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.
Jesus
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.
When all is Silent, we truly hear.
Too often this is how we can treat silence. We assume the silence contains no voice or activity. We believe that silence speaks to the failure of our spiritual activity, and that God is not present. But what might happen if we rested in the silence, rather than avoided it?
Holding My Book in My Hands
Why do we allow our inner voices to be so critical of our abilities or efforts? Instead of resting deep in the delight of God, we pay attention to our own cranky curmudgeons which highlight every flaw, mistake, and shadow of imperfection. Henri Nouwen was right when he said that the greatest danger to our spiritual lives is our own self-rejection.
Listen More, Do Less: An Advent Rhythm
The season of Advent, with its slowness and simplicity, calls us to a radical action of stepping away from the noise so that we can be attentive to a deeper voice. We turn away from the jingles so that we can hear the words of the of one who created us and comes to us in love and grace.
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.
Responding to Rejection
Why do we give such credence to one negative comment rather than a plethora of encouraging statements? Logically we know this shouldn't be the case. We know we should rest in encouragement and love rather than in negativity. But we can’t always guard against rejecting comments, and when they come, they shake us in the deepest part of our soul.
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?
A Blog about Prayer
If we think this that prayer can only occur when all is quiet, we inevitably find ourselves viewing every hiccup or distraction as a negation or prayer. And once prayer is negated by interruption, it’s easily abandoned. We end up reserving prayer for those special times when no one is around, and all is silent.
God Bless the Incompetent
Ministry isn’t about competency or prowess; it’s not about maximizing our endeavors or achieving some ever-increasing public recognition. In the life of faith, we never rise above our own frailty. In fact, the places where we feel foolish, weak turned-around, or less-than, may be where God’s blessings are most fully revealed.
Reverend Kyle Norman 