Walnut Ridge Ramblings

Spring is coming!

2009-03-08T13:04:00.003-05:00

After our snow storm just one week ago, temps have risen and spring is making its comeback. Watch for photos of my daffodils in the slideshow feature to the right.

My daffodils have put on the best show yet. I have been planting daffodils for nearly fours years. This year you can see the pay-off. This year's blooms include about 6 new varieties that I got while visiting the boys in TX and hunting the sale bins at Home Depot at the end of the season. I didn't expect much from this new bulbs this year since I planted so late, but I have been surprised at the number of new blooms even though the bulbs haven't been in the ground long. I'm also glad the moles, voles, and squirrels did not make tasty winter meals of them.

Yesterday I planted snow peas and green peas, although I'm planting them about 2-3 weeks late. I'm hoping they will make before the heat burns them up. Today I will plant lettuces, spinach, and Swiss chard. The years of adding the best horse manure in Lawrance County to my beds is also paying off. The soil in my raised beds is so loose and dark and warm and airy, I'm afraid to drop a toothpick for fear it will root and sprout! Gardeners--always optimistic and they can lie like fishermen.

Today in Youth Sunday School I taught Psalm 93. One of the verses there was once used by the church to "prove" that the earth was the center of the solar system and every other heavenly body revolved around it. But, the Hebrew writer had no such "modern" physics in mind. Instead, God in his sovereignty created a world stable enough for God to rule over and stable enough for His work to thrive. Creation is the display case where God's common and special grace is manifest. This verse spoke to me as I thought about one season giving way to the next, God's plan and order always evident and always working. God is in charge. Period. He has proven his sovereignty so well we can trust this great God with all things.

Winter's Back!

2009-03-01T08:28:00.003-06:00

What started as rain early yesterday turned to snow and we had plenty for the rest of the day and night. The news said some areas near us got over a foot, but in my windblown front yard, I only had a few inches. Some drifts were almost at my knees. No church, at least for this morning. The wind is still blowing hard and cold although the white blanket around us is beautiful. The beauty is mainly that we still have power and warmth, unlike a month ago in the great ice storm. Here's my suggestion to ol' man winter:

Watch later for snow photos in the slideshow at the right.

Chapel Update

2009-03-01T08:20:00.005-06:00

The progress on the new Manley Chapel is moving forward with great speed. The roof and skylight is complete. Most of the steel studs are in place. The channels for the massive windows can be seen. The particle board sliding which will receive the stone work is mostly in place. You can also see the beautiful woodgraining in the major arches is being uncovered. Please continue to help us pray for this important project.

Ice Storm Aftermath

2009-02-05T06:50:00.006-06:00

We are about back to normal. We received electricity again just into the tenth 24-hour period of the outage. Fortunately, it came just after dark when we were expecting the temperatures to drop to 18 degrees. That was on Tuesday night. Our cable and internet services resumed yesterday. Most of the mess on campus has been cleaned up but Walnut Ridge is a terrible sight and many of the communities around us will not receive power again for many days.
Unfortunately, my new camera went on the fritz and quit focusing. I added this blurry shot thinking it might show a sense of the destruction. It is basically the same shot as our masthead. I thought you might want to see the difference, like a before-and-after comparision.

Well, we are safe and sound, warm and full, so what more can we ask? We have had a great time of community during this storm, sharing meals with neighbors, working together to clean up and solve problems. There has been a real sense of belonging and caring in the Cove, giving me a glimpse of what life in a geographical community of faith ought to be like. I'll post more photos (not the blurry ones!) to the slide show on the right when they become available.

The Iceman Cometh

2009-01-27T09:12:00.006-06:00

We are in the middle of a huge icestorm, coating our area with a thick layer of ice. As you can see in the photo, large limbs are coming down. The power has blinked several times, but we are fully expecting it to go out. The limb behind my truck is in the neighbors' driveway, barely missing their car. Check the slide show feature for more pictures.

Chapel Progress Update

2008-12-29T16:43:00.002-06:00

Here's the progress on the WBC Manley Chapel. As you can see, the roof decking is in place and the tar paper is applied. Keep praying for this project and its impact on eternity.

Christmas in the Cove

2008-12-10T08:16:00.004-06:00

The slide show currently running is snapshots of Christmas in the Cove, or at least the Norvells' part of that. We are the S'mores house. Many of the homes in the faculty housing area are opened for students. They come and visit. Each home has a different snack. It is always a great time. Since ours is outside, weather is always an issue but this year was only cold; no gale force winds like previous years. The cold made the fire all that much more enjoyable. Anyway, we had a wonderful evening with students and friends. This is just one example of the many things that make Williams such a great institution.

A few more Caleb Photos

2008-11-30T20:18:00.004-06:00

2008-11-29T13:27:00.005-06:00

Caleb is home and doing excellent. Lydia is recovering well. She and Jon are adjusting well to their new roles as parents.

2008-11-28T00:30:00.008-06:00

This is the Caleb with his mom and dad.

Introducing Mr. Caleb Alan Norvell

Grandparents Mary and Walter with Caleb.

Caleb has arrived!

Caleb Alan Norvell arrived at 9:32 pm, Nov. 27 at Fort Worth, TX. He was 6 lbs. and 14 oz. and was 21 inches long. Caleb, mom and dad are all in great shape. Here are a few pictures. I'll add more in the slide show to the right later.

2008-11-22T18:43:00.001-06:00

Reflections on Waiting for Caleb

Caleb was due November 21. He’s late. But as Caleb delays I remember the New Testament’s illustration of waiting for Jesus’ return (John 16:21; Romans 8:22). Like the expectant mother, the evidence of Jesus’ return is clear. Something is about to change. Something is about to be birthed. Someone is coming. Lydia is experiencing all the symptoms of impending birth: stretch marks, swollen ankles, little feet and elbows pushing and jabbing on every vital organ in reach. Jonathan is experiencing impending birth, too, but his experience is different. His experience is attentive waiting. He is sure a birth is coming but he must wait expectantly.

Jesus’ return is sure. The whole realm of nature awaits His coming. It groans in the birth pains of the moment. But, the birth pains point to the advancing reality—Jesus is coming back.

Hurry, Caleb. We are expecting you. We are anxious to see you. We want to stand in amazement and gaze without interruption on you. We can’t wait to stand in your presence and give you our love.

Hurry, Jesus. We are expecting You. We are anxious to see You. We want to stand in amazement and gaze eternally on You. We can’t wait to stand in Your presence and give You our love.

Caleb Predictions

2008-11-20T17:16:00.009-06:00

Here are the predictions:

XMommy the Human Napkin 11/16 1:50 PM
XTricia 11/18 4:31 PM
XLydia 11/21 4:30 PM
XKarenD 11/21 7:30 PM
XCarolyn 11/22 3:00 AM
XLeanna 11/22 4:45 PM
XMargie 11/23 7:30 AM
XTeresa 11/23 1:44 PM
XKaren N 11/24 3:15 AM
XJonathan 11/24 6:45 AM
XWalter 11/25 6:15 PM
XMary 11/26 12:15 AM
Sunshine 11/27 9:30 PM ***THE WINNER!*** Only missed by 2 minutes!

The tension is mounting!

All Arches in Place

2008-11-19T17:35:00.003-06:00

All the arches for the new Manley Chapel here at WBC are in place. Today was a very windy, blustry day but the crews wrestled the last two arches into place inspite of the wind. I wish you had a way to see the perspective of the size of this chapel. If I were standing next to one of the concrete base columns, they are about twice my height. Keep praying for this project: workmen, donors, and all the future students who will worship here and catch a glimpse of the great God we serve. -W

2008-11-02T17:31:00.004-06:00

Today I had the privilege of preaching the ordination sermon for Wade Drury. Wade is a WBC graduate and worked in our Admissions Dept. for two years. He has just begun work at NOBTS. He pastored Old Walnut Ridge Baptist Church for several years and they ordained him today. We are very proud of this young man and his commitment to the Lord. The first picture shows Wade with Mary and me along with Dr. and Mrs. Bob Magee. The second picture is Wade and me. My text was 1 Tmothy 6:11-16.

2008-11-02T08:34:00.004-06:00

Here are pictures our chapel construction process. Six trusses are up in place with seven more to go. The building is becoming more impressive with each passing day. Please help us pray for this project: for the work and safety of the construction crews, for donors, for the services which will be taking place there in less than a year, and for students, that their lives will be changed so that no matter the area of their studies, they will embody our campus slogan, "Disciple all nations."

The First Arch is in Place!

2008-10-10T20:39:00.007-05:00

Today the construction crew raised the first arch of the new Manley Chapel into place. It's a wonderful sight to see such progress. The pictures don't really give you a sense of the scale. The Chapel will be the tallest building on the Williams Baptist College campus. We are very thankful to the Lord for this blessing. Please join us in prayer for the building process and for the many students who will worship here over the coming years. Our college motto (translated from the Greek) is "Disciple All Nations." Pray that our students, regardless of their majors or future careers will become part of that motto. Look to the right on this page to see more photos taken today of the chapel progress. --Walter

Field of Faith

2008-10-08T22:01:00.001-05:00

Tonight was the third annual Field of Faith event in our community. Field of Faith is an FCA-sponsored event, allowing Christian athletes to bring the gospel to other athletes and students. We alternate the observance yearly between our two local high schools, using their football fields. Our college baseball coach, John Katrosh, has fostered this event, but now our college FCA group has grown to the point that students from our college take the lead. Two students shared their personal testimonies and several other students led with Scripture readings and prayer. It was a wonderful evening with testimonies that pointed clearly to God’s redeeming grace. The Lord was truly glorified with this service.

A couple of things really came to mind as I watched this unfold tonight. The first was what terrible personal pain many of our students experience. This generation, while in many ways so favored with material blessings and other advantages, but yet they hurt so deeply. Many are victims of abuse, neglect, and systematic abandonment by all the significant adults in their lives. Many suffer the negative effects of broken vital relationships. As two precious students told their life stories, my heart broke for them and many of their generation—a generation with so much stuff and yet so little substance. I heard stories of neglect, suicide, hopelessness, self-mutilation, and immorality, all trying to put some meaning in their empty lives and stop the hurting they felt. I also heard the stories of God’s powerful grace of hope and healing springing up to redeem and restore. So sad, so inspiring, so victorious!

Second, I thought about the many people who are giving so much to reach and aid this generation: parents, teachers, coaches, school administrators, youth ministers, Sunday school teachers, caring neighbors, grandparents. I realized again how important it is to give ourselves to this upcoming generation. I also remembered that we must be praying and helping those generational “first responders” who are on the frontlines in this battle for a generation.

So, let’s pray for teens and students we know. Even the most grounded and most committed students face enormous challenges trying to negotiate their way through our deceptive postmodern culture. Secondly, encourage and pray for those adults who are waging spiritual warfare for the very lives of kids. When recent storms left devastation, we have heard people say things like how the area looks like a war zone. This generation looks like a war zone. And no wonder—it is a war zone. Pray for salvation and peace.

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5-6 NIV) --Walter

Pick a Day and Time for Caleb

2008-09-30T19:25:00.004-05:00

When will Caleb come? Who knows! So, take your best guess. Add a comment and make your guess public for all to see. Give the date and time you think Caleb will make his appearance. But, remember, he's a first baby who usually come late. The full moon will be November 13. The doctor says the due date is November 21. November 27 is Thanksgiving (if cranberries and turkey has anything to do with it). Let's see who has the closest guess.

After you make your date and time guess, being thinking about length and weight. We'll call for those predictions in a couple of weeks.

Foray into blogging

2008-09-29T20:47:00.006-05:00

This is our first attempt in blogging. It's a new world (technologically-speaking) so there is much to learn.

Mary has just returned from Texas, visiting our daughters-in-law. Karen (on the right) hosted a baby shower for Lydia (on the left). Baby Caleb is due Nov. 21.