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When the pressure of life seems to boil over—and it does for everyone—Pastor and Grammy-winning musician Smokie Norful has one piece of advice: take the lid off. This concept was inspired by watching his grandmother make her signature dish of sweet rice. When the heat got too high, the pot began hissing and boiling over, like it was about to explode. His grandmother would remind him the only way to avoid an eruption is to remove the lid. Similarly, the only way to avoid an emotional overload is to take our own lids off—that is, to stop being trapped inside ourselves and instead look to God and his grace to show us the strategy for becoming all he intends us to be.
This is the premise behind Norful’s new book Take the Lid Off: Trust God, Release the Pressure, and Find the Life He Wants for You (Thomas Nelson, September 5, 2017). In Take the Lid Off, Norful—who is the founder and pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center, a congregation of 5,000 members with three campuses in the Chicagoland area—outlines four steps that help us to relieve the pressure and draw closer to God in the process:
- Look Inward, experiencing the cleansing of forgiveness and the power of God.
- Look Outward, seeking for others to experience the joy of living for God and have the best God has to offer.
- Look Upward and marvel at God’s love and strength to accomplish his purposes.
- Move Onward, devising a strategy to accomplish all God has put in our hearts to do.
Norful, through detailed explanations and relatable examples, guides readers in understanding that, when you focus on these four steps, the pressure of life goes down, you gain peace and perception, and things work out much better in the end. By working to “take the lid off,” readers can become the people they were created to be.
To underscore the message of Take the Lid Off Norful is partnering with his long-time label home, Motown Gospel, to release a digital-only album titled Nothing Is Impossible. The twelve-track project, available September 9, 2017, features some of Norful’s most beloved songs of encouragement and inspiration, including “Still Say Thank You,” “No One Else,” and “Run ’Til I Finish.”
For more information, visit www.TaketheLidOffBook.com.
