Month: June 2021

I was playing with a Newton’s Cradle.  It is difficult not to do so.  First I pulled out one of the steel balls and let it swing into the remaining four.  The middle three never moved but the fifth on the far side popped out almost as far as the one I had pulled out.  Next I pulled out two and two popped out on the opposite side.

It is so much like so many lives.  We live our lives hoping to make a difference but we never see anything happen.  I have a friend who despairs because he thinks he has never brought anyone to Jesus.  He fears he has never made an impact on anyone. Few of us are Billy Grahams.   We never preach to thousands.  We never have hundreds flock to the altar.  However, like the impact of the steel ball in a Newton’s Cradle we do impact lives that impact lives that impact lives and unbeknownst to us four or five times removed someone is radically changed. We just never were in a position to see it.  But it still happened.

Recently, I saw a horrible photograph of a tiny emaciated African child waiting to die while a vulture patiently sat behind waiting.  Did that small life matter?  Did that child make a difference?  It certainly did on me.  I can’t get the picture out of my mind and it will forever impact me.  No one, no matter how small, how seemingly unimportant, lives or dies without impacting someone somewhere somehow.  Let me assure you that your life matters.  This very small planet we call home is impacted because you are here.  God told Jeremiah, “Before you were born I knew you.”  That goes for each of us whether we see it or not.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 27, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The same week my older son was admitted to a burn unit in Southern California my younger son’s wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  To say it wasn’t our best week would be an understatement.  However, the news is good and we are blessed.  Both my older son and my younger son’s wife will both be discharged in a few short hours.   My older son’s skin grafts on his hands are doing very well and he is flying home to New York.  To say that we are happy would also be an understatement.

Today in our supermarket I saw a delightful little boy being pushed about in a shopping cart designed to look like a car.  He was beaming as he spun the steering wheel in the direction his mom was pushing the cart.  His total innocence had to be reminiscent of Adam and Eve’s joy in Eden.  The little boy has no choice.  He will grow up.  Adam and Eve thought they were growing up when they chose so badly.  As I looked at him I wanted something bad.  I wanted him to stay small.  But, we know that isn’t what it is all about.

What it is all about is growing.  Had Adam and Eve obeyed they would have grown to heights one can only imagine. It is God’s goal for each of us.  It is what eternal life is all about.  We are going to grow in innocence, but definitely not in ignorance.  We know.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 21, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

A series of unprosecuted misdemeanors is occurring in our city. Lilacs are blooming. We have a neighbor with a hedge of lilacs that buffers their home from a busy street.  As far up as one can reach the unresistible blossoms are gone. Not only have I seen walkers plucking these beauties, I have seen cars stopped with people boldly taking handfuls.

In Mark 2 we read, “One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”   Note they were not accused of stealing because it was lawful that a person could take what was necessary to satisfy one’s hunger.

Different times – different laws.  In Ecclesiastes 3 Solomon says there is a time for loving and a time for hating, a time for making peace and a time for making war.  He even goes so far as to say there is a time to kill.

In Luke 10 we read, “An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’

‘What is written in the Law?’ Jesus  replied. ‘How do you read it?’

He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself.’

‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’ ”

One of the most difficult but liberating moments in our lives is when we are able to understand and move from merely being law keepers to living by these two great principles.  Please carefully and prayfully read Galatians 4 and 5.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 22, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

On moonless nights my black lab disappears the moment we step into the yard.  She becomes instantly invisible as she melts into the darkness.  Care is essential as I move about lest I trip over her.  She reminds me of someone who told me he is the only Christian in his workplace.  I asked him how he is treated and he responded, “No one knows.  I am an undercover agent for Jesus.”  Really?  And what does that mean and how does that work?   I have no idea.  He is the invisible Christian.

Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”  Does this mean he is just like everyone else with no distinguishing characteristics?  There is another side to this.  Some Christians are so advert they are annoying. Everyone knows they are a Christian because they are obnoxiously proselytizing all the time.

The challenge can be a very fine line to walk.  How to be a good neighbor, a good colleague, a good friend, and a good person that attracts others to want to know more is often not easy.  In James 3 we read, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  He also adds, “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”  The old maxim “cream rises to the top” works.  If one is as described by James it is impossible to be invisible. Such a person shines – quite unlike my dog on a dark night.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 20, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

“Suspected tornadoes ripped through North Texas on Wednesday night, killing at least six people and injuring more than 100 others.”   This is the beginning of a CNN news story.  Obviously I am not a meteorologist because I am puzzled by the word “suspected.”  Is there some dispute over the definition of “tornado”?  Six people are dead!  Towns are destroyed and we are using the word “suspected.”  This is akin to someone in heaven looking at Earth and saying, “People are dying.  Wars are happening.  Genocides are occurring.  Prisons are full of criminals.  I suspect there is “sin” on planet Earth.

Let’s try the other side of the coin.  I see a home where the children are well cared for, there is respect for other’s feelings and people are nurturing each other.  I suspect there is love in that home.

In Matthew 7 Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”  It was very difficult for my father to tell me he loved me.  I think it was a generational thing.  Men just didn’t do that in the 40’s.  But I knew he did love me.  He worked two jobs to see to it that we were well cared for.  On Sunday afternoons he took me somewhere special.  We would go for walks in the mountains with our dog or if the weather was bad he took me to the movies.  Even after I was married when I would visit he would take me into a back room in the house and give me forty dollars.  Today it seems so little but it was big to me.

We do not have to ever write or read the following sentence.  “Suspected love from heaven.  John 3:16.”  By its fruit you will know it.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 16, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

There is a song in the musical Camelot entitled “I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight.”   After watching a 60 Minutes feature on Bill Gates, whose net worth is over 67 billion dollars, I find myself wondering what he is thinking tonight.  Perhaps tonight he is concentrating on one of his many goals.  One of his goals is to eradicate polio from our planet in the next five years.  It would only be the second time in history that we have eradicated an infectious disease.  Smallpox is the first.  Following polio his dream is to eradicate malaria.   Some men use their power merely for self-indulgence and to rule over others.  How grand to have someone who will leave this world a better place.

I wonder what our God is doing tonight.  (Tonight – a relative condition for half our planet.  The sun is always rising and always setting on our little world.)  God’s universe is infected with something so much more horrible than the physical diseases that ravage our bodies.  Our souls are ravaged by the malignancy of selfishness.  The eradication of sin has been, since Eden, God’s primary focus.  This is the purpose of the cross.  This is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

It is very difficult for us to understand why it is taking so long.  What possible issues have yet to be resolved?  Earth has been a disgusting display to the universe for thousands of years.  An endless stream of famines, genocides and vicious cruelty fill the pages of our history books.  Surely He cannot be waiting for things to get worse.  They have been worse – over and over.  Whatever it is I know this.  He will not wait one second longer than necessary.  He too is sickened by this.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 13, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The expression “You get what you pay for” very much applies to wild bird seed.  If you buy the cheap (cheep – cheep) seed you will attract just a few species. If you spring for the good seed you get a much larger array of birds at your feeder.  My problem is we have a pair of chipmunks who are carrying it away.  I wouldn’t mind if they were merely getting breakfast but Chip and Dale are storing up for next winter.  Somewhere underground is a treasure of really good seed.  I wish they were more like the grasshopper than the ants.  These guys arrive with hollow cheeks and leave looking like they have melons in their mouths.

It is difficult to fault them for their instinctive preparation.  Preparation is a virtue.  Learning to read is a preparation for an informed life.  Going to school is a preparation for being able to care for a family.  Daily time spent with God’s Word is a preparation for being a great human being.  After Jesus’ baptism He went into the wilderness to prepare for the beginning of His public ministry.  After Saul was knocked off his horse he spent extensive time preparing to be Paul.   Jesus’ parable about the ten virgins was about preparation.

Often we hear preachers advocating that we prepare for the second coming of Jesus.  Interestingly the answer isn’t storing boxes of dried fruit, etc. in a bunker.  Beneficial preparation is accepting the free gift of eternal life and spending time with Jesus each day.  As we do so our characters transform into something so fine we will be like Enoch who walked with God and became so much like Him, God took Him home.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 10, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

This afternoon one of my sister’s neighbors was walking his dog past her home when he noticed a dangerous electric line connection to her home.  He works for the electric company and made arrangements for an immediate repair.   We are our neighbor’s keeper.  And who is our neighbor?  Sound like a familiar question?  It should.  It’s right out of Jesus’ parable about The Good Samaritan.   It’s most likely one of the most important stories ever told.  We need each other.  There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman.  We all benefit from the care of others.

You might think that I am about to advocate for you to reach out and help others.  And while that is important, one of life’s great lessons is to allow others to help you.   Sometimes when things aren’t going so well others want to help but often our self-pride and self-resilient resists that help.  A wonderful avenue for ministry is to allow others to give and care.  On the way to the cross some women offered Jesus a painkiller.  He refused because He needed to stay as clear headed as possible.  But after being hours upon the cross and about the die He cried out, “I thirst.”  Scripture tells us that a Roman soldier ran to offer him a drink of soldier’s wine and Jesus drank.   He died almost immediately after that.   Why did He take it?   It was His act of love and ministry to the soldier.   Even at the end Jesus was always considering the feelings of others.

Being a good neighbor works both ways – giving and receiving.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 9, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

We all know the expression “Let sleeping dogs lie.”  This evening it took on added meaning for me in a literal sense.  Our dog was (I thought) sound asleep when I said to my wife, “At 8 let’s go for a walk.”  An electric prod could not have gotten that dog to her feet any faster.  Instantly up, ears perked, eyes wide, dancing feet were just part of a demonstration that would have had added, “Well, let’s go. Get out of that chair.” if she could talk.

She heard what she understood and added her own interpretation.  Ah, behold the principle of human Biblical interpretation.  With our limited base of knowledge, with our biases and desires, with our conceit that we are smart, with our sinned dulled senses we read a text here and there and concoct all manner of strange ideas about what God has said.  We do it in all honesty.  We are just not as smart as we think we are.  However, there are those who deliberately pervert God’s word to their own financial gain.  Just watch some television preachers and you will know what I mean as we watch them fleece the gullible.

Jesus’ disciples were so sure Jesus was going to establish His earthly kingdom right then and there.  James’ and John’s mother came and boldly asked Jesus for the ranking positions in the new kingdom.  There was so much Jesus wanted to explain but He knew better.   Once He said, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.”   They were like my dog.  They heard words and phrases they thought they understood and they added to that their intense desires.  Judas went so far as to try to make some money on the side so he could laugh at the authorities when Jesus established His kingdom.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 8, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

In I Corinthians 2:8 Paul calls Jesus the Lord of Glory.   The dictionary defines the word “glory” as awesome splendor and astounding beauty.  When something is glorious it is supreme.  The physical glory of the North American continent has to be Yosemite Valley.  The glory of political philosophy is without a doubt the American Constitution which has become a model for so many other nations.  The glory of the English language is the King James Version of the Bible and the works of Shakespeare.  Each arena has its best, its glory.  Jesus is the Lord of Glory.  Garner together all the items of glory one can imagine and then Jesus is the Lord of all that.  He is the glory of the Father.  He is the glory of the universe.

Angels sang the night He was born in Bethlehem.  They marveled that the creator of the universe would become one of His created.  The idea is gloriously staggering to the mind.  After Adam and Eve fell the plan of redemption was announced to heaven.  Angels objected and volunteered themselves. But that was not to be.  Jesus created us and Jesus would personally take responsibility for us.  When He breathed His last breath upon the cross the universe was stunned into silence. How could it be? How could such glory be so debased by humans?

Our imaginations cannot plumb the intellectual depths or ascend to the emotional heights of the glorious chorale anthems sung with passion and counterpoint when Jesus rose from the grave.

“Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?

The LORD Almighty—

he is the King of glory.”    Psalm 24

 

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 6, 2013

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org