Vol. 20 No. 13 | March 26, 2018

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6a).

For the Psalmist, surely means this statement is a sure thing. There is no doubt that goodness and love will follow David all the days of his life. It’s a promise he believes, counts on, one that brings him comfort.

Surely might also indicate some sense of hope with a bit of doubt tossed in. For example, “Surely it’s not going to rain again this weekend.” “Surely we won’t have another snow storm.” “Surely the Lord is going to be good to me…I sure hope He is.”

Are you confident that goodness and love will follow you all the days of your life? Is this a hopeful longing or a statement of complete confidence? You have gone through some difficult times. You have experienced troubles and trials. Are you hoping goodness and love will follow you all the days of your life? Or are you certain because you know God is goodness and love and you know He will provide goodness and love to you?

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.

Reminders of God’s goodness and love are all around us. Take a few minutes and reflect on the goodness and love that the Lord has shown you so far in your life. Have you had and are you experiencing a good life? Even with the trials and trouble, can you say your life is good? Has His love been made real to you by in big and small ways? Yes, you have had disappointments and moments of heartache and pain. But when you search your heart, can you see and feel His love?

Need some help remembering His goodness and love? You probably have a fairly nice place to live. You probably haven’t gone hungry longer than a few hours. You may have, or have had, a family that loves you (although some may not). You must have enough resources to at least have access to a computer and other forms of technology. You can look outside and enjoy the beauty of Spring (or another snowfall for some of you).

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.

Based on what you’ve read and experienced, is there any reason to wonder or doubt that God’s goodness and love will follow you all the days of your life? Do you have any grounds to make an argument that God will suddenly stop being good and loving to you? Is there anything about His nature that would lead you to believe He has given you all the goodness and love He is going to give you? Do you think He would tap you on the shoulder and say, “Hey! You’ve had enough! No more goodness and love for you. Good luck with your life. I’ll catch you toward the end.”

There is not a chance that will or could happen.

God loves you. He is your shepherd. You are His sheep. You belong to Him. He leads you, He guides you, He provides you with food and shelter and comfort. He will be with you even through the dark shadows of death. (NOTE: Read Romans 8 for more comfort and assurance.)

A suggestion for this week: take notice of the different ways God shows you His goodness and love. Write them down. Hold on to the list and reflect on it. Add to it regularly.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2018 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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Vol. 20 No. 12 | March 18, 2018

Here’s a question that might get your attention: Is there someone you need to forgive?

Remember this prayer?

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us.”

When Jesus was washing the disciples’ feet and he came to Judas and Peter, He lovingly washed theirs like all the others, despite knowing they would betray him.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, he prayed, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”

Forgiveness is not something to be ignored. Paul said, “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27, NIV)

So is there someone you need to forgive? What is stopping you? Are you waiting for them to ask for forgiveness? That could be a long wait, especially if they are not aware they’ve harmed you.

We teach our children to forgive. When another child takes a toy away from them, or bites them, or calls them a name, we are quick to say, “Oh, it’s okay. She didn’t mean to.” When a brother and sister get into an argument or one of them does something that hurts the other, we make them apologize or say, “She said she’s sorry, so you just need to forgive her and let it go.”

It’s amazing how well this works with children and it sounds easy enough. “You just need to forgive her and let it go.”

But then we grow up, and it’s not so easy, is it? The offense is usually something more damaging than losing a toy or being called a name. The offense might cause physical, mental or emotional pain. It might involve the loss of money, or damaged property, or the suffering of a loved one.

You hear those words again, “You just need to forgive her and let it go.”

You hear Jesus’s words again, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us.”

Forgiveness is not always easy. In fact, it can sometimes feel impossible. Or we may say, “I’ll forgive them, but I’ll never forget what they did.” There is some truth in that. There are some offenses that leave scars that may never be erased. But even if we never are able to forget, this does not release us from our responsibility to forgive.

That’s right. It is our responsibility to forgive, whether or not the person asks for forgiveness or even cares if we forgive them. Forgiveness heals both us and them.

So, how do we do it? How do we forgive? It seems to me the ability to forgive another human being has to do with the amount of love we let ourselves experience and give to another human being. That is the only explanation for how Jesus was able to wash the feet of his betrayers and ask God to forgive those who had beaten, cursed and mocked Him while He was dying on the cross. He loved Peter and Judas so much, He freely offered them forgiveness. He loved the people surrounding the cross and those of us who have lived through the ages so much, He freely asked and continues to ask God to forgive us.

If we come from a place of love, then we can love people, even those who hurt us deeply, and use that love to forgive them. When we are confronted with wanting to or needing to forgive someone, we are also confronted with whether or not we are going to give love to another person.

Do you love them? Can you love them even after they have hurt you or your loved one? If you choose not to forgive them, who will it really hurt?

Living this life as a follower of Jesus always comes back to loving people, doesn’t it? “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16, NIV)

Let me ask you the original question again: Is there someone you need to forgive?

Think about it. Pray about it. Sometimes we need help walking through the process of forgiving. If I can help you, let me know.

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2018 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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Vol. 20 No. 11 | March 12, 2018

1. You are probably the only human being on earth who really cares what your hair looks like.
2. Be kind to yourself. You are not nearly as bad as you think you are.
3. Be honest with yourself. Are you acting like the person you want to?
4. Dress comfortably.
5. It is alright to take a nap if you need to…just not while driving!
6. When you mess up, and you will, chances are it’s not the end of anyone’s world.
7. When you do something well, it’s okay if you’re the only one who notices.
8. Watch less television, read more (preferably something that helps you be more like Jesus.)
9. Write, even if it’s just a little.
10. Listen more than you talk.
11. Making the world a better place begins with you being the best you can be.
12. Show more grace to people than you think they might deserve. (God shows you more than you sometimes deserve.)
13. Be gracious, humble and kind.
14. Be content with what you have.
15. Wherever you are, be present.
16. Take advantage of every opportunity to say, “I love you” (and say it like you mean it, not just a quick, “Love ya.”)
17. When you hear a nice piece of music, turn it up and really listen.
18. Slow down. That red light will still be red by the time you get there.
19. Close your eyes. Relax. Take some deep breaths. Mediate.
20. You don’t like it when people ride your bumper, so don’t ride theirs.
21. Find at least one thing or one person to be grateful for.
22. Accept every offer you are given to hold a baby.
23. When you finish a project, stop. Take a deep breath, give yourself credit, and be grateful.
24. Spend a little time every day in quiet reflection.
25. Remember someone, somewhere would like to hear from you. So, let them- a text, email, phone call…actual handwritten note. You will make their day.
26. If the weather is nice, sit outside- to eat, to read…to take a nap.
27. Say “please” and “thank you.”
28. Be kind and gentle.
29. Be safe, but don’t be controlled by fear.
30. Before saying something to someone or posting anything on social media, ask yourself, “Will these words build people up and encourage them?” If not, don’t.
31. Physically touch someone (if it’s okay with them, of course!)
32. If you can, use fewer words.
33. When it is time to shut up, shut up.

Those last two remind me…I’ve probably said enough.

Thank you for reading.

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2018 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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Vol. 20 No. 10 | March 5, 2018

It’s finally spring! At least for some of us. The trees are budding, grass is turning green, daffodils and buttercups are popping up, Bradford pear trees are in full flower, tulip trees have turned their pinkish-purple colors. The temperatures are warmer, and in some places, the rains have raised the rivers to overflowing.

Even if the signs of spring are still weeks away, when it arrives, it will bring most of us relief and rejuvenation. Spring brings with it the return of nature’s colors and a reminder that the earth is in a constant process of renewal. In some ways, perhaps even more that the beginning of a new year, spring awakens us to new possibilities, new adventures and restored hope.

Depending on your circumstances, spring cannot come soon enough. It’s been a rough few months. The darkness of the short days and long nights have drained you of energy and weakened your faith that things will ever be different. Maybe the decisions and actions of others have created a seemingly impossible situation. Or, health issues have brought frustrations and challenges and are forcing you to face new realities about your life and future.

So whether spring is exploding all around you, or you’re still shoveling snow and sliding on the ice, hang on. There is hope.

I cannot promise that your health issues will improve or go away completely. I cannot promise that your marriage will survive, or you will get your dream job, or your knight in shining armor will ride in on a white horse. But, I can promise you, if you are still breathing life, God is not finished with you yet.

May these words encourage you and offer support as you long for and hopefully embrace renewal, rejuvenation and hope.

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (Romans 8:21-28, The Message)

Remember, God is always working and always doing something good.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9, NIV)

Remember, how we think and what we think about are keys to how we live.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, (Titus 3:4-6, NIV)

Remember, God has already done the hard part.

When life piles up on me and it is difficult to believe that spring will ever arrive, this statement reminds me to not give up.

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” (Charles R. Swindoll)

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2018 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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