scripturally based and points readers to God’s Word and His will. Its sixteen chapters are easy to read and clear to apply to make life changes. The author also shares many of his own experiences as examples for the topics he addresses. I think one of the main points to take to heart is that there is really no dream job and that you have to work hard in life. We need to change the way we think about our calling and a perfect future. Unreal expectations lead to frustration and disappointment, as I’ve witnessed multiple times. Changing our view of success will help. And the reassurance that God can use all that’s happened in our lives leads to hope too. This guidebook would be great for teens and older to study and discuss. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.

Don't we think God has that perfect job for us? You know, the one that pays well, is fulfilling, and is the one we've been dreaming of for years? Day sets the record straight. Our dream job may have nothing at all to do with our calling from God. In fact, God's calling may be a big surprise. God has something much grater in mind for us that what we do for a living.

I like how Day clarifies our calling from God. Rather than to a career, God calls us to a relationship with Him, to loving others, to glorifying Him no matter our job. Day does a great job describing that life to which God has called us.

Yes, God might call us to something specific. I was surprised when Day showed from Scripture that sometimes God's call is to a task we are not suited for nor want to do. (Think Moses and Jonah.)

Just when I thought there would be no practical suggestions for determining what's next, Day came through with some good ideas. He provides lots of questions near the end of the book to help us think through what we want to do with our lives with respect to career.

This is a helpful book for Christians thinking about career or job change. You'll just have the opportunity to think about what God wants in your life before you delve into what you want.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Straight-forward and easy to read, this book reminds the reader of the common calling for all Christians before leading to how to use your particular skill set and giftings. There are no aptitude tests or personality quizzes, just a down to earth examination of letting go of the fear that there is just one particular job that is a perfect fit for you and if you miss it your life won't live up to your full potential. Breaking free from the burden of that mindset is well worth the time to read this!
I requested and voluntarily read a copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley and I offer my honest opinion in response.

We all have dreams, plans and goals in our lives. Everyone is searching for the perfect job, perfect home, or the perfect spouse. But how do we achieve those goals?
Daniel Ryan Day shows us that we first need to listen to God. God has a plan for our lives. If we will only stop and pay attention His intentions will be made clear to us.
Day uses his story as well as many scriptural references so show us how God can change our plans.
Day clearly shows us that we need to learn to stop, listen and let God lead our lives.
This is a great personal study book but would also make a wonderful book for your Bible study group.
Thank you Netgalley for a chance to preview this book.

I've read What's Next through two times -- once slowly and then I put it away and moved on to something else. I was on an airplane and decided to go back and read it again because I really need the message the author is sharing! I tend to set ridiculous goals in the midst of a crazy life, then beat myself up when I fail yet again.

Through practical examples and with specific actions for the reader to take, Day shares the reasons most of us never get past the first few days of a goal. He gives us permission, nay he requires us, to cut our goals in half. That makes them easier to exceed and sets a more realistic expectation. He also provides information to help the reader figure out why he or she can't seem to move forward to accomplish more in life and refocuses perspective to look a bit backwards and see what has already been accomplished.

When going through the book the second time I realized I hadn't internalized most of what had been said -- probably because it is so logical and practical that I may have figured I would take action on what I'd read right way. I realized I hadn't really done anything differently after reading it the first time, and if I didn't do something different then I had no reason to believe this book would change my life!

This time I am actually writing down my responses to the questions and challenges at the end of each chapter and I seriously plan to re-read it once every month or two. It is short and easy to scan, so that goal shouldn't be too difficult! I definitely think this book, and others like them, have the potential to seriously change a person's life if he or she just does what is suggested!

What's Next is helpful and offers insight for your next move, if you are a Christian. I am a Christian so I found the book helpful in reinforcing my thoughts and what I already believe. If you are a new Christian this book will help you with deciding your next step. I really did enjoy the book, but I can't honestly say I learned anyting new. Instead of learning from the book, I was encouraged and pushed to follow God's leading. I recommend this book for Christians who need encouragement.

Transitions are a way of life. For people at particular junctures, the question of "What's Next" is particularly exciting or distressing. For Christians, another way of asking the same question is "What is God's will for me at this time of my life?" Many people have grappled with this question from different angles. This question is also related to the topics of calling and purpose in life. Author Daniel Ryan Day begins with his own story of how circumstances and choices impacted the decisions he made. He had wanted to be a professional pilot but never sent in any application to the Air Force Academy. He don't know what his future looks like and constantly seeks answers to his search for the next thing. He poses several scenarios of this predicament. If one belongs to "Team Senior," one has to decide what to do after the senior year of their academic program. If one is in "Team College," the challenge is to decide on which program of study. If one belongs to "Team Rut," then the question is how they could find a right fit between their aspirations and jobs. Those belonging to "Team Deck-of-Cards" will have to depend on what comes their way, especially unforeseen circumstances, before they decide. The rare breed of people in "Team Hero" would take care of the interests of others before their own. Using two guidelines to determine the next step, DRD looks at purpose and fulfillment as criteria for determining our calling. He calls this team as "Team Called." In order to get our spiritual bearings right, he begins with the Bible. Such calling is neither about some special "high calling" related to Church work. Neither is it about a special job. It is something way beyond our popular definitions of dream jobs and higher callings.


Calling is not about our "dream jobs" as demonstrated in the lives of Moses and Jonah. We learn of Moses having his personal version of dream job being overturned by God's specific calling for him to lead Israel out of Egypt. Likewise Jonah didn't get what he wished for. Instead, he eventually did what he personally did not want to do. Rather looking at personal whims and fancies, Day urges us to think about what is "good and perfect" from God's perspective. Do we trust in God's wisdom and purpose? How about seeing our calling in terms of God's role as Father and us as His children? Gradually, we learn that calling is more about character instead of career; more about dedication instead of a dream job; and more about faithfulness in our general calling instead of being distracted by an endless search for a specific calling. Of all the 148 uses of the word "called" in the New Testament, we learn that calling is more about a way of living. This way is linked to the greatest commandment of loving God and loving our neighbours. It is about making a difference in the lives of our communities. It is about learning to live in the Spirit rather than the flesh. Incidentally, we also need to ask how much is our hunger for a specific calling more of the flesh? Some principles that Day highlights are worth pondering more upon:

It is God who initiates the calling; we do the listening;
God calls the faithful;
We are called to a lifestyle instead of some specific career;
Calling is about trust;
Don't be surprised that calling is not to some dream job;
Whatever the calling, God will be with us;
Be careful not to say "no" to God when He calls. (Remember Jonah?)
It is not necessarily to be gifted or qualified in order to be called to do something;
Calling may mean some kind of sacrifice;
Calling is more about God's glory;
We are called to demonstrate God's character to others

The concluding part of the book includes some guidelines and questions for us to probe the principles above. Exercises include listing down our likes and dislikes; testing ourselves using Enneagrams or DISCs tests; finding mentors; asking questions; knowing oneself; redefining what success means; etc.


My Thoughts
This is a surprisingly good book. From the beginning, it may read like any other books on calling and purpose. The further we read, and as we understand the futility of searching for some "dream job," we would realize that our conventional ideas about calling being some "full-time work" or a specific career are more secondary than ever. There are three things I like about this book.

First, calling is external. This book reaffirms the principle that calling is from Someone higher and bigger than ourselves. This means we should spend less time worrying about our small concerns and small world. Ideas about "dream jobs" often glorify our personal preferences. As Christians, we need to be reminded about our allegiance to Christ. Mother Teresa has said that our calling is primarily to Christ. That should settle the bulk of our quests and restlessness about what to do. I appreciate Day's using the lives of Moses and Jonah to demonstrate the point that we are often called to do things that are opposite of our personal desires.

Second, calling is relational. Sometimes, we think of calling in terms of some career or goals to be achieved. Instead, the author reminds us that we are called toward a lifestyle, a way of living that involves the enrichment of the community we live in and the edification of the body of Christ. The love commandments, the parables about loving our neighbours; the fruits of the Spirit, the spirit of the keeping of the commandments; etc, are all presented to help us live in peace and harmony with one another. Whatever work we are called into doing, these relational and spiritual attributes are to be present. In fact, why not see the "called" work we are in as opportunities to practice these virtues?

Third, calling is growing into Christlikeness. This is something often marginalized or even forgotten. We cannot make our calling larger than God Himself. If Christ is the focus of all our attention, we need to become too worried about the lack of clarity with regards to what we do or will be doing in the future.

I recommend this book for general reading. For those who are still searching for what they ought to be doing, this book don't just give us answers to aid our seeking, it gives us questions to guide our asking. Do so with lots of prayer and see how God answers our asking, honours our seeking, and responds to our knocking.

Daniel Ryan Day co-hosts the "Discover the Word" radio program at RBC Ministries. He also works as a digital media producer at Our Daily Bread.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Discovery House Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

The goal of what’s next is to help you find what the next step in your career. But it's not really a book about careers or a dream job; instead teh book focuses on teh idea of God's calling.
The book makes sense in teh fact that Daniel Ryan Day is trying to dispel the idea that God's calling always refers to your occupation. He walks you through a variety of biblical figures whose calling aren’t considering jobs as well as looks at the New Testament ideas of what we are called to be. We are called by God to be a specific kind of person.
The final chapter gives your ideas to help you figure out what you want to do next occupation wise and give your ideas of how to apply Biblical concepts of calling to find your dream job.
The book is well written and Ryan has a voice that is understandable (change) t the average reader. He doesn’t get too bogged down in scholarly bible material letting eh book flow from one pint to the next. The fact that he makes these ideas accessible to a broader audience is the best part of the book and shows that the author understands his audience.
For me, I had decided a long time ago my calling wasn't necessarily my job so this wasn’t help for me. So I wasn’t as invested as some might be. But if you still think that your calling only refers to your occupation, then this is a book you need. God is calling you for so much more than a paycheck.

Just the book I needed! I like the use of Bible stories to illustrate the points made. The one that really hit home for me was how Moses didn't feel well enough equipped to handle the task God had given him. He even questioned God....I do the same thing.

Showed me that my idea of being called was full of holes as pointed out by examples in the Bible. Highly recommend this book.

Will leave a 5 star review on Amazon under name of Connie.

Thank you f granting me access to this book.

This is a book that took a different direction then I anticipated, but that was okay. Daniel opened my eyes to what it means to be called, or find your calling.

If I am honest I sort still feel like I am waiting for that to happen for me, to find this perfect, fulfilling job.

But wonder if being called if more about how to live your life then finding that perfect job? Hmmm, that gave me something to think about. That means any job could be perfect if we live called by God.

Daniel goes into a lot more detail with what this means and what it might look like, which will be different for everyone.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

Easy to read. I don’t typically read these kinds of books since I normally read fiction but glad I did.

4 stars…. Excellent book that you should read if you are in a bit of a life rut (even though I didn’t give it 5 stars)

The book talks about common misconceptions of God’s “Calling”, as well as the disappointment we can have when we don’t have a “Dream Job”.

It helps us focus on what we SHOULD be looking for in a God-focused life instead of what society and sometimes the church tells us what we should be looking for in a successful job.

Lots of scripture and studies of various people in the Bible.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley as a professional reviewer. I give my honest opinions despite receiving the free copies.

A good reminder that God is always there directing your path, you just need to look for the signs. If you are someone who is looking for answers about your chosen career, other life choices he gives excellent examples of Biblical events and in his own life that may be useful in guiding your way through to contentment in your personal or professional life. Geared more toward young and middle aged adults facing discontent ment or challenges.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I learned so much from this book. I won't spoil it, but there is much to be gained here. Informative and down to earth.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.