Horton - Ordinary: sustainable faith in a radical, restless world

I am tempted to say that this is no ordinary book. In a culture that rhapsodizes over every achievement and idolizes many of those who stand out, it is easy for the church to drink from the same intoxicating elixir and swoon over gifted exceptions. How refreshing to read a book that tries to locate spiritual and theological maturity in ordinary faith and obedience, in ordinary relationships, in ordinary service, in ordinary pastors. Michael Horton does not mean to depreciate believers with exceptional gifts, but he rightly warns us against erecting shrines to them shrines that blind us to the glory of the gospel worked out in the faithful discipleship of ordinary Christian living, shrines that make us forget we serve a God who will not give his glory to another. That we need a book like this is more than a little sad; the book that addresses the problem wisely and well is, frankly, extraordinary.

D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Michael Hortons Ordinary is, well, extraordinary. It can be described in many ways, and one is this: a call to love God and neighbor in freedom and grace, in the neighborhood you already inhabit, with the gifts and talents (and weaknesses!) you already possess. Spiritual heroes need not apply.

Mark Galli, Editor, Christianity Today

In an age of radicals always promising us the next best thing, Michael Horton wisely and winsomely points us to Gods faithfulness in the ordinary means of grace. In an era where everyone seems to have a nonprofit start-up that aims to the change the world, Horton reminds us of the joy found in ordinary, oft-unnoticed congregations where the Spirit dwells. In an age where everyone seems to be writing their memoir, Horton shows us that God delights in lives that quietly but faithfully care for lost souls. Forget the next best thing; God is at work in small, good things.

James K. A. Smith, Gary & Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology & Worldview, Calvin College

Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

Conclusion to George Eliots Middlemarch

ZONDERVAN

Ordinary

Copyright 2014 by Michael S. Horton

ePub Edition August 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-51738-2

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Horton, Michael Scott.

Ordinary : sustaining faith in a radical, restless world / Michael Horton.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-310-51737-5

1. Christian life. I. Title.

BV4501.3.H6774 2014

248.4 dc23

2014010371

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001, 2006, 2011 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: FaceOut Studio

Interior design: David Conn

contents

I owe special thanks for the final form of this book to my editors at Zondervan, Ryan Pazdur and Verlyn Verbrugge. Along the way, the manuscript was improved by the wit and wisdom of a great friend, Judith Riddell, although remaining weaknesses should not be imputed to her. As always, I am grateful to the Lord for my wife and children, who make the ordinary special, and to pastors Michael Brown and Zachary Keele for their dedication to the ordinary means of grace.

R adical. Epic. Revolutionary.

Transformative. Impactful. Life-Changing.

Ultimate. Extreme. Awesome.

Emergent. Alternative. Innovative.

On The Edge. The Next Big Thing. Explosive Breakthrough.

You can probably add to the list of modifiers that have become, ironically, part of the ordinary conversations in society and in todays church. Most of us have heard expressions like these so often that theyve become background noise. We tune them out, unconsciously doubting what is offered because it has become so predictably common. As my grammar teacher used to say, If you make every sentence an exclamation or put every verb in bold, then nothing stands out.

To grab and hold our attention, everything has to have an exclamation point. Weve become accustomed to looking around restlessly for something new, the latest and greatest, that idea or product or person or experience that will solve our problems, give us some purpose, and change the world. Although we might be a little jaded by the ads, were eager to take whatever it is to a whole new level.

Ordinary has to be one of the loneliest words in our vocabulary today. Who wants a bumper sticker that announces to the neighborhood, My child is an ordinary student at Bubbling Brook Elementary? Who wants to be that ordinary person who lives in an ordinary town, is a member of an ordinary church, and has ordinary friends and works an ordinary job? Our life has to count! We have to leave our mark, have a legacy, and make a difference. And all of this should be something that can be managed, measured, and maintained. We have to live up to our Facebook profile. Its one of the newer versions of salvation by works.

Still, I sense a growing restlessness with this restlessness. Some have grown tired of the constant calls to radical change through new and improved schemes. They are less sure they want to jump on the next bandwagon or trail-blaze new paths to greatness. You know that somethings afoot when a satirical newspaper like The Onion pokes fun at this fad, reducing our hyperbolic lives to a sarcastic joke:

CAMDEN, ME Longtime acquaintances confirmed to reporters this week that local man Michael Husmer, an unambitious 29-year-old loser who leads an enjoyable and fulfilling life, still lives in his hometown and has no desire to leave.

Claiming that the aimless slouch has never resided more than two hours from his parents and still hangs out with friends from high school, sources close to Husmer reported that the man, who has meaningful, lasting personal relationships and a healthy worklife balance, is an unmotivated washout whos perfectly comfortable being a nobody for the rest of his life.

Ive known Mike my whole life and hes a good guy, but its pretty pathetic that hes still living on the same street he grew up on and experiencing a deep sense of personal satisfaction, childhood friend David Gorman said of the unaspiring, completely gratified do-nothing. As soon as Mike graduated from college, he moved back home and started working at a local insurance firm. Now, hes nearly 30 years old, living in the exact same town he was born in, working at the same small-time job, and is extremely contented in all aspects of his home and professional lives. Its really sad.... Additionally, pointing to the intimate, enduring connections hes developed with his wife, parents, siblings, and neighbors, sources reported that Husmers life is pretty humiliating on multiple levels.