The new year often brings resolutions to revamp our lives. We resolve to address the areas of our lives that have become stagnant or problematic. Some resolve to eat healthier in the new year; others to exercise more. But what do we do if our resolution addresses the spiritual side of our life? What if we resolve to be more spiritually healthy in 2026? What then?
Community
The Problem with DIY Spirituality
There will always be areas in our spiritual life where we need to grow. There will always be places where God pushes past our own prowess, not so that we can learn a new skill, but so that we can receive God’s work through another. A spirituality defined solely by our own efforts is ultimately narrow in scope and narrow in experience.
Pray Different
Many of us have a list of people we pray for, either mentally or written down. We pray for these people faithfully and diligently, regularly bringing their names to Jesus. But do we pray for these prayers like I prayed for Emmanuel, silently and quickly? Do these people know we pray for them? Is there an invitation we may be missing?
Why Henri?
I recently led a summer retreat titled "The Spirituality of Henri Nouwen." Henri has long been one of my favourite authors to read, and it’s not too much of a stretch to say that I see him as a spiritual guide of some sort. During this retreat, someone asked the simple question, “So, why Henri?” In other words, why was Henri Nouwen the person that I gravitated to?
Beautiful Intersections
There are times when God peels back the layers of God’s work, allowing us to see the intricate working of God’s will. These beautiful intersections of God’s will with our participation remind us that God is active in ways far beyond our perception or understanding.
When I met a false prophet
A prophet visited the Cathedral recently. His first words to me were, “I am here to give you a message from God.” I politely listened to his message, but when I asked some clarifying questions, his pleasant nature changed. He told me gruffly that he was not sent to listen or discuss. He would speak, I would listen and obey, that was the deal.
Moving from Loneliness to Solitude
Loneliness distorts our inwards selves. It matters not whether we are in on the company of others or not, loneliness creates an emptiness within us. We are restless within ourselves, never at peace, never at home. Yet instead of drawing us closer to another, loneliness distorts our experience of community. It inevitably drives us away from others.
Who is your “Joshua”?
Who is the Joshua in your life? Who is the person that you can support in their faith development, or their experience of ministry? Who can you invite to join you as you journey in faith? This may seem like a tall task, but in truth, it doesn’t have to be.
Listening to Jethro
God doesn’t want you to live your spiritual life in private exhaustion. Like Moses, you may tell yourself that “it all rests on me”, or that “I’m the only one who can do this”, but that is simply not true. The truth is, a reluctance to allow anyone to come along side you will, eventually, work against your spiritual vitality. It will leave you spiritually depleted and exhausted.
A Blog about Prayer….part deux
If prayer occurs amidst an ordinary and distraction-laden life, then the apt question is, “How might we include these distractions into our prayers? Rather than treating each interruption as something that rips us away from Jesus, how might we embrace these distractions, even transform them, as tools for our devotion?
Reverend Kyle Norman 