Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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The Ministry of Ordinary Places

September 12, 2018 by Kristin 17 Comments

More than once, I’ve been restless and fully aware of God working to prepare me for something. When this has happened, I don’t know what that something is, but God has always proved himself faithful to continue what he starts.

That restless has started again. God has shown me some of where he’s leading me, but I get the feeling he’s not done in this season.

Meanwhile, I recently read “The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You” by Shannan Martin. After a long break from non-fiction Christian living books, this was the perfect one for me right now. I marked paragraphs and jotted notes down because the message of loving people, opening your life, and letting God use us where we are echoed what God has been doing in my heart. Shannan’s words were a welcomed mixture of wise older sister and teammate.

“Though our lives feel ordinary and small, we’re compelled by the possibility of making a difference where problems loom large. We want to offer the hope of Christ in a world that feels increasingly fractured and gloomy. We believe we can be world shakers from our own little corners, where there are crumbs on the floor and no righteous plan for the dinner hour barreling toward us. We’re growing desperate to experience the mess of the gospel, trading our tight reins and safe ways for the mystery and mayhem of God’s kingdom making its way down.”

It was passages like that in the “The Ministry of Ordinary Places” that left me thinking and praying and hoping. I’ve texted friends sections that reminded me of them.

Chapters six and seven were especially healing for my soul as I wonder what next steps should be for our group that gathers most weeks at my house or in our community. Her words didn’t give me answers, but they gave me hope that God is near. I’m excitedly anticipating what God is going to continue to right here in our ordinary small-town life.

“These small moments, over time, stack into something much bigger than ourselves. One tiny risk, one inconvenience, one imperceptible nudge after another, and here we are, thick in community … . I won’t speak for you, but surrounded by cynics, worrywarts, doomsday prophets, and Facebook apologists with lofty solutions, I’d rather be a hope-holder with mud on my shoes.”

About the book

For Christ-followers living in an increasingly complicated world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to live a life of intention and meaning. Where do we even begin?

In “The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You,” Shannan Martin offers a surprisingly simple answer: uncover the hidden corners of our cities and neighborhoods and invest deeply in the lives of people around us. She walks us through her own discoveries about the vital importance of paying attention as well as the hard but rewarding truth about showing up and committing for the long haul. With transparency, humor, heart-tugging storytelling, and more than a little personal confession, Martin shows us no matter where we live or how much we have, as we learn what it is to be with people as Jesus was, we’ll find our very lives. The details will look quiet and ordinary, and the call will both exhaust and exhilarate us. But it will be the most worth-it adventure we will ever take.

This 240-page paperback book is published by Thomas Nelson (Oct. 9, 2018). You can preorder it now on Amazon or wherever else you like to buy books, and Shannan has some goodies for you if you do! For more info on this, visit the book’s website.

About the author

Shannan Martin is a speaker and writer who found her voice in the country and her story in the city. She and her jail-chaplain husband, Cory, have four funny children who came to them across oceans and rivers. They enjoy neighborhood life in Goshen, Indiana, a place they fall more in love with every year. Read more from her at her blog, Shannan Martin Writes.

*****

As a member of this book’s launch team, I did receive an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. But, y’all, I’d recommend Shannan Martin’s words all day long. Both her books are included in my favorite reads. Go ahead and also read “Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted” if you haven’t already. In fact, I quote that one in my own book as well as the FREE How to Serve Your Community with Your Family guide you get when you sign up to receive email updates from me. Plus I just started Hospitality Matters, an email series to encourage you to open your heart, your home, and your life – regardless of what season you’re in.

*****

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Filed Under: Porch Stories Tagged With: books, community, faith, review

Comments

  1. Rebecca Hastings says

    September 12, 2018 at 6:11 am

    Hey friend! Shannan Martin is on the lists of authors I’ve heard about but haven’t read. I may need to change that soon!

    I what you wrote: “Her words didn’t give me answers, but they gave me hope that God is near.”

    Isn’t that the goal. As writers we really don’t have the answers, but we can (and should) point people to the One who does!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 12, 2018 at 7:30 am

      You do need to change that! 🙂 And, yes, she encouraged me both as a person in general and a writer specifically. Thanks for being here!

      Reply
  2. Michele Morin says

    September 12, 2018 at 6:50 am

    I’ve recommended Falling Free to so many people. Shannan’s example of living given never fails to challenge me.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 12, 2018 at 7:31 am

      Me too! I’m glad you’re here, Michele!

      Reply
  3. Joanne Viola says

    September 12, 2018 at 7:20 am

    This book is compelling and inspiring in the best of ways. Her stories are wonderfully challenging.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 12, 2018 at 7:32 am

      Wonderfully challenging is a good way to sum it up! I love this book so much. Thanks for being here faithfully, Joanne!

      Reply
  4. Barbara Harper says

    September 12, 2018 at 7:46 am

    I love this concept! I wrote just last week about “the ministry of the mundane.” That’s the main sphere of influence for most of us, the little everyday ways we can show forth Christ.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 12, 2018 at 7:52 am

      I’m going to read your post now! Thanks for being here, Barbara!

      Reply
  5. Susan Shipe says

    September 12, 2018 at 9:46 am

    Tammy Mashburn loved this book too. You always do such thorough and good reviews. I need to learn from you.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 12, 2018 at 10:10 am

      Yes, it’s an excellent book. I love writing book reviews! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Mia White says

    September 12, 2018 at 6:40 pm

    Love this so much and TOTALLY agree– this was just the right book at the right time for me. Shannan is a gem.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 13, 2018 at 9:03 am

      A gem indeed. So grateful for her words.

      Reply
  7. Lauren Sparks says

    September 12, 2018 at 7:27 pm

    I’m on this launch team with you and LOVED this book. laurensparks.net

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 13, 2018 at 9:02 am

      I’m glad you loved it too!

      Reply
  8. Lisa notes says

    September 13, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    I just marked this on my wish list on Amazon so I can return to it when it is published. It’s the ordinary days where we live most of our lives, and I want to make the most of those!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      September 13, 2018 at 6:58 pm

      You’ll really enjoy it, Lisa! Thanks for being here.

      Reply

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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We’ve taken our older kids on short-term mission We’ve taken our older kids on short-term mission trips and hope to go on more. They’ve served locally. We support missionaries. We want our kids to be open to wherever God calls them and incorporating missions into our small-town life is one way we, as parents, have hoped to teach that. 

I’m incredibly thankful @hardinbaptistchurch comes alongside us with the same message. The middle and high school @hardinstudents spent the summer looking at different aspects of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Youth minister @cbright2 spent the last Sunday of the series looking at nine practical ways that students – yes, even middle and high schoolers – could participate in and pray about going for God. 

Chase shared these 9 Ways to Go with students' parents, and I asked him for permission to share them with you because even as an adult I want to remember to live on mission – even right where I am. 

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“Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, “Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, is how I feel I contribute to the world. Reminding people of what’s important. Letting them escape the harsh parts of life, even if it’s just for a few hours. Helping them feel happiness through watching happily-ever-afters unfold. Remembering truths. Recalling their self-worth. Loving others. Living well. Learning. I want to do that.” 

And, let’s be honest, love stories about writers make me happy too. “Meet Me in the Margins” was cute, predictable, and a good way to escape for a little while. 

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I’m getting ready to get in my van again to pick I’m getting ready to get in my van again to pick up a kid from basketball camp. It’s the third time today I will have driven from my house to somewhere else and back again. And this is still Summer Break, when things are supposedly a little slower. 

My friend @marycarver gets me. She knows us moms spend a million hours a week taxiing people to school and sports and church and friends’ houses and errands and appointments. And maybe we linger longer before coming in the house with arms full of groceries and bags and papers and books … because we just need a minute. Or maybe we answer some texts before we pull away from the store and catch up on phone calls while we drive or show up early to pickup to read a book that has captured our attention. 

We spend a lot of time and accomplish much in our cars. Mary knows this and is giving us the encouragement we need in her new book, “Prayers from the Parking Lot.” It’s a perfect size to keep in your car or purse. Each of the 50 reflections are practical and inspiring and meet moms on the go right where we are. 

Preorder this gem now so you have it the next time you have a few extra minutes in a parking lot, school pickup line, or waiting room. It officially releases next week and is available from @revellbooks on Amazon and wherever else you buy books. 

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20 years married. 💛 I’ve learned a million t 20 years married. 💛

I’ve learned a million things in these adult years, but I keep thinking about this one this today: Celebrate the good things. 

This world is so noisy, decisions and situations clutter our brains, and there’s so much heartache. But there’s also goodness. And our married life falls into that category and is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been sanctifying and life-giving. 

(And it deserves a second post today.)

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