The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You

In this nonlinear collection of musings, blogger and Christian author Martin (Falling Free) offers thoughtful reflections about how to be a faithful Christian in the particular, everyday context in which one finds oneself. After unexpectedly losing their jobs, Martin and her husband, a prison chaplain, along with their four children, swapped their nature-filled small-town life for an urban “neighborhood on the wrong side of the tracks.” This change led Martin to engage in “the overlooked spiritual practice of paying attention to wherever God has placed us.” Presuming readers share her sense of Christian mission, church involvement, and spiritual challenges, Martin confesses her own resistance to getting to know her non-white neighbors and relates both painful and heartwarming stories of her experiences when she made the effort. Though readers may find Martin’s vague chronology frustrating (stories frequently begin “Just last week” or “Three nights ago”), some stories pack a powerful punch, as when two neighborhood girls gasp with shock at the sight of her full refrigerator. “There is no faster track to humility than being blessed by those who have less,” Martin writes. In a conversational tone, Martin critiques traditional approaches to evangelism and provides insightful lessons for how more privileged Christians can truly practice being good neighbors. (Oct.)