A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 44                    November 6, 2023

Thank You

Thank You for the cooler air, rain, and a few colorful trees. 

It was a long, hot, and dry summer. We wondered when, and sometimes, if it would ever change. The grass in the lawns and fields and pastures had turned completely brown. The tree leaves looked sad as they hung on for any little bit of sustenance they could get.

Then a front came through with thunderstorms and rain, and behind it, milder temperatures—relief at last. The grass came back to life. The leaves are smiling again. The earth 

Experiencing the change from summer to autumn reminds me of how spiritual life transitions from one phase to another and often cycles back around. 

The heart gets hard. The capacity to be sympathetic and empathetic gets low, and becoming apathetic is tempting. 

The soul grows weary. The soul grows weary when there’s too much sadness and disappointment. It gets harder to remember one’s purpose.  

The mind gets overwhelmed. Information comes from every direction twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Much is good. Much of it is terrible. With the influx comes the pressure to decide what one thinks. 

The strength gets diminished. Life gets hard, tiring, and draining. Sometimes, it results in the temptation to stop doing good. 

Like the earth, it takes refreshment to recover. It may be a vacation, a day off to relax, or an extended period of writing, walking, or extra sleep. It may include quiet time in the Word. What works, like the earth, we need to be refreshed and nourished. 

I find it helpful to remember that to the best of my ability, I love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, and He loves me more. That thought alone refreshes my soul. 

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2023 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 43                       October 30, 2023

Please Don’t Let It Become the Norm

I confess I’ve been angry this week. I’m angry because of the news of another mass shooting where eighteen people were going about their lives enjoying an evening with their friends and family when a man walked into the businesses and started shooting. I am angry because of the fear and terror that the act of violence created for the people of Maine and far beyond, including my own heart and home. 

I confess I’ve been angry by the wars and threats of war in the Middle East, the loss of life, and carnage. Add to those reasons for my anger the continuing war in Ukraine.

I further confess that much of my anger and sadness over these bigger-than-me events in our world is due to my inability to do anything about them. I can’t stop the shootings. I can’t stop the wars. I can’t stop the violence or take away the fear or the agony. 

I also confess these same events made me deeply sad when I listened to a father talk about losing his son and saw the death and destruction of the wars. Sadness is too slight of a word. 

So, my final confession is that I am concerned that we allow these kinds of things to become the norm. I would rather be angry and sad than become so calloused that I yawn and feel nothing. At least in this mental state, I regularly remind myself to do whatever I can to bring more kindness, gentleness, calmness, peace and love to my place in the world.

Tom

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A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 42                   October 23, 2023

When Life Seems Out of Control

When life seems out of control, and it does most of the time, what do you do? These are go-to words that help calm my soul and relieve my anxious spirit.

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)

These words remind me that the Lord is near, so be gentle. Be gentle with me. Be gentle with the people most dear to me. Be gentle with strangers. Be gentle with all.

These words remind me to give it all to God. Whatever is troubling you give it to the Lord. Pray about it all. Present it to God. Admit you cannot handle it and acknowledge that you trust Him to care for it. 

These words remind me that God’s peace is available. His peace is real. His peace does not make sense, but it is possible. Accept it. Enjoy it. 

If your world seems out of control, give that to the One who understands your concerns, and rest assured that He can handle them. 

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2023 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 41                   October 16, 2023

Observations

We are stressed and nervous. God can give us peace.

We see danger all around us. God is our safe place. 

We are fearful and uncertain times. God is our refuge. 

We are fretful and worried. God will provide.

We are surrounded by anger and hatred. God loves everyone.

We are restless and fatigued. God is our rest. 

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. God does. 

Tom

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Vol. 27 No. 40                   October 9, 2023

Help In Our Weakness

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-28)

Thank You, God, for sending Your Spirit who helps me in my weakness. Correction: in my weaknesses. There are many. Thank You for knowing my weaknesses and helping me when I don’t understand how to overcome my weaknesses. 

Thank You, God, for all the times when I don’t know how or what I should pray for, but You do. Somehow, You take my wordless groans, desires, hopes, whimpers, whines, and cries from my heart and turn them into something that makes sense to You. 

Thank You, God, for knowing what is in my heart and mind better than I do and for interceding. My thinking is not always in line with what You think and know is best, but You know me so well that You reinterpret what I say or try to say to Your will. And You know that although I don’t always act like it, Your will is what I want.

Thank You, God, for knowing, loving, and living in me. I cannot live without You. 

Tom

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A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 39                   October 2, 2023

Good and Helpful

“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Ephesians 4:29, NLT)

I have preached, taught, and written about those words more times than I can count, and I still choose to say things far from good or helpful. Sometimes, it happens when I’m watching sports. Sometimes, it happens when I’m in traffic. Sometimes, it happens when I’m tired and frustrated. Sometimes, it happens after a long and frustrating day. 

None of those situations allow me to ignore that God wants me to “let everything I say be good and helpful, so that my words will be an encouragement to those who hear them (or read them).” Maybe you have the same tendency. If so, I offer these suggestions. 

Pause and think before you speak. If I never see this person again, how will they remember me? Will my words encourage or discourage this person? Is what I am about to say worth hearing? 

Make sure that what you say is worth hearing. Does anyone need to listen to this? Is there any real value in what I am about to say? Will what I am about to write, speak, or repeat make a difference for good, or does it only feed my ego?

If your words are not good and helpful, and they are not worth hearing, don’t say them. “Don’t talk unless you can improve the silence.” Silence might be better. Speaking what is right and good is especially true when wanting to comfort someone who is hurting. 

Let’s work on our speech. Let’s strive to share only what is good and helpful so our words will encourage those who hear them. We may not change the whole world, but it surely will change the world for the people around us. 

Be good and helpful.

Tom

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A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 38                   September 25, 2023

I Wish I Had Words

I wish I had words that could take away the pain of a broken heart.

I wish I had words that could reduce a parent’s fear when they hand the car keys to their teenager for the first time. 

I wish I had words to assure the wife whose husband suffered a heart attack that he would be okay. 

I wish I had words to comfort the little boy who just learned that his parents are getting a divorce. 

I wish I had words that could settle the arguments and resolve the conflicts between the political factions within our government.

I wish I had words to calm the tension between husbands and wives and parents and children.

I wish I had words to convince people that we will be alright no matter how much confusion and unrest there is in the world. 

I wish I had words to encourage the discouraged, comfort the hurting, 

I wish I had words to the skeptic that God is real and loves us all. 

I wish I had words to relieve your guilt, accept His forgiveness, and restore your joy. 

I wish I had words to do all those things, but I don’t. So, I will remind you of Jesus’ words.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Tom

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A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 37                   September 18, 2023

What To Do

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” (Psalm 37:3)

These are simple instructions that I may not always follow, but at least I know what to do. 

When someone annoys me and gets on my nerves, I do good.

When I face a significant decision, I do good. 

When my family needs me, I do good. 

When my friends need me, I do good. 

When a stranger needs me, I do good. 

When co-workers need me, I do good.

When tempted to do something that’s not good, I do good.

When I want to get revenge, instead, I do good.

When I am unsure what to do, I do good. 

When it is the easy thing to do, I do good. 

When it’s not easy to do, I do good. 

When I am wondering what to do, I just do good. 

Ask the Lord to show you when, where, and how to do good. Then, go and do good. Then, enjoy your life. 

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2023 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

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A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 36                   September 11, 2023

Where Were You

I cannot help but hear Alan Jackson singing, Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).

If you were alive and old enough to know what was happening, you probably remember exactly where you were on September 11, 2001. The fear, the shock, the horror, and the pure sadness of that day linger twenty-two years later. 

There are days that we will never forget. 

Two years ago yesterday, Norah breathed her last breath. We celebrated her life with family and friends by enjoying a walk, eating chicken nuggets, drinking milkshakes, sharing memories, and trying not to cry. 

You have those days as well. Not all are sad memories—the birth of our children. We remember graduations. We remember engagements and weddings. We watch our children walk into their school for the first time and walk out on their last day. 

Some days we will never forget. Some people we will never forget. 

Remember those days. Enjoy them if you can. Endure them if you must. Move on as best you can. Live each day to the fullest. 

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

Tom

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Vol. 27 No. 35                   September 4, 2023

Take a Minute

The room is tense. Emotions are running high. Everyone shouts their opinions. Tempers are hot. Suddenly, someone speaks above the noise, “Hey, let’s just take a minute.” 

The room goes silent and still. Everyone takes a few deep breaths. The meeting moves forward with respect and civility. 

Maybe you’ve been in a similar meeting or family discussion and appreciated someone who dared to speak up. “Let’s just take a minute.”

Maybe it wasn’t a meeting with others, but it happened in your mind. You wake up in the middle of the night with chaos in your mind. One voice reminds you of things you must do today, and another points out things you should have done yesterday. A third shouts about your financial situation, and others scream accusations and criticisms you can’t understand. Finally, a calming voice says, “Take a minute.”

You take a minute. Take some deep breaths. Calm your mind, your heart, and your soul. You fall back to sleep.

I suspect, in one form or another, those scenarios play out in all of us occasionally. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When it happens, take a minute. Take a breath or two. Take a walk. Calm your mind, your heart, and your soul.

Take a minute. Ask the Lord to take the craziness away.

Once, the disciples of Jesus were in a boat when a storm was about to overtake them. Somehow, Jesus was sleeping through it. So, they woke him up. He was calm and said, “Take a minute,” and said to the storm, “Quiet! Be still.” They were amazed. 

Today may be the perfect time for you to take a minute. Maybe you’ll be amazed. 

Tom

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