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My mother knows everybody in town.

Really, she does. Give her 30 minutes in a store, and she will tell you how many kids the Walmart checkout lady has, or what nursing home the florist’s father is in, or that Sheila at the bank just moved here from Pennsylvania. Some are social butterflies; my mom is a social ninja.

I tease her a lot but deep down, I wish I was more like her in that way. She’s always interested in the lives of other people and as a result, she has lots of friends. Naturally, every week she has a new story to tell me.

This collection of stories (God Moments in an Ordinary Life) is like a scrapbook for me. Not only are you about to find out all the embarrassing things I did as a child, but I read the stories of familiar people with a whole new perspective. I learn from Miss Minnie that the secret to a long, happy life is in being yourself. I learn from B.J. at the grocery store to be thankful for small things. I learn from a six-year-old version of myself that other people are the best investment there is.

My mom told me recently that when she talks to people and learns about their lives, she feels enriched and gains a sense of purpose for herself. She feels useful and valuable when Kim at the dry cleaners stops to show pictures of her grandkids.

Whoever desires to save his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will find it. When Jesus said that, I think He had my mom in mind. She lives for the God moments in life, the point where blessing others becomes a blessing for us. I hope the moments described in these pages inspire you to look for the God moments at your grocery store, bank, or any of the other seemingly ordinary places life takes you.

(And when my mom strikes up a conversation with you in line, tell her I said hi.)