LITURGY OF THE ORDINARY – A Book Nook Review

February 16, 2018February 16, 2018 Allyson M. Hutchison

LITURGY OF THE ORDINARY
By Tish Harrison Warren
InterVarsity Press
PB, 153 pages

Living as humans takes more maintenance than most folks are willing to admit. That being said, maintenance time is often wasted time. Warren gives an example of this in her own life in her opening chapters. The early moments of Warren’s day were spent on her phone checking social media. Instead, Warren decided to spend the first minutes making her bed. When she finished, she sat in quiet meditation listening to the Lord.

Throughout Liturgy of the Ordinary, Warren gives many examples—similar to the one above—of how daily routines can be modified to get to know our Creator better. From simple tasks, such as dining with friends to the horror of losing house and car keys, Warren gives advice on various activities that make up the human experience, and she links them to Christianity in the process. In one example, Warren connects several scriptural passages and relates them to a story about a church service that explained that the simplest way to overcome marital arguments was to apologize, forgive and reconcile.

Though Warren has the tendency to be a tad redundant, it is to show how one activity can be coupled with another. The entire book is well thought out and has great Christian impact. Most of the anecdotes are at the beginning of each chapter so Warren can break into the religious explanations of how to solve a specific problem before she gives the conclusion of her story. Seeking God is always the best choice when an obstacle appears. Warren demonstrates exactly how to do that in day-to-day life.

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This book illustrates how to live a life showing complete devotion to God. From brushing teeth to eating food, Warren points out ways to do so by worshipping God in the process. Many scriptural passages (as well as church service liturgies and ceremonies) are referenced in each chapter. Suggested readership is ages 20 and up since this book is geared toward an audience who has established a daily routine. Many of the scenarios Warren uses are those of a person who owns a living space and has developed his or her own family. However, it is entirely likely that teenagers could find benefits from this book, and parents can certainly instill these values in their children.

Reviewed by Allyson M. Hutchison, a Professional Writing Major at Taylor University.