This is the story of a continent-hopping, world-changing family that had to settle down in Anywhere, USA and find the adventure they knew so well in the ordinary.
This Ordinary Adventure: Settling Down Without Settling by Christine and Adam Jeske seems ideal for this generation (along with another recent review, Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams Into Your Comfortable Life). We want so strongly to do good and to change the world, but we also need to figure out how to live day to day in a “normal” setting. How do we make an impact when we have errands to run, or a 9 to 5 job or kid’s science project due tomorrow?
That’s Adam and Christine’s struggle.
The answer they find is the basic calling of the Christian life, that we can serve anywhere, love anywhere, be needed anywhere. We don’t have to go around the world to find a mission field, serve the poor or a way to make a difference. We can serve God, fulfill our calling and make an impact right where we are, even if that’s the checkout at Wal-Mart.
I think that’s a needed answer for today’s cause-weary Christian.
What About Communication?
Finding world-hopping adventure right at home is great, but what does this have to do with communication? They hit on two points that tie this idea directly to us as communicators:
1) We are by nature creative.
It’s not a new point and you’ll find other books that delve into this subject more thoroughly. Christine spends a page or two. But it’s a much needed lesson.
We’re created in the image of a God who is a creator, and that makes us creators by nature. Whether being a creator means becoming something like a glass blower or a potter, or just means we initiate conversations, systems and interactions that shape the world around us into a better place, creating simply feels right.
Part of discovering these amazing adventures is simply being creative. It’s tapping into our God-given wonder. If you’re feeling ordinary, if you’re feeling boring, if you’re losing the lust for your work—then maybe you need to get creative.
2) Churches can have amazing days.
A central idea to This Ordinary Adventure is pursuing what the Jeskes call “Amazing Days.” These are days that they remember, crazy fun stories and pictures worth putting on the fridge. As they go through the book they discover that they can have amazing days right there in suburban Wisconsin, just like they could in Nicaragua.
Adam wonders why the church can’t have Amazing Days. Why don’t churches pursue these kinds of crazy ideas and incredible experiences? Shouldn’t Sunday morning offer an experience worth talking about on Monday morning?
Yes! It’s all too easy for church to become a routine. We get stuck in a rut. We could use something extraordinary and amazing to renew our wonder and faith once again.
What would be an amazing day for your church? Maybe it’s a prayer walk through your neighborhood, an impromptu Sunday brunch, a service moved outside on a sunny day, a science experiment for a sermon or a car wash in the parking lot. Examples will vary wildly (one church’s amazing is another church’s ho-hum), but the idea is to pursue these adventures as a community as you seek God together.
The great stories and testimonies of Christians shouldn’t be limited to the evangelists and missionaries. Our churches should be creating them every week.
- Buy a copy of This Ordinary Adventure: Settling Down Without Settling by Christine and Adam Jeske.
- Read our post Amazing Days by Adam and Christine Jeske for more on how your church can have amazing days.
