Author: TomNorvell

A Norvell Note

November 10, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 44

Emotional Roller Coaster

I have been on an emotional roller coaster for the last few weeks.

There was a point when I thought this was going to be the year that the Boston Celtics won the National Basketball Championship and the New York Yankees would win the World Series. Then, the 5^th inning of the 5^th game of the series happened. 

There was a planned surgery for our granddaughter, but the surgery will come later due to a rash. She, her parents, and all the rest of us must wait with her. She had another scan. The anticipation of a scan always produces anxious days and nights. When we hear, “The scans are clear.” We express praises and thanksgiving. 

The election provided an emotional roller coaster all its own. Anticipation. Hope. Dread. Confidence. Anger. Elation. Sadness. Despair. Confusion. Disbelief. Hope. 

A few days off work and time with long-time friends. Happiness. Joy. Appreciation. Love. Tears. Nostalgic conversations. Laughter. Calm sighs of delight. Then, as the visitation came to an end came tears, sadness, expressions of love, and regret that our time together had to end. 

Emotions are okay. Emotions fill our hearts, and tears fill our eyes. Emotions are okay for women and men. Emotions are okay and good, and appropriately sharing them is a healthy practice. 

Expressing your emotions is healthier than bottling them up or treating them like they do not exist. Find someone to talk with about what you are feeling. Write them down and name them.

Emotions are gifts from God and give us a way of communicating with Him. They help us understand life so we can share life with the people we love.

Someone once told me feelings and emotions are not right or wrong. They just are. 

There will be more emotional roller coasters this week and throughout our lives. Don’t be afraid to express your emotions in healthy ways. There is a real possibility you are not the only person on that same ride. You may be the one to help them deal with those feelings. 

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

A Norvell Note

November 3, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 43

Trust God

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7)

The only answer I can offer to many people’s questions is, “Trust the Lord.” 

To the gentleman who feels his life is over and cannot understand why the Lord is keeping him here, I say, “I think we need to trust that the Lord knows what He’s doing, and He must have a reason, even though we don’t know what that reason is.”

To the college students stressed about all their decisions about their education, careers, relationships, and the rest of their lives, I say, “Trust God to show you the way, and be patient.”

To couples struggling to keep their marriage together and are losing hope, “Do what is right and trust the Lord.” 

To the loyal company man in shock because he lost his job and asks me, “Why has this happened to me?” I can only say, “I don’t know, but we need to trust God to see you through it.”

Saying, “Trust the Lord,” may sound trite, trivial, and like a cop-out. But it’s not. When we have more questions than answers, more pain than comfort, and our faith is wavering but honest, all we can do is trust God. This week is one of those times when we need to trust God. 

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

A Norvell Note

October 29, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 42

Watch the Way You Talk

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. (Ephesians 4:29, The Message)

I have used this text as the basis for many notes over the years, but I think it is probably needed more now than ever. Let’s take one phrase at a time.

Watch the way you talk. During the next week, you will have the opportunity to voice your thoughts on the election, the candidates, the results of the election, and the people who voted differently than you prefer. Watch the way you talk. Choose your words carefully and pay attention to who might be listening. 

Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Even though others may use foul, filthy, divisive, and judgmental language, you don’t have to follow their example. Their language does not have to be your language. 

Say only what helps, each word a gift. Say only what helps. How’s that for a challenge? Only what helps. That might reduce many conversations, but if you speak only words that lift others up, the conversation will be much more wholesome and encouraging. Each word is a gift. Treat your words like a precious gift. 

In stressful times, we must be even more watchful of how we talk than usual. These are stressful times. Be an encourager. Be thoughtful. It may be that the best words are the ones not spoken. It takes self-discipline and courage. 

Watch the way you talk. 

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

A Norvell Note

October 20, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 41

Asking for Wisdom

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (James 1:5)

Generous God, I do need wisdom, so I’m asking. 

Please give me the wisdom to know what to say to the daughter who knows her mother has only a few hours left to live. 

Please give me the wisdom to remain silent when I don’t have helpful, meaningful, or encouraging words.

Please give me the wisdom to know how to walk with the person going through what feels like never-ending grief. 

Please give me the wisdom to know what to say to the young couple struggling to hold their marriage together. 

Please give me the wisdom to encourage the gentleman who has lived a long, meaningful life but no longer feels he has a purpose. 

Please give me the wisdom to offer advice only when asked.

Please give me wisdom when I enter the election booth. 

Please give me the wisdom to change what I can and accept what I cannot. 

Please give me the wisdom and the wisdom to use the wisdom You give me. 

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

A Norvell Note

October 13, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 40

The Opportunity

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. (Colossians 4:5)

As I watched reports of the storms that have devastated communities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, I thought about how important it is to make the most of our opportunities to be with people and express our love to them. Life changes quickly, and we never know what the day will bring, so we must stay in the present and live every moment to the fullest.

That thought consistently influences my thinking. But as I read the verse from Colossians, I realized that taking advantage of our opportunities has a more specific meaning. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.” 

Consider the wording from The Message. “Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”^[1]

Consider how you treat people outside your faith community, the people in your neighborhood, your workplace, and the places where you do business. What’s your conversation like with them, how do you speak to them, how do you treat them? What sort of attitude do you have with and toward them?

Make the most of those opportunities so they can see Jesus in you. Doing that brings glory to Him and may help them know the Lord. Life can change quickly. You have this moment. Make the most of it. 

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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^[1] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005), Col 4:5–

 A Norvell Note 

October 7, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 39

Pray

Please pause and pray for all those who have been and will be affected by the powerfully destructive storms. 

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

                 A Norvell Note 

September 29, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 38

Jesus in the Neighborhood

The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. (John 1:14, The Message)

I have great comfort in those words. 

Knowing that God loved us so much and wanted us to know Him so much that He sent His one and only son to live in the world where we live is very comforting. Jesus came to earth to show us who God is, but because He came to earth, He also knows what our life is like. 

He knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. He knows and understands the pain, the confusion, and the anger that comes with death. I can’t explain why He doesn’t prevent it or why He answers some prayers for healing and others He does not. Or why He leaves us in the dark on those answers. But it comforts me to know He understands what I’m feeling. 

He must understand what it’s like not to have money to pay bills or struggle to provide for our family because He spent much of his time with the poor and meeting their needs. Not only did HE meet the needs of people who struggle with finances, but He has instructed His people to do the same. 

Because he moved into our neighborhood, he can identify with us when our families experience division and disharmony in our families. And when we cannot resolve the differences, He feels our pain and disappointment. 

Jesus is in our neighborhood to remind us that He wants to be with us, is available when we need Him and wants to share life with us. I find great comfort in those words. 

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

A Norvell Note 

September 22, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 37

Look at the Birds

I had just finished my visit to the Assisted Living/Memory Care facility and was writing notes in my car. I glanced out my window and saw a group of sparrows in the grass feeding on the seeds that the lawncare crew had just spread around the building. They were surrounded on three sides by moving vehicles, yet they were tweeting, chirping, and hopping all around; they didn’t have a care in the world.

I thought of Jesus’ words. 

“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” (Matthew 6:25-27)

The message is clear: Look at the birds. 

When you, or someone you love, are struggling physically or emotionally, look at the birds and know that you count far more to Him than birds.  

When searching for your purpose for living, look at the birds and know that you count far more to Him than birds.  

When you grieve the loss of a relationship and long to fill the void, look at the birds and know that you count far more to Him than birds.  

When you lose your job and wonder how you will care for your family, look at the birds and know that you count far more to Him than birds.  

When life is good and filled with more blessings than you deserve, look at the birds and know that you count far more to Him than birds.  

God loves us, and when we look at the birds, we remember His love is wider, longer, higher, and deeper than we can ever ask or imagine. So, take a moment to look at the birds and thank God for His love and care.

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

A Norvell Note         September 8, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 35

My Words and My Mouth

I need to pray this prayer. 

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

I need to pray these words so that my words will be kind and accepting because sometimes the meditations of my heart are unkind and judgmental.  

I need to pray this prayer so that my words will be gentle and loving because sometimes the meditations of my heart are harsh and unloving. 

I need to pray this prayer so that my words will be encouraging because sometimes the meditations of my heart are not about encouragement.   

I need to pray this prayer so that my words and actions will build others up, not tear them down. 

I need to pray this prayer so my words and actions will bring gentleness and healing to the hurting and broken. 

I need to pray this prayer, so my words and actions will bring light and joy into a dark world of sadness.

I need to pray this prayer because sometimes the contents of my heart are far from pleasing to God, even though He is my rock and my redeemer.

I need to pray this prayer daily, and sometimes, I need to pray this prayer many times. 

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

A Norvell Note ^© Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved