TomNorvell – A Norvell Note

A Strange Rejoicing

A Norvell Note

March 3, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 09

A Strange Rejoicing

Life lesson: Don’t be surprised. Rejoice.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 10:11-12, NIV)

I confess. My experiences of being persecuted because of my commitment to God consist of me possibly not being invited to a party or two and exclusion from a few conversations. No one sends me threatening letters or emails, and I have never received hate mail from an angry member of the community or workplace. There is no threat of imprisonment unless I deny my faith.

Have you?

When Jesus encouraged us to consider it a blessing, he was not if you get mistreated because you are acting like a jerk or being an obnoxious know-it-all. He said, If you live and act like me, don’t be surprised and rejoice. That means they see something in you that reminds them of me. They hate me. If you follow me, there will be times when they persecute you just like me.

Another question: If we claim to be followers of Jesus, why aren’t we being persecuted?

A Peacemaker

A Norvell Note

February 23, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 08

A Peacemaker

Life lesson: Being a peacemaker is hard.

Being a peacemaker is challenging in good times but can seem almost impossible in tough times. We are living in such a time.

How can we help people reconcile the deep disagreements we are witnessing in our country and make peace with some of the things we are experiencing?

How can we assist families in reconciling after causing each other pain and heartache?

How can we foster peace within a church community when pride and ego have fractured fellowship and created divisions?

How can we assist a broken soul in finding his way back to a relationship with the Lord after he feels God has failed him?

Being a peacemaker is hard, but as children of God, we must try.

I have a few suggestions for being a peacemaker.

Pray for wisdom in choosing your words and timing before getting involved.

Hear their pain. Understand all parties involved. Assist them in learning to listen to one another.

Recognize the need for time while emphasizing the importance of peace.

Remind them of your love for them and your sincere desire to help.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9

Father, help me be a peacemaker.

An Undivided Heart

A Norvell Note

February 16, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 07

An Undivided Heart

Life lesson: When my heart is pure, I can see God.

What does it mean to be pure in heart?

To be pure in heart involves having an undivided heart that is entirely focused on seeking and reflecting God’s presence. To be pure in heart means to possess an unwavering and sincere dedication to integrity, moral courage, and godly character.

When you have a pure heart, free from deceit and distraction, it becomes a vessel through which you can experience the nearness of God. If your focus is clearly on Him, you will notice Him all around you, wherever you look in nature, people, and circumstances, and you will know He is near.

Conversely, a divided heart plagued by conflicting desires and distractions will find its vision obscured, missing the omnipresence of the divine in the world.

After writing and reading those two paragraphs, I remember how difficult it is to be pure in heart in our world. From advertising to news broadcasts to social media to everyday life events, we constantly have opportunities that distract us from God. Being pure in heart is not easy, but it is necessary to see God. Being difficult

Look at how Jesus said it.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

“Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God! “(JB Phillips)

“Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.” (Amplified Bible)

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. (The Message)

So, the question we must answer is, do I want to see God?

Be Merciful

A Norvell Note

February 9, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 06

Be Merciful

Life lesson: Be merciful.

I find it almost unimaginable that the word merciful is getting so much negative attention in the public media and even among those who claim to be followers of God. It seems to me that being merciful is one of the most basic principles for anyone who loves God and wants to please him.

The Old Testament Micah stated it matter-of-factly:

“With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micha 6:6-8)

Jesus did the same, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

It seems simple to me. If you are going to please God, live like Jesus, and be shown mercy by God at the end of your journey, you will be merciful. So, be merciful.

You Don’t Have to Act So Tough

A Norvell Note

January 26, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 04

You Don’t Have to Act So Tough

Life lesson: You don’t have to act so tough.

We see athletes demonstrate their toughness when they sack the quarterback, monster dunk over the defender, power one over the fence and out of the park, or deliver the knockout punch. “Look at me. I’m strong. I’m tough. You may think you are tough, but I’m tougher!” (After I typed those words, opposing players were face mask to face mask in a heated discussion, and the two teams were going at each other in the end zone.)

You don’t have to act so tough.

Advertisers try to convince us their product can make us stronger, bigger, brighter, sexier, more intelligent, and meaner than anyone else. Politicians, business tycoons, and attorneys often promote themselves as the best at destroying the enemy.

Displaying our toughness with verbal abuse and physical prowess is one way of gaining influence and power. But there is an alternative.

Jesus said, Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” (The Message)

“Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.” (The Amplified Version)

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12:5)

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5)

You don’t have to act so tough.

It’s Okay to Grieve

January 19, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 03

It’s Okay to Grieve

Another life lesson I’ve learned is that it’s okay to grieve.

We live in a world where we are encouraged to rejoice, be happy, and avoid sadness. We urge each other to look forward and let go of the past. I’ve told myself these things, taught them, preached about them, and written on them. I believe they are true. To grow in the Lord, we must “forget the past and press on to our goal.”

I also firmly believe that it is okay to grieve.

There are moments when moving forward necessitates mourning. It seems that hardly a day passes without us facing some form of loss: a date gets canceled, a friend cancels an appointment, you damage your favorite shirt in the laundry, your team loses the playoff game, or the anticipated snowfall arrives, leading to the closure of schools and businesses. Schools and businesses stay open for the day when the predicted snowfall veers away from your area. It’s perfectly okay to take some time to grieve the disappointment.

There are more significant losses that require us to spend time grieving: the death of a friend or relative, the loss of a job, the lab results not what you hoped for, your loved one has been gone for years, but you are still grieving, a relationship ending, a church disappointing you, your sin reminds you that you have failed, or you are moving far from your community of friends.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Are you grieving? It’s okay. Are you sad? It’s okay. You don’t want to mourn longer than is healthy, but it’s okay if you need to grieve.

It’s Okay to Ask for Help

A Norvell Note

January 15, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 02

It’s Okay to Ask for Help

One of life’s fundamental principles is that asking for help is acceptable.

It is okay to ask for help. We live in a world that paints the opposite picture. “Be strong.” “Don’t let them see you struggle.” “Don’t let anyone see that you are hurting.” Yet, we constantly face the reality that we are not always strong; sometimes, we struggle and are often hurting. Regardless of what the world tells us, it is okay to ask for help.

Sometimes, we need help in our work, in our marriage, as parents, and in our spiritual walk. We may know what to do, but we may need help. Ask for help. It’s okay.

Every spiritual journey begins by saying, “I need help. I can’t do this on my own.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

Every twelve-step program begins with the admission that I cannot overcome this problem alone. “I need help.”

We sometimes need help mentally, physically, and spiritually. It’s okay to ask for help.

I cannot nor will I attempt to predict the future, but I believe that even though we are already living in very stressful times, the days ahead will be worse. More stress. More anxiety. More feelings of being overwhelmed. If true, we will need help to survive and thrive in the coming days.

It’s okay to ask for help.

That You Know Him

A Norvell Note

January 5, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 01

That You Know Him

My prayer for you as this new year begins is the same as Jesus prayed for us all.

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

This year, I pray you will come to know Him like you have never known Him. I pray you will know “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

I pray you will come to know Him, not just know about Him.

I pray you will come to know how much He loves you.

I pray you will learn how much He has done for you and what He wants to do for you.

I pray you will accept His grace and mercy.

I pray you will allow Him to fill you with His Spirit and allow His Spirit to flow from you.

I pray you will come to know Him.

The Worthy Goal

A Norvell Note

December 29, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 50

The Worthy Goal

We are almost there—the end of one year, the beginning of another. There have been times of testing and destress, celebration and peace, victory and defeat. Regardless of what has happened, this is a good time to start over.

Some will vow to lose weight, stop using foul language, exercise more, and look for a new job—all worthy goals. However, many made the same vows a year ago and will make the same vows a year from now. Let me suggest a more worthy goal.

“I’m not saying that I have this all together; I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”^[1]

Consider this as a more worthy goal.

We are not there yet.

Just as many of us did not achieve the goals we planned for this year, and the writer of Philippians did not reach his goal, we are not there yet. Life has gotten in our way. We have made mistakes and excuses and ignored the goals we set. So, we have not reached this worthy goal. But…

We are on our way with our eyes on the goal.

We know where we are going, and we are moving forward. The worthy goal is still in front of us, and we are moving toward it. We may need to repeat our resolve to reach our goal, but we are moving closer to it than we were a year ago. That is a good thing.

Jesus is our goal.

Let there be no confusion; our goal is Jesus. To know Him (John 17) Our goal is to be like Him. Refer to Philippians 2 for His attitude. And His spirit (see Galatians 5) and His love (John 13). He is our goal.

We are not turning back.

We have not and will not quit. We are keeping our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3). We are not there yet but moving closer to Him and becoming more like Him.

You may already have set excellent goals for the coming year. But if your goal is not to become more like Jesus, please reconsider and choose a more worthy goal. Leave this year’s stuff behind and move forward to be like Jesus.

I hope 2024 ends well and 2025 begins and continues well all year.

^[1] The Message, Philippians 3:12-14

Christmas Reunion

A Norvell Note

December 22, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 50

Christmas Reunions

I watched a news story about sailors arriving home for Christmas leave. The sailors lined up shoulder to shoulder on the deck of their ship, waving to the crowd until they were permitted to celebrate and reunite with their families. Children ran to hug their mom or dad. One little boy hugged his dad and said, “I love you, Daddy.” It was quite an emotional scene.

Other reunions will occur this week as families travel long distances to make it home for the holidays. Some may panic due to heavy traffic and delayed flights, wondering if they will get home on time. Hopefully, they will arrive safely and on schedule for the celebration. You are one of the travelers eager to get home. You can’t wait to see the faces and hug the necks of your loved ones.

As emotional and touching as these scenes are, some families will feel sad because their loved ones are not there. Death, travel delays, illness, work responsibilities, and family disputes can dampen some festivities. However, this will not be the case at the ultimate reunion, where there will be no tears—except tears of joy, because we have finally made it home.

Enjoy your Christmas reunion. Celebrate your family and friends.

Author: TomNorvell

A Strange Rejoicing

A Peacemaker

An Undivided Heart

Be Merciful

You Don’t Have to Act So Tough

It’s Okay to Grieve

It’s Okay to Ask for Help

That You Know Him

The Worthy Goal

Christmas Reunion

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