Divine Nobodies

I just ordered this book and can't wait to get it. I have heard great things about it and I have a feeling I may even like it better than Blue Like Jazz. This is based on what I have read about in the reviews and some excerpts I have read. The author is Jim Palmer. He allowed Next-Wave to post a chapter from the book.

Here is an excerpt I particularly liked:

God has been trying to free me from the burden of doing something spectacular for him. It has a way of distracting you from the opportunities to be salt and light right where you are. I’m starting to see that the “cup of cold water given in Jesus’s name” sometimes means running the register by yourself during lunch so your heartbroken coworker can cry in the break room, or volunteering to reshelf all the returns in your area so a worn-out coworker twice your age won’t have to. A kindness shown here, a listening ear offered there, a caring hug as you go might be the case for Christ a cynical waitress most needs. I’m starting to recognize that I am immersed in a sea of hurting people every day. If I simply pay attention and follow the promptings of the Spirit in all these little ways, my life is “ministry.” One of my spiritual gifts is teaching, but I don’t need to stand on a stage before a crowd to use it. God uses it in conversations with people like Wanda to help unravel the complex, far-off, unattainable version of Christianity she heard at church.

Here is the entire chapter and link to the Next-Wave post:

Book Excerpt, Divine Nobodies: Waffle House Theology (Wanda the Waitress)
By Jim Palmer (published by permission)