I have some news: I wrote a book! Well, a (very) short book. Called & Equipped: Biblical Stories of God Working in Extraordinary Ways through Ordinary People is a one-week devotional book focusing on one of my favorite parts of Scripture: Call stories.
Back in 2019 when I was serving as pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Greene, Iowa, Christin and I led a youth mission trip to Houston (here’s the trip video). Each day, we focused on a different Biblical call story. Seven years later, this brief devotional book comes from expanding and adapting the daily devotions I wrote to help the congregation follow along on our trip.
Called & Equipped actually includes eight stories, so seven days plus a bonus, and while they’re a little longer than some daily devotionals, each is short enough to be read in one sitting. And each day’s Scripture passages are included along with my reflection and some questions to consider.
The book is available right now to pre-order as a Kindle ebook, and you’ll be able to order a print-on-demand physical copy from Amazon when it releases on October 28. Here’s my affiliate link to check it out and pre-order on Amazon! (And I’ve never done this before, but my understanding is that for anyone to actually find it, reviews are essential – so if you leave a review once you’ve read it, I’ll be exceedingly grateful!)
I have no expectations of making money from this, but I’m hoping some people find it inspirational, so it will also be available for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. (Never tried Kindle Unlimited? It’s a bit like a streaming service for books – here’s my affiliate link to try it out: Kindle Unlimited.)
Here’s the full cover art and Amazon description:
Discover the powerful truth that God calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things!
In this one-week devotional, Lutheran Pastor Daniel Flucke invites you to explore the call stories of Biblical characters and learn how God works through ordinary, flawed human beings to bless the world. As you encounter the stories of Abraham (too old), Jonah (unwilling), Gideon (too skeptical), and others in the Bible, you will be invited to recognize how God is calling and equipping you (yes, YOU!) to be part of God’s work in the world.
Each daily devotional includes:
• Opening reflection questions
• An introduction to a Biblical character
• A few verses from their call story (CEB translation)
• Brief devotional reflection
• Prayer
• Suggestions for related Scripture passages to dig deeper
Is a jumping into a whole year-long devotional too much of a commitment right now? This week-long book is meant to be read over the course of just one week (plus one bonus chapter on Mary Magdalene’s call to witness). And all the Scripture passages are included right in the book. Commit to one week of daily reflection, and see how exploring God’s call in Scripture helps you notice God at work in today’s world!
Intended for personal use, these devotionals are also suitable for use in a church council or committee meeting, as a week-long mission trip theme, or even as the basis of a sermon series.
I hope you can tell I’m excited about this! My grandfather Paul Flucke published The Secret of the Gifts: A Story for Young and Old in 1992 with Intervarsity Press, as well as a full history of one of the congregations he served as pastor, titled Plymouth: A Church and Its World. My aunt and uncle Peter and Tracy Flucke have published two volumes on their bicycling adventures, Coast to Coast on a Tandem: Our Adventure Crossing the USA on a Bicycle Built for Two in 2017 and Bicycling Historic Route 66: Our Adventure Crossing the USA on a Bicycle Built for Two in 2023. (All Amazon affiliate links)
I don’t know that publishing a 9,000 word devotional quite qualifies me to say I’m an author, but it lets me dip my toe in the waters, and it’s been a fun process to put this together. (Anyone remember when I had an iPhone app available on the App Store for a few years? Same idea!) I used Reedsy for all the formatting, and Canva to put the cover art together, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. If you read it, let me know what you think!
