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Ordinary Miracles: Mess, Meals and Meeting Jesus in Unexpected Places
When Chris Lane and his friends planted a church on an inner-city estate notorious for crime and deprivation, they could not imagine the rollercoaster ride that awaited. Committed to loving and living in one place - the Langworthy estate in Salford - they have spent 18 years seeing Jesus' hope and healing transforming even the darkest and most desperate situations.
At the heart of Ordinary Miracles is an understanding of Jesus' meal table, and how Langworthy Community Church has seen the most unlikely people welcomed into Jesus' Kingdom as they share at His table and invite others to do the same. Be encouraged by the radical inclusivity of Jesus' invitation and the remarkable miracles that happen when we eat with Him!
At the heart of Ordinary Miracles is an understanding of Jesus' meal table, and how Langworthy Community Church has seen the most unlikely people welcomed into Jesus' Kingdom as they share at His table and invite others to do the same. Be encouraged by the radical inclusivity of Jesus' invitation and the remarkable miracles that happen when we eat with Him!
151 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 16, 2017
Challenging, exhilarating, faith-raising, adventure-stirring, full of ouch moments.
Ordinary Miracles: Mess, Meals and Meeting Jesus in Unexpected Places by Chris Lane is about making friends and being church on an inner-city estate. The author is open, honest and real, telling it like it is. Sometimes you are blown away by what God does, other times there are no happy endings. It’s messy and complicated but heart-warming.
I was struck by God being at work in every place at all times. So often I pray asking him to be at work in this and that. This book opened my eyes to the fact that He is already at work and it’s we who need to tune in to what He is doing in any given situation. I find this really exciting: being able to show people where God is already at work in their lives (I’ve already been able to put this into practice with a lovely woman I met in the red light district). Chris writes:
I now get offended when I hear a place or a person being described as ‘godless’, because I think it is an offence to our God who is always reaching out, always seeking the lost, always bringing His light into the darkest places. He asks that we follow Him to those people and places.
I think this makes life more challenging (in a good way) because we can’t just write off people of whom we disapprove. If our God is already reaching out to them, we need to be big-hearted enough to follow Him. Challenging!
This book also raises my faith for miracles to happen. Chris is open and honest about how hard it is to step out of your comfort zone to offer to pray with strangers in the pub or in the street. Yet when he made the effort, things happened. People were healed physically and emotionally, and situations changed. God’s presence fell on the least likely people and they were astounded to discover He loved them.
Your church may run a food bank,
but who sits around your dinner table?
Finally, I was hugely challenged by the need to share life with people different to me. It’s not enough to do a few acts of charity, and retreat. Jesus didn’t work that way. He shared life with people. As Chris points out in the book, a lot of the Gospels is about Jesus eating and spending time with ‘sinners’. He didn’t have projects, He had friends. Chris’ church is based around a dinner table and everyone is welcome. Not just a nice ideal, but a messy reality. This particular passage has stayed with me:
When all our connections with those different to us are based on the modern idea of charity, we are able to hold people at arm’s length, while easing our consciences that we are making a difference in the world. Jesus goes much further than this, and challenges us to do the same. Your church may run a food bank, but who sits around your dinner table?
Ouch. That last sentence makes me deeply uncomfortable…. And it’s right that it does. But what are Adi and I going to do about it…?
Ordinary miracles should come with a health warning. If read thoughtfully, life may never be the same again….
Ordinary Miracles: Mess, Meals and Meeting Jesus in Unexpected Places by Chris Lane is about making friends and being church on an inner-city estate. The author is open, honest and real, telling it like it is. Sometimes you are blown away by what God does, other times there are no happy endings. It’s messy and complicated but heart-warming.
I was struck by God being at work in every place at all times. So often I pray asking him to be at work in this and that. This book opened my eyes to the fact that He is already at work and it’s we who need to tune in to what He is doing in any given situation. I find this really exciting: being able to show people where God is already at work in their lives (I’ve already been able to put this into practice with a lovely woman I met in the red light district). Chris writes:
I now get offended when I hear a place or a person being described as ‘godless’, because I think it is an offence to our God who is always reaching out, always seeking the lost, always bringing His light into the darkest places. He asks that we follow Him to those people and places.
I think this makes life more challenging (in a good way) because we can’t just write off people of whom we disapprove. If our God is already reaching out to them, we need to be big-hearted enough to follow Him. Challenging!
This book also raises my faith for miracles to happen. Chris is open and honest about how hard it is to step out of your comfort zone to offer to pray with strangers in the pub or in the street. Yet when he made the effort, things happened. People were healed physically and emotionally, and situations changed. God’s presence fell on the least likely people and they were astounded to discover He loved them.
Your church may run a food bank,
but who sits around your dinner table?
Finally, I was hugely challenged by the need to share life with people different to me. It’s not enough to do a few acts of charity, and retreat. Jesus didn’t work that way. He shared life with people. As Chris points out in the book, a lot of the Gospels is about Jesus eating and spending time with ‘sinners’. He didn’t have projects, He had friends. Chris’ church is based around a dinner table and everyone is welcome. Not just a nice ideal, but a messy reality. This particular passage has stayed with me:
When all our connections with those different to us are based on the modern idea of charity, we are able to hold people at arm’s length, while easing our consciences that we are making a difference in the world. Jesus goes much further than this, and challenges us to do the same. Your church may run a food bank, but who sits around your dinner table?
Ouch. That last sentence makes me deeply uncomfortable…. And it’s right that it does. But what are Adi and I going to do about it…?
Ordinary miracles should come with a health warning. If read thoughtfully, life may never be the same again….
January 2, 2019
At the start of his conclusion to this beautiful book, Chris Lane writes that he was tempted to title it Success and How to Avoid it: A Story of Church Planting in the Inner City. For me, as a reader of many books about various combinations of those and other words, that sums up why this book is so good.
https://www.thomascreedy.co.uk/book-r...
https://www.thomascreedy.co.uk/book-r...
December 10, 2022
Amazing!!!! Chris Lane has written an
inspirational, eye opening book depicting the ups
and downs of church planting and shows us how to
stay strong in our faith. It was a joy to read this book.
inspirational, eye opening book depicting the ups
and downs of church planting and shows us how to
stay strong in our faith. It was a joy to read this book.
January 28, 2023
Really inspiring stories in this book. A really clear account of the highs and lows of missionary work and church planting. The book reads really well and is written with real honesty. Well worth a read!
December 5, 2017
Really down-to-earth account of what it means to go somewhere God has called you and faithfully keep living life amidst the ups and downs. Great book
January 8, 2020
Refreshingly honest. Profoundly simple. Beautifully precise
December 10, 2022
Fantastic book, telling a wonderful true story about living a Jesus-filled life with friends.
January 21, 2024
An honest walk through establishing a long-term ministry, balancing gratfing with gifting, patience with praise, alongside multiple servings of fellowship and food. Inspiring and realistic.
December 9, 2025
Loved this. So honest, very helpful.
September 14, 2017
This book is packed with great, humble and funny examples of what true Christian community is all about. Chris writes this with such integrity and offers some challenges that we should be responding to. I think particularly our growing fear of making long-term commitments to an area or community is something we need to be discussing & is something I am personally challenged by. I would highly recommend this book!
September 28, 2017
Chris gets it. This was like reading about Barton Community Church in a parallel universe.
Highly recommend
Highly recommend
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews