Since we talk so much about serving as a catalyst for “ordinary people” to explore their callings of service, we want to clarify what we mean by “ordinary.”
We DON’T mean what Dictionary.com means: of no special quality, unexceptional, plain, undistinguished, somewhat inferior, below average, mediocre. We do NOT mean low class, unimportant or insignificant like Mr. Potter did in It’s a Wonderful Life.
By referring to ourselves and others as “ordinary,” we DO mean: people who are not especially (or relatively speaking) rich, powerful or famous, people whose daily activities tend not to be on the nightly news or the cover of tabloids at the grocery store, people who form the working and living and celebrating and suffering backbone of societies all over the world, people who put the “grass” in grassroots, people who have the potential to influence our world from the bottom-up.
It’s hard to believe one person among the world’s billions truly matters in the grand scheme of things, but that’s exactly what we believe. We may not be able to do much on our own, but we can do something, which is why we help share the stories of individuals, families and communities who have done and are doing incredible somethings.
We also believe there is a larger story that has charged each our lives and stories with great meaning, and that it’s possible to tap into that story for strength and hope. One ordinary person, one ordinary family, one ordinary community does matter and can matter because we are all here to matter in our own special way, to bring hope and healing where there is currently despair and suffering.
Live the story with us.
