When Ordinary Life Becomes Ministry
By Meridith Curtis
One year ago, I released Kingdom Living: How Your Ordinary Days Become Extraordinary Ministry.
At the time, I knew the message was deeply personal. What I did not realize was how much the Lord would continue to teach our family about Kingdom living through one of the most difficult and transformative seasons we have ever walked through.
Over the past year, the Lord carried us through a challenging summer that included an extended season of separation as a family just prior to navigating the process of transitioning from overseas ministry back to our home country. There were moments filled with uncertainty, grief, exhaustion, and surrender. Yet even in the middle of that difficult season, God continued to confirm the very message that led me to write this book in the first place: ministry is not confined to platforms, titles, stages, or locations. The Kingdom of God is lived out in the ordinary rhythms of everyday obedience.
Today, by God's grace, we are settled in Nashville among the nations God has gathered here. Our family now serves as house parents and leaders at MTC Nashville, an e3 Partners sponsored Missionary Training Center that equips believers to use their ordinary lives as extraordinary ministry. Every day we are surrounded by people learning that discipleship is not merely an event or program — it is a lifestyle of intentional presence, hospitality, prayer, obedience, and mission woven into daily life.
As I reflect on the journey that led to the creation of Kingdom Living, I can't help but marvel at how God has been weaving this story through the fabric of my life for years. Writing this book was never simply about putting words on paper. It was the culmination of lessons learned through seasons of faith, weakness, ministry, motherhood, transition, and surrender. More than anything, it became an invitation to join God in His extraordinary work within the everyday moments of life.
A Call to Redefine Ministry
For much of my life, I believed ministry primarily happened in "special" places through "special" people. I grew up hearing stories of missionaries serving in faraway nations, pastors leading congregations, and ministry leaders dedicating their lives to church programs. Those callings are beautiful and deeply needed.
But over time, God began reshaping my understanding of ministry.
I started to see that some of the most profound Kingdom moments happen around dinner tables, in conversations with neighbors, during prayer walks, while discipling our children, or through simple acts of hospitality and obedience. I realized that our ordinary lives are not interruptions to ministry — they are the very place where ministry happens.
That realization became the heartbeat behind Kingdom Living. Ministry is not reserved for the spiritually elite or those with formal titles. It is for every believer willing to surrender their ordinary life to Jesus.
Learning Faithfulness in the Ordinary
One of the greatest lessons God has continued teaching me over the past year is that faithfulness often looks far less dramatic than we expect.
Sometimes Kingdom living looks like persevering through transition.
Sometimes it looks like loving your family well when life feels unstable.
Sometimes it looks like opening your home, praying with a hurting friend, sharing a meal, or simply remaining obedient when you cannot yet see what God is doing.
In a culture constantly pushing us toward visibility, productivity, and performance, the Lord continues to draw me back to simplicity. He has reminded me repeatedly that He is not asking us to build impressive lives for Him. He is asking us to abide in Him and faithfully steward what He has placed in front of us today.
That truth became even more real through the challenges our family walked through this past year.
The Beauty of an Ordinary Yes
Our journey has not been free from hardship. We have experienced burnout, uncertainty, stretching, and seasons where we felt completely dependent on God's grace. But we have also witnessed His incredible faithfulness in the middle of it all.
That is why I wanted Kingdom Living to be more than just another devotional or ministry book. I wanted it to be an honest invitation for ordinary believers who may feel unseen, unqualified, or too overwhelmed to do something "great" for God.
Because the truth is this: the Kingdom is often built through ordinary people saying yes to Jesus in ordinary moments.
A simple yes to hospitality.
A simple yes to prayer.
A simple yes to discipling your children.
A simple yes to loving your neighbor.
A simple yes to opening your life to others.
God delights in using what seems small in the eyes of the world.
A Personal Invitation
One year later, I believe this message more deeply than ever before.
Your life matters in the Kingdom of God.
Your ordinary routines matter.
Your relationships matter.
Your faithfulness matters.
You do not need a stage, a title, or a passport to live missionally. You simply need a willingness to surrender your everyday life to Jesus and allow Him to use it for His glory.
My prayer is that Kingdom Living continues to encourage believers to see the sacredness hidden within everyday life. I hope it helps people slow down, refocus on what matters most, and recognize that God is actively working through the small moments we are often tempted to overlook.
As our family serves at MTC Nashville, we are living out this message alongside believers from many nations who are learning to make disciples through ordinary life and intentional community. It is humbling and beautiful to watch God gather people from around the world and remind us that His Kingdom moves powerfully through simple obedience.
Thank you for being part of this journey over the past year. Whether you have supported our family, prayed for us, read the book, or simply followed along as God has led us through unexpected transitions, we are deeply grateful.
And if there is one thing this past year has taught me, it is this:
Ordinary surrender in the hands of Jesus becomes extraordinary ministry.
Walk With Us
If this post encouraged you, here are a few ways to take a next step:
- Read Kingdom Living: How Your Ordinary Days Become Extraordinary Ministry — get the book here.
- Explore what missionary training at MTC Nashville could look like for you.