Author: Ian Bothwell

I had an undergrad this past week tell us that recipients of body parts from others imparted personality characteristics from the donors.  It is called cellular memory. As gently as possible I tried to assure her and the class that cellular memory is only anecdotal. If it were true, I would be one very mixed up human being.  Once a month I receive an injection of human antibodies containing the antibodies from a pool of over 1000 donors.  If she was correct, with that many added personality characteristics each month, I would be a different me each month and my wife would never know to whom she was married.

Of course we have for thousands of years been speaking metaphorically about hearts.  One thousand years before Jesus David wrote, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  (Psalm 51)   Two thousand years ago Paul spoke of our being a temple for the Holy Spirit. Our prayer is that with the infusion of divinity will come personality and character changes.  Of this we would not deny.  As a matter of fact, quite to the contrary of denying it, we advocate and long for it.

Christianity is about change.  Salvation without transformation into something better would be a curse and not a blessing.  Sanctification or the growth toward divinity’s righteousness is essential.  When we speak of eternity and do not include growth toward becoming better creatures we are speaking of the reappearance of sin and impending danger not only to ourselves but to all who would come into contact with us.  We are talking about a pandemic.   Obviously this can never be allowed.  It was for this cause that Jesus died.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 18, 2013

Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94547

Rogerbothwell.org

 

When David wrote his psalms he never dreamed they would become Scripture.  For David Scripture was the writings of Moses. Then again David never saw a codex.  Scrolls were the media of his time.  David and the sons of Korah and others were writing music.  It is fascinating how the intent of authors often changes in the minds of the readers and even more so as centuries pass.  Paul would have objected had he known we would consider his letters, especially those to Timothy or Philemon, to be anywhere comparable to the works of the Old Testament.

One of the great wonders of Scripture is its continued relevance.  Here we are in the 21st century still being intellectually and spiritual fed by writings over 2000 years and some 3500 years old.  When we speak of the Bible as being the Word of God we, of course, mean God breathed, God inspired thoughts, filtered through the minds of men who were very much children of their historical time.  They were His penman and not His pens.  They did not take dictation.  They received God’s ideas and wrote them within the space of their own intellectual capacity and education.

God’s Spirit, upon our request, will attend us as we read.   He will interpret for us 21st century meaning helping us with the wisdom to negotiate our way through a world that is changing so rapidly we have to keep running to keep from falling behind.  I just mastered email and texting and then came tweeting and poster boarding.   David and Paul never dreamed of a computer but they did understand human issues and those are the same for us as they were for them.  People are people no matter what the century.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 15, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Do you remember when most movies closed out with two words in big letters, “The End”?   They were usually accompanied with scenes of two people riding off into the sunset or a wedding or a birth.  The end was a new beginning.  There is something psychological about our desire for endings.  The Bible is filled with endings.  The Book of Revelation has an ending.  “Even so come Lord Jesus. Amen.”   Matthew has the Gospel Commission. Mark closes with, “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere.”  Luke doesn’t end because he follows with Acts.  John ends, “Jesus did many other things as well. If everyone of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

We like endings. We even hear clocks say, “Tick, Tock”.  Which is a beginning and an end even though they really just say, “Tick, Tick.”   We seem to be wired so because we look forward to new beginnings.  After each end comes something inexperienced and we love serendipities. I love the idea of tomorrow because something grand might happen.  I love going to the mailbox because there might be a gift for Spring of Life or a nice letter from someone.

Adam and Eve must have loved the end of each day because we are told the Lord would visit them and walk with them in the Garden.  How grand that must have been!  As Christians we talk a lot about the end of the world.  We don’t really mean the end of the planet we really are referring to a revamping of an Eden like place where sin has been removed.  Ends come with new beginnings.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 16, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

I enjoy eavesdropping.  Often I pretend to be reading but I am really listening to the conversations around me. People are interesting creatures.  We are much more fascinating than any other animal.  This week I heard the following, “Do you like my tattoos?  I just got them and already I have a new boyfriend and he has proposed. I got a new job and a car with the insurance all paid up.  The tattoos were the best thing I ever did.”

I’m glad things are going so well for her, but I can suggest an even better best thing to do.  She could do much better by making Jesus the Lord of her life.  That way she will be guaranteed a terrific future even if the fruit of her tattoos doesn’t continue to work out so well.

We hear a lot about guarantees and of course they are only as good as the guarantor.  I just love this one, “If we don’t match our competition you get 15% off.”  That really is quite meaningless.  All they have to do is match the competition.

The best guarantee is of course from Jesus.  He is all powerful. He always tells the truth.  He knows everything about us.  He knows our personalities with all our quirks and He still loves us.  That is amazing.  We can totally trust Him.   As Paul said, “Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!”  We don’t even need to be tattooed.  Well, maybe instead we can let Him write His name on our hearts.  See Revelation 3:12

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 21, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Perhaps you are as amazed as I am when listening to the drug commercials on TV.  The recitation of all the side effects, including possible death, is more than a bit disconcerting.  There is one comment that caught my attention.  The voice said, “Don’t take if you are allergic to it.”  Like yeah!  Do they have to tell us that?  Are we that stupid?  I guess so.  Because it seems that we continually do things to which we are allergic.  I see young people smoking.  The human body is absolutely allergic to tobacco but people use it.

There is pride which is allergic for our characters.  Most of us are guilty.  Actually all the things we call sins cause some nature of allergic reaction either physically, socially, mentally or spiritually.  That’s why certain things are labeled sins.  There isn’t one thing good for us that is called sin, unless we are just ignorant.  Tomatoes used to be thought poisonous.  Now we know better.  Someone must have tried to poison an enemy with a tomato and when it didn’t work we discovered they were actually good for us.

Then there are the allergic reactions that occur when we don’t do something like regular exercise.  So there are sins of omission as well as sins of commission.  Our bodies have been given to us to care for.   The better care we give them the better we think about things and the better decisions we make.  Life is obviously much better when we learn what our allergies are.  We can stay away from them.  Whether it is peanuts or aspirins wisdom dictates abstinence.  But unfortunately we have to be told and reminded.  It’s our pride.  It makes us think we are immune.  We aren’t.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 14, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Because of health concerns for a great friend, this afternoon I taught his classes at our community college.  When I entered one of the classrooms and asked if this was his class there was collectively immediate concern.  “Are you subbing?”  “Is he okay?”  “Will he be back next class?”  “What hospital is he in?”  “Can I call him?” “He’s a great teacher.” “I miss him already.”  These were just a sampling of the expressed care.  I was very impressed with the impact he had been making on these young lives and hope I will not let him or them down.  After one of today’s classes one of the students asked me if I was Jewish.  I’m still trying to figure out why he wondered that.  On this coming Thursday I need to ask him what I did or said that made him wonder.  I assured him that I was a Christian.

While driving home, accompanied by a glorious sunset, I remembered I Peter 3:15 which says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”  Of course he did not ask “why.”  He only asked “was.”  If he had asked why, I hope I would have been quick enough to have an answer that went beyond, “Because I always have been.”

Each of us needs to stop all the momentum in our lives long enough to know why we love Jesus.  We need to have a succinct response without a lot of “himming and hawing.”  Or are we Christian merely because our parents were and our grandparents were?  Peter was right.  We need to be able to give a reason for this marvelous hope.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 11, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

There is a pretty little tree at the bottom of our hill.  Each evening while walking our dog we brush its branches.  You can imagine my more than slight reaction to notice, now that the leaves have fallen, there is a hornet’s nest inches above our path.   How often do we have close encounters of which we are totally naïve?  Highways, of course, are notorious.  We almost come grill to grill with other vehicles each doing sixty plus miles per hour with only a paint line between us and instant death.   Many years ago in north Georgia while hiking with my family I was totally unaware that I had just stepped on a poisonous snake until my family kindly pointed it out.

When I was really little my parents put a picture of an angel on my wall with Psalms 91:11.  “For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”  It was very comforting.  We can add to this, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” Psalm 34:7.

I wish I could say this is always true.  But we know it isn’t.  I do believe it is true on thousands of occasions but terrible things do happen to good people.  And really good things sometimes happen to really bad people.  Even Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 said of His Father, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”  The truth is we do not understand all the “whys” of our existence.  We just have to trust that someday God will explain and then we will see that He always has our best interests at heart.  Always!

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 12, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Jenga is a non-fatal way to play Russian Roulette.  Instead of pulling a trigger one pulls out a block.  Eventually there is a loud crash and someone with a block in their hand loses.   In many ways it is like ignoring God’s commands.  You can pull out several blocks without the crash.  However, the crash will occur.  It is inevitable.  It is merely a matter of time.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap.”  (Galatians 6)  This is not a matter of God being irritated that we are disrespecting Him.  It is merely a matter of harvesting the fruit of stupidity.  When we enter an airplane we are trusting a host of people to get us safely to our destination.  Not only are we trusting the pilots but also the mechanics, the fuelers, the air traffic controllers, the air marshal, the weather forecasters, the computer programmers, the assembly line personnel who put together the thousands of parts, the people who prepared the food (if there is any) and on and on.  That is a lot of trust.  We do this because we believe those people have been well trained.

How is it that sometimes we ignore or don’t trust the Being who made the universe?  He does have a lot of experience. He wrote the manual.  Sin (not obeying) and obedience are a matter of common sense.  It is most unfortunate that people associate sin with religion and going to church, when ignoring God is running stop signs, driving on bald tires, texting while driving, playing Jenga.  The crash is coming.  It is merely a matter of time.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 30, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Yesterday we saw a young man wearing a muscle shirt.  There was one small problem.  No muscles – just two skin-covered sticks hanging out.  I remembered being a boy on the playground during recess.  There was a shouting match going on between two would-be  pitchersduring a choose-up game of baseball.  One of them said, “I’m going to pitch or else.”  The other said, “Or else what?”  The first fellow had no “else”.   He didn’t own the baseball.  He couldn’t take his ball and go home. If you’re going to challenge someone with an “else”, you better have an “else.”  If we are going to wear a muscle shirt, it would be a great idea if we had muscles. (I now only wear long sleeve shirts.)

Have you ever seen someone driving very aggressively by cutting people off and at the same time sporting a bumper sticker telling us, “My boss is a Jewish carpenter”?  If we are going to proclaim to the world that we are Christians, it would be a great idea if we really were the  kindest, most unselfish person in our school or workplace.  Jesus wasn’t kidding when He said in the Sermon on the Mount, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”  I know it’s a worn out cliché but I have to say it.  “Put your money where your mouth is.”

In all fairness to the wearer of the muscle shirt, perhaps he was trying to inspire himself to a new life of discipline, healthful eating and lots of exercise.  If we see him again in six months perhaps he will be sporting arms worthy of the shirt.  We have to begin somewhere when we have a worthy goal.

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 6, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Today I learned that my dog has 25 times the number of scent sensors than I do.  She has over 200 million receptors.  No wonder dogs love to go for walks.  There is so much to enjoy. This evening on our walk we, my wife and I, detected someone cooking with lots of curry, next we walked through a cloud that must have come from someone’s very moldy basement.  This was followed by the scent of someone’s dryer and finally another meal with a strong meaty scent. If my dog really can detect smells many times fainter than we can, I wish she could talk and give us a guided tour of our neighborhood.

One of my favorite verses is II Corinthians 2, God “uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.”

I think we have all been around people who leave us with a bad scent.  They seem to spoil an occasion almost just because they are there.  How grand if we could leave a “pleasing aroma” wherever we went.  This week I entered a large department store and was immediately whelmed with a wonderful smell.  At first I thought it was coming from the cosmetic section but that was far away.  Then I remembered that stores scent the air in the air conditioning system.  They know if it smells good we just might purchase something.  If we also smelled great might someone also want to have Jesus in their life?

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 4, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org