Hi, and welcome to the Five Word Prayers Daily, a five day a week daily devotional where we share the word, prayers, and our heart.

I'm Lisa Whittle, and I welcome you to just five minutes with me, which I trust and pray will be five minutes well spent.

This is a great show for you to be listening to today because one of my favorite author, Shannon Martin, is our guest host.

Shannon wrote one of my all-time favorite books,

Falling Free, and she has now released a brand new book, The Ministry of Ordinary Places.

I'm moved by so many things about her, most of all her heart for justice, real life hurts

of our neighbors, and all of us who matter so much to God, how she responds to the gospel even when it's not

convenient. And really, I could go on and on. She's a wife and a mom and my friend, and I'm honored

to have her in the guest host seat today. So welcome, Shannon, to the Five Word Prayers Daily.

It was a November Wednesday afternoon and the sun was shining.

I wasn't sure if I was glad for the glint of optimism it cast over us, warming our cheeks,

filtering through the maple leaves still clinging to the branches.

In some ways, I'd have preferred the solidarity of gray skies,

maybe even some rain. The news cycle was a clash of gloom and confusion, another day, another bad

news loop, force-feeding us empty calories of impossibility and fracture. Politicians were taking

sides, families and communities were gridlocked in conflict.

I couldn't turn away. Everything feels so complicated, I thought. The problems are huge and I'm just

one woman, feeling smaller than ever. I looked up to the sky for grounding and guidance like I so often do,

and still it smiled.

I went through the motions of a typical day, a load of laundry, the broom sweeping up the crumbs of everyday life with three kids and a cat.

I answered emails and wrapped up a project.

Not wanting to be alone, I ran into the coffee shop downtown for a quick cup of tea before my kids returned home from school.

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