What He Prayed

A Norvell Note

Vol. 28 No. 5

2-5-24

What He Prayed

The fact that Jesus took time to pray for His followers shortly before he went to the cross is humbling and astonishing. Now consider what he prayed.

He prayed for His followers to have joy. (6-13)

He prayed for His followers to be protected from the evil one. (14-16)

He prayed for His followers to be made holy. (17-10

He prayed for His followers to know unity. (20-26)

But the first thing He prayed for was for His followers to know Him.

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

He wanted those who were and would become His followers to experience Him completely, not just know about Him. Not just memorize His words and stories so you can repeat them and sound like You know Him.

Knowing someone is dramatically different from knowing about them. Jesus wants His followers to know Him so that we can help others know Him.

He prayed for His followers to know Him. This is eternal life. Is there anything more important?

Tom

He Prayed for Us

A Norvell Note

Vol. 28 No. 5 – 1-29-24

He Prayed for Us

One of the most touching passages in the Bible is John chapter 17, which begins with these words: “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:” Then, He began to pray for His followers, He began to pray for you and me.

Pause a minute and take that thought in. Jesus Christ, not long before He went to the cross, took time to pray for you.

Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to pray for countless people. Some by request, some simply because I knew they were struggling. It was from a stage up front, sometimes in their home, sometimes from beside their bed in a hospital room or their home, and many times from the quiet of my study. I am always honored and humbled to pray for people. It’s not unusual for them to respond with gratitude and a reminder of how much it meant for me to pray for them.

There have been many times when the roles change. I’ve asked for prayers from friends, family members, and strangers. Many have prayed for me without me requesting or knowing. It is always appreciated and humbling. Thank you when you have prayed for me, and I hope you will never stop.

So, when I read that Jesus “looked toward heaven and prayed,” I realized that His prayer was partly for me. That is a lot to take in. It also reminds me that praying for others and knowing that others pray for me is no small matter.

During my years of preaching in Brunswick, Georgia, Mrs. Mamie would remind me every time I visited her at home or in the hospital, she would take my hand as she walked out the door at the end of a sermon of this verse: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. “(James 5:16) And usually she would add, “You keep praying for me.”

So, are you praying for others? Who are you praying for? Do they know you are praying for them? Are you asking others to pray for you? Jesus reminds us that it’s a good thing.

Let’s keep praying for each other.

Tom

Under Construction

A Norvell Note

Vol. 28 No. 4

1-22-24

Under Construction

Driving through our neighborhood and the surrounding community, you will see construction. Houses, apartments, businesses, schools, and a senior living center are being constructed. In the fifteen months since we moved into our neighborhood, we have seen the area change dramatically. You are seeing the same growth in your area.

I look at the new streets, concrete slabs, and wooden frames and wonder what they will be. As the construction progresses, the buildings take shape, and it becomes clear.

The same curiosity exists when I look at people.

A baby is born, and I wonder what she will be. She grows and matures and eventually takes her place in the adult world.

When a young man graduates from high school, some are amazed, some are confident that he will do well. But no one knows for sure.

You watch a young person receive her degree and walk off the stage into the world of professionals, hoping and praying that she will thrive.

A couple stands before God, family, and friends, filled with dreams and plans. We don’t know what kind of marriage they will have or if they will survive.

Before the first shovel of dirt is moved, we, as observers, try to imagine what the completed structure will look like, what it will be. Whether I know or can envision the finished product is not important. The builder knows.

Before a human being takes a breath, we try to imagine who and what they will be. The one who knows for sure what a building will look like and what it will be when it is completed in the builder. The Creator is the only One who knows what a person will be. That’s what is important.

He knows who I am, where I am, who I will be, and where I will be. That’s good enough for me.

“God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in! (Psalm 139:1-6)

Tom

Agenda for Life

A Norvell Note

Vol. 28 No. 3 – 1-15-24

Agenda for Life

“Agenda for Life

Practice hiddenness.
Do good. Expect nothing in return.
Love your enemies. Love all people.
Focus on others.
Sowing and reaping. Remember, it takes time.”

I wrote those words inside the small New International Version New Testament that I carried throughout college. They were also written inside every other Bible I’ve had since then. I’ve looked at them hundreds, maybe thousands of times.

There were times when I lost passion for ministry and became confused about how I was supposed to live, and I would go back to those ideas and do a reset.

I heard those words while listening to Landon Saunders when I was eighteen or nineteen. From that moment, Landon became the voice of wisdom, reason, and hope I longed to hear whenever I had the opportunity. As I watched the streaming of his memorial services from Dallas, the clips shared of him speaking and the stories shared about how he lived brought tears to my eyes and conviction to my heart.

Thank you, Landon, for your impact on my life.

Tom

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

A Norvell Note

Vol. 28 No. 5

2-5-24

What He Prayed

A Norvell Note

Vol. 28 No. 5 – 1-29-24

He Prayed for Us

A Norvell Note

Vol. 28 No. 4

1-22-24

Under Construction

A Norvell Note

Agenda for Life

A Norvell Note

Change

A Norvell Note

No More Leftovers

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