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stacey_frutiger's review against another edition
5.0
This book is excellent. I picked it up because I loved the cover but loved what was inside even more. The book was convicting but also encouraging and inspiring.
buckeyegrl92's review
5.0
This is the right book for me right now. A great reminder to bloom where you are planted and to remember the best-laid plans come to fruition in the ways they are supposed to.
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
tksimmons02's review against another edition
5.0
This is a peaceful, wonderful look at the ministry of living in community. It’s easy to think that ministry involves going somewhere foreign, or completing big projects. A Italy, ministry is taking a friend to lunch, baking bread for a neighbor, or just listening to someone dealing with trouble. Jesus surrounds us with people to love. We just have to reach out and do it.
lmbartelt's review against another edition
5.0
Martin has a unique way of making you feel right at home with her words while also dropping some deep truths in the middle and changing everything you thought you knew. (She's a Midwesterner, so I love her all the more.) Hers is a book of right-where-you-are making a difference and I dare you to be uninspired by her stories.
I've underlined so many words in this book, and I don't just want to re-read her words. I want to live the truth of them. Highly recommend this for a church or neighborhood book club.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from Harper Collins Christian Publishers
I've underlined so many words in this book, and I don't just want to re-read her words. I want to live the truth of them. Highly recommend this for a church or neighborhood book club.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from Harper Collins Christian Publishers
snorthington's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I think Shannan has a gift for storytelling and I resonated deeply with the message she was sharing through this book.
I loved the quote from Henri Nouwen she shared at the end of chapter three, "listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends." I loved this perspective on hospitality and community.
Mutuality is a concept we work diligently to impart on every volunteer that comes to the Warming House, especially our students. I loved when Shannon said, "Most of us want the kind of friendship that is defined by mutuality, where we're too busy enjoying each other to watch for pecking orders or power rankings... We want two-way street paved with the truth that life is more bearable when we walk in the same direction." It's such a beautiful encapsulation of the true heart of mutuality.
I also love how Shannon discusses hospitality, and the conflict that can arise in what we perceive to be needed, versus what the heart of hospitality actually looks like. "Hospitality. It sounds kind of fancy, but its meaning is simple, bare-bones, pure, and entirely holy - you are invited. There is room for you here, next to me. I receive you with gladness and offer my truest self... Here, we are safe. We are warm. We are free."
In a world that feels so angry, broken, hurting and fractured, it was a powerful reminder to remember about the holiness of the ordinary. Welcoming others into our lives that are also messy and complicated, but not being ashamed. Having a heart of hospitality, a spirit of kindness, a listening ear, and a desire to really know and form community with our neighbors.
I will be recommending this book to everyone, especially my students and co-workers in ministry. A gentle reminder of the ability to minister in the ordinary places, and to welcome our neighbors gladly.
I loved the quote from Henri Nouwen she shared at the end of chapter three, "listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends." I loved this perspective on hospitality and community.
Mutuality is a concept we work diligently to impart on every volunteer that comes to the Warming House, especially our students. I loved when Shannon said, "Most of us want the kind of friendship that is defined by mutuality, where we're too busy enjoying each other to watch for pecking orders or power rankings... We want two-way street paved with the truth that life is more bearable when we walk in the same direction." It's such a beautiful encapsulation of the true heart of mutuality.
I also love how Shannon discusses hospitality, and the conflict that can arise in what we perceive to be needed, versus what the heart of hospitality actually looks like. "Hospitality. It sounds kind of fancy, but its meaning is simple, bare-bones, pure, and entirely holy - you are invited. There is room for you here, next to me. I receive you with gladness and offer my truest self... Here, we are safe. We are warm. We are free."
In a world that feels so angry, broken, hurting and fractured, it was a powerful reminder to remember about the holiness of the ordinary. Welcoming others into our lives that are also messy and complicated, but not being ashamed. Having a heart of hospitality, a spirit of kindness, a listening ear, and a desire to really know and form community with our neighbors.
I will be recommending this book to everyone, especially my students and co-workers in ministry. A gentle reminder of the ability to minister in the ordinary places, and to welcome our neighbors gladly.
harveyfam4's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot speak highly enough about this book. Just read it! It was a breath of fresh air, an encouragement, a dose of perspective and a much needed reminder that where I am is exactly where God wants me. This ordinary life is not ordinary at all when we open our eyes to those around us. This will be a book I return to time and again. I’m already ready to start it again.
marleykathleen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
buraellen's review against another edition
5.0
Well, Shannan Martin has done it again. She has given us a beautiful crafted book that reminds us of how simple it is share God's goodness with those around us. We don't have to travel the world, searching for opportunities to minister and to belong. All we have to do is open our doors and our lives to those right in front of us.
The quote that really hit home and summed up the book for me is, "Offering ourselves as a kind-hearted presence in a world that has forgotten the meaning of community is a courageous act of peace." And perhaps the quote that describes me better than I could describe myself is, "Unfortunately, I rival the athleticism of a block of parmesan..." For you see, Shannan has a way of hitting you deep in your spirit and then just a few pages over, making you double over in laughter.
If you need some encouragement to step outside of your insecurities and possibly even misconceptions about community, read this book. If you just need to be reminded of God's goodness and how He is even in the most mundane parts of our day, read this book. If you just need some stories about life that will tug at your heart, read this book. If you are human, read this book.
Thank you, Shannan, for your transparency and your encouraging words. Words that always leave me feeling equipped to simply step out and share in the goodness of God.
The quote that really hit home and summed up the book for me is, "Offering ourselves as a kind-hearted presence in a world that has forgotten the meaning of community is a courageous act of peace." And perhaps the quote that describes me better than I could describe myself is, "Unfortunately, I rival the athleticism of a block of parmesan..." For you see, Shannan has a way of hitting you deep in your spirit and then just a few pages over, making you double over in laughter.
If you need some encouragement to step outside of your insecurities and possibly even misconceptions about community, read this book. If you just need to be reminded of God's goodness and how He is even in the most mundane parts of our day, read this book. If you just need some stories about life that will tug at your heart, read this book. If you are human, read this book.
Thank you, Shannan, for your transparency and your encouraging words. Words that always leave me feeling equipped to simply step out and share in the goodness of God.