Guest Post: Extraordinary/Extra Ordinary

This is a guest post from a dear brother in Christ: Harry Connor who gained his Masters of Theology from Andersonville Theologic Seminary. I will add my words at the end.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Matthew 2:11

Extraordinarily Ordinary

This week my Lutheran and Catholic friends at Saint Luke’s celebrated the visit of the Magi, The feast that celebrates the visit of the Magi (Wise Men) to the baby Jesus is the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, celebrated on January 6th, twelve days after Christmas. This Christian holiday commemorates the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles, symbolized by the Magi’s arrival bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh

If you say, “yesterday was an extraordinary day,” you mean that something incredible happened. But if you say, “yesterday was an extra ordinary day,” you mean that it was even more normal and boring than usual. Just making one word into two gives the sentence an entirely opposite meaning.

Extraordinary events surrounded Magi’s visit to Bethlehem. But there were also a few extra ordinary things they discovered on their journey. An ancient prophecy and an extraordinary star led them to an extra ordinary little town called Bethlehem. The star stopped above what was probably an extra ordinary home. Inside, they found an extra ordinary looking Jewish couple with an ordinary-looking baby.

But the Magi saw past the child’s ordinary surroundings. They saw their Savior, who was going to give them a gift far more precious than the gold, frankincense, and myrrh they had just laid at his feet. That baby would give the gift of sins forgiven and eternal life. The wise men didn’t need to see a king in a palace surrounded by servants. They’d likely seen plenty of kings like that in their lifetimes. The Magi needed to see their Savior. That’s exactly what God led them to see.

It’s human nature to think we need more than what God has given. Maybe you’ve felt that attitude creep around in your heart. What God provides you in his Word might not seem like enough. You want him to do more for you. You want him to communicate more extraordinarily with you. Many are looking for that burning bush experience or the Road to Damascus experience.

But God chooses to use some extra ordinary looking ways to bring his good news to you. In the ordinary pages of the Bible, we see the Savior who proves his eternal kingship with a resurrection from the dead. By the Word we receive faith, as Paul said: Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. By the Word we see that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, By the Word we know we are the sons of God and co-heirs with Christ, By the Word we know that we have eternal life in Christ and can never be lost, we are kept by the Divine power of God. The Word of God is spoken; we hear it and know that Jesus has the power to forgive even the darkest sins. The means by which God extends his love to you look like ordinary things, but they work extraordinary results. Stay alert and watch and listen for the ways God is speaking to you.

My views:

First off, I believe Pastor Harry is absolutely on track with everything he states in the post., Although it did get me to thinking. (That was the point, right, to make us think?)

I have posted many times about our language use and how small changes can make huge impacts. Here he proves that the same two words have an opposite meaning depending on their usage in the spoken word (or written).

How often do we catch ourselves saying, “Wow, today was such a bad day,” or “This week is rough—I’ll be glad when it’s finally over”? We speak those words almost without thinking, but they shape far more than we realize.

I did exactly that last Thursday. I declared the day “bad,” and sure enough, everything that followed seemed to fall right in line with what I had spoken. The heaviness of that day didn’t just stay in Thursday—it spilled into Friday, and honestly, I was still carrying it with me this morning. It’s Saturday, and I woke up feeling the weight of days-old frustration.

Then I opened my messages and read this post that stopped me in my tracks. It was exactly what my heart needed. In that moment, my entire outlook shifted. Pastor Harry has been a mentor to me for years, even though we’re separated by thousands of miles. I know he didn’t write that message specifically for me, yet I have no doubt the Holy Spirit nudged him to share it—knowing that I would read it today, right when I needed a reset. For that, I’m deeply grateful. Thank you, Pastor Harry.

This reminded me of something simple but profound: the words we speak carry power. Not just the words we say to others, but especially the ones we whisper to ourselves. They can lift us up or weigh us down. They can open doors or close them. They can shape our day, our attitude, and ultimately our life.

Choose your words with care. Speak life, speak hope, speak truth—even to yourself. Your life truly rises and falls on the words you choose.

To God be the Glory for giving me what I need, as always!

Manifesting Miracles :Christian perspective on choosing your words and following the lead of the Holy Spirit.