Change

A Norvell Note

1-8-24 – Vol. 28 No. 2

Change

I recently discovered the song Change by Hootie and the Blowfish. This line sticks with me.

“As I grow old, one thing stays the same

Always waitin’ there to meet me is change.”^{^[1]}

Ain’t that the truth! Every day change waits for us.

The weather changes. Everywhere I’ve lived people say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a little while, and it will change.” And it does.

Styles change. Some of today’s styles remind me of styles I saw and wore in the 70s. I’m glad some of those styles from the 70s changed. I hope some of today’s styles change.

People change. Sometimes, we like the change (maybe we prayed for it); sometimes, we don’t. Like it or not, people change.

Teams change. Teams make trades. Players get hurt. Players quit. Coaches get fired. Owners move teams.

We have changes in the workplace. New employees come, and other employees leave. Some change roles within the company.

Health changes. One message, one phone call, or one visit to the doctor can change our world forever.

Hootie expresses a familiar frustration in the song because changes greet us, but that is reality. Change waits for us every day. That is not going to change.

With change being such a constant in our lives, we need something solid and durable, someone we can depend on and rely on. Thankfully, we have that.

^“Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!^[2]

“For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.”^[3]

As you move through your day, change will greet you. Accept the changes. Embrace the changes. Change and grow with the changes. And hold on to the One who does not change.

Tom

^[1] (Songwriters: Lisa Jane Stansfield / Andy Morris / Ian Owen Devaney)

^[2] Hewbrews 12:28,29

^[3] Hebrews 13:8

No More Leftovers

A Norvell Note

1-1-24 – Vol. 28 No. 1

No More Leftovers

The day after Christmas, we had enough leftovers in our refrigerator to feed the eight people who had shared the meals again. As the week went on, we reheated, snacked, and made full meals out of the leftovers. We (at least I had reached the end) tossed most of the leftovers and kept a few that we thought would still be usable and enjoyed a pizza.

As we begin a new year, I wonder if containers of spiritual, emotional, and mental leftovers are taking up space in my mind and heart. Maybe the same is true for you.

What about that foil-covered dish of unforgiveness hidden away on that lower shelf? Maybe you pulled it out, dumped it, cleaned the container, and made space for love. Forgive the person who hurt them.

Why are you keeping that plastic bowl of resentment? It’s only taking up needed space. Forgive the person(s) who hurt you. Has a church injured you? Put that pain and resentment in the garbage?

Is that a container of regrets hiding in that crisper drawer? Pull it out, say goodbye, and toss it. You cannot undo the past. Move on and commit to doing better.

Is that a bottle of anger and hatred on that shelf in the door? Why would you want to take that junk into the new year? Pour that down the drain.

Before you stop cleaning, look at that plate of disappointment you are keeping covered and feed the garbage disposal with it. There is no need to hang on to it any longer.

Aaah. Doesn’t that refrigerator, your heart, look better? Good job.

Remember. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Have a great New Year!

Tom

God Loves the World

A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 50 December 25, 2023

God Loves the World

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” (John 3:16, The Message)

If God loved the world so much, maybe we can too.

Let’s love one another. That’s how people will know we are His.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! (1 John 4:11-12, The Message)

If God loved the world so much, maybe we can too. What a gift that would be!

Tom

Joy Is in the Eyes and Ears of the Observer

A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 49 December 18, 2023

Joy Is in the Eyes and Ears of the Observer

The angels announced, “We bring good tidings of great joy” during events and circumstances that appeared to the casual observer as anything but joyful. I have found that to be true in my own life as well. So, I’ve concluded that joy is in the eyes and ears of the observer. Sometimes, we must search and become serious observers of what is happening in and around us.

When I become a serious observer, I find joy in these things (listed in the order I thought of them, not in order of value or significance).

I find joy when I have a nice meal at a nice restaurant with my wife.

A nice meal with friends.

A good hot cup of coffee.

A quiet, comfortable space to work, reflect, and write.

I find joy in hearing laughter from my grandchildren and my children.

Playing golf with good friends.

Finishing a good book.

I enjoy going on a trip and then coming home to my bed.

I find joy in reunions.

I find joy in holding a newborn baby.

When a soul comes to know Jesus and surrenders to His leadership.

Good music moves my soul, touches my heart, and brings me joy.

I find joy in doing the things I am created to do.

I find joy in eating ice cream.

I find joy in things that are done well.

I find joy near the ocean and in the mountains.

I find joy in a good joke and story that is told well.

I find joy in the story of Jesus’ birth.

These are a few of the things that bring me joy. I look for them, and I listen for them. When I look and listen, I am rarely disappointed. You won’t be either. There is joy all around. Search for it. Enjoy the joy.

Tom

May We Have Peace

A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 48 December 11, 2023

May We Have Peace

One of my wishes this Christmas is that we have peace.

May we have peace.

May we have peace in our marriages.

May we have peace with your children.

May we have peace with all your family.

May we have peace in our workplaces.

May we have peace in our churches.

May we have peace in our neighborhoods.

May we have peace in our cities.

May we have peace in our nation.

May we have peace between nations.

May we have peace in the world.

May we have peace in our hearts.

We may have peace because the God of peace has come to the earth to give us peace.

May we have peace.

Tom

Hope Is Everywhere

A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 47 December 4, 2023

Hope Is Everywhere

Sadness and despair often demand our attention, but hope is everywhere.

I was born and grew up in Hope, Arkansas. I graduated from Hope High School in 1970. I had a shiny silver stone on my desk with the word hope for many years. It broke, and I replaced it recently with a polished black hope stone. I work for Hope Hospice, where we strive to have and share the heart of hope. I see and hear the message of hope everywhere.

Hope is everywhere.

I see hope in the faces of the couple exchanging the vows of marriage.

I hear hope in the voices of expectant parents and parents of newborns.

I see hope in the faces of newborn Christians.

I hear hope in messages of forgiveness and grace.

I see hope when a person makes a leap of faith into the unknown to improve their situation.

I hear hope in the voices of choirs singing of the newborn King.

There is hope when we see soldiers reunited with their families.

There is hope when first responders are honored for their service.

There is hope when Christ lives in His followers.

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

Hope is everywhere. Look for it. Listen for it.

Tom

Thank You for Moments of Peace

A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 46 November 27, 2023

Thank You for Moments of Peace

Thank You for moments of peace.

We find moments of peace in the middle of the day when the noise goes soft, the movement stops, and we close our eyes and take a deep breath.

We find moments of peace in a worship setting with like-minded people in total silence.

We find moments of peace when we hold a newborn baby in our arms.

We find moments of peace when a grandchild crawls up in our lap and falls asleep.

We find moments of peace when the meal ends and sit around the table, sharing the joy with our family.

We find moments of peace when we are alone, all devices or off except for the one playing our favorite music, and we allow our minds to drift wherever the music takes us.

We find moments of peace in coffee shops when that song plays, and we stop what we are doing to listen to it to the very end and then play it again.

We find moments of peace in the car or on a walk alone with our thoughts.

We find moments of peace on the beach or in the mountains, in awe of His creation.

Thank You for moments of peace. We long for them, we enjoy them, we need them.

Tom

Thank You for My Family

A Norvell Note

Vol. 27 No. 45 November 20, 2023

Thank You for My Family

Thank You for my family.

Thank You for the family I grew up with. The family I partly grew up with is my mother (who died when I was eleven), Dad (who died when I was nineteen), my two brothers, and my sister. I was the youngest. My maternal grandparents lived nearby. My aunt and uncle ran a grocery store about a quarter of a mile from our house. That was the immediate family.

We were neither rich nor poor. We had enough to not be in need, but not so much that we were special or looked down on others. That was my family. I loved growing up with that family, and I loved them and still love them. Thank You for my family.

Thank You for my extended family. Thank You for the aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, neighbors, school friends, people who knew my parents, people from our church, and people in the community. These are the people who, in one way or another, contributed to me becoming an adult. They taught me, encouraged me, and loved me. Those still alive continue to teach, encourage, and love me. Thank You for my extended family.

Thank You for my family in the faith. Everywhere I have lived, my family has expanded because of the churches where I served. Our family joined other families, and they became our family. They enriched our family, and we would not have survived some of life’s events without those families. We would not have the joy in life we have without those families.

In this season of giving thanks, I thank You for giving me my family and being my family.

Tom

Thank You

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

Please Don’t Let IT Become the Norm

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

Change

A Norvell Note

No More Leftovers

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