Do you ever wonder whether your life, ordinary as it feels, could actually matter to God?
In Ordinary to Extraordinary, Dr. Chris Len McCormick walks through the lives of ordinary biblical figures God used in extraordinary ways, and what that means for yours.
- Nine weeks of guided reflection, one biblical figure at a time
- Written for personal devotion or a small group, at your own pace
- A free excerpt is available before you buy
Available in paperback and Kindle · published with Cedar Lake Publishing
Dr. Chris Len McCormick
Chris has served as associate pastor of Calvary Church in Maumee, Ohio since 2017, and has been an ordained minister since 1991. He holds a Master of Divinity from Winebrenner Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Before full-time ministry, he worked as a chemical engineer in the oil refining industry. That was an unlikely season, he says, and it taught him about faithfulness, perseverance, and the surprising ways God prepares people.
One belief sits under all of it: that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He calls it "the heartbeat of everything I write." Ordinary to Extraordinary is where that conviction becomes a nine-week devotional, published through Cedar Lake Publishing to put resources into the hands of people who are pursuing God and growing together.
"Pursuing God as we grow together."
Lines from the book, shared each week
Most weeks Chris posts a passage from that week's chapter of Ordinary to Extraordinary, then asks readers to name someone it brought to mind. The answers are worth reading too.
"Tychicus never had his name on the program. He carried letters he did not write, to churches he had not planted, on behalf of a ministry whose public face was someone else. He was simply, consistently, reliably present — and that dependability made everything else possible."
"Your path to where you are today may have seemed winding, even random. The different seasons, the varied experiences, the unlikely combinations of skills and knowledge you carry — these are not accidents. God has been positioning you."
"Courage often looks like this — not grand heroism, but the willingness to say in a public setting what everyone already knows is true, but no one has been willing to say."
"Who has been a Tychicus in your life — someone who showed up, did the work, and never needed the spotlight? I'd love for you to honor them here."
New reflections posted most weeks. Follow along on Facebook →
Your past does not have to define your future. The environment you grew up in does not determine the person you become. What matters most is not what was placed in your hands, but what you do with what is in your heart.
— Dr. Chris Len McCormick, on Manaen · July 20