Grace Notes
a weekly blog by Steven Norris

Who Is Your One?
By Steven Norris How much of an impact can one life make? I wondered that as I prepared to step into the pulpit this past Sunday. I was preaching on Jesus calling the first disciples. That was a “rag-tag” group if ever there was one — fishermen, tax collectors,...

A Testimony of Redeeming Grace
By Steven Norris From the moment that Pastor Grady Caldwell walked into my office, I felt a connection. Maybe it was his ear-to-ear smile, gregarious charm, or the fact that he greeted me with a hug instead of a simple handshake, but I just knew we were...
Is Healing Possible?
By Steven Norris Jesus asks the most profound question as he enters the holy city of Jerusalem. Near the Pool of Bethesda, a place known for its healing properties, Jesus meets a man who had been sick for 38 years and asks him pointedly: “Do you want to get...

Mentorship: An Eternal Investment
By Steven Norris I wasn’t always a pastor. Many people forget that when their only experience of me has been in that role. Despite the fact that there are three generations of pastors in my lineage, it was not a foregone conclusion that I would follow their lead. I...

What about Children in Church?
By Steven Norris Ashley was only nine months old when she came to live with our family. She and her brother, John (not their real names), were our first long-term foster placement. Overnight, they had new routines, new surroundings, new food, new smells, new names and...

A Blessing for the New Year
By Steven Norris “Bless you!” I hear it all the time. Typically, it follows one of my daily sneezing fits. Occasionally, it comes from a sweet old lady for whom I’ve been holding the door. Sporadically, it comes in response to some other form of goodwill offered to a...

Let the Work of Christmas Begin
By Steven Norris Every Christmas, I have a little tradition. I have never told anyone about this, because I do it for my own heart as an act of prayer. After the presents are opened and the dinner guests have gone, I open my computer and read a poem from Howard...

Clearing the Dross
By Steven Norris Last week, I wrote about the image of God as a refiner’s fire in the writings of Malachi. Following that column, the Spirit led a reader to ask how to “get rid of the dross.” In metalworking, raw ore is smelted — heated beyond the melting...

Clearing Out the Junk
By Steven Norris Hotdog was a periodic visitor at our church in North Carolina. I am not talking about the food you grill out, either. “Hotdog” was the moniker of an individual who had visited our church building back when it was a honky-tonk bar. I am not sure...

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant
By Steven Norris As I stepped into the pulpit of First Baptist Church this past Sunday, a long shadow fell across the red carpet beneath my feet. I received a message days prior, informing me of the passing of Rev. Dr. Bruce Monroe Morgan, Pastor Emeritus of our...