The Ministry of Ordinary Places
Learn what it is to love and be loved right where God has placed you.
For Christ-followers living in an increasingly complicated world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to live a life of intention and meaning. Where do we even begin?
Shannan Martin offers a surprisingly simple answer: uncover the hidden corners of our cities and neighborhoods and invest deeply in the lives of people around us. She walks us through her own discoveries about the vital importance of paying attention, as well as the hard but rewarding truth about showing up and committing for the long haul, despite the inevitable encounters with brokenness and uncertainty. With transparency, humor, heart-tugging storytelling, and more than a little personal confession, Martin shows us that no matter where we live or how much we have, as we learn what it is to be with people as Jesus was, we'll find our very lives. The details will look quiet and ordinary, and the call will both exhaust and exhilarate us. But it will be the most worth-it adventure we will ever take.
What People Are Saying…
“This is the book we all need right now. If you're longing for authentic community but aren't sure where to begin, Shannan and this beautifully written book are the perfect guide. I truly believe when we stand together we stand a chance. I cheered along with every word.”
Korie Robertson, New York Times bestselling author
“In a world where hope seems dim and solutions feel complicated and partisan, Shannan Martin offers us a starting point that is as radical as it is domestic; widen your circle, hush your mouth, and pay close attention. This book is the right book for this moment in time and I simply cannot get over it. I either laughed or cried on almost every page. We need these lyrical, prophetic words now more than ever before.”
Emily P. Freeman, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Simply Tuesday
“In her wise, loving, practical, and timely book Shannan Martin dispels all that is mystical about being a good neighbor. Start with Hello. It’s just that simple but we can overthink it, and this is where I’m so grateful we have Shannan to lead us. We do this, Shannan reminds us, by first being curious and aware of those around us. Filled with practical ideas, recipes, stories, and her disarming sense of humor, Start with Hello is a love letter to community and a call to action toward radical, realistic hospitality.”
Osheta Moore, pastor, speaker, and author of Dear White Peacemakers
“These are the days when we could all use a firm but gentle nudge to extend extra kindness to the people around us. Shannan reminds us to pay attention, look outside of ourselves, lay aside our preconceived judgements, and stay put, bearing with each other, carrying each others' burdens, and finding Jesus at the center of it all.”
LaTasha Morrison, founder of Be the Bridge
“Sometimes when reading a book, I'll think 'I'll recommend this to that group' or 'this one goes to that community,' but hand to heaven, I would put this book in every single pair of hands across ideology, camps, and tribes. Part storytelling, part prophetic, with dizzyingly wonderful writing, Shannan brings us back to the neighborhood, back to ordinary tables, back to a life we know in our deepest hearts is meant for us. I love her. I love this book.”
Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author, host of For the Love podcast, and founder of Legacy Collective
