Author: Ian Bothwell

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 26, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

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 one.”  (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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 25, 2012

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

Rogerbothwel.org

 

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 24, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

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.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 23, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Try as hard as I could, I could not remember what my wife gave me for Christmas.  Finally, as carefully worded as possible, I asked her what she got me.  Do not.  I repeat. Do not ever do this.  I will be hearing about this for years to come.  Ringing in my ears are comments like “Well, I remember what you got me” and “I can tell it made a real impression.” Ouch.  The fine art of receiving is more important than giving.

I once heard a student proclaim that no one ever gave her anything. I asked if she still lived at home.  “Well, of course,” came the response. “I’m only 15.”  “And do you pay room and board” I asked.  “Of course not, I don’t have a job” was the answer.  To which I said something very pithy.  “Hum.”

Perhaps Psalm 100 is the second best psalm.  “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the LORD is good; His loving kindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations.”

We are receivers. Each beat of our hearts, each breath we take are gifts.  When we learn to give thanks, we understand our place in this vast universe.  None of us are self-made anything.  What we give is minuscule to what we have received.  Try to remember so someday you will not have to say to God, “I can’t remember what you gave me.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 21, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 20, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I wasn’t feeling very good when I got out of the car at Murchison Falls in Uganda.  As we climbed to the overlook I continued to feel worse and worse.  Finally I moved off the trail a bit so I could lie down and throw-up.  While waiting to gather my strength a strange but very friendly face peered into mine and he said, “I’m Doctor David Livingston, may I help you?”  Even in the midst of my nausea I managed to skeptically say, “Sure you are.”  We quickly learned that he really was Doctor David Livingstone.  He was the famous African explorer’s grandson. He worked at a hospital in southern Africa and was on holiday.  Fortunately for me, he was able to help with malaria medication.  We saw him again with his family that evening in a nearby lodge.

Ever after I have wondered how many times God speaks to us only to have us skeptically think, “No, not really.”   He spoke to Samuel only to have Samuel think it was Eli calling.  He spoke to Elijah, but not in an earthquake or fire, but in a still small voice. There are some who are like Samuel and hear a voice.  However, most of us are on the still small voice channel.  We wait for some horrific event to occur on Earth or to us thinking God will be inthe big events.  He is, but most of the time He is whispering.

And what does He have to tell us?  For each of us the communication is unique because each of us has different needs.   Your needs are not my needs. You are special.  God’s message to you is especially for you.  Listen carefully.  Because He is whispering sometimes we need to turn off our noisy electronics.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 20, 21013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 19, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

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.”  Galatians 5:13-15

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 18, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 17, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org