The Secret of all Failure is our Failure in Secret Prayer

By Asa Veek (Deacon and Church Treasurer) 

I was originally excited to read Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down. The description, with statements like, "Ordinary is not a call to be more radical. If anything, it is a call to the contrary. The kingdom of God isn’t coming with light shows, and shock and awe, but with lowly acts of service" caught my interest.  When I read it, I was encouraged, inspired, angered, frustrated and disappointed. 

Merida makes the argument, quite convincingly, that acts of service aren't optional for the believer.  As a response to, and work of, the Gospel, we believers should be engaged in a lifestyle of caring for the disenfranchised and those without a voice.  We should be serving those who cannot repay, not for the praise, but out of a grateful response to a God who has redeemed us.

While I feel Merida makes his point, I was left with two nagging feelings.  First, the book felt like a bit of an overreaction to the highly theological and theoretical parts of his own life (and the lack of practical demonstration).  Second, while trying to make the case for the breadth of opportunities to serve the poor, needy, orphaned and widowed, the book quickly became an argument to rally behind the cause of human trafficking - a worthy cause - but currently the "cause-du-jour," both within the church and in the secular culture.

From my study of history, much of the oppression that has happened throughout time has been the result of the lack of economic opportunities or economic mobility.  Merida's arguments largely ignore, with the exception of one passing example, the role godly business leaders can play by giving the disenfranchised economic opportunities.  Giving people the opportunity to earn a liveable wage from a fair employer can do more to transform a community than all of the handouts could hope to accomplish. A mere two or three paragraphs highlighting the role that the business community can play in community transformation would have made a big difference.

One area I completely disagree with Pastor Merida was in his section on hospitality.  No doubt, the New Testament doesn't make hospitality an option.  I actually agree with his assessment that congregations should elevate the Pauline requirement of pastors to practice hospitality.  Where I completely disagree was Merida's assertion that homes could function as retreats.  I left the chapter feeling that taking a respite from serving others was sinful; if Merida's assertion is correct, then Jesus' regular withdrawals from others should be viewed as sinful, and that would be a heretical view.

I appreciate the final chapter of the book, where Merida argues the reasons why service should serve as a response of the working of the gospel in our lives.  The paragraph reads much like a pop-theology treatise, and I appreciate that.  I wish, however, this chapter be moved to either chapter 1 or 2, as this lays the foundation for his entire book.  Placing it right before the conclusion, while, stylistically, is an interesting place to wrap up the book, could mean that the response to the book comes before the understanding of the reasons why there should be a response.

Overall, I'd like to recommend this book, but I'm struggling to recommend it.  Maybe this could be part of a small-group/community-group discussion.  Maybe it could be a topic for a discipleship group.  I cannot, however, recommend it for a young/new believer, as I'm concerned it could breed a response without a solid understanding of the work of the gospel in the believer's walk. A community discussion, especially when led by a mature believer, could foster good discussion and a correct response to Merida's important assertion.