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.
Moses
The Other Side of Stillness
There is another side of stillness, however, one we rarely speak about. The call to stillness isn’t merely enjoyed when we have the time free ourselves from distractions. Stillness isn’t just about prayer-filled contemplation. Long before Psalm 46 ever called us to “be still and know that I am God”, Moses instructed the Israel to stillness in the place of chaos and fear.
If God is your co-pilot….
Meister Eckert once wrote that many people follow the Lord halfway, but not the other half. By this he means that, too often, we believe in God’s presence, but refuse to let God to lead our lives. God remains the perpetual co-pilot, waiting for our decisions and directions.
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.
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.
Ministry in the Ordinary
Serving God can be boring. There I said it. This is something that all who are involved in ministry know, but rarely articulate. The boring reality of ministry seems to betray the high hopes with which we accepted our callings. After all, we began our work for God with visions of entering the work of the Spirit, of growing the church, and transforming the world. And yet as time goes on, we find that much of our walk with God is uninteresting. Ministry involves ordinary events like mowing the lawn, baking a cake, or attending yet another budget-related meeting.
Crafted and Called.
Moses had spent years defining himself by the lack of external validation. Everything he went through told him that he was not useable by God; that was his identity. But the answer of our identity is never one we must create; it is one we receive. Moses was so busy describing how he saw himself, that he failed to hear how God viewed him.
Ministry and Midwifery
What was God up to before you stepped onto the scene? How did God’s hand impact your life before you were even aware of it? More importantly, who were the people whom God used to bring you to where you are today?
Tests and Testimonies
When we talk about tests, we often think about tests in school, or maybe a road-test. Tests are designed for us to prove ourselves, to show our knowledge, our skill, or our worth, and by doing so, earn the grade, the position, or the license we desire. Importantly, testing is rooted in binary in nature. Regardless of demerit points or a range of letter grades, testing boils down to passing or failing. You either make the grade, or you miss out. Does God test in the same manner?
Reverend Kyle Norman 