Jay gave me this print for Christmas, and just yesterday I framed it. It’s the history of the routes of the Mississippi River along the banks of Tennessee and Mississippi. You see, before the Corps of Engineers set an unchanging path for the mighty river, it used to have its way with the silty bottomland. [...]
In times of difficulty and uncertainty, when circumstances are anywhere from wobbly to downright threatening, I've found God's peace by doing one of two things... Going higher, or going lower. Our circumstances are real, yes, but in our spirits we can access another elevation that helps carry us through the current circumstance. Picture a storm [...]
What's the meaning of your name? Do you resonate with that meaning? The name Rachel means "little lamb." A recent epiphany changed the way I relate to this Biblical name, and the way I see myself.
They talk about “in the trenches” of motherhood… well, ten years ago I was dug in deep. My boys were ages two and three. Full-time mothering had pushed me to the end of myself, body, soul and spirit. Jake, my second-born, had a way of putting me over the edge Every. Single. Day. Those years [...]
Many of us these days are naming the new year with a word unique to our season, desires, or goals for 2020. Maybe you know your word already, or not, or don’t subscribe to the trend – here’s another way to approach a guiding sentiment for the new year. What if you asked God: Who [...]
Morning comes and I strike a match to begin the day with an act of faith The small, silent flame my symbol of your existence. It’s been years now since this morning-time filled journal pages with questions answered, scriptures illumined, dreams interpreted, hope realized. So many words. It was easy then to believe you loved [...]
In the spring of 2020, I received my certification as a Spiritual Director. If your background touches any Catholic or Anglican traditions, you’ve likely heard of Spiritual Direction and things are clicking into place. If not, you might be puzzled as to why you’ve never heard of this. That was me just a few years ago, [...]
A helpful way of life has been making itself clear to me, and the more I chew on it, the more goodness I taste. Can I share this way with you? It's bringing me a freedom from anxiety and a joy in the present that until now has eluded me. Just about every good transformation [...]
5 Ways to Hold On When You Can't Hear God's Voice ---
For a good while now, my conversations with God have been one-sided. I talk... and then there’s silence. I ask... and perceive no response. I wait…… and still there is no sense of His nearness. This is not normal for me and God. I feel forgotten, alone, defective. Hope wanes. The light of my countenance dulls. An extended “silent treatment” has afforded plenty of time to try a few new-to-me “are you there, God?” posturings.
For the life of me, I cannot get clarity right now. Can’t hear God, or feel Him, or see the way forward... At the same time, a great deal is being stirred, shifted, and exposed within my heart. Timidly trusting that growth and healing is taking place, I wonder if God is involved; if He [...]
Rachel Norris 