Author: Ian Bothwell

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 6, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

There are those who by not understanding think non-violence is weakness. They could not be more wrong.  It is natural to hit back.  It is instinctive.  To turn the other cheek takes enormous strength. First, one must combat nature.  Second, one must be brave enough to be hit again. Third, one must have the mental discipline to understand the immediate result could be very damaging but the long term result will be victory.  The great civil rights struggle in this country would have written a far different story had Dr. King taken to the streets with arms.

The Sermon on the Mount challenges us with the highest of ideals.  It is a recipe for constructing God’s ideal human.  Should we rise to such standards it might possibly stir God to do the same for us that He did for Enoch. Genesis 5:24 says, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”  Apparently one day God must have said, “This man Enoch has become so much like us, we cannot allow him to die.  Let’s bring him home.” In I Thessalonians Paul speaks of people being taken to heaven without seeing death.  He says, “We which are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord.”

Something that has puzzled me through the years is the large number of “Christians” who are so militant.  What would happen if we really did take Jesus at His word and feed our enemies and give them what they need?   Who would ultimately win?  I cannot believe that Jesus is wrong and yet I have people tell me I am naïve.  We are called to an unnatural standard.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 5, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

My wife was first to spot it.  There in the parking lot was a panel truck with the following message on the side, “Dent Redemption – We make it whole.”  Then in smaller font it said, “Paintless Dent Removal.”

Jesus touched the eyes of a blind man and he saw.   He didn’t use paint but He did use mud and spit.  Interesting.  See Mark 7 and 8.  A leper came to Him missing body parts.  Jesus made him whole.  The litany can go on and on. The point is Jesus makes people whole.  He takes out our dents and He doesn’t paint over our sins.  He actually removes them.  See I John 1:9.

I understand if I am cremated my wife will not only get my ashes but she will also receive my metal knee and metal hip.  That should make an interesting urn.  I certainly will never need any of those things ever again, because according to Paul in I Corinthians 15 my resurrected body will be whole and as different from this imperfect one as a seed is from what grows from the seed.

The fact is we do get dents as life moves along.  Some of them are from our own stupidity and other dents happen because others run into us.  Our souls take on experience and become very unique because of the dents.  While God never dents us He does take advantage of our self and other imposed dents to make us better people.   In Romans 8 Paul wrote that all things work together for good to those that love God.   Sometimes that is very difficult to understand but by faith we believe it is true.  Jesus is the ultimate Dent Redeemer.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 4, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

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.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 3, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I’m not sure if there was any of the original road surface left and yet it was paved.  For over a half a mile we drove over patch upon patch upon patch.  Actually I should reword that sentence and exchange the word “drove” with the word “bounced.”  I wondered how many years and how many road crews it took to create such a wonder.   Since there didn’t seem to be any habitation along that stretch I figured it would be a long time before the State of New Hampshire would give up and repave.

I was reminded of socks and blue jeans when I was a boy.  My mom was a great patcher.  And indeed I do recall patches on patches.  Today my students come toclass with holes in their jeans and they maintain the jeans are brand new.  Humm?  What company is going to the Salvation Army and repackaging old pants?  They must be laughing all the way to the bank at our gullibility.

Obviously Jesus knew about patching. In Matthew 9:16 He said, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.”  He was referring to the need to replace the old system with a new one.  Putting patches on the old way of earning heaven wasn’t going to work.  Grace was about to take the place of obedience.  This is not to say obedience isn’t important.  Obedience is the key to an abundant life because His laws are based on His wisdom.  To disobey is to ask for trouble.

But all of us have sinned and come short. The only way salvation will ever work is if it is totally replaced with grace.  The road to heaven was repaved.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 2, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

It is not uncommon to find in old books small pieces of paper filled with nonsense scribbling.  What fun it is to find such treasures.  Many of us have them tucked away in our books.  What precious reminders they are–  reminders of a four-year-old thrusting into your hands a tiny blue piece of paper with wondrous markings!  Oh, how we value those “love notes.”

Have you ever considered that our attempts to communicate with God must be on the level of scribbling?  The thought of forming any sentence either elegant or plain to present before the Creator of the universe fills one with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy.  Praying almost seems an act of arrogance.  Yet God invites us to do so and is pleased when we take Him up on his invitation.  Psalms 91:15,16 says, “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Perhaps the books of heaven are filled with small pieces of paper loaded with some very precious scribblings.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 29, 2002

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

 

Mandy, the family’s precious black lab, bounded into the house and startled everyone with the sight of light coming out of her mouth.  It was amazing.  She had real light originating from her mouth.  It was really spooky, but just as suddenly she dashed outside again but this time with the family close behind.  After all this was just too weird.  What they saw next was amazing.  She was running around the yard snapping at fireflies and catching them.  The light was the phosphorescent material left on her teeth from her strange activity.

Light coming out of someone’s mouth is a fascinating idea.  That is exactly what happened when Jesus was here.  The things He said.  The sermons He preached. The stories He told all enlightened the world.  He was the light of the world.  He told us how much the Father cares.  He told us we can live forever if we will only accept His gift.

And we can do just what Jesus did.  Light can come from our mouths.  We can tell the world the Good News.  Just think: light coming out of our mouths!

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 30, 2002

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Humor brings laughter, lightness and joy into our daily lives.  Often times it relieves a tense situation and puts people at ease.  Whenever a new semester begins students who do not know me are often a bit defensive and fearful.  A big smile and a lighthearted remark made about something other than them often put them at ease.

However I have discovered humor does not always successfully cross cultures. Three weeks ago a crew of Vietnamese men stopped and asked if they could dewinterize my yard.  There was a mountain of last fall’s now sodden leaves blanketing everything.  I jumped at the opportunity not to have to do it myself.  They did a great job.  When we walked about afterwards I was so pleased.  It was then that I made an errant attempt at humor.  There was one leaf.  I mean one leaf left in a corner.  I pointed at it and said, “Oh, no. A leaf!  There is a leaf!”   The poor man was crushed. I was joking.  He was humiliated that he had not gotten every last one. You would have thought I had pierced his heart with a sword.  He rushed to pick it up and a flood of apologies flowed from him.  So much for being lighthearted.  It was then my turn at apologizing.

I found myself wondering how many conflicts have begun because of misunderstandings.  How many heartfelt attempts at goodness have been misjudged?   More than once I have had to apologize to a student because of some thoughtless remark.  And often it just pops out without forethought.

The key is to be quick to apologize.  James 3 is a great chapter to read at least once a year.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 29, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

In the midst of a torrential downpour I looked out the window and saw the most bedraggled looking bird at our feeder.  It took me a moment to recognize that it was a male cardinal.  He was so soaked you could barely identify what is usually the most beautiful bird in the neighborhood.  What was he doing?  Why had he not taken shelter like the other birds?  He filled his beak and was off through an incredibly storm.  Having a hunch I raced to the other side of the house where we can view a very active cardinal nest. Sure enough mom was covering the chicks as he swooped in with food.  His family needed him.

When I was small my father was a school teacher.  He would come home from the classroom and sleep until 10:00 pm and then go to work in the steel mills of Pennsylvania from 11 to 7.  He would come home in the morning, change clothes and go to his classroom.  He did that for years.   My mom, my sisters and I were well cared for.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:11, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” That soaked male cardinal reminded me of my dad.  My dad reminded me of Matthew 7:11.   Jesus was so right.  Why should we fret and worry?  We are loved.  We are cared for.  And should things get difficult there is always a better tomorrow.

He cares for the birds that usually take shelter in a storm.  He will always care for you and me.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 28, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

And we thought the Hubble Telescope in orbit around the earth was the best. Think again.   Ready for viewing deep space objects ten times sharper than what Hubble can do will be the Magellan Telescope, which will use seven 8.4-meter mirrors arranged into a pattern of six around one with an effective aperture of 24.5 meters. We are just six years away from completion.  Astronomers tell us we will actually see planets in other solar systems.  We will see the end of the universe.  But how can that be?  The universe has no end.  I think it is time to brag.  My Father and your Father owns it all.  No, not the 600 million dollar telescope, the universe!

Since humility is part of a Christian character and it is not becoming to brag about ourselves, even though we are princes and princesses of the universe, let’s brag about our Father.  Our Father knows everything.  Our Father has been everywhere, well, actually He is everywhere.  Our Father can do anything.  Wait a moment.  No He can’t.  There are things God cannot do. He cannot tell a lie.  He cannot cause harm.  He cannot violate the righteousness of His character.   Some of you are probably thinking, “No, He can, but He will not.”   No, He can’t.  Having the power does not mean He can.  He is governed by His own integrity. He is integrity personified.

And it is integrity that He wants to infuse into us.  Once that happens we then will be safe to roam the vastness of His universe because we will do so without taking harm with us.  The way we are now, we are so harmful.  That has to go. It will go. I Corinthians 15 promises, “This corruption will put on incorruption.”  How grand that will be.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 27, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org