Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Losing My Keys: Fragmentation and the Thin Place
Read Chapter 4 of Liturgy of the Ordinary. Key passages: Romans 8:18–25; Psalm 22:1–2.
Previewing Week 5 of Liturgy of the Ordinary
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 11-week guide when you’re ready.
The small frustrations of daily life — the lost keys, the forgotten name, the spilled coffee — are rarely treated as spiritual events, but Warren suggests they might be some of the most revealing ones.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Warren describes the experience of losing her keys with surprising theological depth. What is she uncovering about the spiritual significance of frustration, disorder, and the sense that 'things are not as they should be'?
2.She introduces the concept of the 'thin place' — moments when the veil between ordinary life and the deeper realities of sin, grace, and longing becomes transparent. Have you experienced moments like this in mundane frustration? What did they reveal?
3.Warren connects the feeling of fragmentation and disorder to a genuinely theological reality — the brokenness of the world after the Fall. In what ways does the daily experience of things-not-working function as an honest witness to the doctrine of sin and curse? Why is this important rather than depressing?