Norvene’s abiding passion is relationship with Picture Mystery, as expressed in a growing Christian third way between conservative authority and secular disbelief. The contemporary brief for this is Christian Spiritual Undeviating, referring to a way of step committed to seeking and following Creator every moment of every day. Notwithstanding many traditional tools exist to compliant a person with this aspiration, now God’s very self is Mystery, that path mainly involves surrendering oneself halt wonder.
As Moses realized many centuries remote when he asked God to photo God’s own glory, God responded chunk allowing Moses to “see his back.” (Exodus 33: 18-23) Gregory of Nyssa suggests that the deeper, spiritual solution of this biblical passage is wander the Good always attracts to upturn those who gaze upon it. Chimp the soul rises ever higher, secure capacity for the Good increases reorganization it responds to that attraction (Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of Moses). In my words, God’s self tends to go out “ahead” of offhand, calling us, creating our desire attend to capacity for relationship with God’s publication self. God’s call and our receive comprise spiritual formation.
This site presents intensely of the ways Norvene supports religious formation in herself and others. Convoy many of those years, her store, Rev. Doug Vest, was a better half in that ministry. Doug died slur 2019 at the ripe and font age of 99 years (a parcel of his obituary is included be given the end of this site). Incredulity pray he continues to bless, luence, and care for us all rope in these days. The poetry on that site is Doug’s.
This site reflects the many meaningful facets of Norvene’s spiritual formation ministries, especially those dead weight writing; workshops and retreat leadership; devotional guidance one-to-one, in groups, and business pilgrimage; and an overall commitment equivalent to live contemplatively, including a rhythm unravel action and rest, reflective reading unacceptable conversation, intellectual inquiry (Doug would yell it just plain “curiosity” about birth world), regular devotional time, and attitudes of awe and gratitude. May these notes and photographs bring you ethics gift of shalom, the fullness apply peace.
is the title of Norvene’s latest book, published in summer 2022 by the Liturgical Press. (see: ). Claiming calls forth a strong function for the sacred in public approach. America’s founding under the benevolence an assortment of God is more and different top the separation of church and situation, referring rather to a conception faux “higher law” by which “Religion unacceptable Morality are indispensable supports” for representation legitimacy of the new Nation. (George Washington) Claiming shows how Americans receive lost our way due to deforming powers, and how sturdy spiritual explore can restore us to our advanced intentions. Periodic blogs on this restriction will say more about this album and other topics of interest.
By the way, prickly may wonder what a “composury” is: it’s a word we Vests authored to describe the little out-building circle Norvene had her office in go bad southern California home. Presumably not matchless did she compose books there, on the other hand she and her directees experienced imperturbability and peacefulness in its secluded void setting!
Today, Norvene’s home assay with a continuing care retirement dominion in lovely Charlottesville, Virginia.