The Weekly Inspiration

Each Friday, Renewal Ministries sends The Weekly Inspiration, an email with a short reflection from one of our talented team, sharing what the Lord is currently putting on their hearts, and links to books and articles that are currently inspiring, challenging, or bringing our team joy.
We hope you are blessed by these recent reflections from our team.

Hidden Zeal

by Katey Norman

I begin each year with a renewed focus and direction on where the Lord is leading. Historically, I will discern a word or Scripture and then the Lord will direct me to a saint to be a friend on the journey. This year, I was excited about the verse Christ put on my heart from John 2:17 and Psalm 69:9: “…zeal for Your house will consume me.” As an extrovert overjoyed at an outwardly passionate reading, I looked forward to whatever bold and loud saint the Lord would lead me to. Would it be St. Francis of Assisi this year? Perhaps St. John the Baptist? Maybe the fierce St. Joan of Arc?

I was quite surprised that God made it abundantly clear that the saint He wanted me to grow with this year was St. Charbel—a powerhouse in the Maronite rite and a man I knew absolutely nothing about.

As I started to read about this Lebanese saint, I quickly came to realize that his life on earth was very still and quiet. He lived out a monastic vocation, and no written wisdom was ever procured from him. I began to question if I misheard the Lord—could a saint so hidden be a match for a zeal that consumes?

Of course. Because the Lord’s giants teach us about the need for every type of saint. Beyond that, the Lord has begun teaching me through this marriage of zeal and contemplation that each feeds into the other. My natural disposition to be excited about zeal will never reach its full potential if I am not also surrendered to the beauty of contemplation.

I continue to learn that while the Lord is incredibly steadfast in his love for me, He also surprises me with new ways to draw closer to Him. These invitations have helped me to let go of the pride that can creep into a seemingly well-curated and aesthetic prayer life. In exchange, He renews His promise to me that life with Him is an incredible adventure and one that He always makes new.

Salt of the Earth

by Natalie Klackle

Have you ever stopped to think about salt? I love to cook, bake, and experiment in the kitchen, so I spend more time thinking about salt—the different kinds of salt, their flavors, textures, and other properties, if something is too salty or needs just the smallest pinch of flaky French sea salt to brighten it—than I imagine most people do.

Sodium chloride, as salt is formally known, is an amazing ionic compound. It flavors, preserves, tenderizes, and helps provide structure to our food. It purifies through its abrasiveness and anti-bacterial properties. It has medicinal uses, extinguishes certain types of fire, and de-ices roads, among many other uses. Without salt, our experience of the world would be duller, less flavorful, and more dangerous.

When we keep in mind salt’s incredible properties, Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel become more potent. He tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), directing his followers to flavor, preserve, tenderize, purify, protect, and provide structure to the world. As disciples of Jesus, we should brighten, enrich, and strengthen the world around us.

Jesus’ command to be salt also comes with a warning—salt that loses its taste is “no longer good for anything” (Matthew 5:14). While sodium chloride can’t spoil, salt can taste less salty because it absorbs odors, impurities, and moisture, which can alter or dilute its flavor. As the salt of the earth, we need to be proactive about protecting our saltiness, flavoring and brightening the world without absorbing too much of the culture.

When you get a moment, take a tiny taste of salt on its own, and then sprinkle the tiniest pinch of that same salt on a bite of fruit or a vegetable. Notice how the salt brightens and amplifies the goodness of your bite and remember, just like salt, we are called to brighten and amplify the goodness of the Lord in the world.

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