Roger Bothwell

For the first time in 74 years, Earth is in its first week without Roger Bothwell.

When I first attended Atlantic Union College, I wasn’t in an upbeat mood at my 2nd attempt to finish college. Meanwhile, I was going through some difficult times. I had a friend who also was going through some rough times and she told me one of the teachers had a website in which he wrote about things that would help one gain new views of life. One day during lunch at the cafeteria, she pointed him out and told me his name was Roger.

While pre-registering for classes I saw Roger climbing up the steps along with his wife, Ian, and I introduced myself and asked him for his web site address. He gave it to me and told me he was on his way to a meeting. While registering, I noticed he taught a class: Philosophy of Education. I figured I could take it as an elective even though I was not an education major.

When I first stepped into his classroom the following semester, he warmly greeted me and everyone that walked in, asked our names, and told us how fortunate he was in having us in his class. That was a first, I never heard a teacher give that kind of welcome. I’ll never forget that he started that day of class by first talking about Plato’s Cave. As the semester progressed, his class became so interesting that the other classes I was taking felt boring compared to his. His classes were so thought provoking that there wasn’t enough time to ask all the questions I wanted in class. So, at the end of class, I would wait for him and walk with him to his office asking him more questions about what he had just finished talking about. It was that semester, in the fall of 1998, that had such a big impact in life. I could write an entire book on the impact that semester had one me. I decided to take another class the following semester with him.

Then, one day, I decided to ask him about his web site. Not specifically about the content but about how to setup a website, as I wanted to start one. When I look back and see how much I enjoy my job in working with one of Hollywood’s biggest film directors (I run his website), Roger was one of the few that made it possible for me to start that career path. He took the time and patience to describe how to set up a web site. But, he didn’t have all the answers and he wasn’t afraid to tell you so. “There’s nothing wrong in saying `I don’t know, ‘ “ he would always teach us.

Roger also had a way of knowing how you were doing. One day I was feeling miserable as I had been laid off a crappy part time job and I had no money. I never told him and towards the end of our talk in his office, he gave me a handshake with a $20 bill. In those days, that was enough for a full tank of gas and a trip to Taco Bell! Aside from teaching he would help students in need. He once told me that he hoped that one day I would do the same to others as he had done with us.

Then one day, out of the blue, Roger invited me over to his house. He had some pizza and Mountain Dew…the typical student diet. We spoke about his career and he asked me about my background. He then showed me his new computer: a Compaq desktop with 32MB of RAM and a 20GB hard drive. He was so excited about having that hard drive that he told me how he didn’t know if he was going to be able to fill it all up, all 20GB.

Now, one thing I’ll tell you—as you might not know—is that besides being an educator, Roger was also a minister. Prior to being at AUC, Roger had served as a minster all over the US and in Uganda. I had one major difference with Roger—philosophically speaking—as I’m an agnostic. Although I never told Roger that explicitly, he kind of knew it, as I would ask him question an agnostic would ask him. But that wouldn’t keep either us from forming a good friendship throughout the years. When I started my professional career as a web designer, and it was time for me to move to California, Roger and Ian drove me to the Providence, RI airport. I would keep in contact with him all the time. When I moved back, I would visit him often and we would catch up on everything to politics to the latest electronic gear.

One thing that Roger was proud of was his family. He always talked about how his wife was so smart and beautiful (she is) and how his kids were having their own families and how proud he was in becoming a “Poppa” with his new grand kids. Roger adored his wife and seemed he was stricken by her personality, beauty, and intellect as he was when he first met her. She was the queen of his life and he kept his queen happy. As some of you who are in the SDA church might not know, Roger was offered the position of being President of the Northern California Conference. He took the position and resigned about 3 days later. He wasn’t too fond of being stuck in meetings which kept him away from helping people and being away from his wife and kids. The man that took that vacant position—if I recall correctly—later rose to one of the highest positions in the SDA organization. That’s how much Roger loved being with his family.

The day came when I decided to marry my princess. At the time, I had a great job and we were now living in Watertown. We decided to get a marriage license and hire a justice of the peace for the small ceremony. I called Roger and asked him if I could get married in his house as it was big enough for a small ceremony with family and friends. He said yes. I told him that a justice of the peace would be arriving before we did and he told me: “Hey, I can marry you and you could save $200!” We cancelled the justice of the peace and proceeded to get married. The next day we took everyone out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory.

Throughout the years, Roger and his wife were very supportive of my wife and me. They helped us during some rough times with love and advice. When I would get the chance, I would go hear him preach on Worcester. Roger had a way of preaching for everyone. His sermons weren’t sermons at all. The one I most remember is the one where he talked about how society and its rules can dull the experience of living a happy life. Roger was also a cool modern man. One day he told me he heard a song in the radio that had a Johnny Cash vibe to it in which the singer sang “Your own Personal Jesus…” I told him it was by Depeche Mode and gave him a copy of the song. He liked it so much that he apparently wrote about it on his daily website. He also loved cars, more specifically American muscle cars. One story that I will remember is when he told me drove a motorcycle at over 110mph on a dirt road in Uganda. Apparently, that speed wasn’t enough for him as he became a private airplane pilot.

One of the things Roger would like to do is walk with his dog in the afternoons. He would do this every day at the nearby forest. At the time when digital photography was becoming mainstream, he would bring his camera and take photos. When we bought our first car (a Subaru WRX) he took pictures of me standing next to the car with his new camera. When I first bought my first professional camera, I asked him if I could shoot interiors of his home as it was nice and warm, he agreed. Years later when I started my brief photo career, we used his house as location for a shoot.

I could write forever about my experiences with Roger. The last ones we had were taking my son Ethan to visit Roger. Roger and Ian would always have a gift for Ethan including toys their kids had used when they were Ethan’s age. The last time I spoke Roger was about redoing his web site in July. I had done a redesign of his site back in 2010 and he wanted to control and publish his site online instead from his laptop. He was coming to officiate his granddaughter’s wedding in Pennsylvania and then he was to come to Maryland so that we could work on it and then go to Rita’s for some ice cream celebration. It never happened due to scheduling conflicts.

I was informed of his passing on the morning of Friday, October 27, 2017, by my wife.

The last email I received from him ended with the words: It’s more than time to get out of the revolving door and live the fullest life possible.

That was Roger for you. I will for always remember him.

— Nelson Lauren

 

P.S. The ceremony for Roger will take place November 25, 2017, at the Worcester Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2 Airport Drive, Worcester, MA 01602.

What becomes of this web site? The Bothwell family at this time will see what their options are and what the future brings. In the meantime, you can read Roger’s older post by checking the archives section of this web site. We are in the process of adding the older devotionals as he began writing them in the mid-late 1990s. Stay tuned.

I was enjoying people-watching as I sat in a hospital lobby waiting for my wife to appear outside the door with our car. The revolving door to the outside was quite large and handled lots of people coming and going. I particularly watched a cane carrying elderly lady slowly approach the door. For a just a moment she paused and then stepped in. Around she went – once, twice and finally on her third revolution I realized she had lost her bearings and couldn’t get out. Quickly I went to her and aided her outside.

She was so typical of millions of people living their lives and going nowhere. Each day is the same as they go round and round with little direction or goals in life other than getting their next paycheck. I found myself being so grateful to have Jesus in my life. In John 14:6 Jesus declared Himself to be The Way. The question is the way where. Jesus continued on “to the Father.” Now that is a destination everyone should want. To be with the Father is to have a life filled with grace, forgiveness, joy and eternal happiness. This is the life for which we were created.

The little old lady lost in the revolving door was so grateful for guidance and I must confess I felt so very good by being able to assist. I do so want to encourage you to take inventory of where you are going. If you find yourself merely going in circles go to Jesus and let Him guide you into eternity and while doing so find another to take with you. It’s more than time to get out of the revolving door and live the fullest life possible.

She looked like a car commercial. The top was down on her convertible as she raced down the highway with her long blond hair blowing in the wind. Her hair was a flurry of activity as it twirled and flowed. I’m sure she must have been taken with the spectacle that she was. I wondered if she had ever done this before and if so, had she not learned the price that was awaiting her. I am, of course, talking about her need to comb her hair when she was finished driving. The snarls, tangles and matted twists had to be a nightmare.

For every action there is a reaction. That is what sin is all about. God tells us not to do certain things, not to deprive us of happiness, but to increase our happiness. In His wisdom He knows consequences, short term and long. Whenever I see someone smoking I think about the short term ten dollar a pack price and the long term health destruction.
Because God is gracious and forgiving some people think they can count on His grace. They can. But grace does not wipe away the earthly consequences of our misdeeds; even when they are done in ignorance.
The mention of God’s wrath appears often in Scripture. It could leave us with the impression He is just waiting to zap us. That is far from the truth. There is active wrath and passive wrath. Active wrath is the zapping kind. Passive wrath is God allowing us to reap the natural consequences of our actions. When we yield to temptation God hurts as any good parent hurts for his or her child. We want the best for our families.

Occasionally I meet a Judge Judy fan. When I ask them what it is about her show they particularly like I pretty much get the same answer, which is, they really like it when she is cutting and mean to the litigants. They enjoy seeing her put people down. Why is that? I find myself wondering if we have a vicarious experience when we witness someone being rude. Is it something we want to do but can’t get up the courage to do or is it because we are trying to be a Christian and we know Jesus wouldn’t do that?

Ah, but He did. Read Matthew 23. There He calls the leaders of the nation “hypocrites,” “blind guides,” “tombs – clean on the outside and rotten on the inside,” “snakes,” and more. However, I don’t think He is giving us license to go about slicing up people. If we read carefully 99% of the time it is best for us to hold our tongues because we usually regret it if we don’t. The only times Jesus went after someone was when He saw that person using power and privilege to hurt people who were unable to defend themselves.

If we really want to be happy and satisfied with our exchanges with others, we should follow Jimmy Durante’s counsel in his old song, “It’s so important to make someone happy. If we make someone happy we will be happy too.” “Love is the answer.” But let’s be realistic. Some people are unlovable. Some people just push our buttons and bring out the worst in us. This is where “agape” enters the scenario. When Jesus counsels us to love He isn’t saying “Like.” He is saying we should wish the best for others. We should pray for them to prosper. We just don’t have to best friends.

My mother never bought me clothes that fit. The shoe lady would measure my foot and we always bought the next bigger size. My jeans always had to be rolled up above my shoe. I thought that was the way jeans were supposed to be worn. I thought it looked weird when at school other kids didn’t have the roll which was always lighter in color.

In Zechariah 3 Joshua the high priest was wearing filthy garments and the angel standing with him commanded that Joshua be clothed with clean rich garments. And in Isaiah 61:10 we read, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

That robe of righteousness we wear is always a bit too big. There is always room to grow. We wonder how that can be? Perfect is perfect. This is one of the great mysteries of Godliness. When Jesus comes we put on incorruption. And yet for eternity we will never stop growing. This is the greatest wonder of all. After a thousand years we will be more than we ever were before. Oh, how grand we will be. Paul wrote, “Eye hath not seen.” In Ephesians 3:20 we read, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

So don’t even ask, just soak up the promise. You are going to be something literally out of this world. And if you look down at the bottom of your robe, it will be rolled up!

I have a wonderful sister who always answers the question “Who’s there” with “Hi, it’s me.” If I did not recognize her voice this could create a real identification problem because I know hundreds of “mes.” It is akin to responding to the question, “Where are you?” only to receive the response, “I’m here.” There are an infinite number of “heres” and God is in every single one of those “heres.”

At the burning bush God told Moses His name. “I am the I am.” It is the perfect name for a God who is. “I am here. I am there. I am everywhere.” You cannot go anywhere He is not. Poor old Jonah discovered that. God was even in the belly of the fish. Psalm 139 is so encouraging. “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hides not from thee; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”

It doesn’t matter how dark life can become. He sees. He is there. Horrible things happen to good people. Doing everything in life as good as we can does not guarantee our hearts will not be broken. But a day of reckoning will come. Justice will be served. Wrongs will be made right because the “I Am” was there and saw everything. If you ever feel abandoned and alone and wonder “Where is God?” The answer always is “I am here.”

30One of the great moments in American history occurred when Stephen Hopkins, the delegate from Rhode Island, signed the Declaration of Independence. His signature was very shaky because he suffered from palsy. When he finished signing he said, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not.” He had just taken a pledge of his “sacred honor.” This nation was founded by “real” men.

When we look at the cross, when we see the brutally mangled body of our Savior, when we realize He could have given up at any second, when we realize we get to live forever because of His love, can we do less than pledge our sacred honor to our heavenly Father and His Son? If Stephen Hopkins could so commit to the concept of a new kind of nation on earth, can we not so commit without trembling of heart to the idea of a universe without sin governed by its creator?

If you have an extra minute right now, please read II Corinthians 11. It is a chronicle of Paul’s beatings, shipwrecks, stonings and snake bite. He was an amazing super hero who knew his power was not in himself but in the one to whom he had committed his sacred honor. He wrote in II Timothy 1:12, “I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that Day.” Paul’s heart never trembled.

In the rotunda of our nation’s capitol building hangs John Trumbull’s famous painting depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Very little of it is historically accurate. They were not assembled when they signed. The first signers did so on August 2 and it took several months before all forty-seven affixed their names to what was then signing a death sentence. Only a third of the country thought independence from England was a good idea. Washington most likely would have lost the war had it not been for the support of France. Had he lost the war those forty-seven were dead men walking and they knew it when they signed.

As I look at the picture I cannot help but make a comparison with Jesus’ twelve disciples. While the disciples did not sign anything they indeed committed themselves to following Jesus. However they, unlike the forty-seven signers of the Declaration, thought they were on the road to riches and power. Jesus was the Messiah. He was going to rule the world. The Roman Empire would fall and Jerusalem would be the capitol of the world. They would be well rewarded for being the first on board.

Forty-seven chose to die for a noble cause vs. twelve looking for the good life. Three years later, after being with Jesus, they were changed men. They too would sacrifice life for the love of right. This is an amazing story of what happens to people who commit to Jesus. He transforms us into the people we wish to be. If you want to be a person of sterling character, if you understand that character is destiny, make Jesus the Lord of your life and you too will have a cause so noble you would not hesitate to sacrifice life itself. Blessed is such a person.

Romans 5:7 has been on my mind most of today. Paul wrote, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” My younger son’s wife spent over seven hours today under the knife as surgeons ever so carefully removed a tumor from her brain. (The prognosis is very encouraging.)

Today’s events for our family caused me to make a mental list of those for whom I would gladly, without the slightest hesitation, die. I actually surprised myself in that my list is longer than I would have at first estimated. In the course of the exercise, while trying not to do so, I also made a list of those for whom I would never die. That is a very extensive list. Life is precious and should be guarded with diligence. One should never squander one’s greatest gift. And then I come back to Romans 5:7. Jesus, God’s only son, died for Herod, Pilate, the soldiers who stripped Him bare, beat Him to a pulp and drove nails into His flesh. “Father, forgive them”

In the course of several decades I have recounted this story over and over and pretended to understand. I don’t! I have acted as though my degree in theology made me privy to the mind of God. It did not! And now I, after all these years, am at a loss to understand God’s amazing love. If you understand I am envious of you, for I know that, even in heaven after a millennium of millenniums, I will never get it.

It will be 2021 before anyone once again hears London’s Big Ben chime over London. Restoration has begun and the worker’s hearing has to be protected from the bongs of the huge bell. The chiming is so loud there is a very real danger that the bonging would permanently deafen the laborers.

There is an interesting story about Moses in Exodus 34. He had been on the mountain with God and upon coming down his face glowed so brightly he had to veil it from the others.
And so there it is. The answer to today’s seeming lack of power in God’s modern church. Too much light, too much sound, too much of any good thing can damage us if we are not prepared and ready. Just as any good parent is careful with what gifts they give their children God is careful with us. No good parent gives a 16- year-old a 700 horse power Corvette. God wants us to do great things, but He also knows how much our egos and sense of self-importance can tolerate without our becoming totally narcissistic. With great power comes the need for even greater humility.

So what can we do to increase our effectiveness? Paul gives us a few good ideas in Ephesians 6, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” And how do we do that? Like all good things time is required. If we make sure we spend time with His word each day, the armor is added piece by piece. This isn’t rocket science. Everyone can do it.