A Norvell Note

Vol. 17 No. 30 | July 28, 2015

You have searched me, Lord,

 and you know me. 

You know when I sit and when I rise;

 you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely. (Psalm 139:1-4, NIV)

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I was rude to the lady that answered the phone and did not provide me with the information I wanted.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how irritated I was when I was sitting in that line of traffic that was not moving, and there was no apparent reason for the stoppage.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how sad I was to read about another senseless shooting in movie theater.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how hard it was to tell my family good-bye when the family reunion ended last week.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I was rude to the man trying as hard as he could to fix our air conditioning. And You know that when he called me on my sarcasm, I felt awful and apologized profusely, and thanked him for accepting my apology and for working to help me.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know when I woke up Monday morning I was expecting to a quiet and normal week. You also know how quickly that changed when I was asked to accompany our youth group on a mission trip to the City of Children in Mexico…LEAVING SATURDAY MORNING. You also know how much trouble I had shifting my thinking to accept this is obviously Your good plan for me. You also know that once I adjusted my heart to be in tune with Yours how much I am looking forward to the trip.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know all the ways I have fallen short this week in living to bring glory to Your name.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know thankful I am to be able to sit in an air conditioned coffee shop with a very light weight computer write this article.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that even when it is a good Friday afternoon it can be a very lonely time.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how much I miss my children and my grandchildren when I cannot be with them as often as I would like.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how amazed and thankful I am that my wife and I are approaching our 40th anniversary.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know how appreciative I am that You trust me to speak for You and lead Your people on a regular basis even though You are familiar with all my ways.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know, and I hope understand, how extremely disappointed I am and how discouraged I become when we, Your people, allow ourselves to be distracted from the building of the Kingdom by focusing on the trivial and mundane.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I know that there is nothing about me that is deserving of Your love, and how that is beyond my comprehension.

Since You are familiar with all my ways, then You know that I cannot adequately express how grateful I am to be called one of Your children…especially since You are familiar with all my ways.

You, Lord, are familiar with all my ways, and yet you love me. Thank You.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 29 | July 20, 2015

The 9th annual Mangum Family Reunion (my mother’s side of our family) drew forty-two of us from Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee to my hometown of Hope, Arkansas. What was designed for and intended to be a family reunion turned out to be much more for this dependent of Floyd and Agnes Mangum.

Going back to Hope is always a nostalgic experience. There are certain sites that are always a part of visits to Hope. Visits to Hope always include a drive through Fair Park, a drive by Hope High School, a journey through downtown (what’s left of it), and of course a passing look at the old home place. The family has finally all moved away, so these days overnight visits require a stay at one of the hotels. That in itself is difficult to grasp. Staying in a really nice hotel only a mile from where I grew up is strange.

Thought different from past visits this reunion in Hope provide several familiar reminders of days gone by and days ahead.

First, I was reminded that there is no place like home and there is nothing like family. Though I have occupied several houses and claimed to be at home in many other places since I left in 1970, Hope is always a trip home.

Second, no matter what is going on in the world or how much it appears (as Willie Nelson sings) “the world is spinning hopelessly out of control,” or what is going on in my little part of the world I am grateful that I have Hope to remind me that running the world is not my responsibility. This weekend I remembered that though at times I try to make everything that happens in the world my fault, my responsibility, or to somehow revolve around me, it does not. It is not my purpose to keep the world spinning. It does not spin around me. I am on board for the ride.

Third, no matter how tired I become from trying to make sure the world keeps spinning, or just how weary I become from trying to deal with life at it comes at me, there is a place of rest and renewal. That place involves being with family and being home. Mostly it involves remembering that the Lord has always and will always be in control.

Fourth, our reunion in Hope forced me to accept that some have grown tired, weary, and some are wearing out. Some have stumbled and fallen. Some are no longer with us. This reunion in Hope also reminded me that as some grow weary and pass on new life continues to renew us, refresh us, and restore our souls and give us hope. Because our hope is in the Lord our strength is renewed and that like others who have gone on before us we will soar on wings like eagles…we will run and not grow weary.

The reunion in Hope was designed to reunite our family. It did. But for me, possibly equally important was my reunion with Hope Thank You, Father for the reunion in Hope.

Isaiah 40 (NIV)

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord,
or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.

18 With whom, then, will you compare God?
To what image will you liken him?
19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol that will not topple.

21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

25  “To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 27 | July 5, 2015

There sure are a lot of different smells! Odd way to begin an article, right? Seriously, have you ever noticed all the different smells and aromas you encounter every day?

As I leave home in the morning and walk from the bathroom, through the bedroom, through the kitchen through the laundry room, through garage, outside and into my car. Each room has a different aroma. From the fresh smell of soap and shampoo and cologne in the bathroom, I pass through the bedroom where the new quilted Coverlet has a unique scent. The kitchen smells of brewed coffee and toasted English Muffin. The laundry room smells detergent and hot water. The garage reminds me that it has been raining during the night and the humidity is high. Outside the wet grass and pavement gives off a special and somewhat unpleasant smell. Inside the car I remember that we brought home leftovers from the restaurant last night.

Driving to work the aroma of Starbucks drifts through window at the drive through. The fragrance of freshly mowed grass seeps through the air vents from the fields on both sides of the road to replace the stifling exhaust from a semi. An occasional stop at the local Donut Palace offers the tempting aroma of freshly baked pastries.

Walking from my car to the office building I notice a neighbor across the street has downed a tree and the scent of cut wood floats across the parking lot. Inside the door is the familiar smell of the workplace that has no real identifiable source. Passing through the offices one may notice the fragrance of fresh flowers or candles are not uncommon.

Further down the hall one detects that meals are being prepared in the kitchen one floor below. Opening the door to my office it is obvious that the door has been closed and the air has not circulated since Friday afternoon. Turning on the fan and lighting a beach-scented candle restores a freshness to the office.

The variety of odors, aromas, fragrances, and smells on any given day seems to have no limit. The hospital. The grocery store. A restaurant. Coffee shops. Office buildings. People. Each one has its own unique aroma and fragrances. Each uniquely suited for the place or the person. Each one seems to carry a specific image or memory from another place and another time.

It is that imagery that Paul uses to describe what we are to be as followers of Jesus. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, NIV)

Just as walking through a house, or by driving down the street one can experience a variety of pleasant and unpleasant aromas, how we conduct ourselves as we move through the world will produce either a pleasant or unpleasant aroma to those with whom we interact. To our God we are “the pleasing aroma of Christ.” What are we to those around us?

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 26 | June 29, 2015

One day last week I was not feeling well. Had been having some things that did not feel just right and finally decided to go get checked out. Call the doctor, got an appointment, went to see him, checked me out, made a diagnosis, prescribed meds, started taking them, all within a twenty-four hour period. What a world we live in!

While I was in the doctor’s office, after we had discussed my situation he said, “I’m going to talk to my computer for a moment.” He did. I left the office. Within a few minutes my pharmacy called and an email arrived in my box saying, “Your prescription is ready for pick-up.” What a world we live in!

Driving home one day my daughter and granddaughter called wanting to FaceTime with me. I pulled over into a shaded spot in a parking lot and for the next thirty minutes or so, I could see and hear them, they could see and hear me. We shared things that are going on in our respective worlds and I could see and hear my granddaughter as she told me all kinds of things that she understood completely. Twenty minutes later I received a call from my son on my cell phone as he walked through the streets of his city and I drove through the streets of mine. Less than half of an hour later after I had gotten my daughter-in-law and other granddaughter called to FaceTime with me. For thirty minutes or so I watched and listened to them, and they to me as we again shared the details of our day and week. What a world we live in!

My wife came home the other night with a little disc in a red plastic container. I took the disc put it in a machine, changed a few settings on out television and we watched a movie right there in living room while we were eating dinner. If we wanted to pause it, we did. If we missed a line we hit rewind and listened again. What a world we live in!
While I was sitting in a waiting room instead of picking up one of the outdated magazines on the table next to me I opened up this device I had in my hands and began to read news stories, messages, jot down a few thoughts in my sermon notes, and read part of a chapter of a book. What a world we live in!

When last week’s big news stories broke, within seconds the social media sites were exploding (so I am told) with the opinions of anyone and everyone who chose to share one. The opinion could be a popular one or it could be one that produced annoyance, irritation, and anger. The posts could be intelligent, respectful, and thoughtful comments, or they could be worded so as to express the ignorance and hate of the individual expressing them. I am sure there were, and are, plenty of both. Discussions began. Arguments erupted. Battle lines were drawn. All were free to speak their mind, voice their opinion, and declare their convictions. What a world we live in!

On Sunday morning I drove to our church building, gathered with believers in the God who created us all, we sang songs of praise, we offered prayers to the Living God, we opened His Word and studied from it, and encouraged one another to go out into the world and share His message. There were no barriers. There were no restrictions (other than what we placed on ourselves). We worshipped freely and openly. What a world we live in!

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 25 | June 22, 2015

Disclaimer: I do not speak Duck or Robin. I have not studied the Duck culture (please do not report me to the Duck Dynasty), and I have never gone undercover (perhaps under-feather would be more appropriate) to watch and learn the ways of Robins. Nor have consulted an Ornithologist to check the accuracy of what I am about to present. I am just an ordinary guy who recently saw a one-legged duck and later that same day took notice of three Robins in a rose garden.
The one-legged duck (actually it was a one-and-a-half-legged duck) was on the fringe. It did not appear that the other ducks were being unkind or keeping their distance, it simply appeared that this duck felt more comfortable on the fringes. When on the ground the one-and-a-half-legged duck kept some distance between him (not sure if it was him or a her) and the other birds. When he wobbled into the water again he seemed to keep a safe distance as he paddled with his one leg.
Now shifting got the rose garden with the three robins, the atmosphere was quite different. These three robins came together — one from the fence, the other two from other locations in the garden — and shared a worm. They all took a nibble or two then returned to their place. One enjoyed the rest of the worm while perched atop the fence, the other two went back to search for more. After a search they came together again to share their findings, chat a bit then flew away.
I noticed that the three robins seems happy. The three robins seemed concerned about each other. The three robins seemed to be helping one another. The three robins seemed to enjoy being one another.
As I pondered these interesting creatures I was reminded of interactions I have observed within our spiritual communities.
Is there a one-and-a-half-legged duck in your church? You know them. Or, at least you have seen them. They come in late. That find a seat in an area where few people sit. During time of fellowship they leave early, or they keep to themselves. The only interactions are those initiated by someone else. He is not opposed to the connections, he probably would not be resistance to more in depth conversation, and even developing a relationship. He will not resist it but he will never be able to make the first move because he has been injured. You cannot see his injury because it is on the inside.
The robins are a different kind of church. They are friendly, loving, caring, and devoted to one another. If one has a need, all others rally to provide that need. If one struggles then all struggle. If one rejoices they all rejoices. Joy abounds within the community
The challenge here is for you, and your church, to look beyond the injury that has crippled the one-and-a-half-legged duck. The challenge is love him as he is, injured, broken, and weak. It will be up to you to approach him, welcome him, show him you can trust him, and become a safe place for him, when he is ready and willing, to reveal his injury to you. The reward for you, and for the body, will be when the one-and-a-half-legged duck is restored to become a vibrant and resourceful member of his new found family.
Whether yours is a community of robins or you are a one-and-a-half-legged duck, there is a place for you to use your gifts and abilities to serve others and bring glory to God. The challenge here is for you to be who God has created you to be, and to become.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 23 | June 8, 2015

Norma Lee Taylor (November 18, 1926 – June 2, 2015)

Every now and then something happens that as it is happening you realize that because of it your life will never be the same. That was the case at a few minutes before 11:00 last Tuesday night when we got the call that Nana (my wife’s mother) had taken her last breath. Prayers were answered as she peacefully and quietly took a couple of breaths and went home to be with the Lord.

In those moments your mind our minds filled with memories and swirled with details. We knew it was coming. We had prepared for it. She knew it was coming so she had made preparations that would lessen our burden. There Were people to call. We would need to finalize the arrangements. We would need to discuss schedules and travel plans. We knew it was coming, but still we were frozen in disbelief.

Grief is often described as a wave in the ocean. It comes out of nowhere when you least expect it and knocks you for a loops. You recover the best you can, get your bearings, steady yourself, then suddenly another wave hits you from behind and takes you down. That certainly describes the experience of the last ten months as our family and friends walked with Nana, and with each other, through declining health and eventual death. As we hold on tho the memories to encourage and comfort us we will periodically be swept away by other waves of sadness and loss. We will also be refreshed and restored by memories of joy and laughter and a life lived long and well.

In the sprays that followed we shared memories of Nana’s strength and determination. We recalled occasions when because of her sheer determination to make life better she worked hard, she provided food, she offered financial assistance, she made phone calls, she served on boards, she offered advice, she asked questions. She could really ask questions. And, if she did not hear the answer she wanted, she would often ask it again, and again, and again. Even if you repeatedly gave the same “I don’t know” answer she assumed you would surely know the answer if she would still ask it one more time..

We remembered times when she helped her husband achieve his career goals.  We reminded each other of how when he was sick she stepped up and did whatever she needed to do to get him help, get him where he needed to be, and stayed with him until the issue was resolved. We recounted how she stayed with him to very end, relentless in her efforts to make sure he was cared for and provided for as he should be.

Her children shared how Nana had provided for them through her love, her words, her written notes, her financial assistance, her direct eye-to-eye confrontations. They shared stories of how she stepped in when there was no one else to step in. We heard stories of how she cared for her own mother, making sure the received the best care available to her, and again how she was with her to the very end.

We read hand-written notes where she stated the guidelines for her long-term care: how she wanted to spend her last days, where she wanted to spend them, and how they were to be paid for. Nana was a woman who knew what she wanted and was not afraid to let it be known. She was a woman who had definite feelings of what she expected from you. If you failed to fulfill those expectations, she was not afraid to let you know.

Grandchildren told of conversations on growing up, marriage, politics, trips they had taken together, and times when she had reminded them that there is a right way to live and that the right way was what assumed you would want as we. We remembered how she had encouraged all of us to do our best, to carry our own weight, and exert whatever effort necessary to make sure we reached or exceeded our potential.

Nana supported causes and people she believed in. When a need seemed insurmountable or too big to handle, she found a way, or manufactured one. She was a faithful wife and a devoted mother. She was loving grandmother, great-grandmother, church member, neighbor, and friend.

As the wife,of a university professors wife for almost fifty years, Nana displayed her extensive wisdom and strength with dignity, and grace. She finished her life in the same manner. Lingering longer than anyone expected or could predict, she spend her last days in the place she wanted,  in the manner she wanted, and with the people she wanted.

For almost forty-two years I have been the recipient of her unconditional and unreserved love. I could not have ever imagined a better mother-in-law. Through the years we talked about the trivial things of life, and we talked about some of the most serious things. She encouraged me as a preacher, as husband, as a father, as a grandfather, as a writer, as a christian man, and she always considered me to be a much better person than I could ever possibly be. She loved me, and I loved her. I will miss her. All who knew her will miss her.

Paul’s words describe Nana’s current status very well. “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8, NIV)

Thank you, Nana for loving us and letting us know and love you. I hope that in your new dwelling place you have finally had that conversation with my mother that you’ve always wanted to have.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 22 | June 1, 2015

One of the recurring tasks of life seems to be finding the balance in holding on and letting go.

When you drop off your child for their first day of school parents struggle with finding the balance between letting go and holding on. You experience the same struggle when they transition from elementary school to middle school, and from middle school to high school.

When a parent watches their son walk across a stage to receive their diploma they are smiling on the outside, but on the inside they are trying to find the balance between holding on and letting go. So is their son.

When a mother gets her child settled into their first dorm room or apartment she struggles with the finding the balance between letting go and holding on.

When a father walks his daughter down the aisle he rehearses his response to the question: “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Even when he manages to verbalize the words in his heart he is struggling to find the balance between letting go and holding on. So is she.

When a couple reaches a mutual decision that it is time for their relationship to end a major part of their struggle is to find the balance between letting go and holding on. They believe it is the right decision, but what if it is not.

It is not long after the birth of a child that parents are forced to come to terms with the struggle to find the balance between letting go and holding on. We call the parents who struggle to let go “helicopter” parents. We call the parents who let go too much neglectful.
As we experience the aging process where we are forced to accept that we cannot do all the things we once did we struggle with finding the balance between letting go and holding on. As we watch life slowly drain from the body of a loved one we struggle with finding the balance between letting go and holding on.

Although he spoke with confidence and determination, one has to wonder if Paul did not also struggle a bit with finding the balance between letting go and holding on, when he wrote: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)

There is a balance. Holding on seems natural. Holding on often seems to the right thing to do. At the same time letting go may feel cold and indifferent and wrong. There is a balance between letting go and holding on. May you have wisdom, patience, and peace as you search for that balance.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 17 No. 21 | May 25, 2015

It did not seem like a big deal. We were invited to an event, so we went. We enjoyed the gathered and well received. The people who invited us could not stop thanking us. As we left the event they thanked us. Later that night we received a text thanking us again. The next morning we received another text thanking us again. It did not seem like a big deal, but to these people it was a really big deal.

It is what I do. I am a counselor. I listen to people, I try to show compassion and offer godly wisdom when possible. It does not seem like a big deal. To person who is hurting it apparently is a big deal. I have received letters, notes, emails, texts, phone calls, handshakes, hugs and face to face conversations thanking me for doing what I do.

He probably has no idea what an impact he had on me. He was a basketball coach I was a very average junior high kid who wanted to play. I later came to know him better as a godly man with a family, successful in his business, active in the community and his church. His example has stayed with me all these years. He probably has no idea what a big deal it was for him to be kind and encourage that average junior high kid.

He probably did not think it was a big deal. He was my seventh grade math teacher. That was the year my mother died. I was having a difficult time. He knew it. He showed a sad scared and confused seventh grader considerable kindness and grace as he helped me finish the school year with decent grades. I still remember is fifty-one years later. To him it probably did not seem like a big deal.

They may have never realized what a big deal it was for them to be so kind to me. I was just the high school boy dating their daughter. They showed that high school boy an incredible amount of graciousness by feeding me more times than I could recall, taking me to places I would have never gone, introducing me to pizza, and being there when I had questions about faith and church and life. They were just being who they were…wonderful Christian people. Little did they know that the high school boy who was dated their daughter was watching them, listening to them, learning lessons from them that he tries to practice all these years later. To them it probably did not seem like a big deal.

I do not know if he realized what a big deal it was for him to take notice of me. He was the preacher and I was just a high school senior who decided to make a commitment to Jesus. He encouraged me. He always noticed me and acknowledged my presence. When there were major things going on in my world he managed to be there with a kind word, a gentle spirit, and usually some amount of money to help me get through college. To him it probably did not seem to be a big deal. To me it was a big deal and his shepherding ministry lives on.

She may not have considered it to be a big deal when she welcomed me into their home as a young man who would eventually marry her daughter. She saw more potential in me that was actually there. She gave me credit for being a better man than I could possibly be. She praised me a husband and as a father and as a minister and as an important member of the family. To her it was probably not a big deal. To me it has been appreciated for nearly forty years and will be appreciated for the rest of my life.

One time Jesus said these words, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42, NIV)

As we go through life we will have many opportunities to give “a cup of cold water to one of these little ones.” Let’s do everything in our power not to miss those opportunities. Let’s notice and acknowledge when someone gives us a cup of cold water. It may not seem like a big deal at the time, but with God’s involvement for some little one it may be a huge deal.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.