We sometimes forget the extremity of Jesus’ language. For Jesus, the cross is hard and cruel. It was not an easy thing to carry. For Jesus, the cross was the place of his rejection and death. It is to this place that Jesus bids us to follow. Is it any wonder, then, that the cross is hard reality in our lives? We feel it viscerally pressing against us. The cross upsets our lives. What is more, taking up our cross means we may need to walk with it for a while. This can be involve walking a difficult and sometimes lonely path. Yet despite all of this, taking up our cross is an act of radical hope.
Life of faith
Silencing the “shoulds”
We can live our spiritual lives under a spirit of duty and demand. Our spiritual practices become burdens we must undergo, activities to begrudgingly plod through. When we live this way, our spirituality feels lifeless, and we can’t help but feel condemned. No matter how hard we try, we rarely perform our practices a perfectly as we would like, or as we believe they should be performed.
Red Doors & Black Fences
Each time my wife and I stepped out of the house, I’d ask to how far she believed she could walk. We developed our own lingo. One day her goal would be “The red door”; the next day, “the black fence.” These mini-milestones marked her progression; they served as guides, leading her on.
Are Disciplines Necessary?
This post is based on a presentation made at the ACW Regional Retreat in September 2020. Are Spiritual Disciplines really that important? Why are Spiritual Disciplines important? Is not believing in Jesus enough? Are disciplines just a form of works righteousness, some mistaken attempt to earn our salvation? Do we really need to worry about … Continue reading Are Disciplines Necessary?
The Way of Discernment
This post first appeared in "Ministry Matters" under the title: "Discernment: it's not just pointing at random verses" on Medium.com Whenever we aspire to live the Christian life with any intentionality, an inevitable question arises. How do I know what God wants me to do? How do I know I am making the right decisions? … Continue reading The Way of Discernment
Take up and Read: Exploring Spiritual Reading
A few months ago, I wrote a blog entitled “When Words Speak”, which detailed five books that helped inform my faith. It was a pleasure to go through my library and note the books to which I continually return. The spiritual lessons I gleaned from their pages have largely shaped the outward expression of my … Continue reading Take up and Read: Exploring Spiritual Reading
Reverend Kyle Norman 