Crock pot and coffee beans in the bathroom?

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Crock pots and coffee beans in the bathroom? Yes, you read that right!

We’ve been on the road full time for a month now and I must say I thought I would have more time to sit and write more frequently than I have.

We have been going non-stop since we set out on the Trail Of Fire tour in January.  We’ve been from South Carolina to Georgia…Georgia to Florida…Florida back to Georgia…Georgia to Alabama…Alabama to Mississippi…Mississippi to Tennessee…Tennessee to Arkansas and Arkansas to Louisiana. Whew! Yes, again, you read that right!

Willie Nelson’s song, “On The Road Again” and possibly even more appropriately Johnny Cash’s song, “I’ve Been Everywhere” plays in my mind more times than I care to admit!

Of course in between the traveling are multiple church services (which have been absolutely mind blowing, incredible…check out video interviews on Daniel’s Facebook page), late nights, school, homework, play-time, laundry, dog walks, coffee time with Daniel, grocery shopping, and everything else in between. I hardly ever sit down!

So what’s the deal with crock pots and coffee beans in the bathroom? Well…there’s been a death.

A death to PERSONAL SPACE.

I’m serious. VERY SERIOUS. We went from 3,000sf to 300sf. That is a considerable amount of downsizing! We have two adults, three children, a dog, and the very minimal amount of necessities. And yes, the crock pot and coffee beans are necessary things.

Of course just because something is necessary doesn’t necessarily mean there is enough room for it…at least not where you’d like for it to be.  Life in an RV requires working with what you’ve got.  The cabinet space in the kitchenette is small and narrow and my crock pot just doesn’t fit there.  So I had to improvise.

One evening Daniel was looking for something in the bathroom.  He opened the cabinet under the sink and asked, “Why are the crockpot and coffee beans under the sink?”

My answer was simple, it was the only place they would fit.  He said I should write a blog about that.  So I am.

They say that living minimally requires making “sacrifices”.  For instance, I’ve decided that the crockpot is a really nice thing to have…especially when you want to make homemade chicken tortilla soup or spinach tortellini soup (and I have made both, one just this past week).  Though the crockpot takes up a lot of room, it’s worth it.

Daniel and I love our morning coffee.  Our favorite is, fresh ground, french pressed coffee.  However that requires keeping beans, a kettle, a grinder, and a press on hand.  That also takes up a lot of room.  Oh, and we have to make it in the kids’ room, aka, the kitchen, often while they are still asleep. We’ve decided that isn’t worth it.  So we are retiring the french press, which is why the coffee beans are currently being stored in the bathroom.

We found a small personal Keurig that fits nicely on a shelf in our bedroom.  It is the perfect set-up for us to have our coffee and granola bar early in the morning and not wake up the kids.  Though we really prefer fresh coffee, the “sacrifice” is currently worth it.

There was a moment right after we purchased Blaze (that’s what we call our motorcoach) that Reijah and I were shopping at Hobby Lobby. We were buying a few craft items for a project we were working on. She found these cute swirly wooden letters that she wanted to paint pink and spell out her name and decorate her room in the RV.

My heart sank.

I got down to her eye level and said, “Reijah, your room is the dining room table. There’s no room to decorate.”

It’s true, the kitchen table converts into a bed that she sleeps on. The couch also has a hideaway bed that the boys sleep on. So, instead of decor, I let her pick out her sheet and bed set.  She opted for Shopkins set and the boys wanted Star Wars. I’m pleased to say, they were very excited about that! She couldn’t wait to sleep in the RV for the first time, just because of that reason.

Over the past two months many have been so kind to write us encouraging thoughts and messages.  One thing that comes up often are individuals who marvel at the sacrifice we’ve made giving up our stuff and living so simply. I truly understand what they are saying and appreciate the thought.  However we’ve never seen it as a sacrifice.  Yes, we have sold everything (except a few things that were irreplaceable) and now all five of us and our dog live in three hundred square feet.  Yes the crockpot and coffee beans are wedged beneath the bathroom sink next to the clorox cleaning wipes, but, that’s not a sacrifice.

The word sacrifice is best used to speak of those who are willing to lay down their lives for a cause they would give their lives for. Daniel wrote in Trail Of Fire that, “Sacrifice is the fuel upon which the fires of revival are built.”   History is full of radical individuals who laid down their lives for a cause greater than themselves.  Often they paid for it with their blood.  Walking away from material things hardly seems worthy of such a comparison.

What if we all really lived out that statement? The landscape of our families, churches and nation would be drastically different. We all recognize the need for revival and awakening but often don’t know how to make the change or where to begin. Why not start with Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” It’s not what you give up, it is what you offer up. There’s a big difference. It doesn’t mean that you have to sell everything and move your family into a motor coach…but it might. Whatever He asks of you, will you be willing? Will you willingly live out biblical truth and principals before your family and friends? If our lives being laid down as a living sacrifice is the fuel that can be used to bring revival once again not only to our nation, but our families and churches as well, then we say, “YES”!

Yes, we may put the crock pot and coffee bean canister under the cabinet in the bathroom and have said goodbye (for now) to personal space, but the time spent with my family, being living sacrifices before our kids, living out what God has called us to do to see our nation awakened, visiting the places in history where God moved, doing ministry and making some awesome memories along the way is all worth the “sacrifice”. Most importantly, it’s worth our kids seeing us live out what being a living sacrifice means. I haven’t given up anything, but I have offered up everything, holding nothing back from the Lord. Though we may be in a different state each week, as the saying goes, “Home is where the heart is.” My heart is Daniel, Reijah, Caden and Chase, so wherever they are, I am always home.

Jenna Norris

Wife, Mother and Prophetic Voice. Jenna served as the Next Generation Pastor at Heartland World Ministries Church and helped launch the international conference known as Collision. Jenna travels with her husband, evangelist Daniel Norris. Together they are contending for national and global awakening.

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