Author: Ian Bothwell

Tattoos seem to have become omnipresent.  They appear in all manner of designs and significance.  Today I saw a new one.  The wearer announced that it was to commemorate the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  My first reaction was one of bewilderment that someone would want to become a walking billboard for such a shameful event.  It was a tawdry inhumane act of cowardliness.  Why would someone want to get up each morning, look in the mirror and remember such a despicable thing?

Then I remembered the millions of people that wear a cross around their necks.  Millions of churches are decorated with crosses.  A cross is a remembrance of the most despicable act in all of human history.  It exceeds that of beheadings on YouTube.  It reminds us that the so-called decent religious leadership took a gentle man who healed lepers, gave sight to the blind, raised a little girl back to life and did another thousand acts of kindness and they stripped Him bare not only of His clothes but the skin on His back.  They yanked out handfuls of His beard and then nailed Him to a tree.  This would have been bad enough had it only been a mere man.  But this gentle man was the one who thousands of years before had said, “Let there be light.”  This was the Creator of all that is.

Since I have no cross tattooed on my upper arm nor do I have a golden cross to wear about my neck I must do something even better to commemorate this human atrocity.  I will instead dedicate my total being to being like Him.  Being the most honest, most forthright, most caring person I can be is the best way possible to honor and remember Him.

Written by Roger Bothell on January 21, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

 

Her size made her difficult not to see.  She was more than ample as she rolled about under her sweat pants. She was accompanied by what were most likely her grandchildren as they made their way to a table beside us at a Dairy Queen.  Each of the children carried a differently flavored Blizzard.  Grandma’s was twice the size of the children’s and yet that did not seem to be enough.  At first she asked the children if she could taste theirs.  But after the initial permission from each child came a steady tasting that must have been all of hers and half of each child’s.

How could my mind not think Agur’s classic line in Proverbs 30?  “The leech has two daughters, ‘Give, give they cry.’”  Some people never seem to get enough.

As soon as I thought it I was ashamed of myself.  I was harsh and judgmental.  I did not know these people.  I made a very negative snap judgment about someone about whom I knew absolutely nothing.  Then in an attempt to self-justify I thought of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7.  “By their fruit you shall know them.”   Really, was Jesus authorizing me to be a fruit inspector?  He also said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”  There I sat in a critical snobbish attitude while consuming my own Peanut Buster Parfait.  No, I was not eating my grandchildren’s ice cream.  Perhaps that was only because they weren’t with me.   O God, be merciful to me.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 20, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

This year’s flu shot has only been 23% effective.  It has been the wrong medicine against this year’s batch of bugs.  It’s not the first time we have used the wrong medicine.  Just ask poor George Washington whose doctors bled him to death.  Often we try the wrong thing.  This past week protesters blocked a major highway into Boston.  This weekend there are hundreds of thousands of people hating their cause.

Sometimes parents try harsh methods of discipline only to drive their children away.  Some people in a quest for spiritual enlightenment go to the wrong place for solace.  When God told us not to worship other gods He was attempting to keep us from wasting our time, energy and devotion on something that could not help.

There is nothing wrong with self-determination and dedication to self-improvement as long as one does not rely only on self.  One of those gods not to worship is self.  There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman.  Part of true success is recognizing one’s need and reliance on the efforts and successes of those who preceded us.

Jesus is the right medicine for our personal needs.  Jesus said, “Come unto me all you that are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  It is the best and only universal prescription for any and all human needs.  Are you despondent?  Jesus is the right medicine.  Are you lonely?  Jesus is the right medicine.  Are you overwhelmed with guilt?  Jesus is the right medicine.  Are you in need of a life purpose?  Jesus will help you find it.  Are you in need of eternal life?  Jesus is the right and only medicine.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 19, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

It was a beautiful and disturbing sight.  There was a layer of snow decorating our patio and rhododendrons. Giant soft fluffy flakes were gently falling.  A gorgeous male cardinal was accenting the scene. One would have to be blind not to be stunned by him.  Then out of seeming nowhere a sharp shinned hawk swept across the patio about a foot off the ground.  It was an “aha moment” for me. I realized a great flaw in Darwin’s theory.   If there had been a snow bunting or some other less conspicuous bird it most likely would not have been dinner for the hawk unlike the bright red cardinal.

If the theory of adaptation for safety and survival was true cardinals would not be sitting in a blaze of glory in snow.   Like gold finches which change colors with the seasons most birds should be green in the summer and white and brown in the winter.  Evolutions say the red color scares off the predators.  This might be true if there were poisonous red birds but there are not.

I am not denying micro adaptation.  The finches in the Galapagos are a prime example of limited adaptation.  But they are all finches and did not adapt into eagles.  Birds are an amazing gift to us from a loving Creator.  Not the end of a line from dinosaurs.  I realize some will think me ignorant for this.  However, I am open for a logical explanation as to why after thousands of years cardinals have not adapted by toning down.

“In six days the Lord created heaven and earth and all that is in them.”  It is a bold declaration in the heart of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by the Creator Himself.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 18, 2016

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Another week has begun and some of us on such occasions feel like an NFL quarterback surrounded by three hundred pound monsters whose only goal is to knock us down.  Our entire team is depending on us to not only pinpoint our effort with precision but to remain absolutely calm, knowing we are going to be slammed to the ground as we scan the field for the best possible play.  Our only hope is to have our own three hundred pound monsters protect us.

If you have ever felt this way I have great news for you. The Bible says in Psalm 91:11, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”  Now I realize I am treading on dangerous ground with some of you by inferring that angels are three hundred pound monsters.  So let me assure you they are not three hundred pounds.  No indeed, they are not limited to that.  They are any weight necessary to meet our adversaries.  Oh, neither are they monsters.  Those are the bad ones trying to get through the protective circle of good angels.

Something else that is very encouraging is on Jesus’ resurrection morning you can be sure Lucifer had his entire force around the tomb.  Jesus was NOT coming out.  The Father sent one angel. Just one!  And the entire force of hell fled.  As Paul said in Romans, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”   If you need some additional courage read Psalm 91 in its entirety.  There are some amazing promises there.  Here is one more as a spiritual and mental appetizer. “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 11, 2016

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

It was so cute it was amazing.  She was a tiny Chinese Vanna White or better yet like the models on the Price Is Right.   We were at the grocery store and kept meeting this petite little girl and her mother because we were going in opposite directions from aisle to aisle – twelve aisles equaled twelve meetings.  Upon one of our meetings I stopped to watch her pick up a packet of Double Stuff Oreos. Holding it in one hand she gave the package the hand/wrist model wave over the package while explaining to her mother the wonders of Oreos.  How could her mother not buy it?  Nabisco should have had their cameras rolling.  We would see her night after night on our television screens.  She could sell millions of Oreos.

It would be awesome if all of us could sell Jesus to the world.  Instead of doing the model hand wave we could show off the great aspects of Jesus by the way we live and the way we treat others.  Nothing sells a product better than happy satisfied customers. I have never met anyone who wanted to live a crummy life.  However, people mess up because they don’t know any better or do know and yet they still make bad choices.  Either way the result is a subpar life.  Jesus wants all of us to live the abundant life.  Barring the random bad things that do happen to good people the quality of our lives can be vastly improved by living a Christ-like life with the help of the Holy Spirit.

All of us who call ourselves Christians are salespersons (witnesses) for Jesus.  How I wish we were all super salespersons. Our product is so much better than Double Stuff Oreos and that is saying something.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 14, 2016

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Well, it’s over.  The 1.6 billion dollar lottery has three winners. Millions of people, who bought a ticket, can now stop dreaming. (For now.)  For two dollars, less than the cost of a small (excuse me – Venti) Starbucks coffee, people had dreams and hopes.  It was less than renting a movie from your cable company, which only lasts two hours. Before you write to me explaining the evils of gambling, let me just say this.  For many millions it wasn’t gambling as much as it was the price of a few days of extravagant, over-the-top dreaming.  People thought about friends and relatives whose lives they would change.  They thought of helping the church or school down the street.  Oh, yes, I am romanticizing because there also were many greedy people thinking about themselves.  But I think the greedy were outweighed by those who really did think about the good things they would do.  (I like the Pollyanna view of life.)  It was a two dollar dream.  It wasn’t so much gambling as it was an investment in supposed happiness.  I said supposed because winning has the potential to be a disaster, as it has for other lottery winners.

When I tell people about Jesus many of them accept Him for some of the same reasons people buy a lottery ticket.  Jesus is the source of over-the-top dreaming.  To give Jesus my expiring life for a chance of receiving a life that will never run out is a better deal than two dollars for 1.6 billion.  “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” (Jim Elliot)   Usually it takes some time being with Jesus for people to realize they aren’t taking a chance.  With Jesus it is a sure thing

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 15, 2016

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

Rogerbothwell.org

We do not hear with our ears anymore than we see with our eyes.  Our ears and eyes are receptors that transmit received signals to our brains.  Our brains then interpret and configure those signals into sounds or pictures.  Now comes the scary part.  Each of us has a unique brain.  The result is none of us see and hear what another sees and hears. The stimuli received are filtered through past experiences, education, repeated exposure and associate with others who influence us. This could be one of the reasons some things are beautiful to one person and not to another.  Most people think their mother is beautiful.  It has little or nothing to do with her cheekbones and smile.  Mom is filtered through love for all the care received when we were young and helpless.

I really enjoy Chopin piano concertos.  In reality they are rather bangy.  However when I was little my father, who for a time was an elementary school principal, would bring home a projector and we would watch movies of someone playing Chopin concertos on our living room wall.  It is also why I enjoy the smell of cigars. Both Chopin and the aroma of a Philly El Producto are all about memories of my father.

In Revelation 19 we find what can be some very scary descriptions of Jesus.  One of them is, “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.”  For millions that will be horrible.  But for those of us who love Him it will be beautiful.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 13, 2016

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

With an 18 day old knee we thought it not prudent for me to be clearing the driveway.  Anyway it was only an inch or so of snow.  Surely tomorrow’s sun would take care of it.  It did not. The next morning the eastern sun’s rays warmed and cleared the driveway across the street but by noon the now obscured sun’s rays from the west did not clear our drive.  We now have a rink we could rent out to a local hockey team.

I cannot say enough about the blessings of sunlight.  Neither can I say enough about the blessings of Sonlight. It is fascinating what it does and what it does not do.  Paul is a case study.   Prior to Sonlight he was an ambitious zealot.  After Sonlight he was an ambitious zealot.  Prior to Sonlight he was willing to kill for his cause.  After Sonlight he was willing to die for his cause.  Prior to Sonlight he used his incredible intellect to maintain an aged system of faith.  After Sonlight he used his incredible intellect to establish something totally new.  Prior to Sonlight he bragged of his own perfection.  After Sonlight he only had praise for the perfection of the Son.

What will Sonlight do for us?  Will it melt our iciness toward others?  Will it give us something in life worth dying for?   Will it make us sensitive to other’s pain?  Will Sonlight bleach out the stains of an old life?   Sonlight gives us new reasons to arise each morning?  Sonlight breeds within us an entirely new family history.  No longer are we the sons of Scotland or France.  Now we are the sons of the Living God who has made us princes and princesses of the entire universe.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 13, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Evolutionists cite our basic selfishness as the primary reason we exist.  The more selfish one is the more likely one will survive.  Our acts of charity toward the poor are rational selfishness.  Hungry people are dangerous people.  The French Revolution is a prime example of the selfish starving the masses to revolt and thus the rich taken to the guillotine.  Rational thought leads us to the knowledge that we need to keep the poor fed if we are to maintain our well-being.  Therefore, to give is intelligent self-survival.

However, the evolutionists have a difficult time explaining altruism.  The medic who in the midst of heavy fire continues to move about the battle field administering comfort to the wounded, the child who donates a kidney thinking he will die as a result of his gift, the Ebola doctors and nurses are samples of a continuous stream of altruism that threads its way through human history.  Altruism is perhaps the most unique human characteristic that indicates we are the product of a loving creator who said, “Let us make man in our image.”

Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than to lay down one’s life for a friend.”  In Romans 5:10 Paul tells us that Jesus died for us while we were His enemies.  We exist not because of selfishness but because of love.  Selfishness ultimately destroys. It is selfishness that gives birth to genocide.  It is selfishness that says my faith is better than yours; therefore, you must die. It is selfishness that makes Lucifer hate the saved.  If he can’t have it no one must have it.  Yet it was Jesus who said I have it and I will give it to you at any cost to myself.  He died. We live.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 12, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org