No One Special - The Hidden Power of an Ordinary Life

I am thrilled to be the guest editor for the February issue of The Porpoise Diving Life.

My name is Pam Hogeweide. I am a writer and a blogger and a contributing writer for Off the Map.

When I met Bill a few months ago we had a conversation about the coming revolution, a revolution so subtle that it probably won’t show up on any radars. We’re talking about the power of the ordinary life.

In this issue of The PDL I’ve brought together a few bloggers and writers who share their experiences of discovering the power of the ordinary life. Mike Ege writes about how his love for adventure in the great outdoors led to finding meaning in everyday life in his article, Backyard Faith.

Paul Vieira, an author and English teacher from Canada, explores how craving to live a large life robbed him of enjoying the present moment in his piece, Embracing the Ordinary. He tells us how he decided to stop chasing the wind and instead focus on what’s right in front of him.

Can ordinary Christians be authentic at evangelism? Is this a spiritual gift for the elite few? Randy Siever, director of Doable Evangelism, tackles these questions in his article, Clear the Bench. He gives us hope that sharing our faith with others can be a part of our ordinary interactions with people on a daily basis.

In this issue I’ll also introduce you to my friend, Pastor Ken Loyd, and let you in on his secret of how he became a legend among the homeless in Portland, Oregon by doing nothing special.

Ken, who is one of my favorite people, says, “Some people are destined for greatness that nobody will notice.” Read my interview with him and learn more about his simple acts of kindness and listening among the marginalized in his community.

As we advance into this new year of 2008 I wonder if this will be a year of the ordinary life, of the obscure and invisible to finally be taken notice of. Will a fresh wind of the Spirit blow for the broken and weak, for the forgotten and overlooked? Maybe this revolution of the un-great will advance, but not in the usual way of success. This will be a movement of humility and meekness.

Will we see it? Probably not, for this revolution is about nothing special and no one in particular. It will not be glamorized in a rash of books or overpriced conferences. The only special speakers will be the Everyday Janes and Joes who won’t care if the mic is on or not.

A blogger friend of mine recently posted this question:
Is there destiny, fulfillment, and meaning for those who are called to ordinary life?

I would say, yes, most definitely Yes! There must be, for God created so many of us, so many ordinary people in every nation and culture on earth. God must love ordinary people for having called so many of us to live the quiet life that the Apostle Paul urged in the New Testament (Thessalonians 4:11).

Enjoy this issue of The PDL. I hope it will help you discover the hidden power of the ordinary in your own life and in the lives around you.

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