A Norvell Note

October 24, 2022 – Vol. 26 No. 34

Bob Gilbert (James Robert Gilbert)

Bob “the Rock” Gilbert was the devoted husband to my sister (My Big Sister) for more than fifty years. From my vantage point, he was a great father to their two children and a true servant of the Lord. He was a dedicated worker and well-respected in the community. Bob was a good, good man. I loved and respected him, and I will miss his booming voice, laugh, and presence.       

My first memory of Bob was when started dating my sister and began showing up at our house. He drove a truck for Richie Groceries. I remember thinking, he was so tall and had the biggest Adams Apple I have ever seen. Of course, at that age, I had not seen that many Adams Apples, but I was sure Bob’s was the biggest, and I wondered if mine would ever be that big. 

Later, and probably after they married, when we’d be visiting in their home or ours, he would occasionally pick up a volume from the set of encyclopedias and sit and read it. I remember thinking that he must be smart or bored. Maybe it was both, but I could not imagine why anyone would voluntarily read from an encyclopedia. Through the years I realized that he truly was an intelligent man. 

When I was old enough to ride my bike into town, I often stopped by their house to hang out for a while. I felt right at home. One day I parked my bike in the front yard and bounced up the steps on the porch and in the door. It just so happened that Bob sitting in the room cleaning a handgun. I froze, and in a booming voice that resembled James Earl Jones, I heard, “Boy! Don’t you ever do that again!” I always knocked after that.

With our parents gone, Genia and Bob’s home became the gathering place for a Christmas invasion for the families of the three brothers. People sleeping all over the house, making noise, and eating everything in sight, made the holidays anything but calm and quiet. I suspect there were times when he decided that going to work on cold icy mornings was a welcome respite. We all felt bad for him because of his hearing loss, but Bob may probably saw it as a blessing. 

The image that is indelibly planted in my heart came during a visit not long after Kim and I were married and early in my ministry. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon in their living room when a neighborhood child banged on their door in a panic. The children were playing in the front yard and one of them got hurt. The mother was at work and no adult was at home. Within seconds Genia and Bob down the street, took care of the injured child, bringing comfort and calm in a very tense and potentially dangerous situation. 

I sat in awe as I reflected on the words of a couple of mentors who were trying to guide me along the “right” approach to ministry that included believing and teaching that anyone outside of “our” fellowship had no chance of going to heaven. As I witnessed Genia and Bob being Jesus to those children, I thought, if they are not going to make it, what chance do I have? Gratefully my approach to ministry was different after that afternoon.

Thank you, Bob, for marrying my sister. 

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2022 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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A Norvell Note

October 17, 2022 – Vol. 26 No. 33

You May Never Know

I am once again reminded of how important it is to understand that what we see on the surface may not be the complete picture of what is going on in a person’s life. You can assume that what you see is all there is. But you may never know.

A child’s grades drop, and her behavior takes a sudden and dramatic change. You wonder about the cause. You may never know what is going on in her home that might have caused the changes. 

One of your best employees starts showing up late, missing meetings, and becomes distant and apathetic. You may never know what he is facing when he goes home or what he tries but can’t leave behind when comes in from work. 

Your neighbors seemed like the perfect family, but something changed. They seldom spoke and stayed to themselves. You may never know the struggles they’ve been having or the tension that exists on the other side of their front door.  

Every week he comes in a little late and takes a seat on the back pew, then he leaves a little early. You wonder why he does that. You may never know.

We encounter people every day who may be suffering from an illness, going through a breakup or divorce, grieving the loss of a loved one, or living in a house filled with anger, violence, abuse, and sadness. Or maybe they go home to an empty house every night. And you may never know why they act the way they do in public. 

You may never know, that is unless you ask. 

If you ask, they may tell you to mind your own business. Or they may thank you for noticing and ask for your help. They may share the reason for sadness, being standoffish, or why their heart is breaking. They may. But you may never know unless you ask. 

Is there someone you are concerned about, but not sure what’s going on? They may act like they want to be left alone. Or they may be praying that God would send someone to help. You may never know unless you ask. So, maybe you should ask. 

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2022 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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For past articles, go here:  A Norvell Note

A Norvell Note

October 10, 2022 – Vol. 26 No. 32

Keep Silent

The Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth be silent before him. 
Keep silence, keep silence, keep silence before him.

You may have sung those words as a reminder that it is time for a worship service to begin, so quit talking in the foyer and find a seat. There may be a deeper meaning.

If you read Habakkuk, you will find the verse at the end of chapter 2. The book of Habakkuk examines injustice from the experience of a righteous person crying out to God for a remedy. God responds to the prophet: Be patient, observant, and steady in your faith, for my judgment will happen at an appointed time. God’s response allows Habakkuk to rejoice in God’s saving power—even while struggling with a question that every generation asks: Why is evil allowed to thrive? The answer is profound yet dramatic: Trust God because He is both powerful and just. (Faithlife Study Bible)

Singing those words reminded me that we are asking the same question today, why is evil allowed to thrive? Among the responses God suggests to the prophet is to remember that God is in His holy temple and keep silent. There’s more to the warning than just being quiet. It means to be calm and remember the Lord is still in His place. You can trust Him.

Those words are a good reminder for us.

When we hear about the injustice and chaos in our world, remember that the Lord is in His holy temple. Keep silence.

When we are confused and afraid, remember the Lord is in His holy temple, and keep silent.

When we are overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, remember the Lord is in His holy temple, and keep silent.

When loss and disappointment sadden you, remember the Lord is in His holy temple; keep silent.

It was helpful instruction for the prophet and wise instruction for us. 

The Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth be silent before him. 
Keep silence, keep silence, keep silence before him.

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2022 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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For past articles, go here:  A Norvell Note

A Norvell Note

October 3, 2022 – Vol. 26 No. 31

I Just Want to Go Home

I’ve said those words many times. As a child, every time I tried to stay away from home overnight, about the time it started getting dark and I missed my Mama I’d say, “I just want to go home.” Usually, I followed that up with “I have a stomachache.” I said those words when I went to Boy State as a teenager. And I said those words on mission trips to Ukraine during the first forty-eight hours of our trip, and after we had completed most of our mission. 

I’ve heard those words a few times our children were small and one of their overnight guests would get homesick. I’ve heard it when college students were not doing well in their classes, had their hearts broken, or received bad news from home. “I just want to go home.”

I’ve heard from an elderly man who had lived a good life, worked hard, and lost use of most of his physical abilities and bodily functions. With tears in his eyes, he said, “I’m so tired. I don’t want to live like this anymore. I just want to go home.” I’ve heard it from the widow who lost her husband and best friend and now must face life alone. I hear it said when a person has reached the end of life and been told there is nothing left that can be done. “I just want to go home.” And I hear it in the voices of the caregivers who are exhausted from too many hours and too much sickness and death.

I think I read those words in my four-year-old granddaughter’s eyes as she lay in her hospital bed attached to tubes and monitors. I know I saw it in the eyes of my daughter and son-in-law as they prepared for another night in a hospital room. 

I still say it some days when it starts getting dark, I’m tired, feel helpless, and miss my Mama. I just want to go home. 

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2022 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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For past articles go here:  A Norvell Note