The reality is, if someone joins a congregation because some out-of-the-box program tickles their spiritual fancy, then it is only a matter of time before they move on to some other spiritual side-show.
Jesus
Finding Jesus in Daily Life: An Invitation
I once went for a walk with someone new to the church. As we strolled through the park, she looked at me and said “So, you are really into Jesus, aren’t you?” What followed was a wonderful discussion about faith, scripture, but most of all, the importance of Jesus. She described being how Jesus seemed aloof to her. What she really wanted to know was how to get to know him.
The Secret to Enlivened Prayer
The more that I skipped my prayers, or entered them in words alone, the more I felt my connection with God slowly drift. My sense of rootedness in God’s presence became dim and I found myself easily irritated.
Turn my Dancing into Mourning.
Indeed, what does worship look like when we don’t feel like dancing? What does Christian life look like when wrapped in mourning? Does not-dancing betray our connection to Jesus?
The Future Church Doesn’t Exist
Many people relate the future church to the existence and participation of young people. But is the future church a church of young people? Because time-travel is fickle, and the young people today will be the old people of the future, so who exactly are we referring to?
Hi I’m Kyle and I’m into Jesus.
I once had a parishioner invite me for a walk. She was new the parish and I was eager to get to know her more. As we walked through a nearby park, we talked about her emerging faith and what precipitated her return to church. She then turned to me with a pensive look. “Can I ask you a question?” She asked. When I nodded in reply, she continued: “You are really into Jesus, aren’t you?”
No one likes a boaster….except Jesus.
Boasting is intimately connected to worship. Thus, boasting is akin to idolatry, the worship of someone or something besides the one who made us and redeemed us. But the bible never actually calls us to refrain from boasting, but to boast rightly.
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?
Reverend Kyle Norman 