Helpful 2012 Book: Ordinarinary Lives Extraordinary Mission by John R. Wood
The helpful 2012 book, ‘Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission: 5 Steps to Winning the War Within,’ is a good read because it succinctly gives readers easy and important missions to get to heaven. This is a popular book that you want to know. The main idea is that there is a war going on inside you, whether you like it or not. The was is between good and evil.
There are five missions given in ‘Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission: 5 steps to Winning the War Within.’ They are the first to have constant reminders of the battle going on inside of you. The second mission is to unplug. The third mission is fast and to exercise. The fourth mission is to use silence to hear God. The fourth and final mission is to actively save souls. Do you think these missions are easy to perform?
The 5 Helpful Missions in ‘Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission’
The five helpful missions in the book ‘Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission: 5 Steps to Winning the War within’ are explained here. They form the meat of the book, and are the most insightful and helpful things from it. The first mission listed is to post constant reminders of your mail goal to become a saint. The author suggests putting sticky notes with these words on your alarm clock (it should be the first thing you see in the morning). He also suggests putting notes on your mirror, on your dashboard, as your screensaver, and on a bracelet you wear.
The second mission is to unplug. This has to do with the invasion of electronic devices. There is a great focus on television. The author says that televisions and electronics are not necessarily bad; the content on them is. In fact, the argument is that satan has created his own 24-hour infomercial. The helpful suggestion is to give up the television or internet, one day a week, or for a defined period of time. There is also a focus on the radio, suggesting that songs are questionable, at best.
Third, Fourth, & Fifth Missions
The third mission is also helpful. It benefits your health as well. The main idea is to practice fasting and to exercise. A lot of the discussion on fasting combats the idea that the practice is outdated and too Old Testament. The idea that the practice is good for your health is glossed over. Then, in the same paragraph, it is suggested that people exercise for thirty minutes a day. Wood says do what you like, but helpfully suggests you play with your kids.
The fourth suggestion is to practice silence. So the saying goes, “The world is noisy, God whispers.” Wood has four small children, a job, a wife, friends, etc. He notes we tend to be dominated by our schedules. He suggests we sit in a church, by ourselves, in the dark, to listen for the voice of God. I add that perhaps that could be done during Eucharistic Adoration.
The fifth mission is to save souls. There are some very helpful suggestions in this section. There are three suggestions. First, Wood suggests, you offer up the sufferings and the work for the day for someone. If you fold laundry or change a diaper, offer it up. Second, randomly find someone in a phone book and send them money. Third, go to a Catholic cemetery and pick a headstone at random and pray for them.
Why You Should Read This Book
Do you want to go to heaven? If you do, and that is the goal, this book gives readers five easy and important missions to perform to reach their goal. Every person dies; you need to be prepared to live forever in heaven.
Parting Shots
‘Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission: 5 Steps to Winning the War Within’ is helpful to readers. It makes suggestions throughout and is structured around 5 missions that apply to everyday life. Another beneficial aspect of this book is that the author, Wood, gives plenty of personal advice. His stories make him seem very real.
