The Roger Bothwell Feed

A Book of Cultures

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-02-08T21:00:49-05:00

Like most American cities Leominster, Massachusetts is a rich blend of a variety of cultures and occasionally there are some misunderstandings as each group makes adjustments to accommodate the others. The more we understand each other the more we live in harmony. Nothing causes more difficulty than one group wanting everyone to be like them. I have noted similar problems when reading the Bible. We sometimes err by thinking the writers of the Bible were like us when nothing could be further from the truth. Not only do we have the cultural differences of various groups of people but horrendous differences in chronology. Just as our great grandparents would suffer culture shock if they could resurrect now, so we think far differently than people that lived two and three thousand years ago.

Often we err by looking at the Bible as one book written at one place in one time. There are over 1500 years between Moses and John. Also it is easy to project Christian values upon Old Testament characters. But to do that falsely colors the stories. Abraham and company were not Christians. They weren’t even Jews. The Jews were the descendants of Judah, the grandson of Abraham. There is the issue of the occidental mind and the eastern mind. Paul was an extremely unique individual educated in both arenas of thought. His letters are an amalgamation of two worlds, two cultures, two philosophies and one very special way to salvation.

How fascinating that God chose to reveal Himself to us via shepherds, politicians, fishermen, farmers, tax collectors, historians, warriors, a philosopher, a physician and a scholar. And the sum of it is an amazing story of God’s love for all cultures, all people and not just our little group.

The Creator

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-02-07T19:50:54-05:00

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: . .” “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” In my dictionary the definition of create is “to use imagination to invent things.” In His likeness God gave us the power to create. We are constantly producing new things and new art. We are continually creating knowledge and literature. It is the hallmark of the human race. Without the power to create we would have no freedom. We would be confined to the ancient paths set out for us with no power to really think or choose.

God is a creator. If He only made the things that He had made before, He would be a manufacturer. Life and planets would be nothing more than clones. God would be a prisoner in the universe bored by thinking the same old thoughts over and over. He would be reduced to a fabulously complicated computer program. He is so much more. He is a lover. He is a nurturer. He dazzles with His creations. It is we who have uglified His handiwork. Yet we also create beautiful new things. I live near an amazing art museum. When I first enter I think I want to stay all day but after an hour or so I need to leave. It is not because my feet hurt. There are plenty of places to sit down. It is my brain that hurts. It is over stimulated by the richness of ideas and beauty.

I am doubtful about God’s physical appearance being very much like us. But I have no doubt regarding the gift of creativity that He has shared.

Reservered Premium Seats

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-02-06T17:42:16-05:00

One of our friends invited us to his high school drama production. Each year he works diligently with his students preparing a really great production. We went a bit early to be sure to get good seats. We need not have hurried. When we walked in the door there were two premium seats with signs that said in big letters, “Reserved – Bothwell.” How grand. We felt important.

In Revelation 14:9 we understand that a third of the angels of heaven accompanied Lucifer when he left heaven. That certainly left a lot of empty seats in God’s throne room. And how will those seats be filled? I cannot but think they are now reserved for the redeemed. Just as Jesus said there is a place for us in His Father’s house (John 14) it makes good sense to follow that with an understanding we also have a seat in the throne room – a reserved seat with our names engraved for eternity.

I have a friend who for the past several years has served in the House of Representatives in Washington. He does not have to search for a seat each time he attends. His seat is well marked. It is his. Just so we need not fear there will not be a place for us. Our seat is well marked and we will use that seat each time we attend one of God’s events.

Unlike today where my reserved seat partially blocked the view of a little guy behind me there will be no blocked views in God’s throne room. Some years ago upon entering a large room I asked the attendant for an unobtrusive seat in the back. He stared at me and said, “We have no such seats.”

Discipline Wins

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-02-03T18:28:44-05:00

It’s Super Bowl weekend. I realize for some of you that means little of nothing. You don’t care. But please excuse me and bear with me. I do live in New England and this is the fifth time in eleven years that the Patriots have won the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. So there will be no surprise as to what I will be doing this coming Sunday evening.

You would expect me to raise a biased voice about the Patriots being the best team. However, the Patriots have a saying we in New England hear over and over. It is, “The team that wins will be the team that performs the best.” Victory is not necessarily the team with the best athletes. If we disregard the fact that misfortune could strike in the nature of an injury to a key player or the bad bounce of the football, which sometimes determines the outcome of a game, the real issue will be discipline. This is not something limited to football but to life itself. Disciplined people with a clear focus and a studied purpose are those most likely to succeed.

Discipline manifests itself by understanding no matter how good you are at something you can always improve. After last week’s division win, Tom Brady, the Patriot’s quarterback, spent a day with a passing coach. Success is not so much what is behind you but what is still ahead. In Luke 16:12 we read, “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” The development of character is disciplined determination to continued growth. No resting on laurels allowed. Prepare for tomorrow.

"I 'yams whats I ams"

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-02-02T22:57:10-05:00

Our brains are most amazing memory organs. From the moment we are born, daily it stores billions of bits of data. The challenge of those first years is for our brains to sort the enormous intake. Little by little as the years go by it gets very good at categorizing stimuli. Soon it begins to form the story of a life. That’s why there can never be another like you because even a twin with the same DNA will experience different stimuli thus forming a unique person all its own. Decades later when we try to remember our childhood experiences we will unconsciously select the memories that harmonize with the self we have become. That is why it is most interesting to listen carefully to the stories people tell of their youth and childhood. It tells us much about who they now think they are. Events that cannot be synchronized are not discarded they are just not remembered even though they are there.

Other than God’s miracle of mitosis over which we had no control we are self made. There is no one to blame other than the person we see in the mirror. No amount of resurrecting repressed memories can excuse who we are and what we do. When we come to God for grace, forgiveness and salvation there is no room for excuses. There is no blaming moms, dads or uncles. The joy is we don’t have to blame anyone. God isn’t looking for shared responsibility. He is looking for a contrite heart and an openness to begin anew. He is looking for a heart that cries out Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

And the answer is (no drum roll needed) “Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Verse 25.

"Them"

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-02-01T22:10:09-05:00

The English language abounds in four letter words. Some are not so nice but there are others that are wonderful like “glad,” “hope” and “love.” There is one that increasingly bothers me more and more. It is “them.” “Them” as in “those people.” I guess it is not so bad when we want to say something nice about “them” but it seems more times than not it is not that way.

“Them” are not “us.” “Them” are “those guys” who are not quite as good as we are. “Them” usually have sinister motives and are not quite as “human” as we are. “Them” are outsiders who can only be trusted if watched carefully.

Paul grew up in a “them/us” culture. He has much to say about this human disease. “. . . He (Jesus) came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household . . .” Ephesians 2:17-19 In Colossians 3:10-11 he wrote, “. . . (we) have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

Who are the “them” in our lives and what can we do to make them “us.” Could it be the change needed is not in “them” but in “us?” Jesus fed two crowds. The one was Jewish and the other was gentile. They both got the same meal.

Dog Treats

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-31T22:45:28-05:00

I bought my dog a bag of beef sticks for snacks. I had planned to keep them in a drawer in my desk but when I opened the bag a cloud of garlic aroma wafted from that bag with such intensity my eyes rolled back into my head. I gave her a couple and later decided to play Dagwood Bumstead by taking a nap on our couch. I wasn’t too long zoned out to the world when I was startled to consciousness by an overwhelming foul cloud. Opening my eyes I found myself staring into two dark eyes a few inches from my nose. She wanted more as she gave me that “cocked head, pathetic, adorable, poor me” look. When you love someone or something, people and pets take on a completely different perspective. I got her another one.

You know the old saying one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Well there is a corollary saying, “One man’s stench is another man’s perfume.” Just stop at a perfume sample counter at the mall. Some are great and some are, well, not so great. We are not very consistent about smells. If we are hungry almost anything food smells great. If we are nauseous the best smells in the world make us even sicker.

I am sure sometimes our behaviors and attitudes reek in the courts of heaven. Yet, His love for us enables Him to continually reach out to us. He does not offer perfume to mask our odor. Instead He offers a transformation of being. By His grace and with His power we are enabled to do sweet smelling acts of love as we become more and more like Him.

Cliffhangers

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-30T16:55:41-05:00

Sundays were wonderful when I was a boy. It was my day with my dad. When the weather was nice we headed for the mountains with our dog. When it was cold and messy we went to the movies. Those were the days when they screened cliffhangers. For quite a while I thought they were awesome. The hero would be left dangling in the most precarious situations possible with no way of escape and the film would end. We had to come back next week to see how he got away. As I got older I caught on that the beginning of next week’s episode was not nearly as frightening as had been portrayed.

In the years that passed I have met innumerable people who are cliffhangers. They say they are Christians but refuse to accept the gift of salvation. They are still trying to earn it and are never sure if they are good enough or have done enough. If you ask them if they are saved they respond with “I hope so.” What a miserable way to live! They want Jesus to come but are scared they will be left behind. So where is the joy of salvation? Where is the peace that Jesus promises?
Life is one great cliffhanger.

Why is it so difficult just to trust Him and take Him at His word? He promised, “He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” It’s a promise the enemy doesn’t want us to think about. If we really do accept it, life ceases to be a cliffhanger. We don’t have to come back next week to know what is going to happen. We know and it’s great.

The Pretty White Pickup Truck

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-26T22:07:25-05:00

I have a neighbor with a really pretty white pickup. As my dog and I were on our daily walk we passed his house and a man was in the driveway. I assumed it was the owner so I stopped to comment on the pickup. “No,” the man said, “I’m a repairman. That’s not my truck.” Now the truck was unusually dirty. It was covered with salt and sand – winter road grime. So I said, “It’s a shame to have such a pretty truck be so dirty.” The repairman laughed and said, “If you think the truck is dirty you should see the inside of the house.” Oops. I guess it’s true we shouldn’t judge a book (house) by its cover.

One of Jesus’ more powerful metaphors is found in Matthew 23. He thundered, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

My temptation here is to do some thundering of my own about television evangelists who are constantly begging for money and promising outrageous things. Last night I heard one say if some poor soul out there would send him money their mortgage would be canceled. But I will resist the temptation to go there and instead focus more on us normal people. Society expects us to be polite. We really shouldn’t go around revealing all our inner nastiness. Instead we need to become inside the way we project ourselves outside. We can do that. Paul promises us that Christ will strengthen us and help us clean house. Let’s do it.

Saved From the Mailman

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-25T22:12:24-05:00

The only sound I hear this evening is my dog snoring. It’s not a harsh raspy snore. It’s a very soft gentle sound that says, “I like it here. I feel safe here.” She is curled up about a foot or so from my desk and her snore is music. It’s a totally different sound than when the mailman comes. I don’t know why she hates the mailman. She hears his truck two mailboxes away and starts to growl. By the time he arrives she is often in a frenzy that instantly dies the moment he pulls away. She looks at me as if to say, “There. I saved you one more time.”

I have heard those words before. I have heard them innumerable times from Jesus. “There.” He says to me, “I saved you.” (He doesn’t say “one more time.” He doesn’t rub it in.) The problem isn’t Him throwing me out of the Kingdom. It’s me drifting away and suddenly waking up to my need to come home again. Then it is that I hear, “There. I saved you.”

Will He ever stop? No. The issue is me making Him say it. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to leave you with the idea that He is capricious. He is so stable. I also don’t want to give the idea that heaven has a revolving door. Not at all. It’s a solid place. I don’t believe every time I disappointment Him He throws me out. He would be a horrible Savior if that happened. It isn’t a matter of individual acts. It is a condition of my not caring and my getting so focused on other things that I am the one who opened the door and left. The wonder is, like my dog, He is always there to save me from the mailman.

Really? Yeah. Really.

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-24T20:14:11-05:00

In his letter to the Philippians Paul wrote, “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Really? Really? What about the day he was stoned and left for dead? What about the night they secreted him out of a city by lowering him in a basket? There were shipwrecks and finally prison. Maybe the key to this statement is the word “learned.” Perhaps he wasn’t so content the day a snake bit him. What about the disagreements he had with Peter and some of the other brethren? This has to be something he learned and I am guessing it was later in life.

He also says two verses later, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” None of us are born this way, especially when he was Saul running about the country killing Christians. The truth is Jesus made an enormous change in his life. The change was so great we don’t even call him Saul any more. He is Paul, the man who grew in Jesus.

If Jesus can do that for someone so impassioned we need to take heart for ourselves. If we think life isn’t working for us Jesus can change our perspective and teach us contentment. Do we think we aren’t getting the recognition and appreciation for how great we do our job? Surely one of the most difficult arenas is getting along with stubborn people who continually irritate us. We wish we didn’t have to be near them and yet we do. Jesus can teach us contentment. And just how is this possible? Jesus will strengthen us for the challenge. We can do all things. Really? Really? Yeah. Really.

If I Were a Bell

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-23T20:32:59-05:00

When I was very little before we moved to the country I loved Sunday mornings. One of the local churches rang the bell in their steeple to call people to worship. It was so beautiful as it echoed through the neighborhood. I have loved church bells ever since. Sometimes while waiting for a traffic light in town church bells begin. I quickly open the car windows to get the full effect. Bells can be pealed for joyous occasions such as a wedding. Bells can be tolled for sad occasions. One of the famous lines in literature is by John Dunne, “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” Or bells can be rung just to tell us it is noon.

If I were a bell I would peal instead of toll. On occasion I hear sermons filled with gloom and doom. Instead I would peal the love of our Jesus and the transforming power of His grace to make us better people. We have so much to peal. Why burden people with bad news? They get loads of that from CNN, NBC and FOX. Sometimes we wonder why attendance at church is low. Could it be that people come weary and leave even more so? The Gospels are the GOOD NEWS.

Recently I read an interesting article about ten ways the world can come to an end. It covered everything from volcanoes to nuclear war. However, the best way wasn’t mentioned. So let us peal it out loud and clear. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

The Hypocrite

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-20T22:17:49-05:00

I was sitting in a waiting room this morning that had one of the machines that makes almost instant hot coffee. You take a small container and insert it in the top, close the lid, press a button and almost instantly coffee flows out. A very tall old guy came over to use it and my wife said to him, “Pretty amazing machine.” To which he responded, “They are wasteful. They are not good for the environment and contribute to the destruction of our world. That is one expensive cup of coffee.” He then made himself a free cup of hazelnut flavored coffee. If I had been up for a confrontation I would have, should have, called him a hypocrite.

We shouldn’t be allowed to have it both ways. If we want to complain about something we should live accordingly. Jesus certainly had words for such people. Matthew 23 is full of Jesus’ indignation over such. Here’s a sample. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are liken unto whitewashed sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

One of Shakespeare’s most quoted lines comes from Hamlet. “The lady doth protest too much.” In psychology we call it a reaction formation. It is defined as when a person is guilty of something and yet strongly crusades against his or her problem. Preachers need to be careful about denouncing something over and over because it soon becomes apparent they have a related problem. While we should not fear to call out sinful behavior that is harming someone, we also need to understand ourselves and why we are saying what we are saying.

The Donut Store Hold-Up Guy

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-19T22:15:17-05:00

The same man held up the same donut store in our town three times in two weeks. He was finally captured when the employee with the headset asked a drive-up customer to dial 911. Either this man needs to go to jail or to a learning facility. Then again perhaps he is smarter than we think! It is very cold here. Winter has arrived and jail is a warm room, a bed and three meals a day. His clothes are provided and he doesn’t have to get up in the morning and go to work. Humm? The more I think about it the more I think he wanted to get caught.

I wonder what the judge will do with him. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to judge righteously and fairly. It seems it would be difficult not to become calloused to all the nonsense and evil. Why would someone want such a job? It is something we need and thankfully there are some willing to do so. Then again I know many people who do a lot of judging when they really should mind their own business.

In I Corinthians 6 Paul speaks of us judging the world and angels. Considering the fact that Jesus will judge the world I have to conclude that Paul means we will have an opportunity to evaluate Jesus’ decisions regarding people we know. Should we discover someone we love is not with us in heaven Jesus gives us the opportunity to check the records and thus understand His judgment was righteous. Difficult as this would be, it hast to be lest we spend eternity thinking Jesus made a mistake. That would have awful consequences.

I hope the donut shop holdup man enjoys his warm accommodations.

A Governmental Issue

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-18T21:40:31-05:00

The esteemed historian Will Durant wrote, “Since men love freedom, and the freedom of individuals in society requires some regulation of conduct, the first condition of freedom is its limitation; make it absolute and it dies in chaos. So the prime task of government is to establish order; . . .” The statement echoes Paul in Galatians 5. In verse 1 Paul declares that we have been set free by the sacrifice of Jesus. As he continues on he warns us not to use our freedom foolishly or we will end up consuming ourselves. “For you, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.” 13-15

Christ has set us free from the obligations of the law. Instead of the law being a standard of conduct to earn salvation, it has become an instructional tool for those of us who need to be taught how to behave in a loving manner. If I love you I will not steal from you. If I love you I will not tell bad stories about you. It is for us who are conduct challenged. In II Corinthians 5:14 Paul wrote that “the love of Christ compels us” to do the right thing.

Freedom is not license to feed out lower nature and harm others. As we can see from the above quote from Will Durant, this is not just a spiritual issue. It is a governmental issue both in kingdoms of man and also in God’s.

Safe to Save

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-17T22:22:48-05:00

She looked to be about ten years old and her maternal instincts were soaring as she came out of the pet store. Cradled in her arms was a plastic bag filled with water. I never did see the fish because she was doing her best to protect it from the single digit temperature in the parking lot. No mother hen was more attentive than she. How could I not but think of Luke 13:34? Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killed the prophets, and stoned them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”

It was Jesus who led the children of Israel out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. It was Jesus who supplied them with water from the rock and manna each morning. For 1500 years He had cared for them and now when He came to them they would not have Him. He did not meet their expectations of what the Messiah was to be.

Often times our loving, caring God does not meet our expectations. When horrible things happen to good people we have to remind ourselves that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. He would love to save us from all pain and suffering but He is involved in a great war with evil. The ultimate victory will only come when we and the universe see where sin and selfishness take us. There are intellectual issues raised by Lucifer that must be resolved so sin will be ended forever. Only then will we be safe to save. We must never be allowed to carry our disease to the rest of God’s kingdom.

"That's All Folks"

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-16T18:20:54-05:00

I’m going to guess when 99% of us hear “That’s all folks” we immediately think of the conclusion to a Loony Tunes cartoon. Usually it’s Porky signing off but occasionally Bugs has the honors. For a few moments the thought crossed my mind that we will never hear “That’s all folks” in heaven because there will be a never ending supply of life, health, learning, talent development, etc. No matter how skilled we get at a particular task there will be more time for more honing.

Then it occurred to me that we will indeed hear “That’s all folks.” When the topic of death arises we can safely say with no possibility of correction, “That’s all folks.” As for pain, “That’s all folks.” As for crime, “That’s all folks.” How about sickness and disease? “That’s all folks.”

When I was a little guy I loved cartoons (still do) and was always just a bit disappointed to hear “That’s all folks.” I wanted the cartoon to continue. I never got (get) tired of Bugs outwitting Elmer Fudd and hearing Elmer say, “You wascal wabbit.” There are certain things that are timeless and I have to disagree with Paul’s comment in I Corinthians 13. Now that I am a man I still have not put away all my childish things. Maybe it’s a male thing. My wife really couldn’t care less about cartoons. But I have occasionally seen her changing clothes on Samantha, her American Girl Doll. Often when I am visiting someone in a nursing home I see a little old lady holding a doll. Or is it a dolly?

I was going to close with “That’s all folks.” But I will write again tomorrow.

Winter Visitors

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-14T21:25:06-05:00

We have two visitors who seem to be comfortable in our woods despite our very threatened dog. They have been with us for almost two weeks. It’s hunting season. I think they feel secure close to a house. This morning upon seeing them and telling them this was her woods our black lab promptly squeezed in between me and the bathroom sink. Perhaps she should stay close to me. A few years ago when we lived in Northern California I looked out the window to see our cocker spaniel come tearing out of the woods with a large deer hot on her tail.

Tomorrow evening the temperature will drop into the single digits. I find myself wanting to invite them inside where it will be warm. However, I know they will be just fine. This afternoon I watched them experience a thirty mile per hour wind gust and they paid no more attention to it than they had the two gray squirrels that scurried between their legs earlier this morning. I’m still waiting to see a moose which my neighbors tell me they have seen.

God was very busy the sixth day of creation. Our world teems with a huge variety of life forms. It is no wonder He finished that day with the pronouncement, “That is very good.” Yes, it was. Now that astronomers are able to spot planets moving around suns thousands of light years away they have announced this week that there are more planets in the universe than suns. If only one ninth of them are as lovely as our earth we have many places to visit. As Robert Frost once said, “and miles to go before I sleep.”

Snowpeople

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-13T18:33:08-05:00

Winter has finally arrived. We awakened this morning to a lovely white blanket covering our brownish yard and the maple and birch branches were outlined in white against the backdrop of a gray sky. It is a heavy wet snow and perfect for snowballs. It packs nicely and has given birth to a new population. Here and there one will spot a portly fellow with a corncob pipe and long thin orange nose.

It’s a temporary population very susceptible to some promised 40 degree days. Like people going into a sauna they will rapidly lose weight, but unlike most people they will not regain it the next day. We also are a temporary population. Our 70 plus years are as fleeting as Mr. Snowman. We melt away and our molecules will most likely once again be used in another human or perhaps a snowman.

If all there is to life is this temporal experience one has to ask why. Of what use or value is this other than a few years of happiness if we are fortunate? I genuinely feel sorry for very bright people who have no hope beyond here. They learn many languages. They get many degrees. Then it all goes the same place Mr. Snowman went. Solomon speaks of its futility. I want so much for them to understand we have an incredible God who wants to build on what they have accomplished. There awaits a never-ending acquisition of knowledge and to speak a multitude of languages without Star Trek’s universal translator button. There is so much science to learn, so many poems to write, so many essays to study and so many places to visit.

Alas, without Jesus we are merely snowpeople.

Sometimes I Forget

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-12T21:40:23-05:00

Some years ago I was driving across the Indiana Turnpike and realized I was close to the university I had attended and if I tuned the radio to the university station I could hear the weekly church service. Much to my delight when the speaker was introduced I knew him. In the next few minutes my delight turned into keen interest for the sermon was one I had written. A year or so prior the speaker’s brother asked if I could help him out with a half dozen sermons. Apparently he had passed them on. As I listened I was sure somewhere in that sermon due credit would be given. It wasn’t.

Was I miffed? Yeah, I was. But the more I thought about it the more I understood how wrong it was for me to be miffed. Number one – I gave it away. Number two – I have never had an original idea in my whole life. Everything I have ever written or spoken has been taken from others. All I ever do is repackage the ideas with different words. And number three – the whole point is to bring glory to God for giving us Jesus and saving us. Why was I wanting the glory? I really needed to put things into perspective. It wasn’t about me. It was and always is about Jesus.

By the time I got halfway across Ohio I had it pretty much worked out. I remembered Revelation 5:12. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”

Many times since I have reminded myself that it isn’t about me. It’s all about Jesus. At least it’s supposed to be. Sometimes I forget.

Priorities

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-11T21:17:44-05:00

One of the enjoyable things in the Gospels are the miscellaneous details. An example would be the 153 large fish in the disciple’s nets in John 21. One of my favorites isn’t a number it’s an aside in Luke 8. Jesus had just raised Jairus’s little girl from death and He instructed her parents to get her something to eat. I realize it is no big deal, especially in comparison to her resurrection, but it tells me so much about Jesus’ care for people.

Real religion isn’t about taboos, food and ceremonies. Paul wrote in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Real religion is what Jesus’ brother James wrote in 1:27. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” I once witnessed one of the “saints” (?), who would die before he touched a ham sandwich, tell his daughter she had to get out of their home. Talk about missing the point.

Some are going to be so surprised to meet people in heaven who never ascribed to any list of doctrinal points. They “merely” loved, cared for and fed people around them. “Merely?” I wonder if WE also have missed the point with our list about the Trinity, baptism, state of the dead, etc. Lest I receive emails regarding this I do think beliefs are important. My point is priorities. Paul does say scripture is profitable for doctrine. It’s just how much importance we place on such. Obviously the historic church has thought it to be important. They burned heretics.

Extremism

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-10T20:13:02-05:00

Once again the hate-filled Westboro Baptist Church plans to dishonor another fallen American soldier with their bile laden picket signs. Their mantra is “Thank God for IEDs” as they call our military dead “fallen fools.”

On December 26 in Israel a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews spat on a little girl and called her a prostitute because they deemed her shirtsleeves to be immodest.

Each week we hear news of suicide bombers in the Middle East killing people who are not their flavor of Islam.

How is it that the one thing in our lives that should make us better people instead fosters extremism, hatred and cruelty? Extremism is a vice that eats away at our humanity and turns us into subhuman creatures willing to do anything. Often times religious people frighten me. If a man thinks he is doing God’s will by killing me he will do it with a smile on his face. They are more frightening than “bad people” who merely want my wallet.

It does not matter if one calls oneself a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim, if one’s religious experience does not make one a more loving, more generous or more peaceful person they are deceived and are children of the disgraced one who was cast out of heaven. I am so happy I discovered who Jesus was when I was a child and was not yet aware of what is done in the name of religion. If I had not done so I am fearful I might never have been anything even closely associated with any group. How delightful it is to know that real religion is one’s personal walk with God and not dependent on human associations.

The Danger of Preaching

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-09T21:54:43-05:00

Preaching is something of which I have an acquaintance. This is a strange activity where a group of people assemble to listen to one person - hopefully speaking uninterrupted. I call it strange because in most of our life’s activities it can be difficult to get people to listen. Often when it appears we are listening we are really waiting for the person speaking to take a breath so we can jump in with our opinion or story. People go to counselors and pay a hundred dollars an hour so someone will listen to them. (Real counselors don’t tell people what do to. They listen and help people sort out their issues.) Yet once a week or so people gather to listen to one person for thirty minutes or so. Instead of paying someone to listen to them, the congregation pays to listen when the offering plate comes by.

In a college setting I meet many young people who aspire to the ministry and I wonder why. If I ask they will tell me God has called them. I believe He does call some. However, often I think some are not even aware of their personal need to be important and to have other people listen to their thoughts. Preaching feeds one’s ego and threatens one’s soul. Personal glorification slowly replaces one’s desire to glorify God. Preaching can be extremely dangerous as one believes the nice things people say to you. We forget that the unnice things are saved for when we are absence.

In 1 Corinthians 1:21 Paul speaks of the foolishness of preaching that people might be saved. Often I think the person who most needs saving is the preacher and not the congregation.

The Walking Sermon

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-05T22:33:07-05:00

Linus once said, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand.” After we finish smiling the meaning sinks in and we realize the little guy was quite wise. When we are face to face with individuals we see their quirks and flaws and are annoyed by them. When we speak of people in general they are more than tolerable. I find myself wanting to give money to people far away but not to people downtown. I stood in line this past weekend behind a fellow who was covered with tattoos. I confess that I was not overwhelmed with feelings of warmth and care. It was then that I dropped my keys and before I could stoop down he had scooped them up for me. He was beaming a big smile as he handed them to me. It was then that I saw the tattoos covering his arms were Scripture. His right arm was the 23rd Psalm and his left arm was Romans 8:38 & 39. While I have never desired a heart tattoo with MOM written under it, I almost wanted to do what he had done. Alas, my arms would not have been as impressive as his large biceps. He was a walking macho sermon; so much for stereotyping and prejudging people.

I realize that while Jesus told us to love others He never told us to like others. Often I have used that as an excuse for my sometimes unlikeable behavior. While I don’t wish to discourage you from helping some small hungry child in Central America, I would like to encourage you to help a child nearby. Not only will it make Jesus happy, it will make you happy.

Uncle Charlie's Funeral

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-06T22:26:02-05:00

Just once I would like to attend a funeral where the pastor would say, “Even though Uncle Charlie spent most of his life as a lying, cheating, neglectful parent and someone who couldn’t always be trusted, he will be with us in heaven by the grace of Jesus.” The truth is all of us are Uncle Charlie in some fashion (just change the list of sins) and none of us will ever see heaven if it wasn’t for the grace of Jesus. How often we spout heresy at funerals by saying such things as, “Surely Uncle Charlie will be in heaven because he was such a good man.” Uncle Charlie’s goodness or lack of goodness is not the Gospel.

So often we believe Uncle Charlie was saved by grace but once that occurred he then had to “do all the right things” to stay saved. We are fearful that if we don’t take this stance then people will continue on in their rottenness and something seems wrong about that. Well, there is something wrong with that. Paul puts it so very well in II Corinthians 5:14. “For Christ's love compels us . . .”

There it is. After Uncle Charlie accepted Jesus, he ceased what he had been and what followed was a life filled with love for Jesus. When we love someone we don’t want to disappoint them. Continuing to be rotten would be very disappointing to Jesus. The point of being saved is for us to have a better life and that can’t happen if we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to begin to direct us toward better behavior.

We try to be faithful not to be saved but because the “love of Christ compels” us to be so.

Negative Campaigning

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-04T20:58:50-05:00

Literally tens of millions of dollars are being spent by politicians telling us true and untrue horrible things about their opponents. The politically harassed people in Iowa are getting up to ten telephone calls a day from political action committees. Lest we have the false idea that negative advertising is something new, let us remind ourselves it has been around a very long time. Before Adam and Eve lost their place in Eden Lucifer had been actively smearing God’s good name. Revelation 12:17 speaks of it beginning in heaven itself. Then it continued in Eden when Lucifer told Eve God didn’t want her to grow and become wise.

Lucifer then became a campaign of horror and destruction blaming God for the resulting death and despair. Hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. are now called “Acts of God.” He has been very effective in blaming God for things. There is a huge religion in the world that proclaims all things that occur are the will of Allah. After all they say if God didn’t will something to occur He would stop it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A million things a day happen that are not God’s will.

Jesus tried to teach us the truth. He told us to call God, “Our Father.” He was hoping we might understand that real fathers while disciplining their children would never ever do anything to harm them. Unfortunately even that doesn’t always seem true because some fathers do unlovingly harm their very own children. The next time we are barraged by negative campaigning just remember who started it. What is sad is that we seem to be gullible enough to pay attention and sometimes actually believe it.

The Key to the Abundant Life

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-03T20:31:12-05:00

I opened an old book this evening and found pressed between the crisp yellow-edged pages two violets. The book is very old and had belonged to my mother. Immediately a torrent of questions poured out of my mind. Where did she get them? Who gave them to her? How long ago did she so carefully spread those precious purple petals to perpetually preserve them? Did she ever return to see them? Were they from my father? One of my sisters? Me? Had I come running in from the backyard to present them to the most beautiful person I knew? Had she kissed me and kept them safely in that old book? I would like to think it was that way but I have no memory of such. I just know that most little boys think their mothers are God’s angels. I was no exception.

Had Jesus ever brought flowers to Mary? Surely He must have done so. In the Sermon on the Mount He speaks of lilies. While He spoke of them did He smile as He remembered their fragrance mingling with the scent of fresh wood shavings on their carpenter’s floor? Life is mostly a conglomeration of memories. Since the events of life are both good and bad the quality of our lives depends upon what we choose to remember. One of my friends once came to me and spilled out a horror story of how her husband had abused her. When I asked her when this occurred she gave me a date that was twenty-three years gone by. Need I say more?

The memories are ours. The power is ours. Forgiving and forgetting is the key to the abundant life He promised. What is left is quality?

Jesus Knows Us

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2012-01-02T21:35:37-05:00

One of the more intriguing verses of Scripture is Luke 2:52 which speaks of Jesus, as a child, growing in wisdom. When He was thirteen He wowed the scholars in Jerusalem with His expansive understanding of Scripture. Yet He lived in a poor village that could not have afforded an entire Old Testament. The scrolls were passed one by one from village to village. Time with each scroll was very limited. He must have had a prodigious memory. When He realized He might not see a particular scroll again for a long time He must have diligently applied Himself to committing it to memory.

Adolescence is a time for figuring out who we are and what are our gifts. When Jesus attended Jerusalem after His Bar Mitzvah, He was faced with the task of understanding His true identity. Filled with stories from Joseph and Mary and His knowledge of Scripture He assembled the pieces. It was an amazing secret to carry about during His teen and early manhood years. He couldn’t speak of it because the ridicule from unbelieving peers and others would have been vicious. The religious experience around Him was encumbered with a layer of rules designed to keep believers from transgressing the core commandments. The conflict with parents, local rabbis, siblings and within Himself had to be monumental as He sorted out the manmade traditions from the principles of Scripture.

Hebrews 4 tells us He experienced all our temptations. Those formative years were crucial to who He was. There is not a child, adolescent or adult anywhere He does not understand. The Word became flesh and He experienced everything except old age. We didn’t let Him get there.

Animal Crackers

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-30T18:28:37-05:00

I sat in church watching a small child eat a box of Animal Crackers. I must confess I wish he had offered me one. I remember being his size and wishing I could have had Animal Crackers. I wasn’t allowed to eat in church. It would have been possible to have had them. They have been around that long. Actually, my parents could have had them when they were small. They have been around since 1902. I wonder how many billions of those little crackers (actually more like a cookie) have been consumed by grateful little kids. I remember trying to make a case for church consumption because they were made in the image of creatures God made on the sixth day of creation. My logic never prevailed. Maybe it was the circus pictured box.

I’m sure it never occurred to that little guy to offer me one. To him I must look like his vision of Methuselah. Surely old people couldn’t like Animal Crackers. They do. There are certain things for everyone. In I Corinthians 13 Paul speaks of putting away childish things. But he was speaking of ideas like being good enough to be saved and thinking we are His special children as opposed to everyone else. Those are childish ideas that need to be shed by mature minds that honestly look in the mirror and know they cannot be so, except for our dishonest conceit. Paul wasn’t speaking of some special childhood things. Dare I confess that I still have my teddy bear?

One evening I entered a hospital room to visit an old friend who wasn’t going to come home again. His wife was feeding him from a half-gallon container of Breyers vanilla ice cream. How grand!

The Game

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-29T22:57:32-05:00

My wife keeps a running Scrabble game with our older son. They do it electronically on their cell phones. It is a nice way to stay in close contact and it keeps him from forgetting he has parents who love him very much. The old adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder isn’t always true. Sometimes out of sight is out of mind.

It’s a good idea to keep one’s children aware of how much they are loved no matter how old they are. Being loved is essential to our health and vitality. Our heavenly Father is very aware of this and continually sends us gifts to remind us of how much He cares for us. Those gifts come in many ways. We only have to be aware of the things around us. When we are paying attention we receive all kinds of serendipities.

The onus is also on us to check in with Him. Even if it is a short “Good Morning, Lord” when we wake up or a “Good Night, Father” as we hit the pillow. Granted more contact than that would be most advantageous to the relationship but it’s something. It keeps us in contact and available for the bigger, longer experiences He wants to share with us. Reading His mail to us really helps – you know – those letters called Matthew, Luke, and John. They are filled with news straight from His heart to ours.

Maybe just as my wife keeps a game going with our son, we could keep a game going with our Father. It could be called, “Count the Serendipities.” See if we can find more than yesterday. I promise you, they are there.

The Needle

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-28T23:32:21-05:00

The burn is less than two seconds as the shiny slim steel needle skillfully stealthfully slips though my skin into a vein. A burst of red rushes into the clear tube then turns pink and then clear as the life-saving fluid flows into my hungry body. The bottle hangs over my head as its contents became part of me. Antibodies, battling antibodies will seek and destroy any foreign life they find. Only my cells will they ignore. Antibodies from over twenty thousand other people will course through my veins battling to keep me alive.

Tonight I am alive. Tomorrow night I will be alive. For the next thirty days I will be alive until once again that shiny slim steel needle will once again tear through my skin in search of a vein. For five years now this has been my ritual. For five years now I live because of the wonders of modern medicine. For five years now I am in debt to the thousands of people who share their antibodies that I can continue to celebrate life with my incredible wife, sons and grandchildren and write to you about the love of our Creator God who gives us knowledge of that wonderful thing He made that Friday in His very image.

Someday I will no longer need that shiny slim steel needle. In I Corinthians Paul promises that this corruption will put on incorruption, this mortal shall put on immortality and I along with you and millions others will exchange this form for an eternal tribute to His love. But until that day I shall write to you about the grandest God who ever could be – for He is the one who made Himself poor by giving us His only Son so shiny slim steel needles will only be a memory.

The Dark Time of the Year

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-27T17:48:31-05:00

Here in central Massachusetts the length of day between sunrise and sunset was 9 hours and 1 minute on the 19th through the 26th of this month. It wasn’t just the darkest day of the year it was the darkest week. It is grand to celebrate the birth of the Light of the World during this darkest of times. The European pagans celebrated Saturnalia during this same dark time recognizing the birthday of the unconquerable sun on the 25th.

Many of my friends grow just a tad uncomfortable when this topic comes up. Somehow it seems that we are participating in paganism because of these facts. But true meaning is what happens inside our minds. God gave us incredible minds with which to choose and create. The power is ours to make something mean what we choose for it to mean. We do not have to allow others to dictate to us what meaning we bring to something. It is part of the freedom of which Paul speaks so eloquently in Galatians 5.

Since we do not know when Jesus was born it is our prerogative to usurp this dark time of the year from the pagans and claim it for our Lord, who proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the World. He is the one who created the sun the pagans worshiped. The pagans lost this battle. Jesus won. The time is His. As the days now grow longer so we should also be more and more enlightened everyday with the light of Jesus’ presence in our walk. Solomon said, “The light shines more and more on our path.” That light is Jesus. He is the King of Kings. Just as He won the victory over death He wins the victory over all the meaningless pagan Gods of the past.

Seatbelt

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-23T21:26:47-05:00

My dog loves to go in the car. She is so happy when I tell her she can go along. Normally she rides in the back. But today my wife wasn’t with me so she happily moved up to the passenger front seat. The problem with that is I couldn’t get her to buckle up her seat belt. Not only is that a safety issue for her it is an amazing annoyance for me. She weighs 80 pounds and triggers the seatbelt reminder. Over and over and over the car goes ding, ding, ding and more dings. If I told her once I told her a dozen times to buckle up but she refused.

She is just like people who won’t listen to God. He tells us what lifestyle is good for us. We pay little attention. He tells us we will be richly blessed if we tithe. Most people don’t. He tells us not to lie. Most people do. He tells us to remember His Sabbath day. Few people do. The list can go on and on. We just don’t pay attention; just like the seatbelt is a safety issue for my dog so all His commands are safety issues. Each command has beneficial fruit. One big difference is we don’t hear a ding, ding, ding when we don’t listen to Him. Maybe that would help. Maybe we would do better if He dinged us. But that’s not His way. We do get dinged (more like the dings in the car door – or worse) but He doesn’t do it to us. They are the fruit of not paying attention to Him.

The Psalmist says it so well. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” 119:105

It's This Way

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-21T21:19:25-05:00

While I was waiting in the parking lot of a big box store a car pulled in near me. The driver wasn’t in the store very long before he came out and started looking for his car. Thinking to help him I called to him while pointing to his car. “No,” he responded, “it’s over here.” I understood his problem. He had referenced his parking spot to the entry door of the store. The exit door was farther away. So, again I called out. “It’s over here.” Again he rebuffed my effort to help so I just sat and watched. Finally he pressed the alarm button on his key and sure enough the car I was pointing to started beeping. As he came over and drove away he never looked my way. I guess it’s not manly to be wrong.

In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way.” For two thousand years now people have rebuffed His directions. “No,” they call back to Him, “I know a better way.” Again and again He calls out directions until finally they can’t hear Him anymore. He’s still calling but their ears have grown deaf to Him. Maybe that’s why Jesus said so many times, “Let Him who has ears, hear.”

Perhaps part of the problem is that those of us on “The Way” have not made “The Way” a very nice place. I hope not. The early Christian church referred to themselves as “The Way.” It is frustrating to really know something and to not be able to communicate it. I have often wondered about the frustration level of the Holy Spirit. He is continually wooing people and is continually ignored. That’s tough.

Christmas Letters

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-20T21:50:44-05:00

It is such a grand time for catching up on friends. Each day the postman leaves us a handful of Christmas letters and photos. Contrary to some people’s complaints about reading about people’s cruises and brilliant grandchildren, I enjoy it. Life is about people and it is a joy to read about people who had ordinary children produce extraordinary grandchildren. Isn’t it nice to know that once upon a time we had grandparents that thought we were terrific?

One of the challenges of the season is recognizing just who sent the Christmas letter. Even though there are pictures in the envelopes I still look at them and have NO idea who they are. Men have gone bald. Woman have gone blond. Where there were two nice trim people there are now – humm – I don’t know how to describe what I see. I don’t recognize the names of the grandchildren since they are new to this world. Most of the time the return address on the envelope helps but sometimes it’s missing. I have one here in my hand that has me totally stumped. Anybody out there know a couple named Alfonso and Rebecca with grandchildren named Jose and Isabella?

What a relief it is to know that God never has this problem. No matter how much we change or how long it has been since we have bothered to contact Him, He still knows everything about us and our grandchildren. He even thinks our grandchildren are extraordinary; maybe not brilliant but very loveable. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus assures us God notes every sparrow. Now that is amazing since they all look alike. He’s just that way. That’s why Jesus told us to call Him, Father.

We Have No Idea

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-19T16:07:32-05:00

While visiting a second grade classroom my wife was asked to read the Bible story of the children of Israel crossing the Jordan. Afterwards a little girl came over to her and said, “You’re becoming a very good reader.” Considering the fact that my wife’s doctorate from U C Berkeley is in reading I figured that was about the best compliment she has ever received. That was a very discerning and sweet seven-year-old.

I wonder if our praise and compliments to our Father God cause Him to smile. He knows all the secrets of biology and physics. Chemistry and mathematics are some of His specialties. The intricacies of psychology are as open to Him as are the ABC’s to us. When we pray we tell Him how great He is. We have no idea how great He really is! Our perspective is so narrow and limited. The day we walk into the throne room of the Almighty our mouths will drop open and we will gasp at the glories and intricacies before our eyes. We will be overwhelmed to think that Jesus left all that to share with us the reality and horror of this sinful world. The Gift in Bethlehem was God making Himself poor that we could become rich. The problem for us is we have no idea what rich really is. We think in terms of things and bank balances. I doubt if those things are even in the equation of heavenly wealth, which is love and relationships and eternal life without the rotten fruit of sin.

Now that I have said all this I think I will make God smile and ignorantly say, “Thank you Father for being so majestic.”

The World's Greatest Preacher

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-16T22:57:43-05:00

I recently heard someone referred to as the World’s Greatest Preacher. As crass as this may sound that is as relative as pronouncing a flavor of ice cream or a particular brand of pizza as the world’s greatest. Different people like different foods. I chose food for the analogy because preaching really is a matter of taste – mental taste. Preaching is a very stylized form of communication laden with theological and cultural biases. A few years ago I preached to a large group of mostly Caucasians. It was well received; therefore, a few weeks later when I was invited to speak to a large group of African-Americans, I decided to use the same sermon. It was an awesome mistake. I began looking for the backdoor as I came to realize very few were listening to me. If I ever had their attention I certainly had not kept it; thus the importance of the blessing of Pentecost and the gift of tongues.

The gift of tongues can be speaking in a foreign language, but most likely it happens more often then we think when we preach to a group filled with children, teens, young adults and seniors. Each has a different need and each is listening for something meaningful and relevant to them. One of the best compliments a preacher can have is when a small child meets you after church and says, “That was really good.” You can take that one to the bank. Older people will tell you it was good because they don’t know what else to say and be polite.

The most challenging command Jesus ever gave comes at the end of Matthew. It is the Gospel commission. It needs not one preacher but a host because there isn’t one world’s greatest preacher.

Carpe diem

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-15T20:27:51-05:00

I’m loving being a senior citizen. I checked a videotape out of our city library and was told it was due on Friday. However, I happen to know that senior citizens don’t have to pay library fines. They don’t think we can remember to bring stuff back. So I’ll take it back whenever. I get my drink free at Taco Bell. That’s a real bargain. Last night while stacking chairs our conference president came over and offered to help me pick up a chair. Hey, he’s no spring chicken either. Then yesterday when I entered a barber shop the barber said to me, “What can I do for you?” “What?” I thought, “This is a barbershop. Why would I come in here? Do I need a lobotomy?” Last week, a teen passed me on the sidewalk and said, “Hi, Pops.” Yeah, I like this stage of life. I think I will revert to my childhood and start stating my age in fractions. “I am 69 and three quarters.” I told someone today I was 70 just for the fun of seeing their expression. They were shocked because I really look 80.

Even though I totally believe heaven is waiting for me I am in no hurry to check out of here. There is too much fun going on. I don’t want to miss what’s coming next. Just look at all the electronic gadgets we get to play with. Next year I’m getting a robot to be my valet.

Jesus wants us to experience the abundant life. He told us that is why He came. He is interested in our future but He is also interested in our todays. See John 10:10

Accidental Phone Calls

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-14T22:16:28-05:00

I have this teacher friend who kept calling me today. When I answered he didn’t. Instead of hearing his “Hello” I heard him teaching algebra. I would hang up and a few minutes later he would call again. This happened several times. It seems he had his cell phone in his pocket and unconsciously he kept tapping it. I was the receiver. This must have been payback because a year or so ago when I was in with my doctor I unawares called him. He wasn’t home and his answering machine then recorded my conversation with my doctor. It gives us pause to think of the possible consequences of such an event. However, if we only say nice things about others there is nothing to be concerned about. Record away.

Recently I heard someone say we should pretend Jesus is in the room and then our conversation would always be nurturing and kind. But wait a moment. Jesus via the Holy Spirit is always with us. We don’t have to pretend. See John 14. I am uncomfortable with the idea that we always have to be monitoring ourselves. That gets to be old very fast and we just give up. Wouldn’t it be so much better if we were the kind of person who naturally said and did the kind thing? No pretending. No monitoring. Just be natural and know we will say the right thing because we really care about others. Actually that might be asking a bit much. Even Jesus got angry at times and said some very harsh things. See Matthew 23. Wouldn’t we love to have a recording of that! I guess Solomon was right when he said there is a time for everything.

The Nutcracker

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-13T21:09:12-05:00

When Peter Tchaikovsky died in 1893 he never could have imagined he would someday sell everything from expensive horseless carriages to inexpensive toiletries at Kmart. Perhaps it’s because the music of his Nutcracker Ballet has become so associated with Christmas, or because it receives no copyright royalties, or just because it is so beautiful that merchants use it so often as background in their commercials. If Tchaikovsky could have received a nickel for every product he has sold he would be wealthier than Bill Gates. Then again we must not forget whose birthday is being used to stimulate the economy by getting us to shop.

Believing that Jesus voluntarily surrendered his omniscience when He became a man, then neither could He have known how many toys, autos, clothes and computers He would someday sell via His made-up birthday. There is so much irony in all this thing we call Christmas. It is a delightful time. The music is great. (Pretty much. I’m not so sure of the Chipmunks singing “Jingle Bells.”) Most people are a bit nicer. (Worried about that “list.”) And perhaps, just maybe, some people give a bit more thought to the real reason. I am of the opinion that anything that draws people’s thoughts to the gift at Bethlehem has some merit.

Therefore, during the day as I drive about I will enjoy hearing about partridges in pear trees and drummer boys. But my real thoughts, my solemn thoughts will be about the vulnerability of Jesus as one of us and His victory over sin. As happy as pretty lights and decorated trees make me, the real joy that brings tears to my eyes will always be about what happened in a filthy animal stall in Bethlehem.

Winter Moon

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-12T21:24:19-05:00

There is a silence settling over our New England nights. There are no frogs, crickets or other night sounds. Winter is creeping in on us. The leaves have layered the forest floor giving a blanket’s warmth to the salamanders that will not appear again until spring when the sun will again warm our fertile earth. As we approach the longest night of the year owls patiently watch for mice that have not yet filled their pantries for the coming famine. Squirrel’s inner GPSs have logged a map of buried acorns as they await the howling winds of January.

Tonight’s December moon drifts slowly across the sky in its appointed path. Silhouetted birch and maple branches web across my sky like the work of a drunken spider. In the morning there will be a glassy pane of ice across puddles. Until then our neighborhood coyote will roam through our yards enabled by the glow of that winter moon.

My dog sits close beside me staring into the darkness of our woods. This morning she saw a pair of deer. I think she is looking to see if they will again sleep near our house. I hear her soft breathing. I feel the hardness of her body press against my leg as if to let me know as long as we are together we are safe. All is well as winter settles in. The woodpile is high and ready for those wonderful days when schools are closed and one can sit all day by the fire with a good book and a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Winter is a good time. It heralds the coming of spring. Spring always follows winter. But for now I will enjoy the slowly drifting winter moon.

Eternal Friendships

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-09T22:17:45-05:00

We went to dinner this evening with two of the most wonderful people in the world. Honest, caring people. We have known them for eighteen years and the only thing wrong with the relationship is we don’t share enough time with them. They are the parents of four sons. One of those sons gave me the opportunity to solemnize his wedding. It was a grand occasion. Smart fellow - he married a teacher. What more can I say about that? One of the saddest days of my life was when I spoke at one of their son’s funeral. I still feel the pain as I write. There is nothing more meaningful than to have friends and be with them at the high moments of life and during the lowest. Friends are for laughing and crying; thankfully more laughing.

Isn’t it grand to have friends? However, there is a sweet sorrow as the years pass. We watch each other wrinkle and gray. We know if it wasn’t for Jesus those friends will be gone someday. But, we can be so thankful in knowing that in Jesus friendships will never end. We will have dinner again and again as the millenniums roll by and how sweet it will be. There will be no graying or wrinkling. If anything we will keep looking better and better.

Jesus is our Friend. He said so and He never lies. He wants to have dinner with us. In eternity there is time for everything and that means each of us can have Jesus Himself home for dinner. Oh the stories we will tell. He will get to fill in details of things we did; details we had no clue about. Eternal friendships – that is what eternity is all about.

The Now Gift

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-08T21:54:59-05:00

We received a Christmas box from some very special friends. Now I have a dilemma. Do I or do I not have the self-discipline to wait until Christmas before opening it? There it sits on the kitchen counter taunting me. Each time I pass by it whispers, “Hey, I’m here. I have goodies inside. Come on. You don’t have to tell your friends you opened it. They live in Florida. They won’t know.” My wife doesn’t help. She opines that there might be something perishable in that box and to delay wouldn’t be a good idea. However, there is something to be said for waiting. This could be an exercise in character development. But then again at my age do I really need to build any more character? Perhaps I could excuse myself by asserting at my age the end could come at any moment and if I wait I might never know the contents. Then there is the issue of thanks. If I open it now I can express my thanks to my friends prior to the time when they will be inundated with thanks from others. I don’t want my thanks to be lost in the volume.

One of the wonders Jesus wanted us to understand is that His gift to us does not have to wait until some future time. He wants us to experience the joy and benefits now. Note John 5:24. “He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Eternity begins the moment we accept His gracious offer made possible by His sacrifice. The gift is now. The fruit of the gift is forever.

Many Mansions

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-07T17:58:10-05:00

When I was small the people in my church used to ask each other, “How long have you been in the Truth.” It was understood that to be a member meant you knew what the Bible taught, what life was about, what God expected of us and what we had to do to please God. One day two young men knocked on our door and as I sat and listened to their fervency it was as if I was looking in a mirror. Members from another group knocked on my door and once again as I took their pamphlet I was looking in a mirror. While we were living in Uganda a pope visited for the purpose of solemnizing a place where both Anglican and Catholic Ugandans were burned alive in lieu of renouncing their faith. Each group, including mine, has a worldview they (we) believe is consistent with Scripture. And yet each group is distinctively unique.

There is a certain kind of spiritual and intellectual arrogance in thinking our worldview is “The Truth.” One of the great lessons of Balaam is that God has His people in many places. The Children of Israel did not have a monopoly on God’s concern and revelation. Jesus once said, “Herein will men know you are my disciples that you love one another.” Strange that not one hint of doctrine appears in that command. (Or was it an observation?) Perhaps the important issue is not one’s worldview as much as one’s loyalty, faithfulness and commitment to their worldview. Jesus also told us to put our hand to the plow and not look back. Is not His appeal to us to commit with all our hearts and all of our talents? Surely in His house there are many mansions. John 14.

"He's Not Mine."

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-06T18:58:37-05:00

Rowdy children are great fun when they belong to someone else. Such it was this weekend. We were walking behind a couple with a preadolescent boy who was giving them a bad time. I have to admit I was enjoying the show. Finally the man turned to us and said, “He’s not mine!” Maybe that was one of the reasons the boy was acting up. He wasn’t loved enough for the man to take responsibility for him.

That is one of the most wonderful parts of the Gospel. No matter how bad we are God never quits caring about us. When Adam and Eve shattered God’s plan for Earth it would have been so easy for God to just wash His hands of them and say, “They aren’t mine.” But they were His. Never once did He contemplate proclaiming them to be on their own.

This is no license for bad behavior on our part that is unless we are preadolescent. We can’t just walk around abusing His grace and care. In Galatians 5 Paul talks about walking in freedom and warns us not to use that freedom to abuse ourselves and others. So much of being a Christian is being a grownup. When we are no longer preadolescent we should understand responsibility and respect. We respect others and we respect ourselves. We don’t do harmful things. We want to be like our Jesus and since He does not harm neither will we. It’s not about obeying a set of laws. It’s all about understanding the principles of the laws and being a respectful grownup with the confidence that our heavenly Father will never turn to the universe and say, “They aren’t mine.”

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-05T17:50:13-05:00

As you begin to read this the thought will most likely cross your mind, “Is he asking for money again.” I know this seems impossible but a whole year has passed since the last time I asked. I promise you that I will only do this once a year. Even though it seems like yesterday I can’t slow down the passage of time. It just races along. It is that most wonderful time of the year when every ministry asks you for money. It’s my turn. My reason for doing it now is the same as for all other ministries. People are getting their financial affairs in order before the end of the year. They want to be sure their contributions are in before December 31 so they can get their receipts for tax purposes.

For over twenty years now we have written 6,527 devotionals. About 66% of them are available in the archives on the Internet at this website.

Many of you are aware that the small college my wife and I teach at here in New England did not open this fall because of financial reasons. People are working very hard so we can reopen again next fall. When we do our student body will surely be as always. Almost 50% of our students come from families below the United States poverty level. Therefore, my wife and I are continually watching for worthy students who need assistance. We purchase textbooks and sometimes clothes, and help students go on mission trips, which does so much for them. We also send children to summer camp and help with medical expenses. All in all we try to do what Jesus would do. So we ask for your help.

At first I was tempted to ask people to contribute an amount equal to what they feel the value of the devotions are worth. But that is frightening because someone might send me a penny. My ego couldn’t take that. So I will ask you to contribute what you hope they are worth to others.

Thanks so much. We really do appreciate your care. And if you can’t give I want you to know I am grateful that you read the devotionals. It makes the almost daily effort very worthwhile.

Our address is:
Spring of Life
151 Old Farm Rd.
Leominster, MA 01453

Letters of Recommendation

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-02T21:50:18-05:00

Part of being a teacher is writing many letters of recommendation for my students. There are letters for employment opportunities, letters to get into grad school and letters for practicums. Sometimes because of the details that need to be just right, I ask the student to write the letter and send it to me for my approval and signature.

This evening I wondered what it would be like if we needed a letter of recommendation to get into heaven. Who would we ask? Mark Twain once said we should have our enemies write our letters of recommendation because they are the only ones who would tell the truth about us. Our friends put icing on the cake.

There is no question that our greatest foe, Satan, would only have to tell the truth. It would be one occasion when he need not tell a lie. The truth is damming enough. I grew up singing the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” I cannot imagine that if Jesus would write a letter for us that He would ice the cake. He will tell the truth. We are not worthy. But then comes the good part. He is worthy to recommend us because He is worthy to give us eternal life. We get to live because He, our very best friend, who always tells the truth, vouches for us. The word “vouch” means to provide supporting evidence for the quality of somebody or something. He has kept careful record so He can show evidence that we trust Him. He has the data. He has the evidence. That’s what those books are for.

If we need a letter He will write it and He will sign it.

The New You

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-12-01T22:23:47-05:00

Over and over I hear people telling others to just be themselves. I’m not sure that is good advice. Maybe I am misinterpreting what that means but it seems like we are telling people to be content with who they are and not to strive to be someone better. Frankly I don’t want to be me. There is no challenge in being me. I’m already me. I want to be better. I want to be a better teacher, a better father, a better husband, a better grandfather. It is too easy to be me.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus challenges us to reach beyond what we are. He said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. Talk about reaching for the stars! That verse used to discourage me because I confused it with a requirement for salvation. I wanted to give up right then and there. But I was confused. This text is not about salvation. Salvation is a gift. This challenge is all about personal growth. This is about goal setting and being all that we can be. This is Jesus saying, “I will save you. Now, with your hand on the plow, don’t look back. Set your eyes on being the best ever you.”

If you are a carpenter, be the best carpenter ever. If you are a mechanic, a farmer, a secretary or a sales clerk, whatever you are, be the best ever. If you are, I promise you there will be some people who will hate you for it. Some people want everyone to be mediocre. Ignore those people because the rest of the world and heaven will rejoice in the new you.

Pride of Ownership

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-30T21:14:59-05:00

I grew up just north of Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. As a boy we spent many Sundays driving through Amish country. I loved the farms and the Distelfink Hex signs on the barns. What I loved best were the horses. Since the Amish didn’t drive cars one could tell how much pride they took in their horses. I never saw an ill-cared-for horse. Those were the days when most of the cars we saw were made in Detroit and model years were very distinctive. As we drove we would call out the make and year of cars coming toward us to see who got it first. Just as we would shine the chrome on our 57 Chevy those horses were groomed to perfection. There was a pride of ownership.

I grew up in a religious culture that pretty much labeled pride as sin. Lucifer’s pride led to the first sin. “Pride goeth before destruction.” Proverbs 16:18. Yet I feel that someone needs to speak up for pride. A man needs to feel proud of his family and his wife and his children. I often tell my sons how very proud I am of them. A person without personal pride often neglects grooming and often fails to achieve all that they can be. A student who is proud of their grades will apply themselves and seek to do well to maintain that good GPA. A congregation that isn’t proud of their church allows the paint to peel and weeds to take over the lawn. I don’t think we want to live in a country that didn’t make us feel proud.

The word “pride” like all words needs a careful definition. It can mean having a proper sense of value and it can also mean being haughty and thinking we are better than others. Like most things balance and perspective are so important.

Witnessing??

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-29T20:18:20-05:00

The city put a wooden sawhorse-like barricade over an indentation in our street with a yellow light that flashes at night. The problem for the past three weeks is that the sawhorse-like barricade is lying on its side in the grass by the side of the street. The light flashes but you have to be almost standing over it to see it. It’s almost the light Jesus referred to in the Sermon on the Mount. That one you could stand over and not see.

The application here is overly obvious. We have heard it all our lives. “We have to get out there and witness.” The problem is “What do we mean by witnessing?” When I was small that meant standing on a street corner handling out pamphlets and then watching people toss them as they continued on their way. It meant being different by not eating certain foods when invited to someone’s home. That one always missed me as to how that made other people want to know our Jesus.

Some have told us witnessing is being the nicest, kindest, most honest person in our workplace, neighborhood or school. The fruit of that is people thinking you are the nicest, kindest, most honest person they have ever known. But does it make them want to know our Jesus? At some point it seems that we have to steer a conversation to a religious theme. But that is as dangerous as being a liberal in a group of conservatives. So how do we let our light shine? How do we witness? I have been to seminars trying to tell me how to do it but I have never been overly satisfied with the presentation. We all can’t be Billy Graham. So how?

Maturing Minds Want To Know

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-28T21:41:36-05:00

There are over 1.5 million geocaches and 5 million geocachers in the world. Just in case you might not be familiar with it, it is basically a game where people hide things for other people to find. Geographic coordinates are posted on a website and off you go for an adventure that can be as simple as finding a small container in a hole in a tree or as difficult as rappelling halfway down a cliff to find a plastic box in a crevice. It runs the gambit of being fun for families or challenging for thrill seekers.

Late this afternoon we found one that required three attempts. What was frustrating was the directions even told us it was beside a log and yet time and again we walked around and felt the very log with our hands to no avail. Finally my wife dragged a stick along the ground and suddenly heard a metallic clunk from under a bed of pine needles. There it was. Time and again my fingers had been a half inch away and I never perceived its presence.

There is a book that I continually read over and over. It is entitled The Desire of Ages, a biography of Jesus. The reason I keep reading it is because each time I discover something my mind previously missed. Suddenly something is there my brain failed to register in earlier readings. It has a lot to do with life and experience. Many things cannot be perceived if one isn’t yet ready. Our minds are like that. An artist can go to a museum and see a hundred things the rest of us don’t register. We aren’t ready. Reading Paul’s letters is like that. Treasure after treasure keeps appearing. There is no end to the maturing mind.

Being Rich

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-25T20:49:11-05:00

When we were little heaven was all about things. Mansions, streets of gold, tame lions and tigers were the big thing. As Paul says in I Corinthians 13 when I was a child I thought as a child. But now that I am a man all those things seem very unnecessary. Heaven is about family. Heaven is about having one’s loved ones safe and having eternity to grow, intellectually, spiritually and creatively. If I were given that I would be happy in a one room wooden shack with just one dog as my only animal. Actually I could do without the dog but it would be a nice touch.

Being rich is having enough. The cup running over really isn’t necessary. The widow’s barrel that never went empty was being rich. The little boy’s basket of bread and fish was being rich. The widow of Nain getting her son back was being rich. Even though Martha and Mary lived in the rich little town of Bethany I’m sure that didn’t matter when Lazarus died. Then Jesus came.

Recently there has been a plethora of articles questioning the value of a college education. If you are talking about the availability of job opportunities and the student loan debt, the value of a college education is questionable. If one talks about exposure to ideas, great literature, a greater understanding of history, a vaster comprehension of human development, a broader grasp of the sciences and more discernment of human behavior then the question really is mute.

For Christians being rich is being forgiven, having an assurance of being once again with loved ones who are waiting for the resurrection and knowing that our future has no end because we are loved by the One who made it all.

How Sweet It Is

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-23T22:39:49-05:00

As my dog and I were finishing our evening walk and approached our home I suddenly became aware that I could smell our house about three houses away. Lest I leave you with the wrong idea that we live in a pig sty allow me to explain. Yesterday after over a week of work, a crew of house painters finished painting all the outside wood on the house. Not only did the gallons of oil based paint beautifully cover the eaves, window frames and doors they also filled the atmosphere with their particular fragrance. I like the smell and hope my neighbors don’t mind until it dissipates.

This is a good week for smells. Lots of kitchens will be emanating wondrous aromas throughout homes as we get ready for Thursday’s feasts. Stores are anticipating Black Friday and making sure we are greeted at the door with vanilla or cinnamon or lilac scents. Smelling good things puts us in a good mood, and hopefully for the merchants, opens our wallets.

I have always imaged that Eden was filled with the fragrances of flowers and heaven will likewise be so scented. When I go to church I often smell lots of aftershave lotions and perfumes. That’s good because it compensates for the garlic lovers in our midst.

People have always loved to smell nice things. When the Magi came to visit Jesus in Bethlehem they brought some very nice smelling gifts. One of the best scents that God loves is described in II Corinthians 2:15. “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved . . .” As Jackie Gleason used to say, “How sweet it is!”

Duh

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-22T22:10:27-05:00

My sister, who lived with us for many years, moved to California to be close to her children. We have been forwarding her mail as we wait for others to get her new address. Last week we forwarded to her a letter from Dreyfus. When she received and opened it, the letter inside was an acknowledgment that they had her new address. After I got over the “duh” moment I realized the logic. They were checking to make sure someone had not, for fraudulent reasons, changed her address without her knowing.

So many times in life we jump to conclusions about the stupidity of what someone has done. Usually it is because we don’t know the logic behind the action. Because we have limited knowledge about what led up to a behavior we, thinking we are so intelligent, conclude the other person was stupid. Only when we learn all the factors involved do we understand what the person did was the right thing to do.

When Jesus found his disciples on shore after a night of fishless fishing and he told them to cast their net over the side of the boat, I’m sure some of them must have thought, “That’s stupid. We fished all night and got nothing.” Peter actually objected but finally did what he was told. The Bible says, “When they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them.”

Even when we don’t understand what God asks us to do, the smart thing would be to do it. He would never ask us to do something stupid. We just don’t understand all that is involved.

Blocking the Door

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-21T20:54:00-05:00

This evening as my son and family were leaving the baggage area at Logan airport they were blocked at the door by a man on his cell phone. Apparently he wasn’t coordinated enough to walk and talk at the same time. Neither did he seem to be aware that others needed to get by. Meanwhile we along with others waiting in cars were being urged along by some very intimating state patrolmen.

Unfortunately sometimes we have people blocking the door to our churches. I have seen well-meaning but poorly acting older people chase our teens away. They are made to feel unwelcome because of their dress or jewelry or makeup. Sometimes they are actually verbally assaulted that they are not representative of Christ by looking the way they look. But really now, when one stops to think about it, what real harm occurs to anyone because someone is experimenting and has purple hair? They will grow up and not look like that for the rest of their lives. Well, perhaps I should take that back. I have seen older ladies with purplish hair.

Our churches should be places where anyone is welcome. If a kid shows up with an arrow through his head and enough fake gold chains around his neck that he looks like Mr. T., who does that harm? Better that they are with us in church than home watching television or playing video games. Sometimes we excuse our behavior by saying we are holding up the standards. What standard? What about the standard of unconditional love. What about the real sins of us older people? I mean the vile ones we carry inside – the ones Jesus cares about.

Gouged

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-18T22:16:36-05:00

I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday and put them on this morning for the first time.   They were as perfect as only something new can be. As I started down the stairs my dog promptly stepped on one with her 80 pounds and one of her nails gouged into that fine finish. I think I had them on less than five minutes. Alas. It also seems that way when I buy a new car. That first ding seems to occur in the first few days and months go by before the second one appears.

Can we even begin to imagine God’s reaction to Adam and Eve’s disobedience? Eden was perfect. Genesis one finishes with God critiquing His own work. He said, “That’s very good.”   We have no idea how many millenniums of thought and planning went into this magnificent planet. It was here that He prepared a perfect home for a perfect couple made in His image. Angels must have been overwhelmed with the artistic design and scientific balance for life. Surely there were tears shed all over heaven when the news spread regarding the now flawed paradise. This was not a gouge mark. This was not a ding. This was destruction. Death had come to Earth.

God Himself would offer that first sacrifice as He explained to them what it represented. As graphic as that was I doubt if they really got it. No one really got it until that night in another garden.   Jesus clung to earth begging His Father for another way and if there was no other way to give Him the strength to do it.   He did it. Now we know. But do we? Surely we would be more motivated if we really understood.

Striking the Right Note

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-17T22:30:29-05:00

My exquisite art teacher reminded me this morning of something so true and very important. When you strike middle C or any other key on a piano all of the other strings on the piano harp vibrate with it. It literally sets the tone. It’s just like people. When we strike a tone others around us respond in kind. A few months ago someone entered my office to complain about the hostile environment. I had to admit my surprise. What hostile environment? I was surprised but not puzzled. All I had to do was look at the person’s face and demeanor to know they were telling the truth. As they moved about striking a tone others around responded in kind. Primarily we are responsible for what happens around us. I say primarily because never is something like this always true. There can be another strong person in the room who is spoiling it for all others. That’s why one of the most important questions to ask before hiring someone is “What was it like where you worked prior to this?”

Many years ago I had a similar conversation and that person said, “It’s like this everywhere I go. What’s the matter with people?” I do believe the key word there is “everywhere”. Who is the one person present everywhere she went?

Jesus certainly put out the right vibes. The crowds couldn’t stay away from Him. “The people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and out went them, and came together unto him.” Mark 6. We have within our power and even more so can have divine power to strike the right note, the positive note to make life better for all around us.

An Old Globe

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-16T21:40:31-05:00

One of the treasures I have from my father is an old globe he had in his classroom. It maps wonderfully exotic places like Siam, Rhodesia, Palestine, Gold Coast and Keijo. Holding a globe and turning it this way and that causes one to wonder about the way things are. I can untip the axis and do away with the seasons. There would be perpetual sunshine on the poles making it a very interesting place to live with the sun never rising high in the sky. I can turn the axis at a 90 degree angle and have the sun come up in the north and go down in the south or vice versa depending on which direction I spin it. Continents look very unfamiliar when oriented differently. North America becomes almost unrecognizable when turned on its side and has no state lines.

Perhaps the second most important text in Scripture is “In the beginning God.” We can be filled with a host of questions about rocks, continental drift and the ring of fire but as long as Genesis 1:1 is we have no fear for the future. Asteroids can go whizzing past us at 26,000 miles an hour and we know God is still there and all will ultimately be well.

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visits him?” Psalm 8. And the answer is we are the sons and daughters of this Most High God who but breathes and worlds come into existence. How grand for us. We are so blessed.

He Prayed for You

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-15T20:33:51-05:00

There are stone walls littered through the forests of Massachusetts. Decades ago people actually tried to farm in places that only grow rocks. Each spring before trying to plow they derocked and built these old fences just to put the rocks somewhere useful. There are still a few stone foundations now covered with vines and oak and maple trees growing where there was once a room. Sometimes I sit and listen. If I really concentrate my mind supplies the voices of family. It’s interesting what one can hear in the silence of the forest. Mixed in with the breeze one can hear the “teacher, teacher” of ovenbirds and the laughter and tears of those who struggled here.

We live in a noisy world. It is difficult not to hear an airplane or a chainsaw intruding on what should be our chance to hear silence. It is a treat to find a moment when we can hear the rush of blood through our ears. Even now as I write the computer is softly serenading me with Beethoven. Have we so filled our lives with sound that we have become addicted and find silence uncomfortable?

In Luke 6:12 we read the following about Jesus. “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” He had no iPhone to create a musical background. It was the silence of a Palestinian night that surrounded Him. How I have often wondered how He filled those hours. Did He pray out loud and break the silence or was it an internal meditation with the Father? Some night in the silence He prayed for you.

Human Trash?

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-12T19:56:50-05:00

There is a story in today’s news about a man who after accidently throwing away his wife’s ring went to the city dump and crawled through tons of trash and filth to find it. He found it. My first inclination was to equate this with God sending Jesus to paw through the filth of sin on planet Earth looking for diamonds. Obviously my ego saw myself as one of the diamonds. Sorry about that. I cannot help the self-love. It is endemic to our species. However, on second thought I realized how wrong I was. This is not a good illustration because it assumes the masses of humanity are trash. Not so. Each child, each person is, flawed though we may be, a product of God’s creative love. There is no such thing as human trash. As much as Jerry Springer and Maury Povich seem to find the worst of humanity to display on television, those people are but victims of ignorance and of our voyeurism. We look at them and gloat that we are not so vulgar. See Luke 18:9.

Then there are those horrific moments when we are overwhelmed by our unworthiness and think we are the human trash. That is such a depressing experience. Lucifer delights in those moments. He thinks we will just give up and not take what Jesus’ offers. Do not despair. Even though your community makes you feel ostracized Jesus never does. Even though decades can pass and people still look at you as a pariah, Jesus never does. You are the object of His redemptive love because He formed you in His image. I know it is difficult for us to believe but Jesus still loves His old friend Lucifer.

Paul's Illustration in Romans 7

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-11T21:58:44-05:00

It must have been a real struggle for Paul to explain to people who loved and revered the law that the law could not save them. In Romans 7 he tries by using an illustration of marriage. He says when one is married they are bound for life to their spouse. But when the spouse dies they are free to marry anew. Via the body of Christ we died to the law. We are then free to remarry. Our new spouse is the one who was raised from the dead. We have been released from the law so we can bear fruit by the Spirit. No longer are we obligated to keep the law in an attempt to be saved but now in a new relationship of love we bear good works because we want to and not because we have to. It is a brilliant and beautiful illustration. Once understood our walk with God becomes a joy instead of a fearful march that we might have strayed and unknowingly become lost.

Often I hear people pray that God will reveal to them what they need to do so they do not ignorantly come up short on judgment day. Paul would have us be free from this tyranny. Now we can pray that God will reveal to us what we should be doing for the joy that comes from doing it. This is not some subtle esoteric difference. This is the difference between living with the joy of salvation as opposed to living with a sword dangling over our heads being held by a thread.

Is the law bad or evil? Horrors no. Paul tells us the law educates us as to the nature of sin. But as good as the law is, it is weak. It cannot save us. Only Jesus can do that.

Thirty-Five Teams of Two

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-10T23:21:41-05:00

Usually we have a mental picture of Jesus and twelve men moving about Palestine. Then we come to Luke 10 that speaks of Jesus sending out thirty-five teams of two. These seventy were disciples that moved with Him. Add to that the women that cooked for them, etc. and we have a very large group. These seventy were given power to do mighty things and when they returned they were filled with stories of healings and great miracles. I am jealous. Surely everyone who has ever been a pastor has been jealous to do such wonders for our God. Their work had been so successful Jesus declared that in their work He saw Satan being cast down. They must have been high and rightfully so.

Then Jesus said something that put it all in perspective, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

For reasons that God understands we do not now go about touching the eyes of the blind and having them see. How I do wish we could. But as grand as we think that would be there is something more wonderful. There is something that should bring us to “Hallelujah” and “Thank you, Jesus.” Our names are written in the Book of Life.

Lucifer is a fallen angel. He could restore sight to the blind but his name is not in the Book of Life. I could only think of something grander and that would be if we sacrificed our place that others could have that privilege. The irony of that thought is the impossibility of it. For should we be so selfless to step aside for another, we would be so much like Jesus He would be sure our name was there.

Our Legacy

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-09T21:23:01-05:00

A lifeless visitor from space just passed between our world and our moon. We can be thankful that it missed us by 210,000 miles. A direct hit would have been devastating. It would not have been the first time we have been hit. One of the more obvious hits was in New Mexico and the crater is very impressive. Years ago we stopped for a closer look and walked to the edge. While doing so my wife looked down and there was a very well formed arrowhead. We could hardly believe what we saw. How long had it been lying there? What ancient warrior or hunter had passed that way and left his treasure on the ground to be found hundreds (?) of years later.

I’m sure all of us have wondered what we will leave behind. What will be our legacy to our families, our communities, and our world? Some people leave books, some leave poetry, some leave children and grandchildren, some leave students, some leave family businesses. Whatever it may be I think we all want to be sure what we leave will be positive and make the world a better place. When I say “all” I am thinking of the mentally healthy among us, for there are those who for reasons unexplainable want to leave destruction and pain.

This past week the world’s population topped seven billion. It is difficult to conceive that God has seven billion different tasks that need to be accomplished. Yet that is but a small number for an infinite God who does have a positive task for everyone. See Ephesians 2. Most of us will not know until heaven exactly what it was, but that’s okay. Just so when we do find out we will have the joy of having been successful.

Reaping the Whirlwind

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-08T21:39:24-05:00

Hosea said it. “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” Hosea 8:7. I first heard that as a small boy but of course could not then comprehend the depth. Now I get. I should have connected it with Nahum 1:3, “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power: he will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.” How often we want to blame God for what has occurred but the real truth is we are but reaping. God’s punishment isn’t active. It is passive. Ever so painfully He sits back and let’s nature take its course.

He would like to intervene every time. His love is endless. But should He do so mankind would never learn. We would continue in our reckless ways believing there was always a bale out. The results would be sin continuing on forever. The only reason God hates sin is its results. He is not offended that we do not obey Him. He is hurt that we do not obey because all He ever asks is for us to stop harming ourselves and others. I cannot sit here in the evening drinking an arsenic laced drink and expect Him to negate its effects. He will forgive me but will allow the arsenic to do its work.

And so it is that the whirlwind blows its horrors upon us. Does this mean we are lost? Not if we genuinely repent. That door is open. But why should we desire to bring suffering upon ourselves thinking at some later date we will repent? Not only is that risky. It’s stupid. Hosea and Nahum were excellent meteorologists.

Our Bad Dog

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-07T22:02:05-05:00

She really is a good dog. She is very protective and jealous if anyone gives me too much attention. She is totally housebroken and very dependable. That’s what makes her action so despicable. We have house guests, who of course, are the source of much attention and conversation. This evening, after she had been outside to care for her needs, she obviously had enough of my talking to our company. She walked over and about two feet away from me she squatted on the rug. It was a despicable act of “Hey, look at me.” She was definitely tired of sharing. Getting attention for being a bad dog was better than not getting enough attention.

Children do similar things. Teachers see it all the time. Little kids often misbehave as to not be ignored. So I got to wondering if sometimes we adults act poorly because we want God’s attention. Actually, we always have it but sometimes we think He doesn’t care. I know we are often angry at Him because we don’t get all the things we pray for. When we have a very sick loved one we ask, we beg, we plead, we implore God to make them better and it doesn’t happen. Sometimes we actually lose them and our anger spills out with contempt that God would allow something so horrible. It is on such occasions we should be honest with Him and tell Him exactly how we feel. He appreciates our honesty much better than should we lie to Him and tell Him how great we think He is. As difficult as it is for us to understand, the truth is He always has our best interest at heart and does the best thing even though we just don’t get it. We have His attention. We really do.

Thaddaeus

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-02T23:07:09-04:00

His name was Judas. (In John) He was one of the twelve disciples. He was not the Judas who betrayed Jesus to the High Priest. He actually had three names. He also was Thaddaeus (In Mark) and also Lebbaeus. (In Matthew) He has one line in Scripture. It was during the last supper on Thursday night before the cross. Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Here comes his one line. “Judas said unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself unto us, and not unto the world?”

And here is Jesus’ answer. “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

We know this Judas (Thaddaeus, Lebbaeus) was a member of a political action group dedicated to the overthrow of Roman rule in Palestine. He loved Jesus. He knew what Jesus could do and wanted to know why Jesus didn’t use all His power to go after the Romans. Jesus had bigger plans. Jesus was going after Satan’s rule in all the world. And this is Jesus’ formula for victory. Love Him. Keep His words and the Father and Son will abide in that person and that person will manifest the glory of God to the world. That’s us. This is our task. This is our time. This is God’s plan for us. Love Jesus and keep His words and be amazed at what God can and will do with us. Satan trembles before such a man or woman.

The Milk-Bone Cookie Jar

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-11-01T18:12:17-04:00

I have a Milk-Bone cookie jar on my desk. I keep it stocked with what must be the greatest tasting treats in the world because I will come into the room and find my lab sitting there staring at the jar. She is a good girl and has never violated the “No” command. I wish I could have said the same for me when I was small. One of the great things about being an adult is being able to raid the cookie jar anytime I want. As I settle in at my computer with her Milk-Bone jar within my reach I see a small stream of salvia starting to drip from the side of her beautiful face. I should so desire to spend time in God’s Word.

The psalmist puts me to shame and at the same time thrills me with such verses as “The entrance of thy words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple. I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.” “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.” And “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding.” Psalm 119

Should we want, desire, long for, crave, yearn for, pine for a deeper understanding of Scripture I wonder what our lives would become. Ephesians 2 speaks of God’s plans for us. Had we prepared more, studied more, learned more, what might He have been able to accomplish with us. Each time I give my dog a treat I should eat a verse.

LEDs

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-31T21:34:38-04:00

It was a bit strange to have a foot of heavy snow cover our trees before they lost their leaves for the year. The trees bent low and branches started snapping so it was not strange that we lost our power for over a day. We are so blessed because a million people are still powerless. But at 5:30 this morning we were awakened to our house coming alive. The refrigerator and the furnace came on and little red and yellow LED lights (phones, clocks, computer and wireless modem) decorated the room. I was surprised by how much those tiny lights changed the room. Without them it was pitch black and one had to cautiously feel one’s way from place to place. But with those tiny lights radiating their warm glow it became fairly easy to move about.

Sometimes most of us feel pretty insignificant. The more we understand about infinity and look at a photo of distant galaxies we don’t just feel insignificant, we are insignificant. Our tiny little light is so small surely it can’t make a difference. But, it didn’t take much light to transform my dark house. A tiny light does make a huge difference. When your little light joins with my tiny light and other tiny lights we make it possible for others to walk out of darkness and find their way.

So regarding that insignificant feeling – I don’t think we are as insignificant as we first thought. According to Galatians 4 we are sons and daughters of the Most High. Humm? That’s pretty significant. Surely everyone must know the song, “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let It Shine.” God is counting on us to light up His kingdom.

It's All About Family

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-28T21:24:35-04:00

My last several days have been filled with digitizing very old slides of visits to Disneyland, Sea World, Yellowstone and other memorable trips with two little boys. I noticed something. I couldn’t care less about the pictures of these places that do not contain one of my boys or my wife. I have some really pretty pictures of things and I don’t want to keep them. If I want to see pictures of those things I can find them on the web. What I want to keep are images of my most precious ever people. These are the pictures I want to Photoshop and turn into computer screen wallpaper.

My sons are grown men now with their own precious people. They have no idea how I feel as I look at these old photos. They will some day. I have come to think that God has some great photo gallery filled with perfect pictures of us at every stage of our lives. He has videos of our first steps and audio of our first words. I think He must really love the audios of our first memory verses.

With God it is all about family. That’s why Galatians 4 contains such meaningful verses. “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” This is what it has been about from the beginning. Adam and Eve were His children. He wants us to be His children and thus heirs; not tenets but owners of those mansions. Heaven is not a place to visit. It is HOME. There isn’t anything better than home.

Tom Sawyer

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-26T21:42:24-04:00

It was a scene out of Tom Sawyer and I loved it. I had two thirty-something guys stop by my house today. They knew about my log-splitter and of course I wanted to show it off and tell them how much fun it was. They spotted a couple huge rounds left over from an elm that came down in an ice storm. The rounds were way too big for me to muscle around and I had wondered what I would do with them, but they jumped at the chance. So I sat down and watched them have fun. It was great. At one point I actually had to stop them from spending their day splitting all my wood. I think I am going to start charging admission. How grand!

One of life’s great secrets is how to get other people to do your work. It is the secret of success. It’s all about motivation. God motivates us to do His work here on earth. His motivation is love. It’s the best kind. The joy of working for God is because we want to share His love and the Good News. Considering how simple this seems I am somewhat puzzled when I hear preachers exhorting us to do good works. I’m not sure about you but that never works with me. Instead of exhortation, inspire me. Make me want to do it and you will not have to exhort. As a matter of fact, too much exhortation gets the reverse reaction from me. I won’t do it just because you said I had to. I know that is really immature but it’s the way I react. Are you different from me on this?

Not as Smart as a Sixth Grader

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-25T21:05:42-04:00

Today I heard about igneous rock. I learned about granite, obsidian, amphibole and pyroxene. I also learned I am not as smart as a sixth-grader while I was observing a science teacher working to upgrade her credential. The sixth graders were jumping up and down wanting to answer the teacher’s questions while I sat in the back of the room reading the glossary in their science text. I learned about intrusive and extrusive rocks. I also learned not to give much credibility to the next politician I hear harping on the quality of education in Massachusetts; especially since our students rank first in the United States and third in the world in science and math.

Having confessed my ignorance of sedimentary rock I do want to proclaim my knowledge of and confidence in the Rock of Ages. Paul wrote, “For other foundation no one can lay, but that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus.” (I Corinthians 3:11) And again Paul wrote, “. . . they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that rock was Christ. (I Corinthians 10:4) Peter calls Jesus the Chief Corner Stone. (I Peter 2:4) Also over and over in the Psalms we find the metaphor of God being the Rock of our salvation.

So I might not be as smart as a sixth-grader and be like those whiz kids who are able to answer questions about magna, but I do know the importance of putting our trust in the One who loves us dearly and might respond to the nickname, “Rocky”; then again probably not. He is far too awesome for such commonality. He is the Rock of the Universe.

Number 6500

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-24T20:54:10-04:00

This is devotional number 6500. That’s a lot of evenings sitting here staring at the computer screen. One would think about now I would run out of things to write about but life is so very interesting there usually is something. Someone asked me if I have ever repeated myself. I’m sure I have. I just can’t remember what all 6500 of them are about. Once in a while people ask me why I don’t write a book. I have. It has 6500 pages and adding.

I am excited that today’s devotional can be a celebration of something fun. Last week my wife and I were in a farm store. It is fun to look at all the things farmers use. On the way out my wife noted they were having a drawing so she filled out the slip and put it in the box. This afternoon they called. We won the grand prize. Now that is very awesome because this very week I was going to start splitting my pile of firewood for the winter. Guess what we won. A log-splitter. I couldn’t believe the timing and the blessing. This past week I put a new handle in my axe in preparation for a lot of swinging. That axe is going to feel neglected as I just push the button and watch. I hope we have a really cold winter because I am going to have a lot of wood to burn.

When I was very little I learned “my cup runneth over.” It does and with something so much more special than a log-splitter. I am surrounded by wonderful family and friends like you who once in a while read some of the 6500 devotionals.

The God of Opportunities

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-21T23:13:39-04:00

Do you ever feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football? Opportunities appear before you and you take a deep breath and go for it only to have Lucy yank it away at the last minute. So you pick yourself up, brush yourself off and keep on keeping on, waiting for, hoping for another opportunity. Maybe, just maybe, the next time Lucy will forget to yank the ball. Do you ever look at the news and see masses of people and wonder what opportunities they have or have not had? It is so easy to be critical of illegal immigrants but maybe this was their only chance.

Those of us who were born hearing the Gospel often smugly write off the billions who have never heard. Or if they did hear they heard it through us flawed messengers who failed to make it attractive. The Good News is so wonderful when rightly presented. However, our actions so outweigh our words, we nullify attempts to share with others. Instead of being the one trying to kick the football we become Lucy. We are the one who yank it away just when someone begins to consider.

During the time it took to read this far another thousand people died without hearing the Good News. Are they lost? Do they not have an opportunity to rejoice with us on resurrection morning? There is a text in Romans 1 that hints to us there might be many more opportunities in this universe than we know. God can’t be put in our small mental box. He is way too big and far more loving than we. I believe He is the God of opportunities. Lots of opportunities.

My Time Machie

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-20T22:41:39-04:00

I bought a time machine. It is a wonderful device by which I am digitizing 45 years of slides. Before me on my computer screen are these two very thin dark-haired people with two little boys. Who are they? They are very good looking and appear to be very happy. Oh! I know who they are. It’s us – my wife and boys. Wow. We looked good. So what happened?

Even though the slides have lost much of their original color and are often covered with dust spots there is the wonder of Photoshop. A few clicks of the auto color button and the pictures look like I took them yesterday. A few clicks of the replace button and the dust specks disappear. Oh, this is grand. I wanted to say this was as easy as getting the spots off my record in heaven. But this is much easier. This photo process cost a few dollars while the spots on my record required the cross of Jesus. That was the most expensive price ever paid for anything.

Hopefully, though we might not look as good on the outside as we did decades ago, we are much better looking on the inside. Hopefully our characters have been steadily improving and behavior-wise we are much nicer, much kinder, much more generous people than we were. Sometimes we shudder when we think of some of the things we did and said to others. Hopefully, should we be in similar situations we would react in a much more loving way. This growth is what life is all about. To be more today than we were yesterday and yet more tomorrow. Here’s looking forward to the day when we will never again need to be Photoshoped.

Colossians 2:3

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-19T20:02:17-04:00

One of my richest blessings in life is I have always been surrounded by very smart people. One of my aspirations has always been to be the least informed person in the room thus giving me the opportunity to learn something new and wonderful from each person around me. To be hungry to know is a great blessing. I have friends who are wonderful artists and some who are scientists and some who are theologians and some who understand psychology. It is a treat to be with them. There is so much to gain.

My father was a teacher and he would read to me. Perhaps that is what made me hungry to absorb all I could. We had a set of World Book Encyclopedia and I would take A or D or K, it didn’t matter which one, and turn each page looking at the pictures and wishing I could know all those things. You could imagine my excitement the day I first read Colossians 2:3. “In him are stored all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” To know God, to spend time with Him, is the secret to an ever-expanding understanding of life and the mysteries of being. He knows all that is known and because He is a creator He continues to think new thoughts and create new knowledge. Spending eternity with Him means we get to share not only His old ideas but also His new ideas.

Someone once tried to convince me that God knows all that can ever be known or thought and I could not accept that. It would mean He would be bored. But He can never be bored because forever He will be thinking of new ways to bless us and shower us with His mercies. See Ephesians 2.

"It ain't over 'til it's over"

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-18T21:45:37-04:00

I had lunch today at McDonalds and ended up sitting in a booth behind two quite elderly silver-haired ladies who were very engaged in a rousing discussion. It was very easy to hear and I was amused at the exchange. I can’t print much of it here but I will quote to you this great line. “I know the old biddy is trying to get him. But I won’t allow it. He’s mine!”

Ah, hope springs eternal. As well it should. As Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Never stop living for the future and I mean both here and then. Unfortunately, I do know some people who have stopped living for now and have all of their hopes and plans in the “Then.” Everybody needs something to look forward to “now” and “then.” I think we start to run out of steam and can’t do as much as we used to. Okay. We understand. But that is not an excuse to do nothing.

In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us that God has specific things for us to do. We don’t know if they were for us in our twenties, thirties or nineties. How distressing it would be if we gave up in our seventies and found out when we are in heaven that we missed the really big task that God had for us. “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” “It’s ain’t over ‘til it’s over” and as long as God gives us a mind with which to think and ponder we should be creatively planning things to do with our families and our communities.

The Foolishness of Preaching

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-15T22:11:25-04:00

Last weekend we sat through an 80 minute sermon on the state of the dead. He started preaching at 11:40. At 12:50 I leaned over to my wife and said, “He hasn’t even gotten to the resurrection yet. Let’s go.” “No,” she said, “I have to know how long he can go.” At one point he said, “This is a long subject.” A man sitting beside me said out loud, “It sure is.” He finally sat down at 1:00 without ever getting to the resurrection. I believe there is a text about the “patience of the saints.” Yes, it is Revelation 14:12. On the way out an elderly lady (someone older than me) took my hand and said, “Come back again. It isn’t always like this. He is a good young man.”

I was delighted with the “patience of the saints.” Only one family left and they had small children. Everyone else politely listened because they cared about the young man. Often times the best way we can show our love and appreciation for someone is to quietly endure their impositions and idiosyncrasies. While I did feel the need to stand up and stretch the truth is I didn’t have a very pressing schedule for the afternoon. The imposition was minor to say the least. I think it has a lot to do with what you are used to. I like 30 minute sermons. Recently someone told me if I didn’t speak for 45 minutes the saints would feel cheated. But I sat down at 25 because I was finished. To have lingered would have been redundant.

The entire process is very arrogant. Why would one person think others should sit and quietly listen to him? Paul called it the “foolishness of preaching” that somehow pleases God. I Corinthians 1:21.

Joy is Contagious

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-14T22:53:36-04:00

If we keep our eyes open we can find truly delightful moments as life passes by. Yesterday afternoon as my wife and I were driving on a residential street we saw two of the most precious little girls standing at the end of their sidewalk at the curb. They looked like they were 4 and 6 years of age. The mail truck was coming toward them and they were bouncing up and down with smiles so big you would have thought their faces would crack. They were clapping. I’m sure the mailman must have been happy to see such a welcome. Did he have a birthday card or a package from Sears or Amazon.com? Was the mailman their daddy? Whatever it was they couldn’t contain their joy. Their joy became my joy.

There are so many things in life that are contagious and I am not referring to germs and illnesses. A genuine smile is catchy. Yawning is infectious. A pleasant demeanor is transmittable. Generosity and sharing are communicable. It is amazing how we can and do have power over our environment. Nothing spoils a gathering like gloom and doom. But someone with hope and an energetic vision can overcome the downers and fill a space with so much happiness.

At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us a model for happiness. We call them the Beatitudes. The word “blessed” can just as well be translated “happy”. “Happy are the peacemakers.” “Happy are the poor in spirit.” Each one is our Creator’s secret to a contagious life of joy. Granted it is a bit more difficult for us as adults than two sweet little girls by the side of the curb, but none-the-less we can do it.

The Ultimate Reboot

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-13T22:21:56-04:00

After the mail came today I sat down in “my” chair to browse one of the just arrived magazines. I don’t recall much after settling into the comfort of one of my best friends. About forty minutes later I heard a door close as my wife came near. I had the strangest experience. Sometimes when we take a nap, it’s just a nap and when we awake the day goes on. But this nap was different. Just two hours before I had lunch with the conference president. When I awoke from this nap, it was if a whole day had passed. My day after the nap was starting all over as if someone had pressed a reboot button. I reboot my computer often. Rebooting is wonderful. All manner of computer snags can be resolved by just rebooting.

Beginning a relationship with Jesus is like rebooting one’s life and not just the day. We learn to forgive and negative feelings about past experiences go away. We learn to look for good things in others and old friendship are revitalized. We receive external power from the Holy Spirit and begin to experience victory over old temptations. We realize that instead of twenty or so more years of life we have an eternity of life ahead of us. It is the greatest reboot ever.

I often wonder why it is so difficult for some people to accept what Jesus offers. Perhaps it is because we have been taught that if something sounds too good to be true, it isn’t. This time it is true. One of the things I learned in statistics class is rare events occur that do not fit the pattern. Jesus is one of those rarities. He is the ultimate reboot.

If You Love Yourself

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-12T20:49:49-04:00

Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15.   If I may I would like to alter the text to say, “If you love yourself you will keep His commandments.”

It is very safe to assume that we love ourselves. There are a few people filled with self-loathing but it’s rare.   Most of us think we are the greatest. When things go wrong it usually is someone else who messed up. When we don’t get what we want it isn’t our fault; someone doesn’t like us. Therefore, I want to make a case for obeying God based totally on what is good for us.

In God’s great wisdom He shared with us the secrets to a good life. If we don’t kill we rarely have to fear someone wanting to kill us.   If we don’t steal we rarely have to worry about being arrested for shoplifting. Black and white cars don’t make us pause to see if they are coming for us. If we don’t tell bad stories about others people will rarely tell bad stories about us. If we keep the Sabbath we get one day each week when we don’t have to go to work. If we don’t curse we don’t have to worry about offending someone.

We are talking about the quality of life. Jesus was not in error when He spoke of coming that we might have the abundant life. John 10:10. Sometimes we err by thinking the abundant life is a big bank account; not so. The abundant life is a life that is as stress free as possible and obeying God is the surest way to accomplish that goal.

Lily of the Valley

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-11T20:55:25-04:00

Living in New England is a delightful experience of constant change. This coming week our maples will turn scarlet reds and yellows followed by the rust colors of the oaks. The birches are already yellow. Then November will be a beautiful worstered gray as we wait for December to turn us white. I relish knowing that under that layer of snow, life is getting ready to once again turn us green. Each spring we have a pleasing patch of Lily of the Valley. For years I have been picking small bunches for our breakfast table. They smell so good.

Well, you can imagine my horror just today to learn that Lily of the Valley is extremely poisonous. According to the Wikipedia website Lily of the Valley contains about thirty-eight cardio glycosides and we should wash our hands after handling it. How could it be that something so lovely, something that smells so good be so dangerous?

When we are first born our sense of right and wrong is completely based upon our feelings. If it feels good it’s right. If it hurts it’s bad. If it’s pretty and smells good it is right. It’s a very low standard of morality. Unfortunately occasionally we meet people whose morality has never advanced from that of a newborn. The closing words to the romantic song “You Light Up My Life” are “How can it be wrong when it feels so right?” It is difficult to grasp the truth that some seemingly beautiful relationships can be absolutely toxic. Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 13 to stop thinking like a child and think like a grownup whose sense of right and wrong are based on God’s Word.

Ambulance Chasers

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-07T10:06:19-04:00

Don’t you just love “ambulance chasing” commercials; bloodthirsty law firms preying on other’s miseries and making it extraordinarily expensive for doctors to treat us? Yesterday, I think I heard the most amazing one yet. “If you or a loved one has taken “A….” and died, dial 1-800 … immediately.” Really! I replayed it three times to make sure I heard correctly. I think we better start putting cell phones in coffins.

What is it about human nature that wants to blame others for our misfortunes? It is true bad things do happen to good people. But can we, in this world of sin, really expect everything to go our way? I guess that’s why people buy lottery tickets or smoke when scientific evidence of its detrimental effect on our health is overwhelming. We are optimistic and can’t imagine something bad happened because we made a bad choice or random mayhem occurred.

We have been blaming others ever since Adam said, “The woman you gave me made me do it.” Freud capitalized on it when he developed psychotherapy; it must have been my mother’s fault or my father’s. It is true that sometimes people do bad things to us and it is their fault, but that is where forgiveness comes in. If I don’t forgive you and dwell on your bad deed then I enable you to keep on hurting me every time I run the video tape in my head. But if I am wise enough to forgive you then you only hurt me once and now it is erased. Jesus was so wise when He told us to forgive if we desire forgiveness for our bad deeds. But why should that surprise us? He made us. He knows how we tick.

Lessons from Daniel Shechtman

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-06T21:08:09-04:00

When Daniel Shechtman first discovered a new crystalline chemical structure that seemed to violate what we thought were the laws governing crystalline structures he was ridiculed by his colleagues and ultimately exiled from professional circles. This week he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.

There are so many lessons we can draw from this. First is the crowd isn’t always right. Second is stand firm when you know you are correct. Third is truth will ultimately be known. Fourth is we don’t know all the laws of nature and the ones we think we know can be very different than what we think.

I am sure there were very depressing days when Dr. Shechtman’s friends rejected not only his work but his very presence. His discovery was in 1982. Almost thirty years is a long time to wait for this kind of vindication. I’m sure there is great happiness in his home tonight.

The history of the world is filled with stories like this. Graves are filled with people who never received recognition for their work. Then there are martyrs who perished for believing and holding strongly to their faith. Hebrews 11 is a very impressive list of such. Hebrews 12 begins with “Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The Zit

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-05T22:29:57-04:00

I have a zit on the tip of my nose. I am a combination of me, W.C. Fields, Jimmy Durante and Karl Malden. When I was thirteen and this happened I would be mortified thinking all of my classmates were staring at it. Now I don’t think it really matters that much except for trying not to keep touching it. If someone does notice, so what. I think most of us lose our sense of vanity after our chin doubles, dark bags grow under our eyes and age spots show up on top of the saggy cheeks. So what’s a zit but just another blotch?

When we were thirteen we were the center of the universe. Now I am just grateful to be part of the universe. I realize the center is far, far away and people have much to think about other than me. It’s a good place to be in life. It was so difficult being the protagonist. I now realize center stage belongs to the One who really is the protagonist. Jesus is the center of the universe. He made it and He keeps it operating. It is not a clock all wound up. It takes attention. Paul wrote in Colossians 1, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Please don’t fail to notice the last phrase. Things consist because He exists. We live and breathe because of His attentive care. After all do you really think Satan wants us around telling people how wonderful Jesus is?

God Never Gives Leftovers

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-04T21:45:49-04:00

I am eating an ice cream popsicle – vanilla dipped in chocolate. It would be a perfect gastronomic treat except my dog is sitting in front of me just staring with the most soulful eyes. Ever so carefully she watches every bite. There is a string of drool spilling out of the left side of her mouth. The tip of her red tongue barely protrudes from her black lab mouth. She is beautiful and pathetic. I am awash with guilt. How can I continue to do this? So I eat off the chocolate shell, since that is poison for her, and yield the vanilla ice cream. I must say she is a lady. Ever so delicately she cleans off the stick without once biting it. I feel good.

Whether it is my dog or a child or one of my students I have to say it feels so good to share. Since we were made in God’s image I believe we can safely assume He loves to share. Paul says in Ephesians 2 that God plans to shower gifts upon us throughout eternity. We will have no end of resources that we too can shower gifts on all we meet. One of my students once asked me why God made us. My answer was that it made Him feel good. When He pronounced at the end of creation week, “That is very good” it had to feel good.

One very big difference between God and us and me and my dog is my dog gets the remnants. God never gives us leftovers. Everything from His hand is first class, top of the line with all the bells and whistles. We don’t even have to stare with soulful eyes. No drool from the side of our mouths. How grand!

Itches

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-10-03T22:13:05-04:00

I got three spider bites last week. I have no idea where I was when I became lunch for the eight-legged creature. A spider bite is a mosquito bite multiplied by twenty. An ugly blister rose surrounded by a large blood red erratic pattern. It’s not a pretty sight. Then there is the itch. The worst itch I ever had occurred while I was preaching. There I was holding forth in front of my congregation when suddenly on the bottom of my foot in the middle of my arch screamed this incredible itch. I tried my best to ignore it. I was sure if I concentrated on my sermon it would fade away. It only got worse. How could I stop and say, “Excuse me folks while I take off my shoe and scratch?” I’m sure it was not my finest hour as I hid behind the pulpit and tried to pull my foot out of my shoe by holding the edge of the sole firmly to the floor with the other shoe.

One of the two times the word “itch” is in Scripture is referenced to “itching ears” - not quite the same context. However, maybe there is a lesson here. Often our itching ears delight us when they hear something very unkind and usually unchristian about someone we don’t agree with and so we pass it on. My email box fills with some very unkind things about politicians passed on by people I know are good Christians. I assume their itching ears have been scratched and they want to delight others. But they are things they would, I hope, never say to someone’s face. Oh, it is difficult to be a really good person, especially when we itch.

Everlasting Joy

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-30T22:42:21-04:00

There is no joy in Mudville tonight. Or is that Boston? The mighty Red Sox who on September 1 had a 99.6 percent change of being in the playoffs have choked. It’s over – not even a wildcard. Remind me now what does I Corinthians 10:12 say. Wasn’t it something about something thinking he stands and then falling? New England eyes will henceforth this year be focused on the Patriots. At least there will be, for the next few weeks, glorious leaves to console broken-hearted fans who will watch their nemesis, the Yankees, soar into the playoffs.

I was chastised once by one of the saints (Not someone from New Orleans) for expressing some knowledge of sports. “Times,” according to my rebuker, “were too intense and too fraught with peril to be distracted from being ready for Jesus to come.”

Perhaps he had a point. Except he made it sound like getting ready for Jesus to come was a full time task that should occupy our every waking moment. I must confess I don’t quite understand that considering in John 5:24 Jesus promised us if we believe in Him we have already crossed over from death to life. I thought how strange it would have been for one on Noah’s sons to be constantly worried about having a place in the ark. Why should we worry about what we have? Yet, the caution is I Corinthians 10:12. Lest we think we stand. Perhaps the answer is why we stand. If we stand on our righteousness then we are fallen. If we stand on Jesus’ righteousness it really is a sure thing. Standing on, living on the promises is what brings lasting joy into our lives.

The Honking Driver

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-28T21:56:28-04:00

This afternoon I watched with a mixture of amusement and disgust a very impatient driver just laying on his horn at the truck in front of him. The light was green. Of course the truck should go. However the driver of the honking car could not see what was in the crosswalk in front of the truck. There was a lady with one small child in one hand as she was trying to push a baby carriage with the other hand.

I was a bit chagrined as I realized that I and many of my former colleagues at our little college that closed were just like the honking driver. We complained and we criticized and we had all kinds of advice for what should have been done when we could not see everything that was going on. It is easy to sit back and offer all kinds of critical advice when we speak in ignorance. How often we critique others behavior when we have no idea what kind of home they come from. It has taken me many years to learn what I am about to say. But I totally believe the following. “Most people are doing the best they can.” Just because they do not do something the way we would do it does not make what they do wrong. It merely means they do it differently.

I love Galatians 6 in The Message paraphrase. “Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day is out.” I think I like this so much because I have so often been the one needing the forgiveness.

Sin is -

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-27T19:53:55-04:00

When most of us are asked to define sin we respond with 1 John 3:4. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” Which is correct, it is. But if we stop there we don’t really grasp the impact of what Paul means when in Ephesians 2:1 he said we were dead in our trespasses and sins. The Greek word Paul used for sin was “hamartia” which means missing the target. The target isn’t merely obeying the Ten Commandments. The target is the old army slogan, “Be all that you can be.” That is huge. Sin isn’t merely an act or lack of, it is a state of being.

I once had a church member who told me he had gone an entire week without sinning. He very carefully reviewed all of his waking activities, compared them with the Ten Commandments and decided he had a perfect week. But was he the best citizen he could be, was he the best husband and father that he could be, was he the best employee, was he the best _____ ? (You fill in the blank.) Of course he wasn’t. I didn’t shatter his pride, a gross sin, because I didn’t want to argue with him. How can one deal with such a narrow mind?

But you are thinking, if that’s what sin is then we are all lost. Not one of us is all we can be. And that is exactly Paul’s point in Ephesians 2. We are dead in our sin. All of us. But by God’s abundant grace we have been quickened, raised, to a new life. It was all God’s idea and all His doing. We have nothing of which to brag about. All we can do is praise God for His love.

Paul's Grammar in Ephesians 2

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-26T19:05:27-04:00

Greek purists (every language has them*) must have gone crazy when they initially read the first part of Ephesians 2. Paul pays little attention to the rules of grammar. He starts sentences and doesn’t finish them. Sentence fragments dangle. Translators have tried to clean it up. So what was going on? Paul was a highly educated man. He knew better. Understanding that makes the passage just so much more wonderful. Ephesians 2 is Scripture’s preeminent passage on grace. Paul is so overwhelmed by God’s incredible gift to us he just soared. He paid no attention to construction he just opened up his heart to the wonder of salvation being God’s gift from start to finish with nothing left for us to do except accept it.

The idea that we are saved so God can spend eternity showering us with gifts of grace was and is so amazingly overwhelming there wasn’t time to grammar check. This is a bird singing who cares not about music theory. This is a child bursting past speechlessness when she receives the most beautiful doll of her dreams. It is no wonder Paul says we best get busy doing the things God desires for us to do. There is a plan for each of our lives so let’s live it lest we disappoint God and ourselves.

Before you go to bed tonight, please read Ephesians 2 for yourself. If you are not moved we can help you with a heart transplant.

* While sitting in a college committee I was challenged by an English teacher who said, “That is not a word.” “Did you understand what I meant to say,” I asked. “Yes,” she said. To which I responded, “Then it’s a word.”

Old Books and Scripture

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-23T23:03:55-04:00

I discovered Stephen Meader when I was in fifth grade. My school library had several of his books which I quickly gobbled up. Decades later I began to collect them. It was an almost impossible task until the advent of eBay. Today was a rainy day. It was a perfect day to take one off the shelf and be eleven again. As my hands opened the book and the smell of aged paper and ink filled my nostrils, I was with an old friend. Sinking deep into my reading chair I traveled back to another time and relived the experience of a young boy in early America.

Old books are like old friends. They warm us with life. As I read the last page and once again closed the cover I wondered if reading the Gospels produced such wondrous nostalgia. I concluded that for me they do not. Instead of filling me with memories, John, Matthew and Paul fill me with incredible thoughts of a glorious future. Instead of reminiscing about times past I want to travel to what is yet to come. In John Jesus tells us that we can right now step over from death to life. In Matthew Jesus challenges us to grow into His likeness. Paul tells me that God wants us to be saved so forever He can shower us with grace and gifts of love.

I find reading books from my childhood fill me with memories; reading Scripture fills me with excited anticipation that the best is yet to come and once there, the best will still be yet to come. Scripture is about our future. Scripture is reading a travel brochure. Scripture is our ticket to endless adventures.

Our Photo-Lined Hallway

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-22T23:27:59-04:00

We have a long hallway on our second floor lined on both sides with family pictures. I love to move slowly from photo to photo relishing the memories each image produces. I see my sons when they were little guys and move along the progression of time that made them fine men. Today I found myself wondering if God has some great family album lining a hall in His house. Not only can He see us now but He can remember how we were. One of my friends told me that God can move through time like it was a circle and go back to whenever. I don’t think so. In my very limited intelligence I see time being linear and God sees us in the past like we see in the past, by using His memory.

One of the reasons I do not care for the idea of time being in a circle that God can easily go to at His will is that would make all things forever. Sin would be forever. Jesus would be on the cross forever. He would be dead in the tomb forever. In Hebrews we are told He died once for time. It is done. It is finished. I can only think that it is really over, never to be experienced again, but to have forever benefits.

So the question arises, “Can He see us as what we will be?” In His dreams as we do so in our dreams. I realize I am very limited when thinking about God. I am sure He is many times and many ways more expansive than what I can begin to imagine. I am speaking and thinking in ignorance. Yet I do believe time is linear. Someday we will know the truth. How grand.

Malleable

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-21T20:56:46-04:00

It is a bit embarrassing to learn that I have been mispronouncing a word all my life. I wish someone had told me. This morning I was observing a teacher in a middle school classroom and heard the teacher use the word “malleable.” “No,” I thought to myself, “it’s mallable.” So I got out my iPhone and checked the dictionary app. Well, so much for appearing educated all these years. Now I am wondering how many other words I have been either misusing or mispronouncing. This must be a case where someone has to be a really good friend to tell you that you have spinach between your two front teeth. People are embarrassed for you but don’t have the courage to say, “Hey.”

I think even Jesus is a bit hesitant to tell us all our faults; at least not all at once. We would be so discouraged we would just give up and say, “What’s the use.” Little by little as we are successful in some areas He very gently reveals new areas where growth is needed. Jesus created us. He is the great psychologist. He knows just how much we can handle and makes sure He doesn’t overwhelm us. However, sometimes church members are not so gentle and have driven a lot of people out because of harsh pushing to try to make others like them.

We seem particularly bad about this with our young people. We don’t stop to consider their world is not the same world we grew up in. And we forget how we felt about the older people telling us how to dress and comb our hair. We have to remember young people are “malleable” and with love will become what Jesus wants them to be and not necessarily what we want them to be.

New Clothes

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-20T23:09:20-04:00

I am sitting here looking at a coupon that will enable me to purchase thirty dollars worth of clothing at a consignment store for only fifteen dollars. Now that’s a bargain. Usually thirty dollars worth of clothing for thirty dollars is a bargain at a consignment store. But this is really over the top. How can I refuse to use it? Except there is one small detail. I have stopped buying clothes. I have enough clothes. I will die before I wear out the clothes in my closet. Except maybe I might need a new pair of church shoes. The pair I have now I bought in 1988. I have had them reheeled four times and resoled twice. Perhaps I can get that done one more time and then they will last me to the end. They are wingtips and if I polish them nicely they will look good in the coffin; except they won’t show.

If you don’t need something it isn’t a bargain no matter how inexpensive. So I will pass up on this coupon.

When it comes to getting new clothes there is one garment all of us need. It’s actually mentioned in the Old Testament. In Zachariah 3 is the story of the high priest getting new clothes. They were spotless. Again in Revelation 7 the redeemed are wearing white robes. They are made white by the blood of the Lamb. How grand that is! They were not purchased at a consignment store. Oh no. These were purchased at Calvary. Jesus paid for them with His life and we will have them in our wardrobes forever. They will never go out of style. They are the best.

Doors

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-16T22:35:21-04:00

This afternoon a gust of wind found an open door in our house. It would be difficult for me to describe how high I must have jumped when it slammed shut with the force of a small nuclear weapon. There is something very unnerving about a slammed door, especially when it cannot be reopened. Just try to imagine the sound of the closing door of Noah’s ark. Surely the finality of that sound must have reverberated in heaven itself.

In Revelation 22 at the close of Scripture there is a closing. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” As difficult as it is to imagine, there will come a time when God’s mercy is no longer available. People’s decisions not to accept the gift of grace will seal their eternal destiny. It is not a pretty picture. John speaks of God wiping away our tears. He will need to do so. This is not a time for the Redeemer and the redeemed to rejoice. There will be family members who are dear to us who will not be spending eternity with us. For Jesus all of them are precious. Can you imagine dying for someone only to have them spurn your act of love?

Life is a series of closed doors. One closes when we graduate from elementary school and another when we leave secondary school. But when one door closes another opens. When we step over the new threshold awesome opportunities may await us. What follows is what we decide to do with them. Right now the door of grace is still wide open.

God and OCD

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-14T22:32:44-04:00

I’m not sure what it is about the word “free” that I do not understand. I wanted to find out who called me so I googled the words “reverse phone number lookup.” Almost instantly I got a list of websites that promised me they would do it for free. Every single one of them told me they found it but then wanted me to pay to see what they found. I finally figured out that “free lookup” meant just that. The “lookup” was free. They just would not tell me for free. Alas.

I guess the old saying, “There is no free lunch” is still true. There is a price for everything. So when I say to you that salvation is free. I also have to explain there is an expectation that once one accepts God’s gift of grace, one will with God’s help embark upon a quest to be a better person. Being a better person is not a reverse payment for the gift. It’s a desire implanted in our hearts that comes with the gift. It’s all God’s work from start to finish. He doesn’t start it and we finish it. Oh no. It’s just that once we let Him in, He starts cleaning house. Maybe God has OCD and needs everything to be in order. In I Corinthians Paul speaks of God living in us. We are His temple. I guess He just can’t quite stand to live in a messy place.

I never thought about God having OCD prior to this. I do know that when I meet people who need everything to be perfect that is the usual diagnosis. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus did mention His Father’s perfection.

Our Greatest Task

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-09T20:42:39-04:00

Our President has spoken to our nation regarding jobs and the importance of labor and hard work. It’s a topic dear to our hearts. We know good things do not happen unless someone or some group pours toil and sacrifice into projects. I believe it because of this understanding that some of us grow uneasy when we hear people like me say that salvation and eternal life are free. We become fearful that we have cheapened salvation and have given people license to continue in their sinful ways. Therefore, it is important to say just because salvation is free it does not mean it was cheap. It was by far the most expensive purchase ever made. God gave His Son who bought salvation for us with the most expensive price tag ever written.

The next important thing to say is because it is a gift; we cannot sit back and fail to recognize the incredible obligation of grace. While we cannot purchase something already given, we must realize the task set before us, which is nothing less than never-ending character development. Our task is not to be saved. Our task is to become like the One who saves us. In a world saturated with selfishness, in a mind and body driven by appetites, this is an unbelievably difficult task. Anyone who says or thinks otherwise has yet to tackle the high standard to which we are called.

The Good News is this. We are not in this fight alone. We are called to battle and we have an ally. Jesus promised that He would not orphan us but send us the Holy Spirit, who upon our request, will pour out heaven in support of our quest. While victory is promised, the confrontation can be fierce.

Strawberries

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-08T23:16:51-04:00

My wife just walked in with a container of strawberries freshly picked in the rain. They are so fragrant. Immediately my brain splashed across the inside of my eyeballs pictures of a mile high strawberry pie, heaps of sliced strawberries on bowls of cereal or better yet vanilla ice cream, and jars of fresh strawberry jam. I wondered if Jesus ever had strawberries when He was a boy. The only berries mentioned in the Bible are olive berries mentioned by Isaiah and James, Jesus’ brother. There is no mention of blueberries, raspberries or huckleberries. If this lack of mention meant lack of berries I find myself feeling sorry for their depravation of nature’s bounty.

What is interesting is what James had to say about olive berries. He mentions them in chapter 3 where his illustration is that a fig tree cannot bear olive berries. His point is that if we call ourselves Christians we cannot praise God one moment and then use the same mouth to say vicious and cruel things about people. After all whether we like it or not those people we dislike were also made in God’s image. His point is quite legitimate. Consistency of character is the real fruit of a genuine walk with God.

When people know they are going to see us they should have a very good idea what they are going to encounter; basically unselfish kindness and concern for their well-being. I know this can be difficult, because let’s face it, it is delicious to say things that belittle others. It makes us feel clever, big and important. Guess what? Our feelings are lying to us for it is just the opposite. When we do so we aren’t belittling others. We are belittling ourselves.

Sawdust and Salt

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-07T21:11:32-04:00

One of the most fascinating places I ever visited occurred on a hot summer day when my father took me to a large red wooden building that was full of ice. Mounds of sawdust covered large blocks of ice that had been hewn from a local Pennsylvania lake during the winter months. I could not understand how on such a hot day the entire pile did not turn to water. I watched as they loaded a wagon to deliver it around the city for people’s iceboxes. Only rich people had electric refrigerators then so you can tell how long ago this was. My dad explained to me how the sawdust insulated the ice keeping it from melting. Years later I learned that salt had the opposite effect on ice.

That is all a distant memory but I still think about preserving things that are precious. I long to preserve my relationship with my family. I long to preserve my memories. I long to preserve my health. I long to preserve my relationship with Jesus. Each one of these requires attention. Family members must not be ignored but be nurtured. The same goes for memory and health and one’s spiritual life. Neglect of any of these will see them melt away in the heat of life. I wish it could be as simple as covering them with sawdust and keeping them away from ice. (Interesting that in many cases salt is a preservative. But in this case it is the opposite.)

Common sense living, paying attention to the needs of others, getting enough exercise, eating properly, eliminating stress and feeding one’s soul by feeding on God’s word. These are the sawdust that will enable us to keep what is precious to us.

On The Home Keys

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-06T21:33:07-04:00

I had this fairly lengthy passage to copy from a book into my computer. As my fingers typed away I knew I was on a roll. It was one of those days when everything was functioning in high gear. My typing teacher from high school would have been so proud of me. I was way over fifty words a minute. It felt so good. Then I paused and looked at the page I had just blazed into my document. I gasped. It was gibberish. It made no sense. Then I saw my error. The fingers of my right hand were not on the home keys. Even though the J key has a raised dash on the bottom edge I never felt for it.

One of the classes I used to teach at our little college is Intro to Philosophy. I loved the class. It was great fun to see the students light up to new ideas. One of the things I discovered while teaching that class was a person can develop some very tight logic and yet end up with a wild position because they did not start on the right foundation of truth. Jesus said it so well when He spoke of building a house upon the sand. Some very great minds developed some very strong positions by carefully going from one logical step to the next. But because they began on sand they ended up with positions that have grown dusty and musty.

Paul had it right. He wrote, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” When you start there you end up with life and there is nothing dusty or musty about that. Please see I Corinthians 3:11

The Perfect Job

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-05T17:20:12-04:00

Since our little college will not be opening this fall and I have been locked out of my office and classroom I am looking for a job. I think I found it. I looked on Craig’s list under Gigs/Writing. Oh this sounds way too good to be for real. Someone (I almost started that sentence with “they.” But who is “they?”) is looking for an ice cream evaluator. Now that is my kind of job. They even offer free ice cream. They don’t say much about any other compensation so just maybe it is not the perfect job. (But close)

Perhaps I should respond to the ad asking for writers who have seen UFOs. As a Christian I most likely could say I have seen UFOs sometime in my life but didn’t know it. The Bible is filled with texts regarding extra-terrestrials visiting us. One of my favorite verses regarding this is Psalm 91:11. “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” When I was a little guy I loved to hear angel stories. If you grew up as a Christian you most likely have your favorite one.

Some of the references I find most interesting are the ones regarding Jesus’ life on earth and the angel visits. The first one would be the angel talking with Mary about her pregnancy followed by the angel telling Joseph to marry her. I think the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem must have been one of the more spectacular visits. We must not forget to mention resurrection morning when the angel sat by the empty tomb to explain what had happened. Maybe writing about angel stories or anything to do with Jesus would be the perfect job. The compensation is out of this world.

Persistence

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-02T21:54:19-04:00

The sign in front of the barber shop beckoned with the message, “First Time $5.” I’m not sure how many hundred times I have driven by without responding. However, today I was very shaggy and decided to check it out. Sure enough they (two very talkative ladies) only charged me $5 and it is a good haircut. I will go back. My regular barbers (two not so talkative ladies) are going to miss me. I enjoyed the chatter.

Persistent advertising finally got me. When I was a little guy there was a map in our church where someone was keeping track of and marking countries that had been sent a missionary. The inspiration for this was the idea that when the Gospel had gone to the whole world then Jesus would come. What intrigued me was the idea that a single presence or a single event of witnessing meant we could check off an entire country. We were one step closer to the Kingdom. But does a one-time exposure really do the job? I once heard someone say they passed out pamphlets to a neighborhood; therefore, those people had their chance. Come on. Really?

We are talking about something so much more significant than a haircut and it took hundreds of times before I responded. When we are talking about totaling changing one’s life we have to realize, while some people will see it right away, it will take multiple years before another person gets it. So, don’t give up. If there is someone you have been praying for keep on praying. If there is a family member who needs to respond, keep on being the kindest, most caring, most self-sacrificing person in their life. Someday it will make a difference.

Salesmen

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-09-01T08:51:14-04:00

They seemed so sincere I don’t think they got it. They were convinced they were not salesmen. They were only knocking on doors to see if we needed new windows. They would help us determine so. Should they so decide they would then arrange to send a salesman. Therefore, they were not selling anything. I could not convince them they were selling.

They were like car sales people who rush out to snag you if you pause for a moment to look at a car. After they schmooze you, they bring in the big gun from the backroom to seal the deal. It is also like people who bring friends to church hoping the pastor can convince them to join. Everyone is part of the process. Even the people who brought casseroles to the potluck are part of the team. Convincing someone to buy or become a part of something is a team effort. The pastor will never succeed if the members do not create a welcoming atmosphere.

One would think it to be easy to give someone eternal life. Perhaps it is difficult because we complicate it. Often we make people think they have to join “our” church if they are to be saved. “We” are God’s exclusive little club and they need to dress like us, eat like us and pray like us. God must sometimes smile at our ridiculous behavior. At other times He must shake His head in exasperation. The point is we do have a marvelous product to share with the world. And the way we sell it or give it is to make it attractive and the way to make it attractive is for us to be as much like Jesus as we are capable.

His Eye is on the Chickadee

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-31T23:13:20-04:00

The storm really took its toll on the little fellow. Who knows where he was blown in from or perhaps he was a local who didn’t find good shelter. We spotted him this afternoon looking ragged and exhausted. Chickadees usually looked prim and proper but not this little guy. He sat on a railing looking like he had just finished a marathon. This evening he decided to spend the night by a large dish of water we keep on the ground for the birds. He had tucked his head under his wing and became the perfect meal for any nocturnal hunter looking for a snack. My wife went over and picked him up. As he awakened in her hand he put up a major fuss. How dare she interrupt his dreams! Ever so gently he was placed up on a safe branch.

His squawking reminded me of us when God sometimes has to move us to a safer place. Getting us to change isn’t always easy and sometimes we go kicking and screaming; yelling at Him for disturbing our perceived comfort. When we put ourselves in His hands we then need to trust what happens next. “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” Psalm 11 And where is our mountain? “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” Psalm 48 Often from our point of view the change doesn’t look so good. But should we see our life from His vantage point we would never want it any other way than His way.

To Be Infectious

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-30T21:13:06-04:00

We had an interesting experience today at Denny’s. While waiting for our order we watched a server prepare a table for the next customer. First she cleared off the dishes and then she very carefully wiped the seats. Following that she then wiped off the table using the same cloth she had used to wipe off the seats. At least it looked clean. But wait. It gets better. The next customer to use that table had really nasty looking sores on his elbows and I’m sure you know what happened. He sat down and promptly put his elbows on the table. I am amazed we are as healthy as we are. The human body does a great job in fending off all manner of germs.

As I watched the man with the nasty looking elbows I found myself wishing that it would be as easy to spread the Gospel as it is to spread germs. That really is a horrible analogy. The Gospel is the best thing ever and I shouldn’t even put it in the same sentence with germs. One brings health and never-ending life while the other brings misery, suffering and death. But wouldn’t it be grand if we could sneeze and spread the Good News like we spray colds and the flu?

I have always wanted to be an infectious Christian. Yawning is infectious. A few good yawns in a classroom will produce more. A good smile usually produces more smiles. Kindness usually begets more kindness. Those, of course, are merely human behaviors. What I really desire is something much more substantive. I long for people to understand just how self-sacrificing and wonderful God is. That’s a much more difficult task.

Pruning Doesn't Come Easy

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-29T20:27:21-04:00

Hurricane Irene has moved north from Massachusetts. Here in the center of the Commonwealth it was not too bad; a few hours of hard rain and some gusts that were very helpful for me. I had a few dead branches beyond the reach of my pole-saw. Irene got them down for me. She was a good pruner. It isn’t unusual to see the ground covered with leaves in New England but it is a bit different to have them all be green. There are even a few well used nests strewn here and there.

Storms come in many forms. Some of the ones most difficult to deal with are internal. They also can do some serious pruning. Often time things are taken away that we long to hang on to. The best pruning takes place in the hands of a master gardener and not by the capricious events of life. The last evening Jesus was with His disciples He paused in the moonlight to talk about pruning. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15.

While I indeed long for a much fruit experience the pruning worries me. I know I am in the hands of the one who loves me more than life itself. I know He would only do what is the very best for me. But my humanity is still ever present and there is this human need to be in control. The idea of total surrender and allowing God to take over isn’t completely natural. Pruning doesn’t come easy.

The Spider in the Wind

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-28T19:19:29-04:00

We had only driven about a mile when my wife noticed a tiny spider clinging to a strand of web that was connected to the passenger side mirror. There he was in a forty mile an hour wind holding on for dear life. Nothing would do except we had to pull over while my wife rolled down her window and helped the little guy back into the safety of the case that holds the mirror. Only then could we proceed. I was fascinated because my wife really dislikes spiders.

At first I wanted to compare this to God and us. Romans 5:10, “If, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” But then I realized it was not a good analogy. God loves us despite our sins. Our sins He definitely hates. But He does not see us and our sins as one in the same. In His Fatherly care He is able to separate us from our behavior. That in itself is amazing. It is the spider itself my wife dislikes even though she actually understands their presence makes our home a better place. They catch and eat all kinds of flying, biting, stinging things.

So why was she so concerned about the little guy clinging in the wind? Perhaps she admired its tenacity. It certainly wasn’t giving up. All it needed for survival was a break. It needed someone to intervene. And so we did. Often times it is that way with us. Times get tough and we hang on for dear life hoping for a break. When it comes to our eternal future we got the biggest break anyone could imagine. God intervened and we are saved. Amazing.

The Golfer

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-26T21:09:36-04:00

There was rumbling moving closer and closer. Black clouds were moving our way. There was that smell in the air as the barometric pressure lowers and nitrogen escapes from the ground. We were definitely going to get it. And what to my wondering eyes did appear but a man at a driving range. There he stood with his metal shaft pointed high in the air as he focused on that golf ball. The only thing I think he could have been thinking was he paid for that bucket of balls and he was going to get his money’s worth. I was transfixed as I watched. I have never seen anyone struck by lightning and I figured if he was going to get it, I was going to see it happen. Fortunately it did not. What made it really sad was he had a horrible swing.

As I was thinking how stupid he was, the thought occurred to me that I too am that stupid when I eat things I know will clog my arteries, when I fail to exercise, when I tolerate being overweight and when I neglect my devotional life. My IQ isn’t any higher than that guy with the golf club pointing to the sky. Alas, it is so much easier to see other’s mistakes and ignore our own. It is so grand that we have a Savior who was and is one of us. He knew about human stupidity and hypocrisy. He talks about it in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “How wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?” Alas, we, at least I, do it all the time.

My Old-People Glasses

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-25T21:04:26-04:00

I got a new pair of glasses. They are old-people glasses. Old-people glasses used to be bi or trifocals with the lines but now we get progressive lenses. No lines. The only people who now get glasses with lines are the trendy people. My old-people glasses are ones with some anti-glare treatment. When cars come at me after dark their headlights don’t flare all over the place.

Little by little I am making the transition to being old. I now take Centrum Silver so I can ride my bicycle with the wind blowing through my hair (oops – no hair left) as I laugh at whoever knows what. (oops – can’t hear) I love getting my senior citizen discount. I ask for it everywhere I go. I wonder if God will give me a discount on tithe and I only need return nine percent. I need to start putting my stuff up on ebay.com. Now that our little college, Atlantic Union College, will not be opening this fall, I can spend snowbound winter days selling things on line. However, I’m not sure who would want an old clock with an inscription “A+ Professor.” I got it from a student. (Sorry about that. Had to brag.)

Life is such an adventure. The trouble with selling stuff is each item has a story. It’s like selling one’s life to strangers. Three score and ten isn’t very long. But I have a feeling that if we had thirty score and ten it would still not be enough. What a thrill it is to read John 3:16. If we believe we will never perish but have everlasting life. What a thrill it is to know Jesus and know this is just a prelude.

Gardeners

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-24T23:30:03-04:00

The Lord made some people gardeners. The Bothwells were not some of them. We do not grow food. We eat it. For a short time when our boys were very little in Africa we had a small garden cut out in the midst of a patch of elephant grass. At no time in our lives in America have we grown eatables. We have gathered wild blueberries and asparagus where God planted them. So this year when my wife decided to grow a tomato plant in a tub we were pretty much garden virgins. You can imagine our dismay when a ground hog started munching on it. But my wife fortified the plant with chicken wire and we now have tomatoes. It was a rare day this afternoon when I walked by it, plucked a nice round red juicy fruit (or is it a vegetable?) and ate it right there on the spot.

They certainly do taste better than the ones from the supermarket. It brings new meaning to Genesis 1:11- 12. It was the third day of creation. “The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”

Now I am wondering if brussel sprouts and okra taste good if they come fresh from the garden. But alas, I think it is too late for us to become gardeners. We do live in New England and the growing season really isn’t very long. Maybe in heaven God will put a garden area in my back yard with no weeds. I hope I don’t disappoint Him if I fail to use it and instead buy my veggies from a neighbor with a squash plant.

"Evil"

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-23T20:10:51-04:00

These past few days thousands of workers for one of the communication giants have been on strike. You most likely saw some of them with their red shirts and picket signs standing in front of one of their work places. I certainly can understand the need for unity and solidarity when negotiating with a giant organization. What I don’t understand is one of the strikers was wearing a button with the company logo above the word “Evil.” “Evil” is a very harsh word and I wondered now that the strike is over, how can that person continue to work for an organization that is evil? Would that not mean that he too is evil by using his talents to foster the health of that evil organization? Should he not use his gifts to totally stamp out evil or does something cease to be evil once we get from it what WE want? Then who is the evil one?

All of my life I have been educated to think that Satan is evil. I certainly don’t want to be on his team. Therefore, when I tell a lie, it really isn’t evil, it’s just a little white lie. I haven’t really participated in his campaign to overthrow God’s Kingdom or have I? When I feed my lower nature am I not at least a private in his army? At least I’m not a captain or a general. Those positions are for others I know but will not identify here.

It seems so easy to disparage others and excuse ourselves. I usually come up with some very good excuses for my misdeeds but rarely want to give others the benefit of the doubt. They are just plainly evil! Alas, I need a heart transplant.

Heaven Starts Now

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-22T21:03:53-04:00

There are certain things so good they are beyond adjectives. On this very warm August evening I have just consumed an Orange Creamsicle. Our family used to call them Dreamsicles. Not only was it delicious on my tongue it was even more so in my mind. I was five-years-old again sitting with my father on the front steps of our house. I remember slowly licking away the orange outer layer trying to make it last as long as I could. My dad was eating a Fudgsicle. We were in heaven.

Heaven is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. We drove past a church today that had a sign over its front door that said, “Gateway to heaven.” My first thought was there must be a lot of really nice people who worship there. Making a place heaven doesn’t really have to be very difficult. It is merely treating people the way you want to be treated.

This afternoon at a church picnic I saw one of our smaller members wearing a Minnesota Vikings t-shirt. “Hey,” I said, “You are in Patriot’s country.” Even though he is a little guy I know him well enough to know he would not be intimidated by me. “My mom likes the Vikings,” he said. So I responded. “The next time I see you I am going to give you a Patriot’s shirt.” “Really,” he beamed as he hurried over for me to check his shirt size. You can be sure I have a big note on my desk. That is a promise I will make sure to keep.

Heaven isn’t about winning the lottery. Heaven is about being with people who care about you. Heaven starts now not sometime in the future.

Life Isn't Fair

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-19T20:05:51-04:00

It has been a few years now since my mother passed away, so I figured it was time to shred her business papers. There was a box of old check registers, annuity papers, receipts for things long gone. There were documents scribed with my father’s name and the names of her other two husbands. She buried three. She would be upset with me telling you this. Actually I thought it was kind of grand that she got three. One of our friends who never married always complained how unfair it was that my mom got three and she never got one. I might add the three she did get were all really fine men.

Life isn’t fair. That’s a difficult lesson for most people. I think we are born with a sense of rightness and when it doesn’t pan out we think we got cheated. Whenever I am tempted to complain about some injustice I remind myself of the millions of people in the world who haven’t had it nearly as splendid as I.

Some people think fair means we all get treated equally. However, if that were the situation, in most cases it would be very unfair. Each of us has different needs. Fairness is receiving what we need, not what someone else got that we do not need. School teachers see this all the time. They have some children who need more time and attention than others who are quick to learn. Giving each child the same amount of time and attention would be most unfair. Each should receive according to their need.

God gives according to our need. We all need grace and grace is what all of us receive; if we accept His offer. This is a case of equality. He doesn’t play favorites. No teacher’s pet.

Wisdom

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-18T19:13:01-04:00

Sometimes it is so dark when I walk my black lab I cannot see her even though we are on opposite ends of her leash. I walk carefully as to not trip on anything as she tugs me down the hill. She loves to walk no matter how dark it is. But a few evenings ago we had just begun when she turned and wanted to go home. I paused so I could listen carefully but I could not hear anything let alone see anything. Being that our bear is still roaming the neighborhood I decided to take her cue and let her pull me back up the hill. I know she can see better in the dark than I and she can smell many more things than I.

One of the things I have learned in life is to follow the lead of those with superior abilities. When I was a teen I was so arrogant I didn’t think there was anyone else who knew more than I. Wow, was that ever stupid. With years hopefully comes wisdom. It is that way now with God’s instructions and commands. There are times when I cannot possibly see any possible harm from certain behaviors, but I know that God, who has lived much longer than I, (How about forever?) and has more information than I, (How about His being all knowing?) will only lead me to safe places. It is me that gets me into trouble.

The Shepherd’s Psalm says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil.” That’s not just some childhood memory verse. That is good counsel no matter how old we are. I let my dog take me home that dark dark night.

A Nice Kind of Weird

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-16T21:30:46-04:00

Long I stood in the pet store trying to find the chameleon. I felt pretty stupid considering it was in a glass enclosure that wasn’t overly large. Finally I saw it, but only after it moved. As I examined how well it blended in I remembered the first time I ever saw one. When I was a little boy someone brought one to church. I remember being told how evil it would be if we blended into our culture and people couldn’t tell we were Christians. They quoted Romans 12:2 and made a real impression on me.

Years later when I was a teen all I wanted to do was to blend in. It is a common characteristic of early teens. They have so many changes happening to them physically and mentally they don’t want to look or act weird. Even as we age, to be reasonably fashionable is not something to shun. To be modestly dressed in the manner of the day is not wrong. One of the best advertisements for a product is to be appealing and we would not make Christianity very appealing if we were a gazing stock noted for our bizarre clothing. The Amish people are a wonderful people noted for their honesty, but we certainly don’t see people flocking to join them.

The best way to not blend in and to be different from others is to be the kindest, most caring, and most unselfish person in our circle. How grand it would be if we were noted for never being a gossip and being the one person in the crowd who always had something nice to say about others. That is a nice kind of weird.

Walking Targets

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-15T19:52:27-04:00

I have through the years developed a target on my back. Actually it’s on the back of my head. When I walk through the forest, mosquitoes and other heinous flying creatures see this large hairless circle and seem to think it’s some kind of supermarket. While I myself have never seen it, it must be very appetizing because it never fails to attract hungry bloodsucking flying vampires. I have tried bug repellent to no avail. I think I shall have to break down and start wearing a cap when venturing onto the mountain.

Protecting ourselves from attackers is quite prudent. It seems stupid not to protect ourselves from any manner of anything that lessens us. Yet, it appears that unless we are able to see the consequences of something or some behavior, we are not very good at caring for ourselves. We overeat. We know better but because we don’t immediately see the bulge swell up around our middle we just keep on eating. We fill our minds with degrading content and because we don’t immediately become felons we keep on watching, reading and listening. We know we should spend time each day feeding on God’s word and yet because we don’t immediately sense our level of care and concern for others erode, we neglect the very thing that will make us better people.

It’s not just the bald spot on the back of my head that’s a target. We are walking targets for attacks from one who has thousands of years of experience debasing humans. Peter puts it this way, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

The Road Most Traveled

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-13T15:55:27-04:00

One of the assignments in my Philosophy 101 course is for each student to write a reflective personal philosophy. One of the things I have learned from these essays is how well known is Robert Frost’s poem about two roads dividing in a wood.   Often it is quoted, especially the last lines, “and I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference.” If all the people, who think they have taken the road less traveled, have really taken the road less traveled, then it is not the one less traveled.

While it is true each of us is unique and there is not, nor has there ever been another like us, it is also true that we are very much like most people.   A simple freshman course psychology textbook pretty much sums up the makeup of a normal person. It’s the persons described in the DSM-IV that are on the road less traveled. The variations between an Englishman and a Frenchman are cosmetic. The variations between an African and a member of the KKK are not nearly as vast as both groups might wish.

There seems to exist in most of us an egocentrism that tells us we are not like others. We are special. We belong to a superior race. We are part of the best culture. We are members of God’s church. We are more sincere than those who fill the pews around us. We. We. We.   How deflating it can be to wake up one morning realizing that none of the above is true. God loves the common man. Just look at how many of us He has made. Enjoy your trip down the road most traveled.

A Fairer World

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-11T22:28:19-04:00

In a world of instant communication and worldwide coverage of almost everything it amazes me to realize there is starvation occurring in Somalia and Northern Kenya while we have an obesity problem. When one sees the pictures of these families coming out of such a barren land one wonders if Romans 1:20 is applicable for these people. Paul says we are without excuse because we can see the wonders of God’s power and grace by the things he has created. Living in New England – yes – no question about it. Living in southern Somalia – surely not. I believe God treats each person uniquely as each situation is unique. These people are already in hell. For them there isn’t much wonder at the beauty of His creation.

I am amused when I hear people in this land of plenty speaking about how unfair things are when they don’t get everything they think they deserve. I recently heard someone complaining that the school bus stopped two houses down the street causing their poor child to walk 100 feet. Shall I mention the Somalian mother who had to leave her starving baby by the side of the trail to perish because she needed to make sure her other children made it to the refugee camp?

Only in some fantasyland does fairness exist. The challenge of being like Jesus is for us to recognize where and when we can intervene to make life fairer for those who need help. Jesus’ very own brother, James, wrote, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Night Sounds

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-09T22:31:54-04:00

Last night while walking my dog I was serenaded by tree frogs, katydids, crickets, the buzzing of mosquitoes and the barking of a dog far off in our little city. I like night sounds. About two A.M. I awoke for a while and listened to a freight train rumbling its way across Leominster. Its distant horn sounded as it crossed roads outside the city and sang me back to sleep. Who knows what dreams of mine were filled with faraway places or better yet places nearby packed with people I love. Those are the best kind.

I have never had a Nebuchadnezzer dream so important I wanted to know what it meant. Freud would find my dreams too simple for analysis. I never had a voice calling me like Samuel. I am intrigued by people who speak of God telling them things. This past week in church someone told of God telling her to play her guitar. God does silently guide my thoughts as I read in John or Paul. He feeds me until my brain is full. But never has He told me to take a call to a church or to teach at a specific school. He didn’t tell me who to marry. Well, maybe He did by placing her in front of my admiring eyes.

I like night sounds. They are the common sounds of life after a city has fallen asleep, except for that guy on a motorcycle without a muffler who moves from traffic signal to traffic signal at 1:45 A.M. There isn’t anything much more hauntingly beautiful than talking to an owl after dark. Perhaps that owl is God’s voice telling me He loves me.

The Key to Being Ready

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-08T20:46:25-04:00

Recently I sat through a thirty minute sermon admonishing us to be ready for Jesus to come. I kept waiting for the speaker to tell us what we had to do to be ready. If I am going to be told to do something I want to be told how to do it. However, he never did. He inferred it had something to do with our diets, both physical and mental. While I do not want to put down on the importance of both of those arenas, they are extremely important for physical and mental health, which are of essential importance for living the abundant life, they are not the key ingredient to being ready for Jesus to come.

The key to being ready is to recognize our total need for grace and to accept His gift. Paul is very clear about this in Ephesians 2. He wrote, God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Paul presses the issue even harder in Galatians 5. There he says we actually fall from grace the moment we alter God’s plan by adding any other requirement other than grace. It is difficult for us. Our pride wants so badly to contribute something other than a receptive heart. However, that is all we can do. It is the key to being ready. The speaker was correct. We do need to be ready. Just tell us the simple truth regarding how wonderful is His grace.

The Dumpster

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-05T10:58:49-04:00

Having to vacate one’s office after 18 years of accumulating grade books, old term papers, syllabi from courses long forgotten, old tests, cards filled with signatures of students you don’t remember and out of date textbooks can be a daunting task. Today will be day number five of taking hundreds of pounds of paper to the college dumpster. I am so thankful for a hand-truck. The person who invented that marvelous two-wheeled transporter should be awarded a Nobel Prize.

I feel a bit strange tossing away boxes of term papers. If they were done correctly each one represents an enormous amount of work. Truthfully, most of them were banged out as rapidly as the student could type. Very little information that could change the world is being sent to the world of paper recycling. All that will remain from those hours in the classroom and sleepless nights cramming for an exam will be a single grade in the registrar’s office.

But wait. It wasn’t really about assignments and grades. It was about education. It was about changing lives and preparing people for service. The most important thing wasn’t a grade, it was ideas. It was about understanding one’s self, others and how the world works. It was finding Jesus and making Him the Lord of one’s life. It was about eternity and class reunions and alumni meetings thousands of years from now. It was about character building and helping high school graduates transition into adults who will raise families and become meaningful contributors to their local communities. If all those lectures, all those hours grading boring papers (most of them really weren’t very interesting) can be translated into outstanding human beings than many trips to the college dumpster is worth it all.

The Fragrance

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-04T22:58:28-04:00

I wish you could be sitting with me at my desk. There is the most alluring, the most intoxicating, the most enthralling, and the most exhilarating fragrance drifting from the kitchen to my nose. I am struggling to stay in my chair. I want so badly to invade the kitchen and pull open the oven door. Whatever is in there is no longer a desire it has transformed itself into a need. By sheer force of will and discipline I continue to write to you instead of pulling up a chair in front of the oven, turning on the oven light and just watching whatever it is. I am waiting for the oven buzzer to sound out, “It is ready. Come and get it.” If my wife wants to punish me for some errant behavior (of course, there never is such a thing) all she need do is say, “It’s not for now. It is for the church potluck.” I cannot bear the thought. The next errant behavior would be sneaking to the kitchen at 3 AM like Dagwood Bumstead.

2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “We are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation . . .”

God is so very anxious to have us with Him. He longs to have us pull up a chair and stay awhile. (Forever) Often we speak of our longing for the second coming of Jesus that will end this pall of pain and restore things to the way it was supposed to be. If we think we are waiting we need but realize we only wait a few decades. He has waited now for 2000 years. For 2000 years the sweet aroma of the redeemed has filled His nostrils and He wants us.

Hugs

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-03T09:01:00-04:00

After 130 history filled years our little college, Atlantic Union College, will not open this fall. If all goes as planned we will become the north campus of Washington Adventist University and open for classes next summer. We were planning on beginning classes this fall but the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has yet to grant WAU the right to do business in Mass. My wife and I will have a fairly relaxed winter. We will not worry about getting to school on blizzard mornings.

Because all of us were pink-slipped at the end of July we were instructed to vacate our offices. What a task that has become - lots and lots of trips to the college dumpster. Our local public library allows us to check out paintings and I have had a spectacular picture of a flower garden in my office. Last Friday I returned it. Hopefully I can check it out again next year. When I entered the public library I was very warmly received by the staff. I was hugged (I don’t know these people.) and wished well as they consoled me regarding our school. I must be one of the very few people who have ever checked out hugs from the library. I must admit it was better than most of the other things I have checked out through the years.

What impressed me was the genuine care and expressions of kindness. Our world is such a nurturing place when we express care and concern for each other. While I am not advocating going about hugging strangers, actually we even have to be careful hugging people we do know, I think we can make someone’s day by expressing or sending verbal or virtual hugs their way. It really does feel good.

The Reset Button

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-02T08:40:15-04:00

Recently someone dear to us wrote, “I wish life was like a video game, where you can click a restore button and go back and start over at a favorite time.”    That’s a pretty good idea but considering that would involve each life of the billions who live on earth, God has come up with a variation of that wish.

While we can’t turn back the clock we can continue as long as we need to click a restore button. In His mind we start fresh.   I wish it could be that way with the people around us. Some of them have very long memories and seem to relish in reminding us of our flawed past. God is so very much better than people. And yet, what amazes me, so many of those remembering people think they are Christians. Jesus was so very clear about this in the Lord’s Prayer. If we expect forgiveness we have to give forgiveness.

One of the advantages to God’s restore system is while we get to start over we can retain the lessons learned. We don’t have to start today or tomorrow minus the wisdom obtained from past mistakes. We get a fresh start with the advantage of knowing what not to do. It gives us a head-start on future success. When similar situations arise we can remind ourselves not to go there. “Been down that road. Not going again.”   Sometimes we are foolish and think just because it didn’t turn out good the last time, maybe this time it will be different. Well how dumb can that be? That borders on insanity or at least stupidity. Should we be so retarded – guess what? You guessed it.   God has a reset button ready to go.   Hooray for our Heavenly Father.   Boo for us.

Surprised by a Coupon

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-08-01T21:53:19-04:00

While shopping this evening I reached for an item and discovered some kind soul had been there before me and had tucked in place a two dollar coupon.   It hadn’t been put there by the store. It had been torn out from a newspaper. It was a super nice thing to do for a stranger. It was one of those random acts of kindness. I was very happy to use it at the checkout counter.

Doing nice things for others really does bring joy into our lives. Maybe the person was watching from down the aisle to see who got it. If so, I hope he or she wasn’t disappointed some old guy got it. It probably would have been even more appreciated by a young couple with small children.

I enjoy the paraphrase in the Message of Romans 12:13, “be inventive in hospitality.” What a difference we can generate in our environment if each day we did some really unique deed of kindness.   We could cut coupons and take them to the store next time we go shopping. As a teacher I could fill my syllabus with lots of assignments and then surprise my students by telling them they only had to do half of them. But that is kind of contrived.   That is akin to robbing someone and then giving them back their credit cards. Did I just associate my class assignments with robbing someone?   That was stupid. Well designed assignments contribute to the wealth of knowledge a student receives by taking the course. If I did not give assignments I would be robbing my students of their tuition.

Let’s be kind today and not worry about what we get but be concerned with what we can give.

The Way It Is Supposed to Be

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-29T23:01:35-04:00

When one rides through the Green Mountains of Vermont on a mid-summer day the overwhelming thought runs through your mind that it should be illegal for people to be allowed to live here. Gorgeous, well-kept farms and lawns sit atop rolling hills back-dropped with breathtaking mountains deep green from the winter snows. The roadsides are littered with Black-Eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s Lace, Day Lilies and Purple Asters.   The ponds are layered with Water Lilies and ringed with Purple Loose Strife. The deep blue sky is decorated with cumulous clouds billowing over a scene Monet could never reproduce. The thought run through your mind, “Let’s quit our jobs and move here.”   It is far away from the Disney Lands, Wall Drugs and Williamsburgs of our land. It is the world the way it is supposed to be.

Perhaps children belted into the back seats of the family SUV would say, “When are we going to get where we’re going?” Or “I’m bored.”   It’s that way when we are small. Paul said, “When I was a child I thought as a child. But now that I am a man I think as a man.”   There are so many things in life that change for us as we develop from one stage of life to another. Each stage has its wonders and things to appreciate. No longer am I fascinated by toy trucks. Now I am overwhelmed by big trucks and the complexity of a Vermont eco-zone. The miracle of life fills me with awe and whets my appetite for an eternity of study.

Some people say the Garden of Eden was somewhere in the Middle East. I think it was somewhere in New England. Surely it was here where God said on Friday evening, “It’s very good.”

Inspected

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-28T23:17:42-04:00

In Massachusetts we have inspection stickers on the lower right hand side of our windshields. Every year we have to pay someone twenty-nine dollars to tell us if our car is street-worthy. I don’t understand why it is that even though I know all the lights and stuff are working properly, I still feel intimidated. I feel like a little boy going to the principal’s office. Will I get spanked because a windshield wiper looks a bit tired? There is this moment of relief when the man starts to scrap off the old sticker so he can put on the new.

It reminds me of my favorite Old Testament story. It’s not Samson or Elijah. It’s found in Zachariah 3. Joshua, the high priest, has appeared before the angel of the Lord wearing a filthy garment. Satan is there to proclaim him unfit. Then the most wonderful thing occurs. The Lord exchanges Joshua’s garment with one that is spotless. Awesome. What is this story doing in the Old Testament? One would think it belonged in the middle of Romans. Joshua passes inspection with flying colors. He is heaven-worthy.

If I am intimated when my car is inspected, I can only imagine my horror when I am to be inspected by God. But wait, I read a promise somewhere in John. Ah, yes, it is 5:24. I have made Jesus my savior and according to Him I have already passed inspection. I have crossed over from death to life and don’t even have to show up for judgment. Now I ask you. Does it get any better than this? There is no standing in the spotlight waiting for the emcee to announce my fate. There are no rolling drums to raise my anxiety level to a fever pitch. We, You and I, We Win.

The Dead Rabbit

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-27T22:35:43-04:00

Don’t get me wrong. I love my dog. She is the sweetest, most caring, most devoted creature one could ever long to have. But this afternoon she found a dead rabbit in our yard. When I say dead I mean really dead, like seriously decomposed. It was hundred degrees last Friday. Can someone tell me why dogs have to roll on those things? Then she came and wanted in the house. I don’t think so! By the time I had her cleaned up I was in need of being cleaned. I had to teach this evening and was fearful that my students could detect my encounter with what was once a rabbit. One can well understand why Lazarus’ family objected to the opening of the tomb after he had been dead for three days.

I have already smelled the decomposition of flesh on a leper and I have to say, Jesus is amazing. In Mark 1 there is a marvelous story of a leper who came to Jesus for help. Jesus did the unthinkable. In front of a crowd He touched the man. Only after that did He heal him. Jesus touched a leper. The stench must have been horrific. I am tempted to think it would be easier for Jesus to approach me. After all I shower and shave every day. I use Dial soap. I brush my teeth and comb what little hair I have left. I’m not like that leper. There – don’t I sound like the Pharisee who said, “I’m not like that fellow.” See Luke 18:11.

How sad to think that we often think ourselves better than others when the truth is the stench of death is on all of us; that is until we meet Jesus.

Friends Moving Away

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-26T22:09:50-04:00

What do you do or say when some of your best friends are moving far away? If you have millions in the bank and have no friends, you are a very poor person. Friends make life rich. If you are mentally ill you can talk to your bank account and if you are seriously mentally ill you will hear it talk back. But if you are a balanced rational being all you can get from your bank account is silence. It can’t laugh at your jokes nor tell you it loves you as you exit the bank. Friends can.

John 15:14-15 is one of the most encouraging statements Jesus ever made to His disciples. He called them His friends. Peter tells us in the Book of Acts that Jesus doesn’t play favorites. That means we also are included in that group of friends. In verse 14 He tells us we need to do what He commanded. And what did He command? Just two verses before this in verse 12, Jesus commands us to love one another. It is the sum and substance of His law. The first four commands are about our relationship to God and the last six about our relationship with each other. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us if we have done it unto the least of them we have done it onto Him. If logic prevails, which it does, then we are down to one commandment; love each other.

This isn’t complicated. It is the simple heart of Christianity. Jesus created us to share our lives with others. He is one of the others. He wants to be our very best friend. That happens when we love each other as He loved and loves and will keep on loving us.

The Bright Red Truck

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-25T16:50:10-04:00

If I thought he was crotchety you should have seen her; gray, hunched over and making those shuffle steps unique with the aged. What happened next was wonderful. He opened the truck door for her as she crawled into the passenger’s seat. Using the truck for balance and support he went around to the driver’s side and mounted himself behind the steering wheel of a bright red Dodge Ram 1500 with a Hemi. The hood was scooped and ready to suck air. The special mufflers rumbled as he pulled away leaving me a view of his chrome pipes. It was magnificent!

Life only stops when we decide it is over. I have known people in their fifties who pretty much stopped. Obviously it wasn’t this elderly, I will not call them old, couple. I wondered if they were heading home for an evening of romance. I wouldn’t doubt it. Maybe it was a first date or perhaps a 5000th!

Life is a wonderful mystery that takes place in our minds. As our senses pour data into its library we classify, sort and decide just what we are going to do with the data. Some use it to reinforce bad memories and others use it to springboard ahead for the next adventure. In John 10:10 Jesus told us He came to give us the abundant life. That’s for now and the future. He shares the secret of that abundance. It is service and being inventive in hospitality. The more ways we conceive for helping others are more ways for blessings to come our way. Blessings are like tide. They go out and shortly thereafter they come flooding back. It’s a great system designed by the One who is Himself the source of all blessings.

"Epic"

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-22T22:56:01-04:00

My graduate class of middle school teachers told me this evening the “in” word for this batch of adolescents is “Epic.” It’s the “Cool” for now. It can be used positively or negatively. Someone can do something so good it’s “Epic” or something so bad it’s “Epic.” On my way home from class I thought that surely the most “Epic” thing was when God said, “Let there be light.” That was soon followed by the worst “Epic” event. That was when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Paul describes it in Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, . . .” I am not one to disagree with Paul but he should have said, “all were made sinners.” It was extremely “Epic.” But then Paul continued on with, “so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” The greatest “Epic” ever had to be the Creator of the Universe being nailed to the cross by those sinners.

Each of us can make a personal list of “Epic” events and of course each would be as unique as we are unique. My best one would be the first time I saw the girl that ultimately said, “Yes” to my proposal. Wait a minute that was so long ago maybe I was the one who said, “Yes.” No, I better leave it the way I first stated it. Then of course my list includes the birth of my two incredible sons. I know you can make a great list.

Now we await the next “Epic” event. “Then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:36

Bubbles

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-21T21:22:28-04:00

The restaurant supplied the jar of bubbles and the father provided the wind. In a gentle stream soapy bubbles floated across the table toward the sweetest little girl. As she reached for them a giant one settled safely on the back of her hand. The rays of sunlight coming through the window polished its swirled reds and greens. Expressing pure glee she reached out with her other hand to stroke it and bam it was gone. It was so pretty and so ephemeral.

Jesus touched on this theme in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28-30

When we are 10 years old a year is a lifetime. When we are 30 a year is a year. When we are 50 a year is a month. It does not take a Philadelphia lawyer to realize life is as ephemeral as a bubble sitting on the back of a little girl’s hand. Bam it is gone! And how did we live it? Did we make provision for the main event? At first I almost wrote “encore” but that was foolish. An encore comes after the main event and for us the main event is yet to come. Actually there never will be an encore because the curtain will never come down on the main event.

Feed Me

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-20T23:11:15-04:00

This evening one of my students told us about his five-month-old son with a voracious appetite. Once he starts eating they cannot feed him fast enough. As soon as the spoon nears his mouth he leans into it, sucks it down and immediately makes noises wanting more and more. As he was telling us about his son I kept thinking about the lyrics “bread of heaven feed me till I want no more.”

Can we actually get enough so we would want no more? As delicious as it is to feed at the feet of Jesus and soak in the promises and His word, I think the answer is yes. We have limited capacity to absorb so much in a specified amount of time. When I hear or read a marvelous new idea about Jesus, I need time to contemplate. I need to stow it away in my mind and roll it around in the lobes inside my head. Sometimes I stop at the perfume counter in a department store and spray a sample on my arm and then another on the other arm and another on the back of my hand and another on the back of the other hand. At some point my nose says, “That’s enough. Stop it.”

But back to ideas, I do want another. It is an endless process because our minds can never be full. Just as we will live forever, our minds will forever soak up and retain great ideas. The feeding at Jesus’ feet will be so much better than the bread and fish He fed the 5000. That was physical. What we are talking about is mental and spiritual.

Sixty-Five Years of Change

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-19T22:09:21-04:00

This evening Brian Williams closed the NBC evening news by reminding us how much our world has changed in the past sixty-five years. This past week the United States women’s soccer team played Japan in Germany. I could not but wonder what how our world will change in the next sixty-five years. Christians long for Jesus to return, but should He not, what will be? If we have not foolishly blown ourselves into the horror of a nuclear winter will Iran and a united Korea be our closest allies? One thing we do know for sure. There will be massive change.

Most all who read this will have closed their eyes to await that glorious moment Paul speaks of in I Thessalonians 4 and I Corinthians 15 when a trumpet will blast and the dead in Christ will be raised and gloriously changed into immortal beings. But until we do close our eyes that last time our present goal is to change. Personal change, personal growth is the substance of our journey. Only people with closed, self-deceptive minds do not recognize the need. If we read the promises we know anything is possible if we will only reach out in self-discipline to use the power made available to us. In II Peter 1 we read about that amazing and precious promise that we, right now, can participate in the divine nature of our God. Should we do so, the changes in our lives might be subtle to us, but not to those about us as we become rivers of blessings.

It is long overdue for us to stop excusing our failures with, “Well, I’m only human.” According to the promise we need not be “only” human. We become literal temples for the Holy Spirit. How grand.

The Silent Petunia

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-18T20:53:32-04:00

We have all seen grass growing in the cracks in sidewalks. But this morning I saw a full blown petunia smiling at the sun and all who passed over it. What amazed me was hundreds of people were stepping over it leaving it unharmed. How grand. Lest I leave the impression all these people were consciously aware and being kind and ecologically responsible, I have to point out the petunia was strategically located in a crack between the sidewalk and the first concrete step going into a building on our campus. But it was right in the middle of our summer graduation crowd and I must add it made it so much better for its presence.

Being egotistical I wondered if my presence in the crowd added as much pleasure as did the petunia. Honestly speaking, I seriously doubt it. Being that crowds are not my favorite place I went to my office as soon as I could. Families were busy celebrating and taking pictures. A handful of loose balloons sailed high and out of sight. These used to be great days for Kodak but digital cameras have changed all that.

Have you ever departed from a gathering being sorry that you had talked too much? Sometimes we become infatuated with our own wit and think everyone in the room needs us to carry the event. Yuk! We get in the car and chastise ourselves for thinking we added pleasure to the crowd. In Romans 12:10 Paul wrote, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.” Today a single silent petunia added to the day. I should learn that silently listening to another is a sure way to bring pleasure to another.

Brothers

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-14T20:44:44-04:00

One evening when my boys were teens, three of us were watching one of them play floor hockey in our college gym. I never did see what precipitated the fight but the one playing hockey was into it with another player. I could not believe my eyes as I watched his brother leap from our side and hurl himself into the fray to be by his embattled brother’s side. I never had a brother, just sisters. I guess that’s what brothers do.

Remember when Jack Kennedy appointed his brother to be his attorney general? The press was filled with editorials about nepotism. But there are times when one needs someone beside them they can implicitly trust. We were all riveted to the news as we watched those two brothers agonize us through the Cuban missile crisis. The editorials about nepotism slowed down, way down.

We think the little book of James toward the end of our New Testament was written by James, Jesus’ brother. I can only imagine the struggle he went through to finally realize his brother was Emmanuel, God with us. What kind of relationship must that have been! I am amazed in his letter he doesn’t do a lot of bragging about who he was.

Lest we become envious of him, let’s remind ourselves of the promises in Romans and Galatians. We are promised we can be adopted into God’s family and become members of the family. What an awesome thought it is to come to the same realization that James did. Jesus, the Creator of all things according to Hebrews, is our brother. I like that because I know when I am in trouble He will leap to my embattled side. It’s what brothers do.

Incongruities

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-13T22:12:45-04:00

People-watching far exceeds bird-watching as a source of fascination. Don’t get me wrong. Bird-watching is great fun; it’s just that it is far exceeded by the fun of people-watching. My favorite sighting for the day was at Taco Bell. There was this old guy (That means he is older than I.) with diamond studs in his ear lobes. He was well groomed with a nicely trimmed beard. But it was those studs that grabbed my attention. They just didn’t belong. They seemed so out of place. I was instantly reminded of Proverbs 11:22, “Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”

There are some things that just do not go together. James 3:9-12 puts it this way. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

There are certain behaviors, words and attitudes that just do not belong in a real Christian’s walk. But by the same token some of us are so lacking in a sense of humor we think everyone should always be solemn and straitlaced. When I look at some Christians I definitely don’t want to be like them. But I think we all can agree that there is no room for judgmental, derogatory speech and downright nastiness in our lives. We must not use honesty as weapon to cut into other’s hearts.

Eden in New England

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-12T21:35:43-04:00

We are coming up on mid-July and New England roadsides are lush with Daylilies and Black-eyed Susans. Stonewalls that line fields and yards are accented with these yellow and orange exhibitionists showing off their splendor to all who pass by. One would have to be visually or mentally challenged not to appreciate their glory. If they could sing they would surely change the words to “You Are So Beautiful” to “I Am So Beautiful” and serenade us on our way. Shamelessly they beg us to take their picture so we can enjoy them six months from now when the days are short and the stonewalls are smothered with snow.

If I had been Moses and quested to write an account of creation I would write something like this. “The Lord God planted a garden in the east and called it New England; and there He put the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight.”

Living the abundant life is living with our minds wide open to ingest each day’s gifts. Far too soon the greens of the oaks and maples will darken indicating the summer is waning and once again God will take out His palette and paint the hills and lanes with maple reds and birch yellows. Those are good days. But I am not yet hungry for them. Today the table is set with the feast of summer. It is more than enough to satisfy anyone’s taste. Today is the day to sing Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Amazing Cookies

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-11T22:09:35-04:00

There are Oreo cookies, peanut butter cookies and sugar cookies, but yesterday we had amazing cookies. Chocolate chips held together by the best cookie dough in the world. They were Goldilocks cookies; baked not too little and not too long. They were baked JUST right. They were placed on the table beside a fresh fruit salad and a marvelous plate of fresh veggies. It was the perfect summer evening fare.

As good as the blueberries were I keep thinking about those amazing Goldilocks cookies. They were like Scripture; hundreds of promises held together by the best stories. There is the story of Jonah with the promise that wherever we go God is there, even if we don’t want Him to be there; He is watching and waiting for us to cry for help and help is immediately on its way. There is the story of Zaccheaus. Jesus wants to come to our house. Then there is the hungry crowd that Jesus fed from a little boy’s basket. God is able to supply all our needs. I could go on and on.

The message is powerful. If we will read the stories we will taste the goodness of the Lord. Reading the Gospel of John is a feast all on its own. Chapter after chapter reveals a new picture of Jesus. In chapter one He is the Creator of all. In chapter nine He is the Light of the World. In chapter ten He is the Good Shepherd. In chapter eleven He is the Resurrection and the Life. The really good part about this kind of feast is that it is calorie free. Those Goldilocks cookies were great but they were rich in calories. Alas. Only Jesus is perfect.

You Complete Me

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-08T21:31:32-04:00

I wonder how many guys have used the line “You complete me”?   It really grabs a lady’s attention even if she knows it’s a quote from the film Jerry McGuire. I’ve tried it on my wife with stunning results. What is interesting is the line is not original in the movie. I believe Paul was the first to use it when talking about Jesus. Colossians 2:10, “You are complete in Him.”

In our quest for development we are so aware of our deficiencies. If we were on our own in this pursuit we would be doomed to failure. It is just part of being human that the better we know ourselves the more aware we become of our needs. Surely discouragement would eventually overwhelm us when we realize there is a certain point in the aging process that our cognitive skills and our physical skills aren’t what they used to be. When my family says to me, “Are you alright?” I realize I am sending subtle signals I thought I was covering up.

Fortunately for all of us the completeness encompasses the entirety of our being and with Jesus as our righteousness we stand before God not as a forgiven sinner but as an individual who has never sinned. I have a friend who tells me he wants to check my record when he gets to heaven. I just smile because I know the only thing there is the good stuff. The bad stuff isn’t just a secret between Jesus and me. It’s gone! I love it! He will be so frustrated because he is suspicious I have a pretty raunchy record. He will never know because I’m not talking and neither is Jesus.   Jesus completes us!

God Gets It The First Time

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-07T22:40:39-04:00

It’s not my age. I have always had difficulty handling strings of numbers that are spoken too rapidly. My definition of “too rapid” are numbers spoken faster than I can write them down. When I was a pilot and needed to talk to air traffic control or the control tower I always spoke very slowly. They would respond with headings, altitudes and clearances at the same pace. If I forgot and rattled off the plane’s number the numbers I got back were way too fast for me to comprehend. It is the same way with my phone’s voice mail. People leave a message saying, “Call me” and then rattle off their phone number with such speed I never can get it. If they wonder why I do not call them it’s because I have a policy. If I cannot get their number written down after listening to their message four times, I give up.

Obviously I am not like God. Number one – He never gives up. Number two – He gets it the first time. He doesn’t need to listen four times. Number three – He actually gets it before we even call. He’s been watching and He knows our need and knows what to do. Sometimes when we pray we tell God our problem and then we tell Him how to solve our problem. When we think about that it is rather insulting. He is God. He knows. He doesn’t need us to explain. Recently I was at a large gathering and the person who prayed told God who we were and where we were and why we were gathered and what we needed from Him. Instead of talking to Him as an intelligent being we treat Him as if He was some vending machine in the sky.

Do Not Turn Off Your Computer

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-06T19:55:53-04:00

The message on my computer screen said, “Configuration Update #496.” In a moment the screen changed with the following message, “Configuration Update. Do Not Turn Off Your Computer.” This happens with some regularity. Somewhere out there in computer land someone, with no name that I know, is keeping the bad guys out of my computer. When they detect a weakness or an attack they surge into action and send me a shield. I like these nameless guys. It’s like they are living in my machine.

Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” What a great verse. Someone out there, with a name, is watching us but is loading us with benefits. In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us He saves us so He can shower us with grace. Then there is the shield thing. Psalm 28:7 says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped.” I also might add it seems like He is living in me. He is. Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”

This is a fabulous metaphor. When Jesus told parables He used everyday things so the people would be reminded of the lesson each time they saw the object in their daily lives. Our computers and our contact with these nameless guys from Windows that send us updates is about as ubiquitous in our lives as anything else. So the next time you receive a message saying, “Do not turn off your computer” remind yourself “Do not turn off your contact with Jesus.”

My Going Nowhere Spider

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-05T22:55:12-04:00

The first time he walked past me I barely noticed. I was deep into a biography of Teddy Roosevelt but my peripheral vision picked him up. The second time grabbed my attention from Roosevelt to this medium sized spider. I was sitting on our patio by a glass table with a four foot diameter. It is ringed by a white metal band so his small black body struck a good contrast. Five times he went round and round. He must have thought he was going somewhere but soon he was back where he started. He was like planet earth. Round and round our sun we go racing along at over 67,000 miles an hour and yet ending up at the same place a year later.

Without Jesus it would all be quite futile. Without Jesus it would be about 70 to 80 trips with as much meaning as my spider’s five trips. Perhaps we would think we were making a difference but really what would it be other than reproducing the human species to make more trips? A small percentage of us might be fortunate enough to live abundant lives and see our children and grandchildren do well but most of mankind has not done so well. Over 56 million of us died during WWII. Over 300 million died from Small Pox in the twentieth century. In 1919 Spanish Flu killed over 50 million. To this day malaria kills 2 million a year.

If we read Ecclesiastes we learn of Solomon’s despair about life and he had every material thing a man could desire. Lest I sound like Solomon let me lift your soul and let it soar to the truth that we are, according to Paul, sons and daughters of the Most High God and we are destined to forever grow more and more like our God. Now that is purpose.

Bald is Stylish

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-07-01T20:46:33-04:00

We are surrounded by bald heads. Both men and woman are shaving their domes each morning so they are shiny and reflective. So why did I just see a television commercial pushing a hair growing product that finished by telling me I would have more confidence if I had more hair? Where did this Samsonish idea come from other than the product pusher? Are we supposed to be better looking if we have more hair and better looking people are more successful? Actually the last part of that sentence is true. If two people are interviewing for a job and have similar qualifications, according to statisticians, the better looking one will get the job.

My wife tells me I am bald on the back of my head. I have to take her word for it because I have never seen it. Since I have never seen it I’m not bothered by it and smearing the back of my head with hair growth tonic will have nothing to do with my confidence. During the recent British royal wedding I noticed that Prince William doesn’t have all the hair he had when he was fifteen. Yet he is very confident and rightfully so. He is a prince. He is the future king.

Well so are we. According to Romans and Galatians we are adopted into the royal family of the universe when we make Jesus our savior. We become the sons and daughters of God. We are even promised in Revelation that we will sit with God on His throne. I am feeling really confident and it has nothing to do with the number of hairs. Actually the fewer there are the quicker God can count them!

Let's Pay Attention

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-30T20:56:05-04:00

A mosquito is flying about my computer screen. Right this moment it is sitting on the word “mosquito” in my first sentence. Too bad it can’t read. I think it would be amused if it could. Its head is so tiny yet it obviously contains a brain. When I put my finger close to it, it fleas. (Very poor pun intended. I was better at puns when I was in the third grade.) It most likely thinks it is about to find a warm juicy meal. The truth is I am about to smack it and crush its life. But wait, do I have that right? Is that mosquito part of the circle of life and part of the food chain? While I don’t think I need it by my computer should I not try to catch it and release it outside? However, as I look at it I remember suffering from a horrible case of malaria caused by one of its African cousins. Should I after so many years get revenge on its family? But isn’t that same stupid kind of thinking the cause of so many human conflicts? A hundred years ago your grandfather killed my second cousin so now I have to even the score. However, we never really want to even the score. We want to return the deed with interest. The higher the interest rate the better.

If all Jesus was to this world was to be a philosopher, (He was so much more.) and the world realized the value of “turn the other cheek” and “forgive us as we forgive,” our history books would not be filled with tales from umpteen wars. Jesus was the prince of peace. We just don’t pay attention.

Hubbub

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-29T19:59:03-04:00

So I ask you. How can a man concentrate on his classroom lecture when a pretty lady comes by the door tossing in kisses? This is not the first time this has happened. We teach in the same department and her office is next to mine but she waits until I am really holding forth with some important topic and then she strikes. I have to tell you even though we are coming up on our 50th anniversary, it is still very distracting.

Life is full of distractions. When I am in the midst of a task needing concentration a student will stick his head in the door to ask a “quickquestion.” I hear this so often it really needs to be one word instead of two. Though it might only take thirty seconds to respond it takes much longer to mentally return to the task at hand. Our cell phones, iPads and pop ups on computer screens all distract us.

We make a conscious effort to grow spiritually only to be distracted by our children’s needs. There is soccer practice, or whatever, where they need to be delivered. As if there is something innately wrong with quiet, our environment so often is filled with background music; usually music we don’t especially like. The pressures of modern life are one of the biggest distractive foes to personal growth. One of Satan’s most effective tools is hubbub. When we are making really good spiritual progress a committee of Satan’s angels meets to discuss our case. First of their suggestions as to how to thwart us comes, “Just, fill his/her life with lots of responsibilities. They can be good things. It doesn’t matter. Just make it a good distraction.”

No Man Can Take Two Classes

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-28T19:51:26-04:00

I continue to be amazed by students. Just when I think I have seen it all, something new occurs. We started our summer graduate program this morning for teachers working on their masters’ degrees. One young lady tried to register for two classes that were running simultaneously. Her rationale was that since the courses were in classrooms across the hall from each other she could during the day keep moving back and forth from lecture to lecture. After all she was a smart lady. This is somewhat like chess masters who play several opponents at the same time. I will not mention the personal slight to the professors. It is like a student, who had been absent, coming and saying, “Did I miss anything.” I always want to respond with, “No, we napped while you were gone.”

She reminded me of Christians who think they are smart enough to follow Christ and yet take mini-vacations into places they know they should not be. They can go to church on the weekends and still spend time in relationships that should not be. Jesus said it so well in the Sermon on the Mount. “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

While it is true that salvation is a gift, it is also true that one really can’t keep giving it back on Monday only to take it again on Friday evening. It isn’t that God isn’t patient with us. It is all about our ability or should I say lack of ability to tap into heaven’s resources with such a divided mind.

$80.00

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-27T17:03:38-04:00

While getting back into the driver’s seat I was muttering about paying $80.00 for the gas I just put in my very thirsty car. I don’t know if my wife was trying to make me feel better or worse as she reminded me of an afternoon almost fifty years ago when our ‘57 Ford was very empty. The needle was riding on the “E” and we were still a few miles from home. We had to do something.   I had two dimes in my pocket and we found a nickel in the ashtray. Pulling into a gas station we put twenty-five cents worth, a gallon, into the tank.   We told the attendant (no self-service then) to be very careful because if he put in twenty-six cents we didn’t have the extra penny. (No credit cards then.)

So when did I pay the most? On one occasion I had something left and on the other I had not a cent left. Or does it really matter?   The real richness of life was the person in the car with me on both occasions. True wealth isn’t about dimes and dollars.   It is the people we love and the people who love us. True wealth is a lifetime of good memories and shared experiences. True wealth is being cared about and having someone to cherish.

When Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always”, He made us the richest people in history.   In John 14 He promised to send us the Comforter.   His Spirit, upon our request, will actually dwell within us. “I in Christ and Christ in me” is an amazing concept. If we can but grasp the immensity of this reality we will tap into the resources of heaven itself. See II Peter 1.

To Be Touched

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-24T20:41:44-04:00

One of my favorite things about Jesus was the way He touched people prior to healing them. In Mark 1 He touched a leper and then said, “I will. Be clean.” If it had been me it would have been the other way around. We are very tactile beings and apparently we are not the only creatures God made to be such. In a recent study at the University of California rats were induced to have a stroke. The researchers then tickled the rats’ whiskers and discovered something wonderfully amazing. Neurons that should have died did not. There was no paralysis where there should have been. There still needs to be much follow-up research; however, the implications are extremely hopeful. While it is true, we are not rats and do not respond to things the way they respond, researchers often find correlations. The message is we might have an opportunity to benefit stroke victims by stroking them until we can get them emergency aid.

In Mark 8 Jesus touched the eyes of a blind man. In Matthew 8 He touched Peter’s mother-in-law on her hand and immediately her fever vanished. In Matthew 9 He took a little girl, thought to be dead, by the hand and she got up. Continuing on in the same chapter two blind men were given sight after He touched their eyes. In Revelation 7 John speaks of the redeemed as being a huge uncountable multitude. That is so wonderful. The exclusionists among us are so very wrong. It isn’t going to be just their special little group. It is HUGE and Jesus will touch each person one by one. It will take a while. Perhaps a century or so but I can wait.

Brain Backup

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-23T20:40:19-04:00

A few years ago one of our church members lost his memory after a horrific motorcycle accident. We were very hopeful it would return even if it was in small bits and pieces. It did not. I could not understand how he remembered language. He could still read and do math but did not know any of his family let alone those of us outside his immediate circle. The selectiveness of what he knew puzzled me.

I remembered him this week while doing a backup of my computer’s hard drive. Supposedly I will be able to restore my system and files if I have a crash. I found myself wishing we could plug our brains into a little box that would store our personalities and our past for restoration in case of a crash.

Basically that is what God does for us. In I Corinthians 15 Paul speaks of a resurrection and this mortal putting on immortality. I really don’t think we much want our old bodies back. Paul speaks of brand new eternal bodies with all our personalities and memories installed in a never dying brain. That sounds pretty terrific. I recently had an elementary student ask me if his head were traded with the head of the child sitting at the next desk, would he think the other child’s thoughts. I assured him he would still only think his own thoughts. Instead he would have a different body.

Our amazing God, who knows all, knows all our memories and as we age and forget He keeps them safe and secure for us. So the next time you can’t remember a friend’s name, just relax, this too shall pass. Old age and forgetfulness is a temporary condition. How grand!

Our Morning Visitor

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-22T17:16:03-04:00

I relearned an old lesson at 6:30 this morning. Our dog woke us with her most ferocious bark. We assumed it was the new ground hog that has moved into the backyard. Much to our surprise we looked out to see our suet feeder being ripped from the tree by our morning guest. Grabbing my camera I made my way down to the back door. At first I took some really bad pictures through the window. The rising sun set up a terrible glare. But I wanted documenting shots. Next I opened the door to get some unobstructed pictures. I took about twenty pictures, some which should have been great, except for my haste. I was just pointing and shooting. In my excitement I failed to pause for that half second required for the camera to focus. I just shot away. The result was about three pictures worth saving. The rest were garbage shots. Haste does make waste.

I really should know better. Quality takes time. Quality takes thought. Quality takes effort. It is not only that way when taking pictures; it is that way with 98% of life. I see it all the time in the classroom. I can tell when a student has hastily banged out a paper as opposed to a paper that actually contained some thought. If we really want to get to know someone we have to take some time to do so. If we want a relationship with God we have to pause to hear His quiet voice and we have to spend time reading His letter to us. It is the way life works.

Our Real Need

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-21T19:58:30-04:00

It was a cold Iowa night when I received a phone call from a downtown hotel desk clerk telling me one of my church members was sitting on a ledge outside his tenth floor window. On my way I was trying to remember something, anything, that I had learned in the seminary to help me with this. After all that tedious theology and boring church history I came up with nothing. In a few minutes I was halfway out the window talking. I was doing lots of talking and getting nowhere. Finally in desperation I said, “But, Sid, I love you.” He turned and stared into my eyes and reached out his hand. Inside the warmth of the room he emptied a liquor bottle in the bathroom sink and said, “Thank you. I have not heard those words in years.” And there it was, the hunger of the human heart. The essence of life is learning to love and learning to receive love.

Years later I went back to school wanting to learn more about human nature and need. I wanted to know what to say to the heartbroken, frustrated, fearful people who came seeking guidance. I learned about Freudian, Adlerian and Rogerian psychology. After listening to countless lectures and sitting through endless groups, I never did hear anything more meaningful that what Jesus said to the woman whom the authorities wanted to stone. “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

I realize it sounds too simple. Life is complex and the situations into which we find ourselves enmeshed seem so entangling one would think the only answer would be years of therapy. But once we cut through all the garbage and all the trauma and drama the answer is always the same. We need to be loved.

3 AM in Bronxville

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-20T20:31:26-04:00

In a successful way to keep their graduating high school seniors safe after a Saturday evening graduation service, the parents of Bronxville, NY provide an all night party. The highlight of the celebration happens at 3 AM. A bagpiper leads everyone on a parent and police escorted walk through their beautiful residential streets. At 2:30 AM we were awakened and invited to join the procession. My midnight oil, my flashlight, was ready. As we walked along I thought if my batteries had been dead there was no place at that time of morning to purchase fresh ones. I might possibly have missed the fun. (Actually there was a half moon and my light was not needed. But I did think of Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins. See Matthew 25)

When we were awakened at 2:30 with the words, “It’s time to go” I could not but think of God’s church being wakened at the end with the cry, “The bridegroom cometh. It’s time to go.” What a glorious moment that will be. Paul describes it so eloquently in I Thessalonians 4 and I Corinthians 15. One of the fascinating details he includes is the phrase, “in the twinkling of an eye.” Suddenly, in a moment, it happens. It is done. The resurrection of the redeemed occurs and we are united with loved ones never to be parted again. Words cannot be arranged into any sentence that would come close to describing the joy.

I was tempted to say something like, “this is what Christianity is all about.” And I certainly want to say it is a major part of our walk with Jesus. But it is not the entirety of the Gospel. We must never forget the joy of salvation does not begin then, but begins now, the moment we accept His gift.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-17T09:15:26-04:00

There is an abandoned railroad tunnel not far from our college. One’s eyes adjust to the dimming light as one treks into its heart of darkness but soon even the keenest of eyes find it difficult to make out what might be painted on the old rock walls. Eventually there is not enough light to even see one’s own hand held before one’s face. But then as one nears the opposite end, the light increases, the shadows decrease and how glorious it is to step out into the light.

Tunnels are like human’s experience with God. Adam and Eve started in the light of Eden. God came and walked and talked with them. They knew who He was and what He was like. But after sin they lost that privilege and following generations walked deeper into the darkness of forgetting His loving nature. Men fashioned God into their twisted image and He became, in human minds, a vengeful being filled with human traits. People did terrible things to each other and perceived it to be God’s will. Lucifer lied to people about God, smeared God’s good name. Lucifer did evil things and blamed it on God. For thousands of years the truth about God was lost in the shadows of human sin, greed, selfishness and aggression.

Then something absolutely amazing happened. Angels appeared in the sky outside a small village and sang gloriously about a birth. It was time to tell the truth about God. It was time to flood the world with the light of His true nature and to stop blaming the corruption of the world on Him. Jesus came. He and He alone was and is a photograph of the Father. Emmanuel, God with us. If we have seen Jesus we have seen the Father. Please see Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Goalie We Need

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-16T08:53:25-04:00

It has been 39 years since the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Last night the drought came to an end. It was a phenomenal series for Boston’s goalie. He stopped 37 attempts on goal. Vancouver just couldn’t get that puck past him.

I need a goalie like that. Satan is out there taking his best shots at me and way too often he scores. He dekes me time after time. Every day he scores a hat trick. The problem being that I try to be my own goalie. My personal pride tells me, “Oh yeah, I can do this.” Ah, pride does indeed go before a fall. Just when I think it’s coming straight in he wraps it around into the net from behind. I need help. I should get smart. Even though I have almost logged my three score and ten I am a rookie compared to Satan who has thousands of years of experience deking people.

According to the end of Jude, God is able to keep us from falling. It’s a matter of teamwork. We need to allow God to do for us what He is really good at doing. He is good at fending off temptations. In John 14 Jesus promised that He would send us help. He would not leave us orphaned but would send a Comforter to supply all that we need. Psalm after Psalm promises if we call upon God when things get tough He will be instantly at our side. He is never begrudging about our requests. He loves it when we acknowledge our need. That gives Him permission to come to our aid. Satan can’t get anything past Him.
Yeah, that’s who I need for a goalie!

Use It or Lose It

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-15T08:33:32-04:00

I have a friend with a small black convertible. It’s not much use in New England from Thanksgiving through May, so it’s put in storage for the winter. One would think nothing could go wrong with it sitting safely through the snowy months. However, this week it started leaking hydraulic fluid from one of the rear shocks. It appears that one of the seals dried up during the winter because it wasn’t being used. And so goes the old saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Next winter my friend will bounce on the corners of the car every once in a while.

That adage is true for more than machinery. It is also true for our bodies. If we don’t exercise we lose strength, endurance and muscle tone. If we don’t challenge our minds we lose mental agility. If we don’t feed our souls with good nutritious inspiring material we cease being attuned to such and thus miss much. The more we miss the more we spiral down and become like the average Joe Blow, who is so spiritually blind he sees nothing uplifting.

Balanced usage, well thought out, well planned usage builds strength and agility. When we are tuned in we see God’s power everywhere. God actually expects us to do so. In Romans 1:20 says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Please note that last phrase. There is no excuse for not seeing. We are expected to be aware. Seeing should be believing. The more we do it the easier it becomes.

The Street Sweeper

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-14T09:36:10-04:00

While sitting on the porch of a home in a small town in the Napa Valley I looked up to see a street sweeping machine work its way along the curb.   “Humm,” I thought, “the street isn’t dirty.” It had been nine months since the leaves had fallen and the locals seem to take pride in their community and pick up any fallen piece of paper.   About thirty minutes later I watched the same machine with the same driver do it again. To my amazement about thirty minutes later he came by for the third time. I thought, “Either this guy has a clean fetish or not enough to do and wants to collect a paycheck for working all day.”

I used to know a guy very much like that street sweeper. He just couldn’t bring himself to believe that Jesus really did forgive his sins.   He would claim the promise in 1 John 1 that tells us, if we confess, God will forgive and cleanse us. He would pray, ask for forgiveness and be fine for a short while. But Satan taunted him into thinking he was being presumptuous to think he could be saved. His sins were so bad he was unforgivable. His very short lived freedom from guilt was soon overwhelmed with the depressive body and soul destruction of guilt. Soon he was praying again for God to forgive him of those very same sins of which he had already been cleansed. The joy of salvation continually eluded him. He kept sweeping the same street over and over and over.

We must not allow our feelings to negate the truth that God means what He says and is a promise keeper.   When He says He forgives He means it. He is faithful and just. Put the street sweeper in the garage.

Terror Alert

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-13T20:29:42-04:00

Our brains are wonderful computers instantly analyzing billions of bits of data as they unfold before us. Our brains constantly work in the background calculating speed, distance and space as we drive. While on my way to our college Thursday morning my brain issued an instant terror alert. As I started up a hill I noted a mail delivery truck coming down the hill. I watched as he pulled halfway off the road to open a mailbox. The terror occurred when I saw a 100,000 pound 18 wheeler coming 50 plus mph down the hill behind the mail truck. There was no possible way he could slow down. Those two trucks and my car were going to get to the same small piece of road at the very same instant. If he was not going to flatten the mail truck he had to come into center of the road. I would have to go for the ditch if I was ever to make another brain calculation. I’m not sure how many heart beats I missed as he chose the middle of the two lane road. I still cannot understand how I still have a driver’s side mirror. It was over in an instant. All I could see were his tail lights receding in that mirror I still had.

These brains we have can do some marvelous things. Each day they quietly make thousands of decisions as to how we are to nourish ourselves, physically, mentally and spiritually. They safely guide us through a maze of activities, many of which have great potential for harm. Not only do they house who we are they hold the potential for who we can be. The real terror alert should be an awareness that we might miss our full potential. And what might that be? To grow into the very likeness of God Himself. See Philippians 2.

Half-truths

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-02T22:24:53-04:00

I am sitting here looking at a photo of a spokesperson for a hair-care company giving one million dollars worth of PRODUCT to a mission for the homeless in LA. I am trying not to be cynical about the value of this gift as I think of LA’s homeless being the best groomed people in town. Perhaps the mission can sell it on Ebay. Most likely if I knew more details it wouldn’t seem so ludicrous, which is the case with most of the stories we hear. Often we make snap judgments with very little solid information. My email fills each day with critical stories about politicians and the like and you know they are prepared by special interest groups preying on the gullible. Facts are often deliberately distorted and half-truths are told to play on our insecurities and fears.

One of the classes I teach each summer is called Research Methods and one of the very first lessons is to ask who paid for the research. One can find research that will support almost any position. It all depends who put the numbers together and what is their bias. Most of us with grey hair can remember when the tobacco industry filled evening television with actors pretending to be doctors as they told us how soothing, relaxing and stress-reducing cigarettes were. They had all kind of research data to back up their health claims. One thing we do know is often people do not want the truth. What they really want is a research study to support what they already believe.

It is the same way with Bible study. Often instead of looking for truth we instead look for a text to support what we already believe.
__________________

Things We Shouldn't Know

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-06-01T21:42:29-04:00

There are things we see and learn that we really don’t want to know. Many years ago when I was a pastor I pulled up alongside a car being driven by one of my church elders. He was thoroughly enjoying a huge cigar; something on our no-no list. Before he saw me see him I turned my head to the left as if concentrating on oncoming traffic. I didn’t want him to know I saw. (There were times I would not have wanted him to see me.) Recently my wife was reading the local police blotter in the newspaper and spotted the name of one of our students. Ouch. I wish she didn’t read that thing. Now I know something I didn’t want to know and I don’t want him to know I know. Or should I quietly and gently take him aside for a concerned man to man talk? What is my responsibility to the school administration? Do I need to tell them? It could further complicate his life and jeopardize his education. We have often heard that ignorance is bliss. Often times it is. Does knowledge obligate us to respond?

Adam and Eve were carefully and thoroughly instructed regarding the forbidden tree. Lucifer via the serpent told them the truth when he told them if they ate the fruit they would learn things God didn’t want them to know. They ate. They learned all about death, loss, suffering, betrayal, selfishness and jealousy. While it is true that inquiring minds want to know there are many occasions when we should choose not to know. I have on occasion felt sorry for God. He knows all our dirt. How fortunate we are that He is willing and able to forget it should we only ask

Life is About Loving

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-31T22:35:19-04:00

It was one of those days. I was standing still and was sweating. I could have turned on the air conditioner in the house but my wife says I’m cheap. I prefer to call it frugal. So we did the next best thing. We got into the air-conditioned car and drove to the air-conditioned mall for a slice of pizza.

After the pizza and an hour of roaming two levels of stores I realized there was not one thing in Macy’s, Sears, Penny’s and all the other stores that I wanted or needed. You could turn me loose with a hundred dollar bill and it would be safely returned to you an hour later. This is a bit disturbing. How can it be? Is it because I already have everything a human could possibly need? Could it be that I have grown old and products are designed for younger people’s tastes? Could it be I think just about everything I saw was overpriced? Could it be I am more than a bit put off by a super-consumptive culture? Could it be that I think 90% of what is in that mall is not needed by anyone? Probably the answer is a combination of all of the above.

When I was little heaven was described to me as a place full of things that would make me happy. I loved Christmas because I would get things. I used to watch The Price is Right because of all the things people won. When we watch the people in Joplin being so grateful just to be alive and have their loved ones and watch those who no longer have their loved ones, we understand life isn’t at all about things. Life is about loving people and being loved.

Memorial Day

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-30T17:44:45-04:00

On a corner property connected to our college is a hillside, once the home for settlers who braved moving westward from the safety of Boston. They paid a harsh price for their adventure. In 1675/6 a war party of natives came burning, killing, scalping and capturing. Only ashes were left behind. I got to thinking about them this Memorial Day because of an engraved stone that memorializes that hillside. The stone is small considering the magnitude of what happened to those people.

Memorials are interesting. We try to build something that will keep us from forgetting. Yet, as hard as we try, our carved stones always seem inadequate, no matter how well designed. Stones with names can never compensate for the loss of flesh and blood. Memorials in time seem more meaningful than stones because time cycles round and round. Each time the day returns we remember. This is so much better than a stone that will fade away in the wind and rain.

God wanted us not to forget where we came from. We are not the product of an impossible chain of favorable mutations. We are the fruit of His loving design. When Moses descended Mt. Sinai with the tablets of stone, there tucked in the middle was the fourth commandment. It started with the word “Remember”. God had established a memorial in time. Every Sabbath day we are to stop our commerce and remember Eden. It became even more meaningful at the Cross. That wasn’t just a god from heaven who died for us. It was THE GOD who made us and paid the price for our failures by becoming one of us. John 1.

It is Memorial Day. Memorials are, without a doubt, very important.

Heaven University

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-27T22:38:29-04:00

While taking our lab for a snuff tonight, (our old dog went for a sniff, this dog snuffs – really, you should hear her) we were looking at Arcturus and wondered what the beings on its planets call it. We call our giant ball of burning gas Sun. I gather that is its name even though we do not capitalize sun. Since we can see Arcturus it would make sense to believe its planet’s population can see our sun and I wonder what name they have for it. Perhaps because of Adam and Eve’s transgression they call it “sin” instead of “sun”.

There is so much to learn. When I was a teen I thought the idea of eternal life was a nice idea. Now it is an essential idea. Part of the problem was when I was eighteen I knew everything. All you had to do was ask me. Now I know so little and my curiosity continues to grow. What Jesus offers isn’t just living forever. Under certain circumstances that could be awful. But what He offers is eternal matriculation into Heaven University. I need a sweatshirt with a big HU embroidered on the front. I know it might seem like I’m jumping the gun a bit but I already have my acceptance. Check out John 5:24. Usually when someone is accepted into a college or university they get the fat envelope with all the forms that need to be filled in. There are no forms needed for HU. The Registrar already knows everything about us and when it comes to financial aid, well there is a scholarship that beats all scholarships. This one comes with housing and all books are included; probably an e-tablet. (See John 14)

This Land is Mine

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-26T22:37:14-04:00

In 1940 Woody Guthrie was tired of hearing Kate Smith sing “God Bless America”, so he wrote “This Land is Your Land.” He recorded it four years later. It has become one of our more famous folk songs. But, other than Mr. Guthrie, who said this land is our land? Was it really Manifest Destiny or “might makes right”? What about the few million people who lived here before Columbus? The history of the world has always been that of the conquer and the conquered. How would we feel if at a Fourth of July concert a citizen of the Mohawk nation walked to the microphone and sang “This Land is my Land”?

We like the word conquer. Somehow it isn’t as harsh as “took.” The children of Israel conquered Canaan. My very first issue with this came to me in Sabbath School when I was about 12. How was it that only 40 years prior God told the Israelites killing and stealing was wrong? Did that only apply among the 12 tribes or was that universal? How was it that the materials used for the building of the temple were offerings and plunder?

I understand they believed God told them to take the “Promised Land” but most every war is fought by two sides who believe God is on their side. Just read the history of our own Civil War.

I am not trying to stir up controversy and don’t seek responses. I am just thinking about our history as a nation and as a human. It has been a bloody road to where we are. I am so pleased that Jesus was not the leader of any armed group. He really was the Prince of Peace.

When God Doesn't Like Me

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-25T21:24:46-04:00

I am fairly sure there are days God doesn’t like me. I know He loves me but loving and liking are two very different things. I officiated at a marriage several years ago where it was evident the couple didn’t like each other. So why would they want to get married and why would I participate? It was complicated as are most relationships but it was evident they loved each other. I was hoping they would grow to like each other. It didn’t work out. I should not have been so hopeful. Without the liking the love eroded away.

I don’t think Jesus much liked the religious establishment that governed Israel. His comments in Matthew 23 are extremely harsh and certainly are not used for persons we like. Yet He sat outside the city on the Mount of Olives and wept over them. I think He liked the woman who bathed his feet with her tears. He certainly came to her defense when she was criticized. There must have been something special about Zaccheaus other than his height. It was obvious that Jesus liked him. Jesus invited Himself home for dinner. Liking someone is wanting to spend time with them and desiring to get to know them better.

Have you ever met someone for the very first time and didn’t like them? Sure you have. We all have. Usually it is because they remind us of someone else that we don’t like and the new person is cashing in our dislike of the other. The days God doesn’t like me are the days when I am very much unlike what He wants me to be. Hopefully those days are not coming as frequently as in the past. That’s what it is all about. It’s about growing.

Singing in the Rain

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-24T22:16:26-04:00

It’s been raining here in New England for most of two weeks. Needless to say we have a few puddles decorating our landscape. Thankfully we are not like the folks along the Mississippi River or in tornado alley. Our prayers are for them. This has been a horrible spring they will never forget.

On a much lighter note I watched a robin this afternoon who has to be the Gene Kelly of the bird world. He was bathing in a puddle and singing his heart out. He was singing in the rain. It looked like he was having a glorious feeling. I found myself wanting to go and join him. There is something infectious about joy. When we hear a child laugh it is difficult to not at least smile. Happiness breeds happiness. And of course the opposite is also true. Maybe I enjoyed the robin so very much because I could not stop thinking about all the loss in the Midwest and the South.

So many prayers will ascend containing the word “Why.” And the answer is because we live in a world where awful things happen to really good people. As much as we want to believe it, the truth is being a Christian does not inoculate us from horror. If it did we could win the world for Jesus in 24 hours, but it would be for the wrong reason. It wouldn’t change hearts; only church membership.

So today I tried to divert my thoughts by watching a robin sing and dance in the rain. If we try we can find some delightful things to brighten our days. But since God is all-knowing I wonder if He ever has a good day. Does the robin help even Him?

Our Moral Responsibility

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-23T18:01:02-04:00

It is amazing to Google a satellite nighttime picture of Korea and look at the electric light difference between the North and South. North Korea is a nuclear power that doesn’t even supply its people with lights. Then there is the issue of food. Once again because of government mismanagement and/or deliberate action masses of people in North Korea are facing starvation. We have food, lots of it. Too much if you look at the size of our children.

Our moral dilemma is should we send North Korea food only to have it put in storage for their military. It is difficult for us to imagine a government allowing its own people to starve and yet we saw such behavior during the years we lived in East Africa. Tons of food rotted on shipping docks while fifty miles away people were dying for lack of nourishment.

Have we done our human duty to give and then not have control over the use of what we give? This is a question akin to giving our offerings only to see church officials with large travel budgets using the money to fly all over the world when they could have used Skype for free. Is the issue not our concern because we did the right thing by giving; thus transferring the responsibility to others?

Living in a modern world with new technologies continually changes the moral landscape. Does God wish for us to carefully ponder our giving and not merely blindly trust others to do the right thing? Service and sharing is the noble part of our humanity. It is the substance of our happiness and of our moral values.

Cockamamie Stories

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-20T20:59:20-04:00

My wife and I went to a boarding high school. It is where we met. Last week I suddenly realized I had become the principal of that school. Well, not the principal, but like him. Let me explain. We all thought he was a pushover. Whenever we got into trouble he would believe any story we made up to explain our behavior. He was such a nice guy with such a big heart. We thought he was naïve.

Now back to me. Last week was finals week at our college with lots of papers due. You should have heard all the lame excuses I received for why assignments were not ready. I won’t mention the assignments were given fifteen weeks before. I even had a set of roommates who turned in the same assignment each with their own name on the top. I know I must be getting old and don’t need the hassle. Honestly sometimes it is just easier to say, “Okay, get it under my office door by tomorrow night.” It doesn’t do much for their characters but it sure makes it easier for me. It was then that I realized I had become our old principal. I understood that he most likely never believed our cockamamie stories. It was just easier. He was not as naïve as we thought.

I am so thankful we don’t have to make up stories when we talk to God about our behavior. Since He saw it, it would be quite stupid to try. He knows the truth and He knows our reasons and motives better than we do. So the best way is to own it, confess it and take the natural consequences. He will forgive the eternal consequences but we will still have to reap the earthly fruit.

Nothing Comes From Nothing

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-19T19:58:13-04:00

“Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing.”*

If you said it or if I said it, we would be laughed at as being uneducated, ignorant and out of touch with reality. But when someone with Stephen Hawking’s stature says it some say, “Oh, yes, isn’t that marvelous?” If one browses the science section at a bookstore it doesn’t take long to ascertain there is a small cadre of atheists and evolutionists who dominate the pop science market. Some of them refer to those of us who are creationists as being “intellectually inferior.” We are, according to them, believers in fairy stories.

But really now, even people who would not consider themselves scientifically literate accurately write such lyrics in The Sound of Music, “nothing comes from nothing.”

I will try to be nice about this and just ask how long would we have to wait before something spontaneously created itself out of nothing?   Yes, I know the answer I would receive would be trillions of years. And they say we are people of faith and they are people of science.

We must never be ashamed to defend our reasonable, logical, scientific stance when we said, “In the beginning God created the heaven and earth.” Intelligence comes from intelligence and life comes from life. Design comes from mind and order comes from plan.   “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” Psalm 33

*Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story' In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the cosmologist shares his thoughts on death, M-theory, human purpose and our chance existence” Ian Sample, science correspondent - guardian.co.uk, Sunday 15 May 2011
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I Am A Mean Man

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-18T21:11:10-04:00

I am a mean man. What I mean is I am quite average. There is nothing special about me. I once knew a mean man. He was downright nasty. He was my next door neighbor when I was a child. I mean he wasn’t nice at all. I have a friend with limited means. It is difficult for him to pay his bills. What I mean is I am mean and my neighbor was mean but we are very different. He wasn’t mean because he was more than one standard deviation below the mean because of his meanness. My friend without enough means is actually quite nice.

English was not the mother tongue for almost a third of my students this past semester. It is no wonder they often did not understand my instructions. English is not the easiest language in the world. We laughed a lot as we tried to be patient with each other for often I did not understand them.

Right this moment God is listening to a million prayers in thousands of languages and He understands perfectly what each of us needs. Unlike the world’s air traffic controllers who all need to speak English so a Russian pilot can land in France, heaven doesn’t need us to learn a special language. God is so delighted to hear us any language will do. One really grand thing about God is He listens to our hearts. We don’t actually have to put our needs into the words of any language. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26

The Absence of Empathy

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-17T22:42:09-04:00

We think some people are not nice. Others we think of as being bad. Then there are those we think are evil. I’m not sure I have ever met someone I would classify as evil. However, I realized I had never really defined evil. Just what is it that makes someone evil? Being rude is being not nice. Telling lies about others is bad. Somehow I think of evil as actually inflicting physical harm on another. But that isn’t what the dictionary says. My dictionary defines evil as being immoral. That certainly broadens the scope. I finally came up with my own definition. I think evil is the absence of empathy. One becomes so self-absorbed there is no time to consider how another feels. We just don’t care about anyone but the person we see in the mirror. When we say “How are you?” we really don’t care. It is a prelude to give us an opportunity to tell others how we are. Hurry and say “Fine” so I can tell you about me.

It is very difficult to think of ourselves as evil. We define ourselves with softer adjectives. When we are children we are imps or rascals. It seems harsh to describe a five-year-old as evil. Yet the seeds of self, if left to grow, will produce self-absorbed adolescents and it will continue to worsen without intervention. Thankfully evil does not place us beyond God’s desire to change our hearts and help us care about others. “He is able to keep us from falling and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” Jude 24 It fills Him and us with “exceeding joy” to do so.

My Birch Tree

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-16T21:25:35-04:00

We have a wonderful birch tree in full leaf right beside our bedroom window. Biologists tell me it will, from now until October, provide all the oxygen my wife and I will need this year. I like that tree. During summer storms its leaves brush against the glass as if asking to come in out of the rain. Sometimes it creaks and groans like an old man with arthritis. Ice on a January night bend it over and it will rattle against the sash reminding me how blessed I am to be inside. Through the years it has become my friend and I worry about it and I hope it can endure all the weather that comes its way.

I also have human friends who nourish me. Their care provides for my inner weather. When I am sunny they smile with me. When I am troubled by some storm they listen and rarely argue. They just allow me to talk. Good friends are like that. They know that often the best cheering up is to say nothing. They just listen until my storm subsides.

Life would be unbearable without friends. To sit home alone and think only of one’s self creates a horrible downward spiral. Psychologists say solitary confinement in a windowless prison cell is one of the worst punishments. We are above all things social creatures, not made to be alone. We need contact. Of course the One who created us knows that. That is why He promises to be available 24/7. Just call. He’s a great listener. He is the best of friends and like my birch tree; He provides constant company and lots of oxygen.

Who Would Know?

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-13T22:21:42-04:00

So my colleague with the barren lilac bush is pondering getting plastic lilac blossoms and decorating her blossomless shrub. I suggested that she visit a five and dime (do they still exist?) and get a bottle of cheap lilac-scented cologne. Each morning she could go out and spray the plastic flowers. Who would know? Only those extremely few who would ever get close enough could tell the difference; that is unless she leaves them on into July. Then anyone would know.

So I think you can guess what I was thinking about this afternoon. Could I, could you, could anyone fake being a Christian? Could we decorate our lives with phony deeds of charity and love? Well, the deeds would be real but the motive would be the fake part. We could make sure, like the Pharisee in Matthew 6, that we have lots of cameras around when we make our donations. We could get our picture in the paper handing a giant check to our school or church or community center. We could make sure our picture is taken when nailing up a stud during a Habitat for Humanity Project; or get our picture taken while being surrounded by lots of little African children while we play the big rich American passing out used clothes.

Who would know? Let me tell you who would know. We would. God would and Jesus could say to us, “I never knew you.” How horrible it would be to hear those words. It has been my privilege for several years now to have people send Spring of Life funds to give to needy students with the donor requesting total anonymity. I tell the students I am only a conduit. The real giver just wants to share. How grand.

The Barren Lilac Bush

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-12T22:28:59-04:00

When I went into school this morning one of my colleagues said, “I have a lilac bush that hasn’t blossomed for two years.” I didn’t know how to respond since yesterday we talked about an amazingly lush lilac bush. Immediately I thought about Jesus and the fig tree. It was Monday of Passion Week when Jesus and His disciples came upon a fig tree in full-leaf. It should have had fruit amidst those leaves but had none. The whole story seems so out of character for Jesus except for the fact it was a great teaching opportunity. He cursed it. Too curse something is not that He did something bad to the tree other than to remove His own life-sustaining power. Nothing on earth lives of itself. Moment by moment, breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat we do so because of His life flow to us. Cut off that connection and we, animals, trees, flowers, everything dies.

The lesson of the day, the lesson for history was that each of us is here for a reason. In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us we have a work to do, a special work prepared just for us. We might never know what it is. God knows what it is. If we allow He will guide our lives and place us in the right place at the right moment that we might do what will advance His kingdom. How grand it is going to be, to someday be told by God Himself, “Well done.” We will be amazed because not only might we not remember the moment but if we do we might have thought it was nothing much. There will be the surprise. The smallest act can have huge implications in history. We are here to blossom, to bear our fruit.

Lilacs in Lancaster

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-11T20:58:50-04:00

There is a lilac bush in Lancaster, Massachusetts that doesn’t appear to belong to anyone. There is a bank on one side and a donut shop on the other with an uncared for strip of land in between. In the midst of the seemingly neglected land is a lush spot of beauty and fragrance.   I wonder how many of the thousands of people who pass by notice its contribution.

I know some beautiful people who are very much like that lilac bush.   They bloom. They add fragrance to their space. Yet I think most people just pass them by without noticing their contribution. They rarely, if ever, get any accolades. They live quiet lives watching others get the awards and the praise. They must wonder what they would have to do to be noticed or maybe they enjoy the quiet life and would be embarrassed if the spotlight suddenly shone on them.

If you are one of those quiet beautiful persons allow me to say, “Thank you for making the world a better place.” There is an interesting line in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical that goes like this. “When everyone is somebody, then no-one's anybody.” So I guess the somebody’s need the no-one’s so the somebody’s can be somebody.   But let’s never forget those people getting the awards couldn’t get them without the beautiful support people that actually make life work.

The writer of Psalm 84 talks about being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. It leaves one with the concept of someone being so happy to be in God’s house they don’t care if they are hidden on the back row. I don’t think that can happen. I think God notices, loves and smells every lilac bush no matter where it is.
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Balancing My Checkbook

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-10T21:25:41-04:00

I am the worst at balancing and reconciling my checkbook with the bank statement. My addition mistakes, subtraction mistakes, transpositions of numbers and just forgetting to make entries have created an accounting nightmare. My wife who is very meticulous gives me that sly smile and without her saying a word I know what she is thinking. I am getting what I deserve.

Isn’t there a Bible text somewhere about blotting out? If this were 1850 I could just spill my bottle of ink on my check registry and say, “Oops.” Yes, there is such a text. It is Psalms 51. David has committed a horrible crime resulting in the death of one of his very own men. After being confronted by Nathan, David prayed, “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

I love that prayer. How many times have I prayed it with the assurance found in I John 1 that God says, “Absolutely, yes?” The great part is God is delighted to do so. There is no reluctance on His part. There is no, “I will give him one more chance.” Because of what Jesus did for us at Calvary God was able to enter the blotting business. It’s a great business. I would not be surprised to find out there is a sign above God’s throne that says, “Official Blotter – Just Ask.”

Recently someone said to me, “You do realize, don’t you, that basically you write the same thing each night.” Yeah, I do. The reason being I don’t know of anything better to write about. Jesus loves, forgives us and saves us. What else is there?

Free Throws

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-09T20:17:17-04:00

I just watched a professional basketball player, who makes millions of dollars a year for his skills, consecutively miss two free throws. I don’t understand that. But then again I don’t understand the pressure he was under to make those relatively simple tosses. Psychological pressure can make the best of us do stupid and foolish things.

Free throws are well named. That is exactly what they are. The player can shoot the ball without having a combatant stand in front of him doing his best to block the shot by waving ten foot long arms in his face. All this caused me to reflect on the game of life and I wondered if we ever get any free throws toward victory over sin and temptation or do we always have a combatant in our face doing his best to make us miss?

When Jesus was in the wilderness following his baptism we have record of the master tempter doing all he could to keep Jesus from pursuing His ministry. I seriously doubt if any of us are important enough to have Lucifer himself go after us, but scripture does tell us a third of the angels are fallen, so I think there are plenty to go around. However, by the same token, while we might not get any free throws we might, like in a basketball game have others to guard us or screen so we have a best chance for a victory.

The point is we do not have to do it alone. In John 14 Jesus promises to send us divine help. At the close of Matthew we are promised that He is always with us. Being who we want to be is a team experience. We never need to be on our own.

Normal People

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-06T21:23:43-04:00

Today someone within my hearing jokingly asked, “What’s normal?” I interjected, “One standard deviation on either side of the mean and two if we want to be generous.” If one can still remember the bell curve and the means of central tendency one can have quite an interesting discussion realizing “normal” is anything that comfortably fits within 68% or 95% of the population.

When in our teens we want more than anything to be “normal” in a population of teens. While we say we want to be an individual at the same time we do all we can to be like our peers. If we don’t then we aren’t “normal.” Then we are what is called an “outlier.” Do you remember the old Marine recruiting posters that said, “We are looking for a few good men”? God is looking for a few good outliers. He wants a few courageous people who will not conform without first giving thought. Giving thought is the key. We can conform if the conforming does not require the loss of integrity and personal ethics. Thoughtful conforming will not sacrifice character just to be part of the norm.

In 1 Peter 2:9 we are called to be a peculiar people. That doesn’t mean God wants us to look weird by our clothing or hair styles. The peculiarity is a call to be loving, honest and selfless. Wouldn’t it be grand if that were the norm? What an interesting world it would be if just 68% of the world would be completely trustworthy. Out national debt would be gone by next April if that happened.

Fortunately for all of us “normal” people, grace does abound and should we allow Jesus to forgive us heaven will be filled with normal people.

Who's the Ignorant One?

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-05T21:52:50-04:00

One of my students brought me a dandelion expressing how beautiful it was. She was right. It was glorious with its bright yellow petals splaying out in a perfect circle. What surprised me was she did not know what it was. She did not know its name and she did not know that it was the same thing as those round balls of white seeds one can puff into the wind. She was an inner city girl.

At first I was incredulous that she would not know but I took a deep breath and thought of all the things I do not know. Surely God must shake His head at my ignorance of things I should know having lived so long. At this point I could start listing my sins and point out that I should know better. But not wanting to embarrass myself or my family I will just say the list isn’t short. God must think, “How can he not know after all this time.

Many of my students who I so arrogantly think don’t know much are multilingual. I am not. I have students who speak fluent English, French and Spanish. Yet I have the unmitigated gall to think I know more than they just because I happen to be lecturing in my field of study. It isn’t that I know more; I just happen to have a skill set in a narrow area that is required of them for graduation. In real life they know so much of which I am totally ignorant. Just Monday afternoon I mentioned a country music song to one of my Mexican students who immediately looked at me and told me the name of the artist and what year it was recorded. So much for thinking I knew something!

He Will Do It

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-04T20:55:19-04:00

I began one of my classes this morning by reading the close of I Thessalonians 5. Verse 24 is wonderful. It says, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” The mind is a strange thing. Memories that have been tucked away for decades are suddenly released as if someone turned a key and opened a door. As I finished voicing the text my mind immediately remembered something that happened to me sixty years ago. On Sundays my Dad and I would take our dog and head for the mountains in central Pennsylvania. He knew where there were saw mills and they were great fun because of the giant piles of sawdust generated from the saws. We loved to climb to the top and then roll end over end to the bottom.

One would think I would never forget about one particular day but I had until I read the above verse. We tumbled down an especially huge pile of sawdust and arrived at the bottom surrounded by rattlesnakes that were not overly pleased by our sudden appearance. We had disturbed their sunbaths. Instantly my father said to me, “Freeze. Don’t move at all. I’ll take care of them.” Was I afraid? Most likely I should have been. But my Dad said, “I’ll take care of them.” And so I sat frozen in place as one by one he took care of them just as he said he would.

And so this morning a door opened in my mind as I remembered Jesus saying, “If we as humans know how to give good gifts unto our children, how much more will our Father in heaven.” Thank you Paul for I Thess. 5:24. “The one who calls is faithful. He will do it.”

My Teeming Yard

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-03T21:03:17-04:00

Within a few feet of each other we have a nest of baby cardinals, a nest of baby robins and a nest full of phoebes. It is a wonderful time. The goldfinches are wearing their summer plumage and showing off to our yard wren, catbird and hummingbirds. Teeming is a word that comes to the front of my mind. Our yard is teeming. Just a few weeks ago there was thirty inches of snow where there are now eight inch high hostas. People-high azaleas and forsythia overwhelm with their presence.

I am so thankful to be able to see. I have two friends who cannot and I cannot find words to describe my sorrow that they cannot revel with me. I want to tell them the cardinals are red, but if one has never seen red how can it be described? So foolishly many years ago I tried to describe heaven in the midst of a sermon. It was a miserable failure because I was trying to tell about something I myself had never seen. Someday I should get smart.

It is that way with so much. One cannot truly speak of love until one has deeply loved. One cannot describe evil until one has witnessed a holocaust or a genocide or the cross of Calvary. Or in some cases the opposite is true. Emily Dickinson wrote, “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed. To comprehend a nectar requires sorest need.” Jesus understood. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, “Blessed are those who are hungry for righteousness. They shall be filled.” In the midst of teeming there is yet so much more to be tasted, by me and my unsighted friends.

Accusations

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-05-02T20:44:04-04:00

Is it just me or do you also develop a slight fear when exiting a store that you will set off the alarm and people will rush upon you to see what you have taken, even when you know you haven’t taken anything? Just the mere idea that I could be mistakenly accused by a malfunctioning machine makes my blood pressure go up as I slip between the magnetic devices. It even happens to me at our college library, a place where I should feel secure.

For thousands of years preachers have used the fear of judgment to keep their flocks in line. There are some harsh pictures of judgment in Scripture waiting for the guilty. The power of such judgment is there will be no need for any false accusations. God knows all. All that needs to be done is for the truth about us to be revealed. There is ample evidence to justify our banishment and death. Paul says it so well, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

However, (I do love that word “however”) love drives out fear. We are loved by the one who knows all things and He gives us an amazing option. John 5:24 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Please do not miss the words “will not be judged.” This is so much better than a “get out of jail free” card. Not only do we not have to show up for judgment we have crossed over from death to eternal life. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. The Gospel is the sweetest message ever spoken.

Of Weddings and Feasts

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-29T21:10:16-04:00

Jesus was a very social person who apparently enjoyed gala events and weddings. Many of His parables are built around weddings and feasts. As a matter of fact the only real accusation his enemies could mount against Him was His attendance at feasts with questionable people. This is one situation when the old adage about birds of a feather just didn’t hold true. He likes the metaphor of a marriage when He speaks of our relationship to Him. In Revelation there is a brief description of the wedding feast of the Lamb with Him being the lamb and the bridegroom.

One of my favorite feast stories took place at Simon’s house when a woman of a most questionable reputation bathed Jesus’ feet with precious anointment. It really was scandalous. It would be surprising if there were not men in the room who had tasted her favors. I wonder how many of them were silent and if any were critical. How often do we play Mr. Holy when the real truth about us would be shocking and devastating? I just love it when Jesus told the critics in the room to leave her alone. She had honored Him above even the host of the feast.

My next favorite is when there was room at a feast for more and the servants went out and rounded up anyone and everyone. Whosoever will come. Awesome. Street people, bag ladies, people who hadn’t had a bath in who knows how long. There is room – bring them in. Fill the banquet hall because there is provision for all. To me this story is the essence of the Gospel. One thing for sure, it strikes right at the heart of any exclusiveness we might want for ourselves. God is an equal opportunity saver.

The Invitation

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-28T21:56:42-04:00

Do you have your invitation in hand?   Do you have your plane tickets to London all booked? Did you buy a new suit? Well, just in case you are one of the rest of us peons who did not receive an invitation to the royal wedding, I have something even better for you. It’s found in II Peter 1. I am going to use The Message paraphrase. Just enjoy. “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.”

Jesus personally invites us to God. He gives us the wedding garment. Check out Matthew 22. We don’t have to rush out and purchase a new suit. It comes with the invitation and it is very well tailored. It fits us to perfection. Literally. What is really good about this is we are not just invited to watch. We are invited to participate. We now participate in a divine experience. Literally. This is not a wordy empty promise. This is an absolutely terrific promise that says we can actually begin right now living a divine life. When God adopts us into the family we begin to develop family traits.

I have a young man in one of my classes this semester whose father I have known for years. One would not have to tell me which student in the room was his son. He is his father all over. Rubber stamp!   This is our invitation.

The Right Kind of Love

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-27T20:23:09-04:00

Today I watched love being used as a brutal tool. There is no question in my mind but that the father loves his son. There is no question that the father wants the best for his son. There is no question the father believes his son’s happiness will only come from the father’s definition of success and the pressure to achieve. The problem is the boy is exhausted. He has a life-time of successes to this point. It is time for him to graduate but he is only twenty. Course overloads, clepped exams, summer schools have all gotten this young man to this stage. But now he wants, he needs, he has to have a break before he breaks. But, how can he disappoint a dad who’s living out his fantasy through his son? The pressure continues on to med school. When does it stop?

Love is one of the most powerful if not the most powerful human emotion. The last thing we want to do is disappoint one who takes so much pride in us. We don’t want them to think we are ungrateful for past guidance and encouragement. We want them to be able to say to their friends, “My son – the doctor.”

One of the wonders of our heavenly Father is His understanding of who we are as an individual and while He makes available to us all we need for happiness and success, He never forces it on us. In II Peter 1 we read, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. . .” If we continue reading we discover He actually allows us to participate in His divine nature - right now. It’s the right kind of love.

Eons Ago

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-26T20:02:02-04:00

Eons ago I belonged to a paramilitary organization called the Medical Cadet Corps. In the summers we met at Grand Rapids, Michigan to play soldier for a few weeks. Don’t ask why. Having the esteemed rank of captain made me responsible for several platoons and needless to say I was jealous for their excellent performance and decorum. One hot July afternoon we scheduled a full dress five mile march through the downtown streets of Grand Rapids. Everyone looked magnificent until we were about a mile into the march and then it happened. Several young men had filled their canteens with A&W root beer instead of water. It does not take much imagination to know what their uniforms looked like while marching with a shaking canteen. Someone the night before had made an unauthorized visit out of camp.

Sometimes it is difficult to ferret out disobedience and sometimes it stares you in the face. Actually it is never difficult for God because He does see everything. But for humans it can be much more challenging and usually is none of our business. On occasion we find ourselves in the midst of a witch-hunt; the results of which rarely ever have a positive result. If the sin is blatant and brings harm and disgrace to a community occasionally it must be dealt with. However, most of the time when we think we must act we end up causing yet another layer of harm, often worse than the original offense.

Sin has its own rewards. Actually that is why it is sin. If it doesn’t then God is not displeased and neither should we be. So often what upsets us isn’t sin at all but merely a violation of some exacerbated social norm.

Triple Stuff

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-25T19:28:47-04:00

I am sitting here with a double stuff cookie in my hand. Is it me or is double stuff now 1.5 stuff? Single stuff seems to be ¾ stuff. In order to get a double stuff do we need to purchase triple stuff? Maybe it is merely the impression of a mind that remembers things bigger and better than they really were. Rarely are things bigger than they were when we were small and so very wowable.

It becomes more and more difficult to be wowed as we mature. I don’t want to lose my wowability. I still want reverentness to overwhelm me and to be filled with awe at things beautiful and lovely. Our egalitarian culture encourages us to call everyone by their first name but there is something special in calling someone Sir or Mrs. or Mr. President. I do not want all things reduced to me. How sorry I feel for a person who doesn’t believe in God. The highest power he or she ever encounters is in the mirror each morning. What an impoverished intellectual life that must be.

Unlike the size of things growing smaller as we age there are many things that grow in depth. Frost, Shakespeare, Paul, Luther, and David are but a sample of the richness of understanding that comes with years. Only in recent years have I understood that John 14, “In my house are many rooms . . .” has little to do with fancy buildings.

Surely eternity will always be about bigger and better and never smaller. However, the real joy will always be about depth, profoundity and love. Now that will be quite grand.

The Simplicity of Morality

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-14T21:49:18-04:00

So many things in life become more and more complicated as one immerses oneself in the complexity of design and function. But in the development of morality it is quite the opposite. We start off life as a child. (That was profound.) For a child the world is full of dos and don’ts. There are hundreds of them for the child to learn if they are to stay safe and please the giants in their lives. But something wonderful happens as we mature. Most of those rules and regulations cease to have any meaning because we have come to understand our world. No longer does the rule not to touch the hot stove exist. We know better. We need no rule. We become freer and independent. We are governed by intellect and knowledge.

Soon we understand there are really only Ten Commandments and once understood they encompass everything else. Then Jesus tells us there are only two and finally we come to grasp the marvelous truth that the way we love God is by loving other people and we are then down to one. Jesus tells us when we do it to the least of them we have done it to Him.

Thus we come to Galatians 5. Freedom in Christ is Paul’s great theme. How difficult it must have been for one who described himself to be a Pharisee of Pharisees to free himself and step into a whole new morality. How grand to grasp the truth that all laws were nailed to the cross of Jesus and God doesn’t have a Santa Claus list that He is checking twice to see if we are naughty or nice. Instead we become temples of the Holy Spirit that lovingly lives out its life within us and by thus we automatically keep the rules without thought. Oh, the glory of such freedom.

On Faultfinding

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-13T20:49:28-04:00

I enjoy the letters to the editors of news magazines. First come the pro letters followed by the cons. It doesn’t take a genius to soon realize that it is not only possible but plausible to believe nothing anyone ever does is criticism proof. One man’s dish of ice cream is another man’s poison and people aren’t reluctant to tell you about it. If one is a public figure one inherits an instant hate club. It doesn’t matter what one does; there is a way to negatively spin it. This, of course, is not new. Have you ever read the stuff our founding fathers wrote about each other? It’s downright modern trash and teaches us there is, as Solomon said, “Nothing new under the sun.”

If people had been watching God create the earth some would have applauded while others complained that it took too long. Seven days! Really now. What a waste of time. He should have done it in a day. Can you imagine God allowing Jesus to be born in a stable? Come on – that is so degrading. And why did Jesus allow Mary and Martha to suffer the death of Lazarus? He really should have hurried to Bethany and spared them the pain. Obviously we could go on and on.

I think some people just love to find fault. As a psychology teacher I wonder if it compensates for their lack of self-esteem by keeping them focused on other people’s supposed faults. But what do I know? I can imagine my students have a huge litany of my shortcomings. What is more than a little bit scary about all this is I hear this stuff from Christians and I wonder if they really are. But there I go becoming one of them.

Can Salt Lose Its Saltiness?

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-12T21:14:04-04:00

After beginning a class today by reading from Luke 14, one of my astute students asked, “How can salt lose its saltiness?” That’s a good question in the twenty-first century when the salt we think of comes in a Morton’s Box. That stuff could sit forever and never change its molecular structure. Salt is salt. We are so spoiled. The salt Jesus grew up with in Nazareth most likely came from the Dead Sea area and was probably a poor quality of rock salt. It didn’t take much moisture to wash away the real salt and leave behind a bag of useless tiny stones. Dilution was not uncommon.

And so we come to Jesus’ real point. Should we allow work, relationships, responsibilities, life itself to dilute our experience with Jesus, we lose the abundant life. No, we don’t completely lose it. We only lose it in proportion to the loss of our walk with Jesus. I realize there are some who believe you are either in or you’re out. Either you are walking with Jesus or you are walking with the devil. I don’t think so. I have come to believe God loves us so much that He is willing to stick with us through the good and bad times. If we want to walk afar from Him He follows along. He is very persistent and just plainly doesn’t give up on us. He isn’t a “my way or the highway” kind of Father. He is so much better than that.

I realize this could encourage someone to say, “Hum? I think I will walk a 70% walk with God. I can get some of the blessings and get by without all of them.” I guess someone could think that. But frankly, that doesn’t make much sense.

Conscience Alert

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-11T20:11:24-04:00

Occasionally a small rectangular box appears in the lower right hand corner of my computer screen with the following message, “Security Essentials has detected and isolated a threat to your computer.” It then gives me an opportunity to “clean” my computer of the offending bug. Needless to say I appreciate this feature. It keeps my computer healthy. Wouldn’t it be grand if we had such a feature built into our brains to defend our characters? Each time we were confronted with something that would diminish us we would hear a small voice warning us. But wait, I think we do. It’s called our conscience.

However, our conscience is educated and honed by its environment. Social norms and cultural expectations become the standard of behavior. What I need is a voice that speaks to me the social and cultural norms of heaven. But I can quickly see that would eliminate a huge amount of my intellectual input. Most television programs would be red-flagged. The local evening news would definitely have to be turned off. Most popular music would set off a warning once I listened to the lyrics.
Philippians 4:8 is the gold standard. It says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” I must admit I would have difficulty with the Old Testament book of Judges. There are a lot of stories there that do not meet Paul’s criteria.

I find the way to being a better person is a tricky path. I need help. Fortunately that help is available to us. The Holy Spirit is able and anxious to be our guide. We merely need but ask for help.

Is My Car Invisible?

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-08T21:49:42-04:00

Have you ever wondered if you had been zapped by some atomic ray that made your car invisible? I just had one of those evenings. Three times on the way home cars pulled right out in front of me forcing me to come to a full stop lest I strike them in the driver’s door.

While I really don’t believe my car was invisible I do realize there are all kinds of things around us that we cannot see or hear or smell. My dog hears and smells things I cannot hear and smell. There are light waves above and below what I can detect. We do not have to stretch our imaginations beyond intellectual reason to read and believe Bible stories that talk about angels. People who think the only things that exist are tangible haven’t considered radio, television, Internet and radar waves that literally fill our environment. Recently while taking a nap my cell phone rang. What I noted was it was in my pocket between me and the couch. The fact that my body was smothering it didn’t seem to matter.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Here’s where it can get a bit tricky. This verse is not carte blanche for us to believe all manner of crazy stuff. Just because we can imagine something doesn’t mean it is so. Real faith requires real intellect and real intellect requires some manner of evidence. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, the invisible wind blows and we can see the leaves move. The world contains much that we cannot see and God requires that we use the brains He gave us.

The Skinny Envelope

roger.bothwell@comcast.net — 2011-04-07T22:00:10-04:00

All over the nation 18-year-olds hold their breath as they anxiously open mailboxes. Is there a skinny envelope or a fat one from the university of their choice? Skinny means you’re out. Don’t bother opening the envelope. Fat means you’re in and there are lots of forms enclosed for you to fill out. Getting in or not creates a lot of sleepless nights.

I know some people who toss and turn at night who are not 18. They are tossing as they fret about a more important destination. They are concerned that as hard as they try they just can’t feel like Jesus has saved them. They try to keep all the rules and laws they know of. Somehow that doesn’t take away their stress. Maybe they are missing one and will be lost because they only kept 631 out of 632. They heard a sermon last weekend telling them that isn’t the way. Jesus is the Way. That seems far too simple. Despite saying the words, “I am saved by grace” they just don’t feel safe. What if the preacher was wrong? They certainly don’t want to accompany him where he’s going if he misled all those people in church.

Hopefully, I have some good news for these folk. And yet why should they believe me if they aren’t overly sure of their pastor? So forget me and believe Paul. He can’t be wrong and even if they don’t feel saved, the truth is we are not saved by feeling, nor by intellect, nor by any other thing except what is expressed in the promise in Ephesians 2. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Best of all there aren’t any forms to fill out. The skinny envelope works.