A Norvell Note

A Norvell Note for the week of October 11, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 40

No Longer a Big Deal

When all this started, I wrote Everything Just Changed. Five months later, one of the many things that have changed is that some things do not matter as much as they once did. Let me offer a few examples.

Having car trouble can be very frustrating, but car trouble does not seem like such a big deal anymore.

The outcome of a sporting event was once a big deal. Whether my team wins or loses is no longer such a big deal.

Getting to see the latest blocker buster movie as soon as it hits the theater is no longer a big deal.

Being one of the first to get the latest technology device was once important to me. However, it doesn’t seem worth getting upset about today.

Knowing the inside scoop on a favorite celebrity might seem significant to some people. But, unfortunately, or fortunately, it seems trivial to me now.

Winning or losing an argument might have given me satisfaction at one point, but not anymore.

Staying up to date on a favorite television show once seemed like a big deal. It’s not a big deal anymore.

Many things once seemed worth making a mountain out of a molehill. Fortunately, there aren’t many molehills worth getting upset about anymore.

Oh, don’t get me wrong or give me too much credit for being enlightened or spiritually advanced. There are still things that I still find very important and consider big deals.

Spending time with my family is a bigger deal now than ever before. It has always been crucial, but more so now.

Reminding my children and grandchildren that I love them and am exceedingly proud of them is now a bigger deal than ever.

Staying in touch with and spending as much time with my extended family is more important now than it has ever been.

Communicating with friends who live far away has always been very important to me, but it’s even more critical now. If you are waiting for a call from me, please understand that it is also difficult and very emotional to do right now. I will call. I promise.

Being good of a husband, dad, and Papa, has always been near the top of my list of priorities. However, it seems to be essential now.

These teachings seem more important now.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12 NIV)

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)

Some things are not as big of a deal to me as they once were.  Some things are more of a big deal than ever.  

Lord, help me be who I need to be, do what I need to do, and let that be enough.

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note. 

A Norvell Note for October 4, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 39

Get Back Up

In this video LE MOULIN JAUNE the dancer starts climbing a flight of stairs, he falls off onto a trampoline, then bounces back up onto the stairs, he falls, leaps up, he falls, and he bounces back up. The dancer reminds us of an important life lesson we learn early: when you fall, you get back up.

When a child is learning to, she falls a lot. Our parents would gleefully say, “Uh oh. Try again. Hop up. You can do it. Keep trying.”

When we first started learning to ride a bike, we crashed more than we cruised. Whoever was helping us would cheer us on with words like: “Ooooh. You almost had it. Try it again.”

Learning a new skill involves trying and failing and trying again.

Any great artist will likely tell you how they tried and tried and tried before they mastered their craft. Likewise, athletes, musicians, writers, public speakers, singers, medical professionals, public servants, and anyone who has ever struggled to achieve their dream have two things in common: they failed a lot and always got up and tried again.

Falling and failing are not fatal. Not getting up can be. Every remarkable comeback is a story of an individual or team who did not quit.

Living as a Jesus Follower is no exception. We try, we fail, we try again. We grow, we fall, we get back up.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, NLT)

There are times when the dancer in the video struggles to reach his goal. Each bounce propels him a little bit higher until he finally reaches the top. That’s what we must do. Keep trying. When you fall, keep bouncing back up.

There will be times when you don’t feel like getting up. There will be times when you don’t want to get back up. There will be times when you are not sure you can get back up. Please, please, please get back up anyway.

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note. 

A Norvell Note for September 27, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 38

My Help

 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

When I am sad and can’t see the joy around me, my help comes from the Lord.

When I am afraid, my help comes from the Lord.

When I am tired and needing strength for the day, my help comes from the Lord.

When I am confused and don’t know which way to turn, my help comes from the Lord.

When I have no words, my help comes from the Lord.

When I want to speak but need to be silent, my help comes from the Lord.

When I can’t sleep, my help comes from the Lord.

When I am searching for answers, my help comes from the Lord.

When I am weak, my help comes from the Lord.

When I am strong and think I am strong enough on my own, my help comes from the Lord.

When I fail, my help comes from the Lord.

When I feel like a loser, my help comes from the Lord.

When I am successful, my help comes from the Lord.

When I overthink myself, my help comes from the Lord.

When I think too little of myself, my help comes from the Lord.

When I don’t think I am not blessed enough, my help comes from the Lord.

When I realize how blessed I am, my help comes from the Lord.

When I think about my sinfulness, my help comes from the Lord.

When I think about God’s forgiveness, my help comes from the Lord.

There are a lot of things I don’t know and a lot of questions I cannot answer but I can answer the question of where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note. 

A Norvell Note for September 13, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 36

Dear Norah

Dear Norah,

You changed my life forever when you were born. The first time I held you in my arms, I said: “Hi Norah. I’m so glad you are here. I love you.” I never wanted you to doubt that I loved you.

Of course, God’s love for you and your love for Him was most important. But somehow, I think you knew that before you took your first breath. Then, you came into the world surrounded by love and filled with the love that can only come from God. We saw it, and we felt it.

For me, the most painful of all emotions is being unable to express my love to those God has entrusted me to love. When, for whatever reason, I can’t, my heart feels like it is going to explode. So, Norah, I’m writing this now to tell you again, “I love you.”

I said it hundreds, probably thousands of times, in your short seven years and seven months of life. “I love you, Norah.” And, you always responded with, “I love you, Papa.” Sometimes you’d say it first. We said it, and we knew it.

We said those words when I would be leaving your house, and when you were in the car strapped into your car seat and your parents were ready to leave our house, but you would want to say it one more time. We whispered those words as you went to sleep, or we were taking a walk, and while sitting in the shade of our backyard. Sometimes just out of the blue, you’d say: “I love you, Papa.” And I’d say, “I love you too, Norah.”

Over the last four months, the words “I love you” have been spoken to you by more people than we can count. The words were whispered in your ear. They were shared over a FaceTime screen. Love for you was expressed in gifts, notes, cards, and pieces of artwork. The words came to assure you of our love for you and as a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift God gave us in You. If you were able, you answered with, “I love you, too.” You seemed to want to assure us that we, too, were loved.

Norah, I will miss your many questions and wanting to know how things worked and why. I will miss your “Highs and Lows” at the dinner table. I will miss your hugs. I will miss the intensity with which you approached everything you did. I will miss watching you play and dance and run, ride horses and swim. I will miss hearing you sing “How Great Thou Art.” I will miss taking walks with you. I will miss hearing you say, “I love you, Papa.”

But, more than anything else, I will miss saying, “I love you, Norah.”

Papa

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note. 

A Norvell Note for September 6, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 35

The Brevity of Life

I’m praying for wisdom.

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

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
    so that we may grow in wisdom. (Psalm 90:12, NLT)

In previous days when I’ve read these words, I usually have paused to reflect on my life, how I have lived, how I am living, and how I need and want to live.

As I read them now, I go through a similar reflective process, but I also ask: when will we get it?

If going through a pandemic, and now a second phase of what may be even worse than the first, does not make us number our days and gain wisdom, what will?

If seeing the suffering people are experiencing due to hurricanes and floods does not cause us to realize how brief life is and gain wisdom, what will?

If seeing the stories of families struggling to escape the dangers from terrorist attacks on their homeland does not cause us to seek wisdom by number our days, what will?

If seeing out-of-control forest fires consume thousands of acres of forest, homes, towns, and everything in their path does not cause us to number our days and gain wisdom, what will?

If living through the horror of watching a loved one’s body ravaged by an incurable disease does not cause us to wake up to the brevity of life and gain a heart of wisdom, what will?

What is it going to take?

When will we understand how important it is to number our days, consider how we live so that we can gain the wisdom to live?

Lord, I long for a heart of wisdom to live with gentleness and courage during these short days on this earth and help others live with wisdom during these troubling times.

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note. 

A Norvell Note for August 30, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 34

What Good Will Come

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Lord, I know You are good, I know you are kind, I know You are loving, and I know that somehow You use everything that happens, good or bad, for good as You shape me into the image of Your Son Jesus.

I know this is true. I’ve preached it, I’ve taught it, I’ve written about it. I believe it.

I’ve experienced it.

I have watched You use unbelievably confusing situations as opportunities for growth and more profound clarity.

I have been surprised by unimaginable blessings and watched You use them to create a greater appreciation for Your kindness and mercy.

And, I have seen You use the worst and most tragic events to change lives and inspire people to use their resources to improve the world.

I have seen You (as a dear family friend loves to say) turn messes into messages.

I have long loved the statement I first heard from Charles Swindoll, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”

Because of what I have seen, heard, and experienced, my faith in You is strong, Lord, but I am baffled by how You will use what we are going through right now for good. My vision is too limited to see beyond these difficult times. My spirit is too low to conceive what good will come from our broken hearts.

I don’t see how. I don’t understand why. But, Lord, I know You are good, I know You are kind, I know You are loving, and I long to what you are doing in this.

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note. 

A Norvell Note for August 23, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 33

Always With Me

The longer I live, the more confident I am that the Lord meant it when God said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

He was with me when I was young and suffered losses in my family that did not make sense.

He was with me as a young man when I made decisions about marriage and ministry.

When I became a dad and wondered if I was up for the task, He was with me.

Through my successes and all my failures, He has been with me and has never forsaken me.

He has always been with me. He has never forsaken me.

I do not recall when I did not sense His presence or doubted His active involvement in my life. But, oh, there are times when I do not understand His ways. There were, and still are, times when I question the path and where it might lead. There are days when I wonder how much more I can handle, but then He does something, I read something, or some unexpected blessing appears seemingly out of nowhere, and I see that He is with me.

Now, as I walk through this darkest of valleys with my family, I know He is with me. He is with us. He will help us. He will give us strength to endure the days and make it through the long, difficult nights. He is with us, He has always been with us, and He will always be with us.

I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but I know He is with us and will make His presence known. Of this, I am convinced.

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note. 

A Norvell Note for August 16, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 32

No Words

I have no words.

I have more thoughts than I can arrange, more feelings than I can contain, and more emotions than I express.

But I have no words.

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note.   

A Norvell Note for August 9, 2021

Vol. 24 No. 31

Being Still Is Hard

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV)

Listen

Lord, I hear You. I know You are God. I know that during the political and worldly chaos that existed when You spoke those words, and amid the political and temporal chaos in our time, You are with us, and You are God. I’ve read these words thousands of times, and I look at the framed version of this verse that hangs on my wall almost daily. I know You are God. I know You are in control.

Lord, I hear You, and I trust You, but being still is the last thing I want to do right now.

Lord, I want to do something. I want to say something. I want to fix things. I want to take away the pain and suffering. I want to make things better. I hear You, but being still is hard right now. I suppose that’s why You want me to be still.

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.” (Psalm 46:10, The Message)

If I’m saying and doing and fixing, then I have not stepped out of the traffic and not taking a long, loving look at You. But it feels like this: “Oh, imagine yourself in a building, up in flames being told to stand still.” (Sara Bareilles and John Legend)

I know that my power and strength come when I am still and present now. I know that when You tell me to be still, it is for my good, so I am trying to be still and keep my eyes, mind, and heart focused on You.

I’m trying, Lord, but right now, being still is hard.

[Keep up with Norah’s updates at Tom on Facebook]

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2021 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved

You may read past articles at A Norvell Note.