Living Beyond Ordinary: Discovering Authentic Significance and Purpose

Ordinary or Extraordinary?or·di·nar·y [awr-dn-er-ee]1. of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional: 2. plain or undistinguished: 3. somewhat inferior or below average; mediocre: 4. customary; usual; normal; the commonplace or average condition, degree; something regular, customary, or usualSomething just didn't sound right about the words I was reading as I looked up the word ordinary: plain, average, normal, commonplace. It certainly wasn't appealing to me nor did it make me want to wake up in the morning with the goal of being plain. I tend to agree with Lou Holtz, the great football coach and sports personality, when he said, "I can't believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary."Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty ordinary guy. I'm a pastor and non-profit founder in Orlando, I've been married to my best friend, Tammi, for 28 years, I have 4 great children, and there is nothing really very special about me other than the fact that I've seen some remarkable events take place in my life over the last few years in starting the non-profit Community Food and Outreach Center in downtown Orlando.It all started 13 years ago, and over these years I have chronicled amazing stories and experiences that I believe will inspire and motivate ordinary people to believe for and strive to be extraordinary. Over the past 30 years of leading organizations, churches, non-profit centers and people, I have learned a few things about people and their dreams. What do you want to be when you grow up?Most people grow up believing that one day they will be great and do great things. Ask any little kid what they want to do when they grow up and I guarantee they won't say, "I want to be normal" or "I want to be average." No ....most little children have within them a seed of greatness to be "extraordinary."But somehow over time, our dreams get dashed and we slip into commonplace and forget about the dreams and goals we once had. I tend to agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."Most people live their lives with a song in their heart, but they have lost the tune or forgot the words and they are living lives of commonplace and normalcy. There are currently 8 billion people alive in this world and the number is growing. I want each reader of this book to be inspired to believe that each and every one of us is born with a goal to be less than ordinary; that if you're one of the 8 billion people alive, you have been created to not lead lives of quiet desperation, but to lead lives of extraordinary greatness.In this book, I will attempt to let you see and hear the practical stories and experiences I have encountered and will add a few principles that you can apply to life; it will hopefully inspire you to reach back to your childhood dreams of being great and achieving greatness. Since I'm not only an author, speaker and non-profit leader, I'm also a pastor, so I will add to the recipe the spice that makes this all possible.....The God factor. I'm not attempting to cram my religion down your throat as much as I am hoping that all readers will see the value of time-tested biblical principles that can be applied to any situation or circumstance. I really believe in what Mike Hukabee said, "It's when ordinary people rise above the expectations and seize the opportunity that milestones truly are reached." God has a way of using ordinary people to do extraordinary things.Let's get started on our journey of together.