Roger Bothwell

We spent the afternoon at an art museum.  How interesting that some of the galleries were wonderful and filled us with awe while others were filled with junk.  It is so true that one man’s treasure is another man’s trash.  This is evident at yard sales.  It is so glaring at an art museum.  One room housed stuff I would be ashamed to put out at a yard sale.  It seemed sacrilegious to keep it in a room across the hall from Monets and Rembrandts.  I think I will approach them about paying me for filling a room with nothing and entitling it “Space for Meditation.”

Last evening I received a marketing phone call wanting to sell me a trip to Las Vegas.   When I said I couldn’t be less interested the caller wanted to know where I wanted to go.  I told her I wanted to sit on my patio with a good book and a cold drink on a warm summer evening in New England.  To each his own.

I’m glad we have individualized tastes.  The world would be boring if we all liked the same music, the same books, the same food, etc.  Sampling new things is quite fun.  However, it’s always nice to come home to the things we like.  I go to a church that has very tame music.  I have friends who prefer a bit more spirit.  (Actually quite a bit.)  When I preach at my home church and it gets very quiet I know I have them.  Other cultures prefer lots of amens, hallelujahs and praise the Lords.  The more noise the more animated the preacher.  I think Heaven will have different worship services to make everyone feel at home.  God has no favorites.  See Acts 10:34.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 25, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I recently heard someone say that darkness is the absence of light.  Light is something and darkness is nothingness.  He went on to say cold is the absence of heat.  Heat is something cold is nothingness.  He continued on and said, “Evil is the absence of goodness. If we add goodness to a life evil isn’t.”   Goodness is something and evil is nothingness.  I was uncomfortable with the premise.  Evil isn’t nothingness.   Evil is real.  Evil is palpable.  Evil isn’t just creepy it is a destructive, sadistic force based on selfishness and perversion.  Maybe we should say goodness is the absence of evil.  But that isn’t correct either.   Goodness also is palpable.  One can sense being in a good place just as one can sense being in an evil place. And when the wolf is in sheep’s clothes the evil is so much more evil.

The psalmist wrote, “Though I walk through the valley of death.”  Most likely all of us have been in such a place.  However, “I will fear no evil for thy rod and staff comfort me.”

There is a wonderful song with the words,

“There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,

And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;

There are sweet expressions on each face,

And I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

Chorus:

Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove,

Stay right here with us, filling us with Your love.

And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;

Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived,

When we shall leave this place.”

Remember the song, “Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go. Anywhere he leads me I am not afraid.”   Goodness is real and it’s a treasure.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 24, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

In the strange esoteric world of quantum physics when two quantum objects become entangled the objects can spin in opposite directions at the same time.  Yes.  I know that is quite impossible in our three dimensional world.  Minds brighter than mine (not yours) call this “superposition.”  My mind wants a bit more understandable information.  However, I can grasp this dichotomy if I relate it to us.

There has been a debate seemingly as long as there have been people about our nature.  Are we naturally good or are we naturally evil?   The answer seems to be “Yes.”  It all depends which moment of our lives we are looking at.  Even the most evil of people actually have good moments.  And the best of us have horrible moments and we do things we rue.  It is one of the reasons it is important to look at the totality of a life and put things into context.  It is amusing to see political advertisements on TV that take a five second excerpt from one of an opponent’s speeches and use it to make the person say just the opposite of what was said in the entire speech.  Satan can make a legitimate case against us by compiling selected events.  We call it cherry picking.  Actually we should call it prune picking

We are walking Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydes.  In Romans 7 Paul speaks of his personal struggle.  “In my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”

How thankful we are that Paul continues on, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”   Ah – the Good News.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 23, 2014

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

In the academic arena of physics a field is an area of influence. A field theory is an attempt to explain the behavior of electrons, photons, etc. when their fields (gravitational and magnetic) interact. The theory of quantum entanglement espouses the concept that once influenced always influenced no matter how distant the particles, etc. become from each other. A shared past will have affected the other’s properties.  This affect can be seen any time into the future.

This is amazingly duplicative of human interactions.  Each of us emanates a field of influence (like it or not).  Each of us is affected by contact with each other.  You will never be the same having read this far in this devotional. This truth is a solemn reality that whatever we read, whatever we watch, whatever conversations we have, whatever classes we attend, whatever anything alters our characters and personalities.  It is a two sided coin.  We are affected and others are affected by us.

Like quantum physics the alteration is permanent.  You and I are a product of the environment into which we were born and the environment we have chosen and continue to choose to create for ourselves.  This is why there has never been someone like us and there will never again be someone like us.  We are incredibly unique and yet incredibly the same as each other because of this interactive affectation.  If we are to rightfully call ourselves Christians (Christ-like) we need to be in contact with Him.  It is possible.  He promised, “Lo, I am with you always.”  It is no wonder He said, “By their fruits you will know them.”  We are what we touch, feel, see and hear.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 22, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The most wondrous thing occurred last evening while taking my dog for a walk.  She is a retriever with an incredible sniffer.  We don’t make very good time because of all the sniffing stops along the way.  Yet, we came upon a rabbit sitting by the side of the road.  It froze and she did not see it.  I was ready for a burst of energy that never came.  She stopped and sniffed the ground only two feet from the bunny and because it kept its composure and never flinched she never saw it.  We moved on and she was oblivious.  She is obviously not a hunter just a retriever.

She made me wonder how many things exist very close to us without our ever being aware. Just because we don’t see something doesn’t mean it is not there.  In John 14 Jesus promised, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” And in Hebrews 1 we read, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation.”

According to Scripture we are not alone.  We don’t see them.  That does not mean they are not there.  My senses just don’t reveal them any more than my dog’s senses did not reveal that rabbit.  However, God’s Word is true and it assures us of the presence of both the Holy Spirit and God’s angels.  While Shakespeare is not scripture that does not mean all the things he said are not true.  Hamlet said to Horatio, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”  That’s a truth.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 21, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I like Subway sandwiches.  I really can lose some pounds if I eat there even for a week. The bread is always fresh as are the ingredients. However, I must also add that I have never gotten a Subway sandwich that looks like one in their television ads.  What I get is never as full or luscious looking as what appears on my TV screen.  It makes me wonder if any of the people that produce the ads have ever eaten at a Subway.

Since by calling myself a Christian, meaning Christ-like, therefore makes me a walking, talking advertisement, I wonder if I ever live up to the standard proclaimed.  Please note my use of “ever.”  I used it because I know that most of the time I am not as uncritical and caring as was Jesus.  I used the word “ever” wondering if I “ever” live up to the standard.  If my behavior was rated on a percentage of time would I score ten percent of the time?  That would be a good tithe of my living.  That would make me very unworthy of salvation, which brings me to my point.  Even if I rated 99 per cent of my time being Christ-like, an impossibility I must add, I would still be unworthy.

Worthy we are not.  This is why Paul says in Romans 6:23 that eternal life is a gift of God.  All we are worthy of is ultimately becoming a footnote in history, if that much.  Fortunately in Revelation 5, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

So enjoy a Subway sandwich.  Just don’t expect perfection.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 20, 2015

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon to sit on the patio in the shade with a cold drink and a good book.  I could pause from my reading and enjoy the tufted titmice, the blue jays, the cardinals, the wrens, the orioles, the gold finches, the woodpeckers, the catbirds and the grosbeaks that were fluttering all around me.  But that was the problem.  They were fluttering and screaming at me to go away.  For them I was the problem.  How dare I invade their restaurant?  I was intruding into their Eden.  “Go away,” they were yelling. “Only come back long enough to bring more food. Then quickly go away again.”

How like us and God.  We like to have Him around when our supplies are low.  But once we are well stocked He is a nuisance.  “Give us this day our daily bread and then get lost.” Often the only times people think about God is when troubles come and then often it is to blame Him.  Generally speaking we are a selfish lot, when all God wants is for us to recognize the source of the good things He has given to us.  In a way this makes God sound like a gratitude hog; however, there is no self in God.  He doesn’t want our praise and gratitude for His sake.  He knows that we need to keep in mind the origin of the good things in our lives lest we look to an empty and often dangerous source.

The first commandment, “Thou shall have no other Gods before me” isn’t about God.  It is about us. To keep us from drinking from poisonous wells and eating from contaminated garbage pits.  Everything He does is for us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 21, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Until 1916 all British military officers were required by threat of court martial to wear a mustache. Obviously all their officers were men.  I went to a “Christian?” high school.  One year the faculty voted to send home two young men.  One of them had hair that was too long and one’s hair was too short.  Really!  They would make up rules for things they did not like.  Not enough thought was given to what was really important; things like treating others as you would want to be treated.  We call this majoring in minors and minoring in majors.

What does it really mean to be a Christian/Christ-like?  Jesus said, “Herein shall men know you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:35.  Jesus never nit-picked.  To the woman caught in adultery He said, “I don’t condemn you.  Just don’t do it anymore.” To the paralyzed man lowered on a bed through the roof He said, “Your sins are forgiven.”  When face to face with an untouchable leper, He touched him.  When surrounded by a batch of yelling pushing children, He said, “Come here.”  For the men who nailed Him to the cross He said, “Father, forgive them.  They don’t understand.”

If we would only read and reread these stories we would know how to behave and what was important.  So often the things we condemn are merely a matter of our personal taste and have little to do with real Christianity.  If we could only stop finger pointing and gossiping and do more loving we could stop spending money on evangelism.  The evangelism would happen as a fruit of our lives.  People need to be loved and they will come to places they are loved.  That’s majoring in majors.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 18, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

The only card games we were allowed to play when I was small were Authors and Old Maid.  To even have a conventional deck of cards in the house was opening the door to perdition.  So you can imagine the moral issues that arose when we got our first computer and there was Solitaire.  In the secret of the night after our sons had gone to bed I caved into temptation.  What I discovered was its hypnotic mind numbing way of making time pass.  When one is on the telephone listening to someone go on and on about their whatevers and you only have to say “uh hu” (Help me.  How do you spell that?  I’m sure you know what I mean.) you can listen and play Solitaire.

At this point I should speak of the tragedy of wasting time.  Time is precious.  That was another thing about my childhood.  I heard that God was going to hold us accountable for every minute of our lives and therefore we better not waste a moment.  Really?   That idea turned people into workaholics with no time to savor anything.  It made some people neurotic and others just gave up and decided to go to hell for doing nothing.

Today I sat and did nothing other than watch a rose breasted grosbeak at our bird feeder with a wood thrush in the woods a few feet away serenading me.  There were chipmunks on the ground under the bird feeder and a cat bird bathing in the bird bath.  I didn’t read.  I didn’t memorize Scripture.  I didn’t sing songs.  I just sat and watched.  It was great.

I am so thankful God gave me a mind to use to do nothing.  It was grand!

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 17, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

If we were collecting fabulous, over-the-top verses from Scripture, Hebrews 8:12 has to be right near the top.  “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  It doesn’t get much better than that.  We should be as kind to each other as God is kind to us. We are actually pretty good at remembering other’s sins.  Once on a church committee when someone’s transgression was mentioned I asked when this occurred.  The answer should have shamed us all.  It was over 25 years ago. How dare we as Christians forget to treat others as we would be treated.  How dare we as Christians claiming to be like Jesus still remember.  If sins are ranked in vileness, I am sure the committee’s sin was much more potent and lethal than the 25-year-old remembered sin.

So why do we do this?  I am now going to judge and I am not supposed to do that.  But here goes.  On a committee it is often about preventing someone’s professional advancement.  After all, maybe they might get a position we want.

Well, enough of that.  Let’s get positive. Let’s rejoice in the message of Hebrews 8:12.  Our God, who is holy and pure; our God who knows all, chooses to forget because He loves us and knows our potential.  He knows how wonderful we will be if only given the chance. He knows once we are given eternal life we will grow more and more like Jesus and that makes God so happy.  When you love someone you want to be with those you love.  God loves us and wants us to be with Him.  We are grace personified.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 16, 2014

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

Rogerbothwell.org