Grace Notes
a weekly blog by Steven Norris
An Invitation to Mercy
By Steven Norris No one likes to admit to being wrong. Of course, we all make mistakes, but taking responsibility for those mistakes is becoming more and more rare. In the Twelve Step tradition, the “ticket for entry” is admission of one’s failure and defeat. “Hi. I’m...
The Invitation to Trust
By Steven Norris When is the last time that you prayed for daily bread (enough bread to keep you from going hungry for a day)? Most of us do not have to worry about that degree of food scarcity. If we need bread, we go to the pantry. If there is not enough, we go to...
An Invitation to Eternal Life
By Steven Norris One of the most dangerous misconceptions I have experienced as a pastor is the idea that the gospel is all about getting our souls into heaven once we die. Certainly, “eternal life” cannot be about anything less than going to heaven once we die, but...
An Invitation to Surrender
By Steven Norris One little word - two little letters - forever changed my relationship with my children: “No!” They had been such little angels. Where did this little defiant 3 year old come from? No matter how much you grow up, there is still, somewhere deep down...
The Invitation to Serve
By Steven Norris When you hear the word, “kingdom,” what comes to mind? Do you think of names like Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, or King Arthur? Do you conjure up mythical kingdoms like those of Middle Earth in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings? The word “kingdom” it...
An Invitation to Hope
By Steven Norris “What's in a name?” Shakespeare’s love-struck Juliet utters. “That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.” For many of us, our names have significance that derive from family name, someone significant (friend, president,...
An Invitation to Communion
By Steven Norris “Where does God live?” It was one of those questions that I got from my younger son when he would transform into our “bedtime philosopher.” Of course the “right” answer was “in heaven,” but I knew that I had not been true to the biblical story. When...
An Invitation to Family
By Steven Norris When you think about God, what mental images come to mind? An old man in the sky? A cosmic Santa Claus? A bespectacled therapist with a giant couch? A King? A Judge? A husband? A father? The contemporary spiritual writer, Brennan Manning has written:...
An Invitation to Community
By Steven Norris What is the one thing that God declared as “not good” in the creation story? That Adam was alone. Created in God’s image, humans were created for community and relationship. The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invitation into community. The opening...
An Invitation to Prayer
by Steven Norris Prayer is at the heart of most forms of spiritual practice. We long for connection to some reality that is greater than ourselves — a transcendent power or force that we often refer to as God. Prayer is the vehicle for such connection. If you...