Vol. 17 No. 26 | June 30, 2014

For several weeks there was speculation about what was being built at the intersection just below our church building. Some said a gas station, but that quickly proved wrong as the style of the building and parking lot became evident. Others hoped for a nice restaurant. Personally I hoped for a coffee shop that would allow me to run a hose directly from their place to my office. Also wrong. The guessing and speculation ended when the sign was erected: a dental office and a mattress store.

What? Another mattress store? Why? There’s one literally right next door. There’’s another about a quarter of a mile down the road. There are two more just over a mile in the other direction…and they are right across the street from one another. Do we really need another mattress store?

From another perspective…

For several months we wondered what they were building on the vacant lot in our neighborhood. Maybe a park? Maybe a school? Maybe a shopping center? Maybe a putt-putt course? Finally a sign went up. Whaaaaaat? A church? Another church?

Why another church? There are churches all over the city! There’s a church just down the street. There’s another church of the same tribe less than a mile away. And, there’s probably a dozen more churches within a five mile radius of the new church. Do we really need another church?

One reason for so many mattress stores is because people have different opinions about what type of mattress they prefer to sleep on. Some like a firm mattress. Some like a soft mattress. Some want a mattress that is adjustable. Some prefer a mattress that is divided in two so that each person can adjust their side without bothering the other person. Each store offers a variety of mattresses and warranties and discounts. Each store has this in common: “We sell mattresses.”

Personal preference also has a lot to do with all the different churches. Some prefer one type of worship over another. Some prefer one type of preacher over another. Some like large churches, some like small churches and some like medium size churches. Some base their preferences on the type of ministries that are offered for children, students, and senior citizens. Most people, at some level, have Biblical reasons for choosing a church. Based on their understanding of Scripture a church should look a certain way, act in a certain way, and sound a certain way. Anything different is wrong.

Unfortunately, and sometimes too often, churches are formed because one group reacted angrily to the actions of another group and packed their things and left. Others leave because they felt forced out. Other feel they have lost control so they got angry and left. With the current changes in worship some choose a different church because they preferred another style, or could no longer tolerate the new style (or the old style).

Whatever the reasons — right, wrong, or indifferent — the casual observer and the honest seeker may watch and wonder why so many churches?

I wonder if the One who came up with the idea and is the reason for church might move among us and also ask: Why so many churches?

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21-22)

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 25 | June 23, 2014

UPDATE: A few weeks ago I wrote about a golf course in our area that has closed and how quickly it has fallen into disrepair (It Doesn’t Take Long). Good news! Someone has worked over the last few weeks to do some mowing and cleaning of debris. On a recent walk I could see significant evidence that the beautiful piece of earth is not being totally forgotten. Today I learned that next weekend the old course will be the site of a Disc Golf Tournament. Supposed to be a big deal. Glad the beautiful piece of earth is being used for something good and being cared for. I am certain many of you have been losing sleep over the status of this former golf course, so I wanted you to rest easier.

 
The reason I walk by or through that golf course is because I am concerned about my health…physical health, mental health and spiritual health. Noticing how we sometimes abuse or neglect the earth reminds me of how I sometimes abuse or neglect my body and my soul. When I neglect or abuse my body and my soul I suffer the consequences.

I offer these three “Rs” that I find helpful in caring for my soul.

Relax.

This may involve sitting on my deck with a morning cup of coffee. It may involve sitting on a beach with a cup of coffee. It may involve sitting in my office at my desk with a cup of coffee. (Coffee is important to my relaxation.) This may take place on a Sunday afternoon in our living room with a ballgame, or a golf tournament, or a mindless sitcom on the television. Feet propped up on the ottoman. Head back, mouth open, eyes closed. Relaxed.

Relaxation may take place on a golf course. It may involve taking a long walk along a serene path. Before my knees and ankles started talking back to me it often involved a good long run.

Whatever is relaxing for you, do it often and regularly. Some people fish. Some people hunt. Some people cook. Some people eat (take it easy on that one). Some people like to read novels. Some people like to write. Some play a musical instrument. Some work on cars.

Find what relaxes you and do it. Do not make it a chore. The object is to relax.

Reflect.

This also often involves having a cup of hot coffee in a quiet place. Often it involves a pen and a journal, or my Day One journal on my laptop. The key for me is to write. Write about my week. Write about my day. Write about what troubles me. Write about what brings me joy. Write about frustrations. Write about disappointments, failures, hopes or dreams. These articles are often the result of a time of reflection when I simply started writing about what was on my mind.

If I wake in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep I get up and journal about whatever is on my mind. Once I have emptied my mind I can lay back down and fall right off to sleep.

Failure to make time to reflect is one of the tragic losses of our fast paced, get-me-on-to-the-next-thing world we live in. By reflection I simply suggest that you take some time after finishing a project, transitioning from a major event in your life, or the ending of a relationship and spend time in quiet reflection. What was good about it? What was bad about it? What did I enjoy? What did I hate about it? Sometimes it is nothing more than honestly expressing my feelings about a life event.

Refuel.

If you spend all your time relaxing and reflecting people may call you a lazy day-dreaming bum. You will not accomplish much. To refuel means to regroup, to retool, to refresh your spirit and restore your soul so that you can get back into action. Without the refueling you may never get back in the game.

You are not designed to be constantly overbooked, overextended, and fatigued. The refueling process is where we regain our energy. Refueling involves allowing yourself time to recover and plan your next move.

We need times of relaxation, reflection, and refueling. If we fail to refuel we will forget our purpose of being: To know and help others know Jesus.

When I neglect my body and soul by failing to relax, reflect, and refuel I am more likely to become overwhelmed, overcommitted, overstressed, overextended, frustrated, fearful, frazzled, and fragile. That is not a good way for me to be.

How is your soul?

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 24 | June 16, 2014

All week long I have been trying to think of something inspiring, encouraging, challenging, or funny for fathers, on this Father’s Day. Has not happened. So, here I sit late in the day on Father’s Day doing what I typically do on Father’s Day which has been a fairly t
raditional Father’s Day: preach in the morning, teach a class, enjoy a nice lunch at a nice restaurant, watch the final holes of the U.S. Open, later tonight I will watch game 5 of the NBA finals, and occasionally I flip the channel to check the scores in the College World series or the World Cup. It is a tradition.

It is a tradition that my wife and children have always tried to make sure does not get broken. They
have been, and continue to be, very supportive (maybe tolerant is a better word) of my tradition of watching championships in sports. It is a very relaxing way to spend the day. I love the tradition.

There are other traditions that I enjoy as well. I like certain foods on holidays. On Thanksgiving I like turkey and dressing. On Christmas I love sausage balls (made by my wife) and divinity (made by my sister and/or my daughter). On my birthday I like the coconut cake (Dorothy Johnson’s coconut cake) that my wife makes. I think it is important to be with family or at least have some form of significant communication on birthdays and other special days. I hope I can continue these traditions, but if they change I will survive.

I have other traditions as I go through the work week. On Mondays I like to do fairly light stuff in the office. Late on Monday I like to start working through my sermon for the next Sunday. By the time I leave the office on Thursday afternoon I like to have my sermon pretty much completed. I like to have at least an idea for these articles early in the week so that I can let it simmer, and prefer to have the article completed by noon on Saturday (that rarely happens). Traditionally I am finishing the articles late on Sunday…like today.

I have other traditions that involve spiritual things. I love that we have a fairly similar style of worship from week to week. And I love it that we are beginning to traditionally do things differently. I love our tradition of a cappella singing…when it is done well. I also love other types of worship settings and music.

There are other traditions that I am glad are changing. I love the way weddings that were once steeped in traditional language and activities are becoming more traditionally different. I feel the same way about funerals. I hope we can continue to adjust our worship settings to enhance communication and promote relationship building experiences. I am glad I am not required to wear a suit and tie when I preach or when I go to the office during the week. I love that if I prefer to wear a suit and tie I can.

I hope some of the tired and worn-out traditions continue to fade away. I hope that some of the new traditions that we are developing do not become tired and worn-out traditions. I hope we continue to be very prayerful about the traditions we change and the traditions we keep. I hope that we continue to understand that traditions are not necessarily bad because they are tradition, that they are not law and that traditions can and at times should be changed, and that changing them does not mean that we have abandoned the faith, the fellowship, or the Father.

I hope Jesus never has to say this to me: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:8) Or this: “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44)

Father’s Day is almost over. Another tradition is about to come to an end. If next year we spend the day differently I will be fine. Traditions, even really good traditions, can change.

Tom
© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 23 | June 9, 2014
As I sat in the exam room waiting for the doctor I could hear lively conversation and laughter on the other side of the door. A nurses station was only a few feet from the door of the exam room. I could hear them talking, but I could not understand anything they were saying. I could hear them laughing but I had no idea what they were laughing about. For a moment I imagined they were looking at my chart. Whatever the topic of their conversation, and whatever or whoever was the subject of their laughter, I was excluded. I was not privy to what they were talking and laughing about.

For a brief moment I was curious. At another time in my life it might have hurt my feelings. When the doctor came in I forgot about the group outside. After giving me a good health report and directing me to the check-out desk the doctor commented on what a good time the group at the nurses station was having. I left without knowing what they were talking about and not giving it much thought (except for the purpose of this article).

For me to be excluded from the conversation at the nurses station (and many other conversations) is not a big deal, however there is one time when I not want to be excluded or to exclude others: When God’s people are gathered.

There are those times when I wonder if our language — churchy language — may exclude our guests? When we talk about things we have known and experienced all our lives we may be excluding someone who has recently joined us. Our guests may feel like they are in one room listening to a muffled conversation in another room. We talk about sermons, songs, communion, and spirituality assuming everyone knows what we mean. They may not. We may assume they understand our insider comments, when to do what and how and why. They may not.

We talk about projects and special programs and upcoming events as if everyone knows the when, the where, and the why. They do not. They may wonder what it takes to become part of the “in” group.

We talk about salvation, redemption, restoration and revival in ways that may sound condescending to those who are searching for salvation, redemption, restoration and revival.

There is the possibility that our guests will leave our assemblies unconcerned about missing the message, feeling perfectly fine without knowing the inside jokes, and unaffected by missing the meaning. There is also the possibility that they won’t. Do we want to take that chance? Should we be making it so difficult?

What disturbs me even more than the fact that sometimes we exclude people by using our “part of the club” language, is that too often we do it with a sense of pride in our exclusivity.

Maybe we would do well to take the approach of some of the earliest Christians as described in Acts 15:19, “So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master” (The Message).

Let’s remove the walls, open the doors, tear down the barriers, and clean-up our language and stop our activity that would cause anyone to feel excluded, left out, or out of the loop. Let’s make it easier for people to turn to the Master.

Tom
© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 22 | June 2, 2014

The date had been saved and had finally arrived. Family and friends from near and far gathered to offer their congratulations and ask for God to shower them with blessings and mercy. The music had been carefully selected. The decorations had been perfectly designed for the setting. The ladies’ dresses and men’s suits were selected, sewn and fitted with class and style. There was music of reflection, joy and celebration. In addition to the songs were promises, vows, stories, prayers and proclamations. Photographs were taken, food was consumed and the celebration began. One by one and couple by couple the guests made their exits. And then there were two.

Then there were two. Only the two. The man and the woman. The couple who had pledged to be faithful and true to one another until they are parted by death, drove away in a decorated car to their hotel and on to their honeymoon destination.

In a few days or a week or a couple of weeks the two will go home. Their home. Their first home. There, in the new home, they will begin to make their life together. There, in the new home, the two will discover that the promises they have made to one another on that one night were more than mere poetic and romantic words. Those words, those promises, now become the life they have committed to live. Those words, those vows, now begin to have a deeper meaning. Now there are two that are truly becoming one.

The two, may eventually become three, or four, or five, or six, or more. Or, perhaps the two will remain two but will expand their family to include close friends and deep relationships that extend beyond the walls of their home, and those walls will welcome those extended relationships. The two will become more.

The years will pass. The memories will grow. The relationships will grow deeper. The marriage will grow stronger. The two will become more mature. The two that were once distinctly two will gradually and become more distinctly one.

Then, one day, one by one those who have grown out of the two will find the one for whom God has been preparing them. They too will save a date, plan the event, create the setting, share their vows, express their love, enjoy the celebration, receive the congratulations and good wishes, and eventually go off on their own where they will grow to become one.

That is the nature of marriage and the family. That has been the plan since the beginning.

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:21-24, NIV)

Tom

© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.