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.
prayer
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?
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?”
3 Hacks to Make You Spiritually Healthy This Year
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?
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?
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.
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 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?
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.
Reverend Kyle Norman 