Vol. 17 No. 17 | April 28, 2014 

         As I write there are storms in the forecast. Not an uncommon occurrence in our part of the world during the season. The weather forecasters have been mentioning the possibility of a severe storm system coming through for several days. West of us storms are already occurring.

There is a story in Mark chapter 5 involving Jesus, His disciples, and a storm. It is in verse 35-41.

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jesus’ disciples were afraid when the storm came. They woke Him and accused Him of not caring about their welfare. With three words, Jesus calmed the storm: “Quiet! Be still!” Then, He asked them why they were so afraid.

How do you react to storms? Not weather-related storms, but life-related storms? Do you live in fear of the storm that may happen? Are you prepared for the storms that are certain to come? What about the storms seem to come from out-of-nowhere?

This brief episode from the life of Jesus and His disciples offers are few insights into how we can prepare and survive the storms of life if or when they come.

First, remember you are not alone. The disciples had each other, of course, but more importantly they were in the same boat with Jesus. He is the one who said, “Let go over to the other side.” He knew the storm was coming. He was prepared for it. He was not afraid of it. When your storm hits, remember He is with you. He knew long before you were born that this particular storm would hit at this particular time. (Don’t ask me how He knew. He just knew.) He also knew He would get you through the storm. He did not look at the fearful disciples, tell them they were losers and step out of the boat, saying, “Good luck guys! You are on your own!” He could have. He did not. He will not.

Second, remember other storms that you have survived. Has He ever abandoned you? Has He ever left you on the angry mist? Has He ever turned away from you in disgust and left you to deal with life as best as you could? You may have felt that He had, but He has not. He will not.

Third, remember He can be trusted. He created the world. He set the wind in motion. He knows how much water is in the ocean. He knows where you are in the storm. He understands your fears. He wants you to have faith, but He knows there are times when your faith gets weak. He knows there are times when you feel like your boat is about to sink and you are all your friends are about to drown. He can be trusted even in the worst of storms.

There is a storm brewing. Or, maybe it is already raging. Or, maybe you have recently survived a storm and beaten and bruised and battered. Thank Him for taking care of you, for not leaving you, and for assuring you that He will be with you through all the storms of life.

Storms come and go. He remains forever.

Tom

A Norvell Note© Copyright 2014. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 15 | April 21, 2014

The longer I live the more convinced I am that we live a significant portion of our live in the “And Then…” phase. It began with the first disciples.

They met Jesus.

And then…He invited them to follow Him.

And then…they put their trust in this man Jesus.

And then…they left everything to follow Him.

And then…they watched Him touch people, heal people, transform people, stand firm against opposition, and reveal His true identity as the Son of God.

And then…He was arrested.

And then…He died on a cross.

And then…they were confused.

And then…they went their separate ways.

And then…they mourned and grieved and tried to makes sense of it all.

And then…they heard that the tomb was empty.

And then…they came together.

And then…they saw Him alive again.

And then…He breathed into them the Spirit of the Living God.

And then…they waited.

And then…they gathered.

And then…Peter preached.

And then…thousands of people responded.

And then…the news of what they were doing began to spread.

And then…the powers and rulers of the world tried to stop them.

And then…they continued to preach and teach the good news of Jesus.

And then…the powers and rulers of the world became more agitated and threatened them.

And then…they did not stop.

And then…the preached and taught with more courage, a stronger resolve, and greater boldness.

And then…the message of Jesus was proclaimed all over the world.

And then…the Kingdom increased.

And then…more and more and more have come to know Jesus as the story continues to be shared throughout the generations.

And then…it is our turn.
We come into the world like everyone else. Beyond our family and circle of friends there is little fanfare and the news of our arrival escapes the notice of most of the world. Our journey begins.

And then…we meet Jesus.

And then…He invites us to follow Him.

And then…we choose to follow Him.

And then…we grow and mature.

And then…we consider making decisions and choices that will determine how we live the rest of our lives.

And then…life comes at us with full force.

And then…we pray for strength.

And then…strength and power come to us through His promised Holy Spirit.

And then…we face more trials and troubles and struggles and the forces of evil.

And then…we lose a loved one.

And then…we hear of another marriage that has fallen apart.

And then…our own marriage and family experiences difficult times.

And then…we hear of another minister who has had a moral failure.

And then…we hear of another son who has wandered off into the far country.

And then…we hear of another daughter who has chosen a path that could lead her to regret or destruction.

And then…we hear of another church that has been rocked by selfishness, division and unrest.

And then…we turn to God in prayer.

And then…we pray more.

And then…we wait for Him to act.

And then…we overcome.

And then…we share our stories of how God has sustained us and strengthened us.

And then…we give testimony of God’s amazing power that has always been at work in us.

And then…others are encouraged and strengthened by the story of our walk with the Lord.

And then…they meet Jesus.
And then…God continues to be glorified.

Tom
© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 14 | April 7, 2014

Just saying the name awakens an abundance of memories. Since moving to Brunswick, Georgia in 1986 Myrleen, and Bobby, have been names used by my family to describe two people who represented the very essence of love, encouragement, generosity, and respect. Just a little over ten years ago I was honored to conduct Bobby’s funeral service, and this week I will do the same for Myrleen.

Myrleen and Bobby were members of the church where I preached. For all those in our little church Myrleen was known for her kindness, her thoughtfulness, and her desire to make sure all things were done with efficiency, excellence, and style. She could have easily been compared to the woman of Acts 9 described as, “always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36), and the woman in Mark 14 who “did what she could” (14:1-9).

That was Myrleen. She was always doing good and helping someone. She did what she could to help lady who cleaned her house. She did what she could to help lady who ironed Bobby’s shirts. She did what she could to help the young couple at church. She did what she could to help to widows. She did what she could to help anyone she came in contact with who needed help.

She loved her family. Her sons and her daughter and her grandchildren were the lights of her life. When they needed her, she was there. When they needed help, she was ready to help. She could be tough when she needed to be, but there was never a doubt that she loved.

She loved flowers…especially Daylilies. She loved having them in the house. She loved having them on the table. She loved seeing them grow around her house. And she loved sharing them with her friends.

She loved and she was loved. She loved her church family and was loved by her church family. She loved the people with whom she worked and was loved by people with whom she worked. She loved her old friends and was loved by her old friends. She loved her new friends and was love by her new friends just as much. Part of the reason she loved so much was because had experienced so much love. Part of the reason she was loved so much is because the people she loved knew the love was genuine and real.

For these many years God has blessed our family by allowing Myrleen to fill the role of substitute Grandmother to our children, and a surrogate mother to me.

She knew the Lord loved and she wanted to please Him more than anything else. Because of her strong work ethic she sometimes wondered if she had done enough to please Him and to get into heaven. When she left her frail and weary earthly body early Saturday morning there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord welcomed her into His presence and assured her that she had done what she could to help people in need and that it is now time to enjoy the reward of her labors.

Thank You Lord, for allowing Myrleen to fill a tremendously important void in my life and for letting me love and be loved by her. Rest well, Myrleen, enjoy to fruit of your good life. You will be missed and will never forget that you loved me.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2014. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 14 | April 7, 2014

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (Timothy 6:6-8, NIV).

The text says, “godliness with contentment”? One might assume that the two would be joined together in a natural way. If I am godly, wouldn’t I also be content? If I am content, doesn’t that assume some level of godliness? It could mean that, and one might assume that to be the case, but the two do not necessarily always abide together. My desires for “great gain”, whether monetary gain, a gain in respect, or an increase in power and influence may prevent me from being truly content.

Part of the reason may be found in the last two words in the sentence: great gain. If I am seeking, desiring and obsessed with “great gain”, my level of contentment may be dramatically reduced, and that, in turn, may impact my degree of godliness. The next two verses shed some light on what that is true:

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10, NIV).

The tone of The Message paints an even more graphic image:

“A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.” (1 Timothy 6:6-10, The Message)

In a world filled with messages of greed, selfishness, and “great gain”, contentment is not an easy achievement. But, it is possible. Consider these few steps to move toward contentment.

First, remember that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” At first glace that might seem easy enough. “Of course this is true!” Yet, many of us live with an attitude that says, “This stuff is mine. I earned it. I’ve had it all my life. And furthermore, I will have it all my life.” If we shift our thinking to the truth that we really did not bring it with us when we entered and we cannot take it with when we leave the world, holding on to it seems less important. A better attitude might be: “None of this is mine. It’s all a gift. It was given and can be taken away, so why should I stress over holding on to it?”

Second, admit that “bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough” is probably not how we typically think. Admitting that we usually want a little more will not change or remove the desire, but at least it is a start in the right direction. Maybe we could pray: “Lord, I wish bread on the table and shoes on our feet was enough, and maybe someday it will be, but today I want more. Help me mature to the point where that will be enough.” Be honest with yourself. Be honest with God.

Third, remind yourself that striving to get rich and stay rich is a dangerous approach to life. Notice again how The Message says it: “Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.” Jesus talked about a narrower path that is less dangerous and leads to real life.

Remember you brought nothing into the world, and you will take nothing out of it.

Admit that you’ve achieved contentment, but keep trying.

Remind yourself that you have a choice in your path: life or death.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. You can do it.

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.