Little Things Mean a Lot

NASA is planning an Asteroid Redirect Mission.  In 2020 we will send an unmanned craft to rendezvous with an asteroid.  The craft will harvest a boulder from the surface of the asteroid and then hover a short distance away.  The combined mass of the boulder and the craft will be enough mass to be a “gravity tractor” and over the course of 400 days will alter the path of the asteroid away from earth.

When I first learned to fly (way before the wonders of a GPS) I learned that every degree off course would result in being one mile away from your intended destination for every sixty miles traveled.   If I left Massachusetts heading for San Francisco with only a one degree error out of the available 360 degrees I would instead arrive at Santa Rosa.

In both of these incidents the prime mover or the degree of error was very small.  But over time or distance the final effect was extremely significant.  If a person gained just one pound a year for each year they are married, we are talking about a significant change in body image.  Little things mean a lot.  Therefore, if you are a very busy person that is in high gear from dawn to midnight, please squeeze into your life two to five minutes each day for your spiritual life.  We are holistic creatures that cannot afford to neglect any aspect of our personhood.

I think I am preaching to the choir because if you have read this far you are already using your two minutes.  So let me finish with a terrific spiritual message for your day today.  Jesus loves you very much.  You are very important in the courts of Heaven.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 20. 2015

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

“Are We There Yet?”

Sometimes I feel like a little kid sitting in the back seat of my father’s car saying, “Are we there yet?”  After watching the evening’s news and trying to understand each day’s horrors I want to pray to my heavenly Father, “Are we there yet?”   The senselessness of groups killing each other just never seems to stop.  There is some primitive stupidity in our human minds that leads us to think life will be better if only we can kill that other group of people.  Is it a fear that we better kill them before they kill us?  Could it be the idea that we could be richer if we stole their natural resources?  Could it be kings and presidents start wars because they want to be remembered?  I know the presidents I best remember are wartime presidents.  Who remembers Chester What’s His Name Arthur or Franklin Pierce?  But we do remember Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt.

To keep me from constantly asking, “Are we there yet?” my father would stop at a gas station and get a map (they were free then) and show me where we were and where we were going.  That helped.  Maybe that is why we seem so hungry for signs and omens in the news.  If we had some clear markings along God’s timeline perhaps we would not have to keep praying, “Are we there yet?”

What I do know is I am closer than most.  I am most likely within ten or fifteen years while most people in the world are under thirty and have a much longer journey ahead.  I wonder why we ask, “Are we there yet?” and yet rue the truth that we are getting old.  We should be welcoming age.  It means we are almost there.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 16, 2015

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

God Believes in Us

I think my accuser thought I would take umbrage at being called a humanist.  But my reaction was quite the opposite.  According to the dictionary a humanist is “a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity.”  According to my accuser I am not religious enough.  I don’t use the usual religious argot.  I don’t use a lot of “amens,” “hallelujahs” or “thank you Jesuses.”  He’s right.  I don’t.

God is a humanist.  He made us in His image.  He definitely has human welfare as a major concern, so much so that He gave us His only begotten Son to die for us.  He wants us to live by His values and by calling us His sons and daughters (see Romans 8 and Galatians 4) He gives us tremendous dignity.  “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”  Often we speak about our believing in Him and fail to emphasize that He believes in us.  He is willing to live in us. Paul speaks of our being His temple. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”  I Corinthians 6:19.

God is so much a humanist that He was born as one of us in Bethlehem.  In Hebrews Paul speaks of Jesus suffering all the temptations that we suffer.  That is amazing.  So I want to thank my accuser for recognizing that I am indeed a humanist.  I’m proud of it.  I want to be as much like Jesus as possible and being a humanist is a great step toward the fulfillment of that goal.  Join me.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 15, 2015

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Ignorance is not bliss.  Ignorance is a life of slavery to misinformation, superstition, unrealistic goals, unfounded biases and the fear of the unknown.  Freedom comes from understanding one’s world.  Knowing parameters protects us from dangers.  My dog knows not to go into the street and thus she is safe from speeding cars.  Therefore, the more we understand about God’s will for us and the important reasons underlying each commandment the freer we are to make life choices that bring blessings and the avoidance of sorrow.

“Thou shall not have any other Gods before Me,” says the first commandment.  This is not given to us because God is some ego-centric jealous maniac who wants all our attention.  It is common sense.  Why worship other gods that are really not gods at all and are thus impotent?   The wise course of action is to go where the power is.  And not only is He the source of omnipotence He is also the fountain of love and grace.

Just think of the joy that is missed if someone is ignorant of God’s redemptive forgiveness and love.  Not to know that one can begin to live forever right now is an amazing loss of happiness.  To worry about one’s eternal future steals away a fabulous quality of life.  Not to know that the trials and the pains of this life are temporary and will be replaced with an opportunity for eternal happiness is a calamity beyond words.

There is no question that ignorance is not bliss.  It is a tragedy.  There is a reason this story is called the Gospel.  It isn’t just good news.  It’s the best news.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 14, 2015

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

 

 

Examining Grocery Carts

There is no denying the value and benefits of healthful eating.  We have a much better chance of having a healthy mind if it is housed in a well-nourished healthy body.  When we are healthy we make better decisions because our minds are not affected by internal poisons, chemical imbalances and medications.  When we are healthy we have more reserves and are more patience with others thus creating a happier atmosphere for all concerned.

However sometimes we make the mistake of turning diet into a religion.  Religion is about our morality and our walk with God.  It is a truth Jesus wanted us to understand.  In Mark 7 Jesus asked, “Are you so dull?”  Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.  What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, immorality, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander and arrogance.  All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”

Jesus is not telling us everything is healthy to eat.  We know better than that.  He is trying to tell us life has priorities.  The way we treat each other is far more important than examining each other’s grocery carts.

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”  Romans 14:17

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 29, 2003

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

rogerbothwell.org

My Phone Bill

If we were required to produce a top ten list of life’s greatest mysteries phone bills ought to be near the top.  Have you ever really looked at one of those things or do you just give up and pay what it says?  Not only is there the basic charge and the long distance fees for each call, there is also the FCC Line Charge and the Federal USF Surcharge and the Local Number Portability charge.  Whatever that is!  And then there is the 49-cent charge for Touch-Tone Service.  Whatever happened to just “Reach out and touch someone?”

Jesus once reached out and touched someone for free.  It is such an exciting story that Mark put it in his very first chapter.  While Matthew and Luke are talking about the nativity and John is writing about Jesus being the incarnate Word of God, Mark wants us to know right from the beginning that this Jesus he is going to tell us about touched a leper.  By the end of the chapter he has Jesus being pursued by such large crowds He can no longer enter the towns because the streets were too narrow.

There is no doubt about it—Jesus is wonderful.  And best of all He will touch each of us and there is no 49-cent charge.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 27, 2003

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

rogerbothwell.org

The Benchwarmer

At least one player on the Canadian Olympic ice hockey team of 2002 received a gold medal for sitting on the bench the entire game.  He never played.  He sat and watched the entire game.  Furthermore, not one of his teammates was heard objecting to the benchwarmer getting a medal.

In Matthew 20 Jesus tells a parable about a man who paid the same wages to all those who worked in his fields.  Some worked all day and some worked only an hour, but they all received identical amounts of money.  Unlike the Canadian hockey players, some of those who worked all day did object claiming the employer was unfair.  The employer silenced them by pointing out they got what they contracted for and since the money was his he could do with it as he pleased.

This is a wonderful story.  Knowing this story keeps us from feeling bad in heaven when we meet one of the martyrs.  Knowing that salvation was a gift even to those who gave their bodies to be burned or mutilated will be comforting.  How else could we, as benchwarmers, think of receiving the same reward as the martyrs if we thought we had to earn heaven?  Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God.   However, he continues in Romans 6:23 by telling us that eternal life is a gift—a gift for everyone.  That even includes the martyrs.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 23, 2013

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

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

Catching the Vision

While we cannot be more than perfect, because perfection is the ultimate expression of being, we can add to perfection by growth.  The ultimate expression is more tomorrow than today because of our increased abilities honed by discipline. Perfection is not the goal.  Growth, an endless process of maturing, is our goal. A good person, no matter how morally in need, is one pressing to become better.  A bad person, no matter how self-righteous and accomplished, is one content with the status quo.  Heaven has no retirement homes, no IRAs, no social security payments.  Heaven is a university with an ever-expanding curriculum personalized according to one’s abilities and goals.  To be more tomorrow than today is being truly God-like.  There will be no diplomas or degrees to hang on our walls because there will be no graduation.  Instead there will be the joy of learning to know and to do something new and to be more than we have ever been before.

The sadness of now is aging.  Aging slowly steals our prime making new physical feats only a dream.  But when we become ageless, prime is an always condition.  In I Corinthians 15 Paul wrote, “This mortal will put on immortality and this corruption incorruption.”   If you didn’t like school here don’t be concerned.  You just didn’t have the right teachers.  Heaven’s faculty will not only be knowledgeable but skilled motivators.

What is your dream?  What do you want to do?  Do you want to be the universe’s leading travel writer, poet, composer, fashion designer, pilot, oceanographer, astronomer, organist, pianist, soloist, carpenter, architect, biologist, golfer, chemist, physicist, (you fill in the blank …….).   The only people who wouldn’t want this are those who haven’t yet caught the vision.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 13, 2015

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

The Secret of the Missing Suet

Don’t you just love a good mystery?  Most people do.  How about one titled “The Secret of the Missing Suet?”  It sounds like a good Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew book.

Well, in our story it all started when the wire basket suet feeder was empty every morning.  True, it had been very cold so it was very logical to assume that lots of birds were filling up their fuel tanks.  But empty every morning??  Morning after morning?  What could possibly be eating all this suet?  Surely it wasn’t the little bunch of chickadees and a downy woodpecker or two.  Surely, something else was feasting on the suet.  A couple of mornings later—mystery solved.  At the suet was a beautiful, gigantic pileated woodpecker.

Another important mystery—what keeps you going?

Surely, you don’t run only on food and beverage.  You are a multidimensional being.  In addition to your physical dimension you have an emotional dimension, an intellectual dimension, a social dimension, and a spiritual dimension.  Each component needs fuel.  Breakfast and supper keep the physical side going.  Perhaps someone you love keeps your emotional needs satisfied.  Maybe your job or school keeps you intellectually challenged and your church provides for your social needs.  But, what about your spiritual nature?  Just like your other dimensions it also needs daily bread.  What do you do to satisfy that need?

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 18, 2003

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

To Deke

Do you know what a “hat trick” is?  Or just what does it mean “to deke?”  Depending on how much of a hockey fan you are you may or may not be familiar with these two hockey words.  A “hat trick” occurs when one player scores three consecutive goals during a game.  “To deke” or “deking” is when a player deceives the opposition with a crafty play like going right after a fake to the left.

In Matthew 4 Jesus scored a “hat trick” against Lucifer.  Three times Lucifer tried “to deke” Jesus into sinning, but Jesus scored a victory all three times.

Paul wrote, “My purpose is that…you may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you—or deke you—by fine-sounding arguments.”  Colossians 2:2-4.  If you want to understand life and why you are here the treasured answer is found in Christ Jesus.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 22, 2003

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

rogerbothwell org