A Retired Pastor’s Personal Reflections Based on Reading Outside His Own Tradition

by Jim Norton

This is a revision of an earlier book, Transformation Through Meditation , which came under critical review due to possible disagreement between the title and content as well as seeming promotion of another author’s work, which may be a violation of publishing guidelines. While the insights of Thich Nhat Hanh’s writing were a prime influence urging the recording of these personal reflections, Mr. Norton was unaware in his first book of any infringement of the “rules of the road.” Jim Norton’s overriding intent after 46 years as a Christian pastor in the United Methodist tradition was to broadcast how readings outside the tradition in which he was raised have swung open the gates to understandings previously unfamiliar to him. The earlier book and this revision rely heavily on the thought of one whose work has been an invaluable resource in achieving deeper awareness. The bulk of this present effort, however, besides consisting in personal impressions stemming from reading, reflects much more a whole lifetime of life experiences, both good and bad. Having reached the “golden years,” Jim Norton’s quest for what makes sense in modern times continues a life-long search for meaning, reconciling as much as possible what’s real in the broader context of cosmic significance.

Mr. Norton expresses skepticism about many of the tenets and practices of Christian communities, which he claims no longer make sense. Actually, he has held such misgivings throughout his years as a seminary student at Duke University all the way through his practice of ministry prior to retirement. The latter years, however, found him fortunate in new friendships that have opened other doorways into the search for truth.

He expresses gratitude for the “second chance” at stating his message, both allowing for corrections of sentence structure and grammatical mistakes in the first book and, the opportunity to add new material.

78 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2021

About the author

Filled with searing honesty and an eye for detail, these essays deal with events both public and private. Jim Norton's stories are raw, revealing and most of all, hilarious."