ORDINARY MUM, EXTRAORDINARY MISSION:
Sharing God’s Love in Everyday Life
By Anna France-Williams & Joy French
IVP. 185 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 783 590 247
Ordinary Mum, Extraordinary Mission is a practical, easy to read book aimed at Christian mothers at various stages of parenting. The book is easy to read and written with the lifestyle of busy Mums in mind, which I appreciated – having four children of my own aged seven to eighteen!
Its key aim is to encourage Mums to be sharing the message of God’s love – the gospel – in everyday life, in the varied situations they find themselves in.
In the introduction we are challenged that ‘a missionary mindset needs to permeate our thinking. Wherever we go, whatever we do, whoever we are with, we are the sent ones of Jesus, ambassadors of His love, grace and transforming power in a messed-up and broken world.’ The necessity of good foundations is then explained – foundations of a strong marriage, a secure family foundation built on God’s Word, a close relationship with God and right relationships with others.
Practical Suggestions
A wide variety of ideas for evangelism and living in a missional way are shared.There is enough variation for everyone, no matter what your gifts or situation may be. The ideas were simple yet challenging, some more appealing than others.
Personally, I would sometimes prefer more direct forms of evangelism to some of the suggestions here. Relationship building is important, but not always essential in evangelism – for example when Jesus met the woman at the well. Sometimes the relationships come after conversion, during discipleship. What was also missing for me in this book on mission was any mention of the Cross – I would have appreciated a clearer definition of the gospel revealed to us to take to a lost world, including the necessity to repent and believe in Christ alone.
Overall, though, you will be blessed, challenged and reminded again how we, as believers, have a wonderful message of love, grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ and we must be sharing that message with as many as we can, by as many different means, while we still can!
