Author: Ian Bothwell

Tolstoy begins his classic novel Anna Karenina as follows, “ALL happy families resemble one another; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Have you ever noticed the interest level of Christmas letters from various families?  The ones that report 12 months of joy and perfection are not nearly as interesting as those that beguile us with 52 weeks of interesting misery and failure.  “Jim lost his job.  Jacob broke his leg. Nancy is pregnant.  I’m taking Prozac.” is much more interesting than “Jim got a huge raise. (We hate him for that.)  Jacob won all his ball games and Nancy was 4th runner up in the Miss Mudville beauty pageant.”  Movie directors often put a bad word in their production to keep it from getting a G rating, which is a death knell at the box office.  Cinderella is interesting because of her evil stepmother and step sisters.  It wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if the prince wasn’t rescuing her.

This brings me to our projected concept of heaven.  Being that there will be no misery, no broken legs, etc. will we entertain each other with travelogues of our universal sightseeing? Or will our minds only be filled with philosophical discussions of our new insights into the plan of redemption?  We will certainly develop artistic skills.  Will the products of our studios be mirrors of perfection as opposed to few such interesting works we see here?

The story of redemption is interesting for us in that it is a rescue story.  Jesus saves us from evil.  He saves us from Satan.  He saves us from the wicked.  He saves us from ourselves.  So just how will we spend forever?  What will we read?  What will we paint and talk about?  There is so much we need to know about our future.  It is more than petting lions.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 14, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Yesterday my wife was observing in a first grade in Boston when a little guy snuck up to her and smugly whispered in her ear, “I’m the best in the reader in the room.”  Then he waited for her to tell him how wonderful he was.  How grand it is to be six years old and be so guileless.  As adults we play this game differently.  When we do something really good and people compliment us we often defer by saying something like, “Thanks, but it was just okay.”   That usually elicits a repeat of the compliment and inwardly we love it.  It is music to our ears.  We are not as guileless as a six year old.

Everybody has a gift and blessed is the person who knows what it is and has an opportunity to use it.  I become distressed when I hear people tell young people, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”  That is not so.  We can dream of winning marathons or performing in Carnegie Hall, but we have to have the talent.  I cannot be a National Basketball Association player even if I dream it.

We bless children when we help them find their gifts and enable them to be the best at whatever matches those gifts.  When people tell them how good they are, teach them to say, “Thank you.”  That is music to them and to the one complimenting them.  While I am thinking of music to our ears, the best thing we will ever hear is Jesus saying to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: . . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”   Now that is not just music.  That is a symphony.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 22, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Just recently I have had a relatively minor spike in my blood pressure. It is nothing to be concerned about but something that raised my curiosity.   Why?  I think the answer became evident upon examination of my diet.   One of the delights of my childhood was what we called beer pretzels.  They are large hard as a rock pretzels decorated with large grains of salt.  Instead of being called beer pretzels they are marketed as sourdough pretzels.  A few weeks ago while checking out of our supermarket I was beckoned by a large container of those childhood delights.  It had been years since I had any.  I could not resist.  And so night after night for the past few weeks I have been chomping down lots of salt, thus the higher blood pressure.

In high school physics class I learned for every action there is a reaction.  Jet airplanes are a prime example.  It is also true in every aspect of life.  Friendly people have friends.  Nice people usually are treated nicely.  We do live in an imperfect world and some people spoil the reaction.  There are exceptions.  Mostly what we eat affects our bodies.  Some people smoke all their lives and live into their nineties.  But let’s be honest.  We know those people are an exception to the rule.  Be abusive to others and end up spending a lonely old age. Return tithe to God and discover blessings that would have remained unknown.

My favorite is making friends with Jesus and living forever.  That’s a good one.  I can’t think of a better reaction to any action.  As for my pretzels, I finished them and will resist another container.  I think.  I will try.  They are awfully good.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 21, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Four and a half months had passed since the battle when Abraham Lincoln rose to speak at Gettysburg for just over two minutes.  There was no applause at the end.  Perhaps those in attendance were shocked that he finished so soon.  Republican newspapers lauded the speech and Democratic newspapers panned it.  Partisan politics have not changed because people have not changed.  People are people are people.  Lincoln said, “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here.”  How wrong he was.  We remember.  His classic lines have become part of our national fabric as each generation longs for that new birth of freedom so we might continue the realization of the American dream.

As a teacher I try to remember that we think students will little remember what we say to them.  They will not remember our fabulous lectures.  Instead they will remember the one on one comments.  The comments after class, the short conversations in the hallway or in our offices are what they remember.  We, the teachers, do not remember.  I should not be surprised that I do not remember when years later students tell me I said “so and so” to them.  After all, I remember the personal remarks from my teachers.

This is not only true for teachers.  The things adults say to young people in our churches are remembered and often become the foundation for their future attendance and even more importantly, their relationship to Christ.   When we are tempted to make a smart remark about their hair, their clothes, the pierced nose or lip, we might want to bite our lip.  They will remember long after they have matured and removed the hardware.  We thought we witnessed.  But what did we really do?

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 20, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Have you ever said something that resulted in the very opposite reaction of which you expected?  It happened to me.  I was in a big easy chair faithfully getting an infusion when a 50ish looking lady entered the room for her very first time.  Fear was written all over her face.  Her diagnosis was terribly fresh and she was reeling with thoughts of her mortality.  The nurses were incredibly kind as they soothed her into the chair beside me.  Everything they did was done slowly and with kindness as they carefully explained each step.  Those needles and bags of clear fluid can be intimidating.

When there was a moment without anyone attending her I turned to her tearing eyes and said, “They will take wonderful care of you.  I have been coming here for seven years and I am doing really well.”  I couldn’t have said anything worse.  Mentioning seven years put her over the top and the sobbing began.  She was crushed and so was I as I realized that time remark must have sounded like an eternal life sentence.  I was so sorry.

But what can you do after you have spoken?  You can’t take the words back.  Unlike a white board in a classroom you cannot erase what has been spoken.  There it was like a giant monster hovering over her.  I was Dr. Frankenstein who had created this living thing.  Fortunately for me the oncologist came over and skillfully undid what I had done.

Sometimes our very best intentions go awry.  All we can do is be sorry and pray that somehow it will be rectified.   Sometimes the problem continues not because of us but because the other will not let it go.  That is sad.  But at least we did our best.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 19, 2013

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

Rogerbothwell.org

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