Author: Ian Bothwell

Our dog tries to be a good dog.  When there is food in the room, she patiently waits.  Often she gives us that tilted head sad-eyed look pretending to be a poor starving waif.  It works.  It has to be tough to be a dog.  Humans eat really good things, but they eat sitting at a table and all a dog can do is smell the goodies. It’s tough not to salivate on the floor.  Humans don’t like that.  If you are fortunate they will have just the right amount of leftovers.  The desired amount is enough to taste great but not too much because then the humans will put them in the fridge for another meal.  But sometimes humans leave really good things on the counter and leave the room and the temptation is overwhelming.

Last week my wife made a great, I mean really great, apple pie and left it to cool on the back of the stove.  Remember I Corinthians 10:13, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”  That text is definitely for humans and not for dogs.  Our good dog just couldn’t resist.  We heard a noise and when we entered the kitchen her nose was right down in it.   Oh, the shame!  She obviously knew who made the pie because she hid behind me for the rest of the evening.

Remember that great verse in Psalm 23, “He prepares a table for me.”   There are no leftovers on that table.  We are not dogs.  We are sons and daughters.  We eat at the table.  How grand!

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 7, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Gloucester, Massachusetts is America’s oldest seaport.  One of its main points of interest is the famous statue of a fisherman guiding his ship through a storm. It is dedicated to the more than 10,000 fishermen from Gloucester that have been lost at sea.  It is inscribed with the words from Psalm 107, “They that go down to the sea in ships.”  There are few things more disheartening than an empty life raft.  Its very name “life raft” perfectly describes its purpose.  When it arrives on shore empty it has failed its purpose.

Two thousand years ago God provided a life raft for a lost humanity.  Jesus personally died a horrible death to provide a life raft of justice and mercy for mankind.  This life raft is huge.  It is big enough for all who want in.  There will be no choosing who is worthy.   It will not be women and children first and some worthy men if there is room.  There is room enough for all.   Fortunately I can report that millions will take advantage.  Revelation 7:9 is one of my favorite verses.  It reads, “I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”

Can you imagine?  So many redeemed we cannot count them.  So just in case we thought we were alone in the raft it must be because we didn’t open our eyes.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 4, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Before being taken into the operating room for my knee replacement I asked someone why they were giving me a particularly large looking shot.  He said, “This is just in case you wake up during the surgery you will not remember it.”  Wow.  That was something I didn’t need to hear.  The thought of waking up while the orthopedist was sawing off chunks of bone had never occurred to me.  I could have lived without hearing that.

It made me recall a few other things in life I could have lived without hearing.  In the seminary we had a church history professor that struck terror to all who entered his lair.  No one would make eye contact with him lest he call on you.  To hear “Mr. Bothwell” made my heart stop beating, my hands grow cold and my knees to quake.  After asking for some obscure fragment of information he would say, “F. Mr. Bothwell. F.”  Horrors.

Matthew 7:21 – 23 is another thing we never want to hear.  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, . . .’”

Fortunately we will never have to hear that because Jesus also said, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. If you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.”  Those are the sweetest words we will ever hear.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 5, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Most likely all of us have wondered about the reduced power of the modern Christian Church.  We have to admit we do not (despite the claims of TV evangelists) perform great miracles like Jesus’ disciples did in the Book of Acts.

Perhaps the new Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat can clue us in.  This everyday car produces a thunderous 707 horsepower from its 6.2 liter V-8. It comes with two keys, a red one and a black one.  The red one which releases full power is for the owner.  The black one is for valets and your teenagers, which greatly reduces its power.

Until we can prove ourselves to be trustworthy with the power God could make available to us, we are like valets and teens and we are using the black key.  We have to recognize and be thankful for the fact that our heavenly Father is a responsible Father and would not turn one of us loose with what could be a disaster.  The damage we could cause would be horrendous.

If you are wondering about the price of the SRT Hellcat, it is $66,000.  If you are wondering about the price of receiving God’s power, it is a total surrender of self to the Holy Spirit.  I believe it is a matter of wisdom.  The disciples all paid a horrendous price.  John was the only one to die a natural death.  The others suffered agonizing ends.  Also we live in a different world than did Jesus’ disciples.  One can only imagine the havoc such power would bring.  God is wise.  He knows exactly how much power each of us needs to live a Christ-like, victorious life. He knows we will be fine with the black key.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 4, 2016

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

Rogerbothwell.org

There was a cardinal at our bird feeder this morning with snow on its back.  The snow must have been frozen on because it did not fall off as the cardinal flew back and forth from a branch to the feeder.  It was an unnecessary burden that was hampering its flight.  Most of the people I know are like this cardinal.  We carry around unnecessary burdens that hamper our being all we can be.  They can be the product of childhood but more likely they are the product of life in general.  We allow failures to hamper our concept of what we can really accomplish.  Failure is not pleasant and we do all we can to avoid it.   The things we associate with our failures become hot stoves.  We just don’t try again.  Some are things we really would like to do but fear another attempt will once again result in failure.  We live ordinary lives when we could have been extraordinary.  Instead of learning from our failures we turn them into blockades that keep us from going any further merely so we do not have to taste failure again.  We carry burdens that hamper the fulfillment of our dreams.

Sometimes the burden we carry is guilt which is most debilitating.  It haunts us with “I wish I had not done it.”   We cannot go back and undo.  However we can lift the burden.  We begin by seeking God’s forgiveness which is always available.  “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us.”  I John1:9   Secondly, we forgive ourselves.  Often that is the tough one.  Let it go.  If necessary say, “I forgive myself.”  The result will be wonderful.  When the burden is gone we fly like a cardinal without snow on its back.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 3, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org

The dictionary defines the word “Segue” as a smooth imperceptible transition from one state, situation or subject to another.  Sometimes we hear talk show hosts use the word “segue” as they move from one topic to another.  Segue is a good word to describe a Christian.  Hopefully we are in a continuous state of transition from our selfish nature to something way more generous.

It is so important to understand that this is not an instant transformation.  It is the work of a lifetime. If the thief on the cross who accepted Jesus had come down from the cross to continue his life, he had a lot of growing to do.  He would have sinned.  He would have hurt people.  He would not have been very Christ-like – at the beginning.  But he would have started a journey, a segue, to a much better person.  So often we expect too much from ourselves. We start a new year like today and make resolutions about being better but by tomorrow night we discover we are still us.   Hey, that’s okay.   It’s a journey.  I wonder how many people just gave up.  Don’t.

It takes time to build quality.  Architects, contractors, construction workers, steel workers, masons, electricians and other craftsmen have been working an entire decade to rebuild the world trade center.  When it is finished it will be stronger and more spectacular than what was previously there.  It takes time to build something great.  You are so much more than a building of steel and glass.  You are a son or daughter of the King of the Universe and it takes time to segue to be all you can be.  Best of all we will go from one segue to the next – forever.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 2, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

I can now walk without a cane.  But I must admit there is some pain involved. One of the fastest remedies for my painful knee has been the application of ice.  Within two minutes I get that “ahhh” feeling when we cool it down.  My newest friend is an ice bucket with a pump that circulates cold water in a thin bladder wrapped around my leg. It reminds me of the meaning of “stay cool” or “cool it down” when we see people filled with ire.  To cool down the heat of an infuriating moment can make all the difference between life and death.  I once saw an irate person return from his bedroom with a pistol. It was the most precarious thing I could imagine.

It is popular to speak of people of faith burning with passion for their cause, but realistically speaking, more people in history have been slaughtered because of the passion of religion.  People are never more dangerous than when they think they are killing for God.  So far this 21st century has been one of brutality and bloodshed in God’s name.  I do realize many psychopaths use religion as an excuse for violent antisocial behavior, but there are many hungry to brutalize the world with their brand of faith.

Lest I leave the wrong idea that we should be lukewarm about our faith I want to stress that if we burn, if we are hot, we should be hot to love, hot to be the kindest person in the world.  We should be hot to tell people how wonderful Jesus is.  That kind of heat needs no ice to cool it down.  Solomon was never wiser than when he wrote, “A soft (cool) answer turns away wrath.”  Proverbs 15:1

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 1, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

It’s the last day of the year.   It’s time to make resolutions.  It’s time to set ourselves up for failure and loss of self-esteem.  At least that is what happens to me when I make a list of resolutions.   I never make it to February before they are all thorns in my ego.    So instead of a list of resolutions I want to make a list of wishes.

#1  I wish I could eat a normal amount of food without gaining weight.

#2  I wish I could watch television without commercials.

#3  I wish I could get the benefits of a five-mile walk by sitting in my favorite chair.

#4  I wish I could be thirty again but still know what I know now.

#5  I wish all my family (sons, sisters, nephews, nieces, grandchildren) will be smart enough to accept Jesus’ extremely generous offer.

#6  I wish conservatives and liberals would respect each other’s ideas.

#7  I wish people with guns would only shoot bad guys.

#8  I wish a cure for all kinds of cancer would be discovered in 2014.

#9  I wish people would stop blowing up themselves and others.

#10I wish this was the year John 14:1-4 would happen.

And finally – I wish television preachers would stop begging for money.

Wishes are much better than resolutions.  When next December comes and my wishes haven’t happened my self-esteem will still be intact.  And it goes without saying, “Jesus still loves us.”  I have a suspicion that Jesus has a wish list.  I think some of the things on my list are on His.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 31, 2013

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

I opened an envelope to discover a request for a recommendation for one of my past students.  The problem was I did not like him.  He was arrogant and treated others with disdain.  However, he was bright and did good work.  And so I wrote about his talents and never mentioned his miserable personality.  Hopefully the firm would notice not only what I said but what I did not say.

Often the best and most objective evaluations we have about people are not written by the three “F’s” – friends, family and fans.  Which brings me to Pilate’s comments about Jesus in John 19, “I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” Pilate was not one of Jesus’ three “F’s” And we cannot fail to mention the centurion at the cross. Luke 23:47, “The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”  Neither was he one the three “F”.  We would expect wonderful things to be said about Jesus by Matthew and John.  But these comments by Pilate and the centurion carry a lot of weight.  They are about as objective as one can get.

How can non-believers write about what a good man Jesus was.  How can you say someone is a good person if you don’t believe the things he said – especially about themselves?  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”  “I am the water of life.”  “I am the resurrection and the life.”  “My Father and I are one.”

You can discount what I say about Jesus because I am super biased.  He is my friend.  I am family.  I am a fan.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 12, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

For Christmas when I was eight my dad gave me Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson. I loved it. I also received Robinson Caruso by Daniel Defoe.  I didn’t love it. I didn’t even like it. The idea of treasure hunting infatuates us.  Is there any of us who has not dreamed of finding a treasure cave filled with unimaginable riches? In the 1800’s over 100,000 people rushed to California for gold.  The ones like Levi Strauss, who sold supplies and clothes to the prospectors, were the smart ones.  That treasure is still producing gold.

Romans 11:33 is our map to riches untold.  These riches are not limited to planet earth.  They are found in the universe. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”  And Jesus said in Luke 12:33, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”  And of course Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

Obviously we are not talking about BMW’s and Cadillacs.  We are talking about eternal treasures – the very best kind.  One of my favorite authors, when writing about prayer says, “Prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence.” When I was a boy I wanted to know the whats.  Now I want to know the whys.  Jesus promises if we “seek we will find.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 16, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org