Jesus Career Counselor by Laurie Beth Jones

I looked forward to reading this book because I thought I could integrate it into my own career counseling techniques. I am a high school counselor at an alternative high school. Although there is a separation of church and state, I hoped there would be nuggets I could use in counseling my students.

Laurie Beth Jones is an articulate writer and scripture scholar. She tells clever stories which segue into her lessons. By using the elements, she describes the strengths of a competent employee. She also offers 12 characteristics to guide the potential employee; rise, risk, roar, reflect, renew, restore, remain, return regenerate, revive, release and rejoice. Weaved within the pages are scriptural references and examples of people who possess different qualities from the Old and New Testaments.

This book is not a concrete "how to" guide for a career. The author's basic premise is that we can find work satisfying and God can guide us on our path. She gives sound tips for goal setting, understanding yourself, knowing lifestyle expectations but the book is ultimately about coming to know yourself in His eyes.

This is a concept book and includes excellent ideas in developing into a more complete person. The author uses examples from the scriptures which I found interesting, compelling, but a little distracting. Some of the examples were somewhat peripheral and I found myself digging into my scriptures to explore their character. On the other hand, it was a good exercise for me to look in the Bible for answers. The expectation, however, is that the reader already knows these people and read about them on Sunday at church. I feel pretty competent in my scriptural knowledge but I wish she had been more encompassing in discussing the examples from the Bible.

This is a weekend read. It contains good information and is a good taste for the person exploring career paths. As a counselor, I would have approached it with interest inventories, aptitude tests, and personal interviews. I guess this would put me in the element of "fire."