Spirituality In Everyday Life
Norris Burkes
As a military and hospital chaplain, I routinely observe the stories of faith in the everyday lives of real people. My site tells those faith stories in a humorous, hope-filled, and honest way. I believe you will find them inspiring and potentially life-changing. Most of all, I believe the insight within these stories will connect with your story in a meaningful way. Enjoy!
Thriving Beyond Surviving
As a hospital and military Chaplain Norris Burkes has seen things he must never tell. Yet as a syndicated columnist in 38 secular newspapers around the country, he has found ways to share shades of the sacred with his readers.
This book compiles ten years of newspaper columns that takes you into the military battlefield as well as the trauma rooms of major hospitals.
Recent Columns From Norris Burkes
By Norris Burkes, Feb 6, 2026 “Can I pray for you, chaplain?” asked a pushy pastor who, unannounced, found his way into my office when I was working at the Mather VA Medical Center in 2013. He seemed determined to introduce himself and bless me with his famous presence, so I let him talk. I […]
[Read More]By Norris Burkes, Jan 30 2026 In June 1971, Rev. Billy Graham was in final preparation to preach a one-week crusade in the Oakland Coliseum. Those preparations included getting area churches to plaster local neighborhoods with flyers. As a13-year-old boy who already hoped to follow in Graham’s footsteps, I was eager to help spread the […]
[Read More]By Norris Burkes Jan 23, 2036 Nearly six years after the pandemic, I can finally confess my part in the famed toilet paper shortage of 2020. I fear it may have all started because a certain chaplain you know stole at least one package. My day began at the Auburn Safeway where we went in […]
[Read More]By Norris Burkes Jan 16, 2026 Thirty-five years ago, I was pastoring my first church, when I began worrying about job security. So, I called my dad, a retired pastor, to ask a personal question. “Dad, were you ever fired from a church?” “Yes, in Louisiana,” he said. “I brought a black man to church […]
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