Ordinary?

Do you want to be ordinary?  Is this a bad word?  What images come to mind? Average, mediocre, passive? I am reading through Ordinary by Michael Horton with a group as an online book discussion.  I have read two chapters up to this point. 

Part of me is not fond of the word, ordinary.  I want to believe that through the Holy Spirit's power, we can be extraordinary.  I would like to see God do amazing things through us that can not be explained as ordinary.  However, the author is sharing some good thoughts.  Here are some quotes from the first two chapters:

We are called to grow in a personal relationship with Christ. We are also called to love and serve others--our fellow believers and our neighbors. And yet, the tendency of the evangelical movement has always been to prioritize extraordinary methods and demands over the ordinary means that Christ instituted for sustainable mission.

What we are called to do every day, right where God has placed us, is rich and rewarding.

Nevertheless, it's precisely the ordinary ministry, week-in and week-out, that provides sustained growth and encourages the roots to grow deep.

Biblically defined, true excellence has others in mind--first God, and then our neighbor.

Speaking of the Fruit of the Spirit, Horton writes, "Instead of arising as the fruit of our union with Christ, these qualities become a way of separating the sheep from the goats.." 

Instead of living from God's justification of the ungodly in Christ, they live for the approval and applause of other sinners.

When I find my justification in Christ alone, I am free to love and serve others in ordinary and unheralded ways.

It is admittedly paradoxical: only by resting in Christ do we find ourselves active in good works, not just for the sprints but for the long-distance run.

We need to hear the good news each day.