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skoliphant's review against another edition
4.0
I think Shannan is one of the most refreshing voices out there today. I will excitedly read everything she writes. She went from a typical “mom blogger” to a city-dwelling life giver who isn’t afraid to say hard and unsettling things. I love the way she challenges her readers to love those around them in all their mess. As I’m sure so many readers have warned: don’t read this book if you want to stay comfortable and self-contained. Her writing is beautiful and I found myself underlining and filling the margins with explanation points. I read a chapter every night before bed and found myself falling asleep each night thinking about how my life needed to change to be in better proximity to my neighbors. I think that’s the biggest compliment I can give the book!
The only reason I gave it four starts instead of five is because of the chapter on discipleship. I’d love to sit down and talk about that one with Shannan, because maybe we do think similarly and it just didn’t come across. Or maybe we disagree and that’s totally fine too! I will still recommend this book. I felt like she seriously downplayed the importance of God’s Word in discipleship in favor of a more general encouragement and togetherness. While I think everything she suggested is so important, I also think Biblical literacy is crucial. That’s the only way we can discern what God is saying from what the world is saying. Biblical literacy doesn’t have to be formalized meetings with workbooks. Maybe that’s all she’s pushing back against. But it really is attainable for everyone! I saw this in play at a homeless shelter with people of all different cultures, pasts, and IQs. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Other than that one dark spot for me, I thought it was great!!!
*I received an advanced reader copy from Harper Collins publishers.
The only reason I gave it four starts instead of five is because of the chapter on discipleship. I’d love to sit down and talk about that one with Shannan, because maybe we do think similarly and it just didn’t come across. Or maybe we disagree and that’s totally fine too! I will still recommend this book. I felt like she seriously downplayed the importance of God’s Word in discipleship in favor of a more general encouragement and togetherness. While I think everything she suggested is so important, I also think Biblical literacy is crucial. That’s the only way we can discern what God is saying from what the world is saying. Biblical literacy doesn’t have to be formalized meetings with workbooks. Maybe that’s all she’s pushing back against. But it really is attainable for everyone! I saw this in play at a homeless shelter with people of all different cultures, pasts, and IQs. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Other than that one dark spot for me, I thought it was great!!!
*I received an advanced reader copy from Harper Collins publishers.
readsewknit's review against another edition
5.0
As a white woman in the Midwest, I've lived a relatively privileged life. This is not to say there hasn't been hardship, as my family has struggled firsthand with suicide, mental illness, and the loss of a child. And yet, we have a certain amount of stability now. We have two delightful children. My husband and I both have college degrees and are gainfully employed. Life is comfortable. However, as a woman of faith, I see how Jesus lived his life. He sought out those who were marginalized, he upended everyone's expectations as to who mattered, granting value and dignity to all. He was present to those who were struggling, welcoming them to himself. How do I reconcile these disparate examples? Is giving generously enough to free us from other obligations? And when we admit that it isn't, what other steps should be taken?
The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You by Shannan Martin was a powerful, beautifully written call to challenge us in our comfort, to urge us to do the big, hard everyday work around us, to be vulnerable, transparent, and generous. Martin writes of the comfortable life she and her husband had, then the growing conviction that that wasn't enough.
They moved to a different neighborhood and her husband became the chaplain at the prison; slowly they opened their home and their lives. Martin is quick to mention how this is not an example of them being noble, reaching out to those less than; instead, she admits how she is rocked by getting out of her echo chamber and learning what it is to be authentic, to be intentional, to be hospitable, to connect.
Martin frankly shares how her perspective steadily changed, and she doesn't shirk away from detailing the difficult relationships or the continued work taking place in herself and in her family. I found it a poignant, transparent reflection on how one can take steps to be less closed off and more vulnerable and I will be continuing to process this book.
I'm going to close with an excerpt from her introduction, a rallying cry to all of us:
"As Christ-followers, we are called to be long-haul neighbors committed to authenticity and willing to take some risks. Our vocation is to invest deeply in the lives of those around us, devoted to one another, physically close to each other as we breathe the same air and walk the same blocks. Our purpose is not so mysterious after all. We get to love and be deeply loved right where we're planted, by whomever happens to be near. We will inevitably encounter brokenness we cannot fix, solve, or understand, and we'll feel as small, uncertain, and outpaced as we have ever felt. But we'll find our very lives in this calling, to be among people as Jesus was, and it will change everything."
(I received a digital ARC from Nelson Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)
The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You by Shannan Martin was a powerful, beautifully written call to challenge us in our comfort, to urge us to do the big, hard everyday work around us, to be vulnerable, transparent, and generous. Martin writes of the comfortable life she and her husband had, then the growing conviction that that wasn't enough.
They moved to a different neighborhood and her husband became the chaplain at the prison; slowly they opened their home and their lives. Martin is quick to mention how this is not an example of them being noble, reaching out to those less than; instead, she admits how she is rocked by getting out of her echo chamber and learning what it is to be authentic, to be intentional, to be hospitable, to connect.
Martin frankly shares how her perspective steadily changed, and she doesn't shirk away from detailing the difficult relationships or the continued work taking place in herself and in her family. I found it a poignant, transparent reflection on how one can take steps to be less closed off and more vulnerable and I will be continuing to process this book.
I'm going to close with an excerpt from her introduction, a rallying cry to all of us:
"As Christ-followers, we are called to be long-haul neighbors committed to authenticity and willing to take some risks. Our vocation is to invest deeply in the lives of those around us, devoted to one another, physically close to each other as we breathe the same air and walk the same blocks. Our purpose is not so mysterious after all. We get to love and be deeply loved right where we're planted, by whomever happens to be near. We will inevitably encounter brokenness we cannot fix, solve, or understand, and we'll feel as small, uncertain, and outpaced as we have ever felt. But we'll find our very lives in this calling, to be among people as Jesus was, and it will change everything."
(I received a digital ARC from Nelson Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)
tkulwicki's review against another edition
5.0
I've always felt like I had this "big calling" on my life to do something extraordinary. I blame it on my youth group where that message seemed to be drilled into our adolescent brains each week. This book, however, helped me to see that "big calling" and "changing the world" doesn't require becoming a missionary in a foreign land, climbing the corporate ladder, or building a giant platform.
We are called to light up the darkness exactly where God has planted us. In our ordinary lives and ordinary neighborhoods. We show up and we live life with the very people in our close proximity. We love and we receive love right where we are at.
This book is full of stories and wisdom about loving our neighbors and spreading the light of the kingdom in our everyday ordinary lives. The book doesn't offer a step-by-step plan to fix all the problems in your community, instead Shannan points out that we aren't called to fix problems, we're called to give and receive love well. This is an incredible book. It will make you think, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will change the way you view your ordinary life and the people you come across each and every day.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from Harper Collins Christian Publishers.
We are called to light up the darkness exactly where God has planted us. In our ordinary lives and ordinary neighborhoods. We show up and we live life with the very people in our close proximity. We love and we receive love right where we are at.
This book is full of stories and wisdom about loving our neighbors and spreading the light of the kingdom in our everyday ordinary lives. The book doesn't offer a step-by-step plan to fix all the problems in your community, instead Shannan points out that we aren't called to fix problems, we're called to give and receive love well. This is an incredible book. It will make you think, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will change the way you view your ordinary life and the people you come across each and every day.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from Harper Collins Christian Publishers.
nataliehankins's review against another edition
4.0
I was able to get my hands on an early release book. It was so good and challenging and also a bit uncomfortable as it stepped on my toes...in a good way, of course. Shannan Martin continues to be a light and to call others to follow suit as she follows Jesus. So thankful for her.
amycoko's review against another edition
5.0
"Somewhere along the line, we have inferred that opening our home to someone is a special sort of gesture, & that the amount of work we put into that gesture indicates our degree of honor. We begin to believe our ordinary, or the ways we actually live in the day to day, is not company worthy." (p80) Shannan challenged my view of hospitality, what it means to be a neighbor, and how important it is to receive graciously when someone offers the gift of their time or resources. Her words are valuable in today's society and her heart for ministry shines through her words.
abbyhgarrett's review against another edition
5.0
I would highly recommend this book. It feels a bit like a memoir style When Helping Hurts (meets Liturgy of the Ordinary). Shannan’s perspective is refreshing and quite empowering. I was challenged to do life with people in a more intimate and vulnerable way. One of my favorite parts was when she was talking about discipleship and she put it simply: “show up and stick around”.
Her approach to life reminds me of Jesus and in a time where we are inundated with self-help literature, this book was a wonderful reminder of what is truly important in life.
Her approach to life reminds me of Jesus and in a time where we are inundated with self-help literature, this book was a wonderful reminder of what is truly important in life.
victorialynch's review against another edition
4.0
I grabbed this after it was recommended on a list by Emily Ley, and honestly, the cover hooked me. HOW HAPPY ARE THOSE CUPS?
But, this was an excellent book for more than just life at home. Shannan Martin describes herself as neighborhood obsessed, and I can relate. I particularly found it moving to walk through my neighborhood and hear her stories. A perfect fit for the end of 2020, refreshing me as I prepare to return to work in my neighborhood, supporting people who need love RIGHT outside my door.
“Beginning to live as though there's no such thing as other people's children might be our most critical, significant contribution to the flourishing of our own world.”
"We get to love and be deeply loved right where we’re planted, by whomever happens to be near. We will inevitably encounter brokenness we cannot fix, solve, or understand, and we’ll feel as small, uncertain, and outpaced as we have ever felt. But we’ll find our very lives in this calling, to be among people as Jesus was, and it will change everything.”
“We might have a zillion reasons to be jaded about our world, but that is not the kind of person I want to be. I want to be someone who clings to the grace and the gift and the good."
“All theology is rooted in geography.”
― Eugene H. Peterson
But, this was an excellent book for more than just life at home. Shannan Martin describes herself as neighborhood obsessed, and I can relate. I particularly found it moving to walk through my neighborhood and hear her stories. A perfect fit for the end of 2020, refreshing me as I prepare to return to work in my neighborhood, supporting people who need love RIGHT outside my door.
“Beginning to live as though there's no such thing as other people's children might be our most critical, significant contribution to the flourishing of our own world.”
"We get to love and be deeply loved right where we’re planted, by whomever happens to be near. We will inevitably encounter brokenness we cannot fix, solve, or understand, and we’ll feel as small, uncertain, and outpaced as we have ever felt. But we’ll find our very lives in this calling, to be among people as Jesus was, and it will change everything.”
“We might have a zillion reasons to be jaded about our world, but that is not the kind of person I want to be. I want to be someone who clings to the grace and the gift and the good."
“All theology is rooted in geography.”
― Eugene H. Peterson
sophserif's review against another edition
4.0
shannan is so real and i love her for it. this book felt like a homemade meal, chatter through screen doors, a warm hug from someone you haven’t seen in a long time
cassietea783's review against another edition
5.0
I'm still chewing on this book, but I recommend it. It's challenging, gritty, honest, and witty. Shannan Martin comes across as a loving mom and wife, a loyal friend, and someone who genuinely cares about her community--a community that is often ignored or overlooked. Her compassion for her neighbors is empowering, and I love reading about her relationships with her adopted children. Everything she does seems to take her outside of her comfort zone, and in doing so it challenges us to do the same. She's inspiring without trying to be, and she's very humble in her attempts to love those around her. Read this book and you too may find yourself chewing on the messages therein for months afterward.