Author: Ian Bothwell

I was fascinated today when I asked an extremely well educated man to read a few sentences from John Dewey, twentieth century American philosopher and educational reformer from the university of Chicago and Columbia.  Before reading the passage he asked, “Who is John Dewey?”  I was startled for a moment and then realized just how focused one can become.  His many years of education were obviously not in liberal studies but very honed in the sciences.  I was also impressed that he did not hesitate to ask what he did not know instead of faking it.

When other people do not think as we or see the same things as we, often we are quick to think less of them. However, life is so very full of things to learn and we have but a short time in which to do so.  Some people are amazingly informed and bright about a few things, while some of us know a little about a lot of things.  I am one of the latter.  There is no area in which I can claim to be an expert.  But I do so enjoy having a nodding acquaintance with a broad spectrum of things.

When I was a pastor I soon learned my congregations were filled with people who knew enormous amounts of things about topics I barely knew existed.  It is why when I talk to young pastors I counsel them to do a lot of fact checking before they say something from the pulpit.  People do not think less of you when you acknowledge you do not know something.  But you can lose a lot of face by pretending to know when you don’t know.

Jesus has always fascinated me in that as God He knew all.  But He sacrificed all that to be human.  Luke 2:52 speaks of His growing in wisdom.  When He took on humanity He took on beginnings as we.  So often when we speak of Jesus’ sacrifice we think only of the cross.  It was so much more than that.

 

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 7, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

A special tribute to my dear Jazz who closed her eyes for the last time today.  See you and Roger in heaven.  By Ian on September 7, 2021

Happy Birthday to my dog who keeps me safe from rabbits, skunks and foremost the mailman.  She is 49 dog years old today making her menopausal, but we fixed that a few years ago, so her temperament is as predictable as sunrise.  Her super hearing and her sense of smell give me a sense of comfort when I awaken during the night as I hear her softly moving through the house.  Should the marauding raccoons cruise through our nighttime yard she warns them and alerts me with a very low ever so deep rumbling sound.  She makes me feel welcome when I come home from school, sometimes even when I am only returning from the mailbox.

I have a friend who quotes Revelation 22:15 to remind me that I better get my fill of dogs now because there will be no dogs in heaven.  My friend thinks God is a “cat person.”  Obviously this verse is a solid argument against Biblical literalism.

I cannot remember never having a dog.  Jazz, my current canine, is my number twelve.  While I do not believe Jesus died on the cross for animals, I do believe Jesus wants to personalize heaven for us by making my home better than yours and yours better than mine.  Therefore, because of God’s great love for us He will do all He can to make heaven the best place ever for us.  Thus, I await opening the front door of my heavenly home and being besieged by a dozen dogs so happy to see me because I returned from going outside to get the mail.  (There will be no junk mail in heaven.)

So Happy Birthday Jazz.  We are off to Burger King to get you a Whopper.

Written on June 8, 2016 by Roger Bothwell

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Very often we hear parents say they want to do well so they can give their children the things they, the parents, did not have.  Usually when said they are referring to material items they want for their children and the struggles of life they wish to keep from their children.  Yet wise men tell us that the law of growth is struggle, stress and storms.  No pain – no gain.  Body builders know that repetitions and making muscles burn is what makes them stronger.  Material things do not grow character.  Joseph was sold as a slave. For forty years Moses fled Pharoah’s wrath.  Jacob wrestled with the angel.  Daniel was taken from his family to a conquerer’s land.  Each mountain to climb is an opportunity to be a better person. The history of our world is the history of struggle.

How ironic this is so often the very thing we want to keep from our children.  Love is not pampering.  Love is doing that which will make our children better people.  There are very few, if any, pleasures or satisfactions more gratifying than accomplishment.  To do that which is hard and to learn to do it well is why we are here.  Adam and Eve were to tend the garden.  They did not have angels coming to be their gardeners.

Heaven is not a place where we will instantly do all things well.  Heaven is the time it takes to learn, to practice, to struggle, to press our limits no matter how many centuries it might take.  God is glorified when His children accomplish, just as we applaud like crazy when our eight-year-old little leaguer finally gets a hit.

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 6, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I begin with a quote from Shakespeare instead of Jesus or Paul.  It is from Romeo and Juliet whose families saw only wrong in each other.  “A plague on both your houses.”

This is the season for half-truths.  Could the speakers, defenders and promoters of their political views really believe the rest of us are so stupid we cannot see through their feeble intellectual attempts to manipulate us?  Perhaps that is what upsets me.  My vanity is at stake when I am taken to be a fool. Perhaps twelve years from now when my mental faculties have waned will I be taken in by the transparent foolish grabbing for power?  But not this time around.

But as Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  This has been going on for thousands of years. The two most powerful contending political parties in Jesus’ time were the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  One positive thing about the ministry of Jesus was He brought unity to the Sanhedrin.  Both sides hated Him.  He stomped on both sets of egos.  If you want some very interesting reading try out Matthew 23 before going to bed this evening.  Jesus was neither meek nor mild.  And just as now the underlining issues were financial.  Jesus cleansed the temple twice during Passovers.  He cost them huge sums in lost revenue.

How grand it is to know that our real leader, our Heavenly Father, will never lie to us nor try to feed us half-truths.  Hebrews 6:18 tells us that “it was impossible for God to lie.” By His very nature He is the Truth.   It is Satan who is the father of lies. John 8:44.

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 5, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

“A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.” John 6:2.  So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?”  John 6:30.  In John 11 He raised a man back to life who had been dead for four days.  Did they believe?  No.  Miracles really don’t work.  They are in some fashion a show that can easily be fraudulently duplicated by charlatans, magicians and false prophets. Miracles never have been the proof of someone in whom we should believe.

The power of Jesus was His message.  It was truth about His Father and their nature.  The authorities did not crucify Jesus because He performed miracles.  They crucified Him because of what He was saying.  The authorities were not stupid men.  They quickly saw the implications of Jesus telling us to call God, Our Father, and to go into our closets to pray.  With a single sentence Jesus eliminated the middle man.  Each person became their own priest.  An entire economy built around the priesthood, sacrifices and pilgrimages was jeopardized.  God was not a divinity to be bought off with gifts.  He was a personal friend who cared for the poor just as much as the rich.

No one in history had ever spoken the truths for personal living that Jesus outlined in the Sermon on the Mount. He revolutionized religion.  No longer were we unclean because of what went into our mouths but because of what came out.  It is the vomit of the heart that fouls us.  Look not for miracles.  Look for truth and you will find it in Jesus’ words.  He is the Word.

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 4, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I had never seen a “Code I” before last week.  I was in a first grade observing a student teacher when suddenly over the intercom came the words, “Code I.”  Instantly the teacher hurried to lock the classroom door and turn off the light.  As she hastened to pull down all the window shades the children scurried to a pre-assigned place where huddled together on the floor so they could not be seen from the window in the door.  For over five minutes they made not a sound, even when someone came and rattled the door.  I soon figured out the “I” stood for intruder.  When the all clear was given one little guy came up to me and said, “Did you hide?”  I assured him that I had.

This was a 21st century equivalent to the “H-Bomb Drill” we did when I was a little guy.  I remember thinking how stupid it was to be under my desk for surely such a weapon would just vaporize me.  But then I realized it depended how far one was from the center of the blast and hiding under the desk could protect us from flying glass.

Alas, the human condition is indeed one of fear and insecurity.   It has been this way since Cain struck Abel.  The world is and always has been filled with danger and death.  Recently someone lamented to me how bad the world has become.  “Become,” I asked.  If we think it is worse now than ever it is only because we were asleep in history class.  Those of us who are blessed to look in the mirror and see wrinkles and gray hair are blessed.  We are survivors.  The only way it will ever get better is for Jesus to keep His promise and come again.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 21, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

In order to put a new timing belt in my car the mechanic had to remove the front bumper assembly.  Upon putting it back in place it is now necessary to drive it sixty or so miles before the onboard computers can calibrate distances required for the proper operation of the front radar sensors.  Since I only live ten miles from our little college it will be two or three days for things to work as designed.

I had to remind myself of a time in my experience when I allowed my daily devotions to lapse.  Life just seemed to unconsciously take over before I realized what had occurred.  It was not a deliberate act.  It was so easy to lapse.  What fascinated me was when I realized what had happened and I began anew I had to bring myself back up to speed.  I had to recalibrate my orientation to my walk with God.  How fascinating it was that I could not just pick up where I left off.  If you don’t use it you lose it.

Paul must have understood this because he wrote to the Romans (12:2), “Be not conformed to the world.”  It was paraphrased by J. B. Phillips, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”  It is so easy to lose precious ground by the distractions around us.  When I think about having to recalibrate it is like most everything in life.  If we stop practicing the piano we have to recover.  If I am out of the classroom for a week, I have to spend a bit of time getting back into a rhythm.  Maybe it’s just me but I am suspicious it is the same for all of us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on March 2, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

I feel like I’m adding to Art Linkletter’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things” when I tell you what happened to me in a first grade classroom today.  While supervising a student teacher a little girl approached me and asked, “How old are you?”   I told her and she seemed satisfied for about five minutes.   Upon returning she said, “You look like my mother’s boyfriend.”   “Hum,” I thought.  Either her mother is dating a very old man or I’m looking “good.”   I prefer the latter explanation.   On the way out I laughingly mentioned it to the room teacher and she told me that yesterday a little girl came up to her and put her hand on the teacher’s tummy and said, “When are you going to start birthing children?”

You just have to love little children.  It is no wonder Jesus’ loved to have them come to Him.  I’m sure He must have a litany of wonderful things children have said to Him through the centuries.   It will make a great afternoon of listening and laughing while Jesus tells us about them.   I don’t want to miss the matinee program. Since He knows everything He can fill in great details.

Years ago someone tried to convince me that Jesus never laughed because His mission on earth was just too serious to have time for levity.  To which I have to respond, “Nonsense.”  It was Jesus Himself who created us to laugh.  He knows how healing it is.  “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”  And a good laugh relieves so much stress and tension that is so destructive to us mentally and physically.   It is true that life is serious but really “recess” is good for everyone.  Balance in life is a tremendous quality.

Written by Roger Bothwell on March 3, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

When King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes he was obviously tired, discouraged and disheartened. It is the thoughts of a man worn out and satiated. He had used his enormous wealth to glut his whole being with the things of the world. Nothing brought him pleasure anymore. He had grown useless to himself and his people.

Listen as I read just a few verses from Eccl. 1:8, “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”

Solomon needed to sit down with the apostle Paul who would have argued with him. Paul says, 1 Cor. 2:9, “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him — but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.'”

Solomon was not the wisest man who ever lived. Paul was head and shoulders wiser than Solomon. Maybe they both had the same IQ but Paul knew something Solomon did not. Paul knew Jesus Christ. It made all the difference. Solomon had seen everything the world had to offer. Paul knew Jesus offers us so much more than this world. Solomon fed off the world. Paul fed from the deep things of God because of His walk with Jesus.

If we want to be really rich, if we want an endless experience of growth into the deep things of God and His universe, Jesus is the abundant never-ending source of truth and happiness.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 31, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Close your eyes and visualize this scene.  We are the only customers in Papa Gino’s.  We are patiently waiting for our pizza when a loud voice echoes past all the other empty tables.  #78!!  While picking up our order from the counter I noticed the sales ticket had printed at the bottom, “We deliver.” So I called to the manager, “What is your minimum delivery distance?” “Minimum?” he said, “There is no minimum.  We would deliver across the street.” So I asked, “Then why didn’t you bring my pizza to my table which is fifteen feet away?” Much to his credit, I have to say, he apologized. I expected guff.

On my way home I thought of Psalm 50:15 where God says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver . . .”   Now, I am sure while Papa Gino’s has no minimum delivery distance they have to have a maximum distance unless they use Fedex.  How grand it is that God has no minimum or maximum delivery distances and best of all there is no waiting two or three business days.  As a matter of fact He does even better.   “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!”  Isaiah 65:24.  Can you imagine going to Papa Gino’s and as you walk in the door they are standing there with your order before you had even placed your order?

This is a great family to belong to.  Our Heavenly Father is the best.  He knows our needs.  He anticipates our prayers.  He will supply us with all our needs.  Philippians 4:19.   He delivers.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 30, 2012

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

Rogerbothwell.org