Roger Bothwell

The Defense Chief of North Korea, Hyon Yong Chol, was executed last week with an anti-aircraft gun at a public gathering.  He is one of 70 officials to have been executed since 2011.  Hyon Yong Chol’s crime was falling asleep during a meeting when Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader, was speaking.  Oh, dear.  I am so glad our God is much more gracious than Kim Jong Un.  I could not count the number of times I have fallen asleep in church.  I have often wished men’s suits came with very high, very stiff collars so my head would not flop around when I drift off.  If a fashion designer came up with such a style I’m sure it would be a big seller for I do not think I am the only one guilty.

According to Kim Jong Un’s behavior, Jesus would have had ample excuse for executing His disciples.  We read in Matthew 26, “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter.”

How reassuring it is to know that Jesus understands.  He said, “the flesh is weak.”  He knew.   He fell into the nets in His disciple’s fishing boat and slept so soundly He did not awaken in a raging storm until His frightened disciples woke Him.  I am so glad our Jesus experienced almost the entire human experience.  He was a baby, an adolescent, and a young man.  He did miss out on this old man thing, which I must say is very different from being thirty.  But if He was successful up to His mid-thirties, and He was, He could have handled the senior citizen thing.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 19, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

This past Sunday noon found us sitting on a university quad in the sun in a sea of humanity watching 900 graduates one by one march across the stage and receive their college degrees.  For three hours we sat not knowing 899 of the graduates.  We sat, we waited and we cheered for the one we knew – our granddaughter.  It took all of 10 seconds and we were a half a football field away and all we saw was a black robe, wearing a black hat with long brown hair streaming over her shoulders.  For this we drove 800 miles.

One might ask, “Why?  Was it worth it?”  And the answer is absolutely yes.  Would we do it again?  Absolutely yes.  Love is that way.  Love is by far the most motivating power in the universe.  This is not to say that hate is not powerful.  Just read Melville’s Moby Dick and listen to Ahab spew forth his miserable venom for a prime example of that.  But love trumps hate every time.  It was love that gave birth to a baby in a filthy stable in a small Judean town.  It was love that nurtured that baby into a man who said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”   It was love that poured out His life on that cross and it is love that will call you and me to live with Him forever.

It is love that will ultimately transform each of us into magnificent creatures with extraordinary minds that will comprehend infinity.  Love – it’s the best.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 18, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

We had a surprise visitor.  Indian Pipe or as sometimes called the Ghost Plant appeared in our front yard.  It is a unique plant that grows out of the decayed residue of other plants.  It commands our attention because of its pale appearance.  It doesn’t produce chlorophyll and looks waxy and ghostlike.  It’s a marvelous addition to our yard and I have no clue how it got here since it has not been here in summers past.  A bird or a chipmunk or the wind must have carried the seed to us.  Whatever it was I am grateful.

Our world is such an interesting place.  There is always something new to learn.  I noticed this evening the absence of catbirds, thrushes and ovenbirds.  I wonder if they have already moved south.  Summer is growing gray around the temples.  Labor Day is almost here and many children have already gone back to school.  It is a grand time of the year.  The leaves on the trees have turned that dark green just before they surrender their chlorophyll and show off their real colors.

I have always enjoyed the ideas in Jeremiah 17:7-8.  It reads, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

You can tell Jeremiah never lived in New England.  His leaves stayed green forever.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 24, 2003

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwll.org

We live on top of James Carter Hill.  No not Jimmy Carter.  We don’t live in Georgia.  (We used to and another story for another day is when my wife rounded a corner and barely missed running over Jimmy Carter’s son.)  At the bottom of our hill here in Massachusetts there is a small memorial stone noting this historic place.  In 1838 James Carter was responsible for urging the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to pass legislation establishing a normal school.  (We wish all the states would have schools as normal as those in Massachusetts since our children rank third, not in the country, but in the world in science and math scores.) However, that is not the use of the word normal in relationship to James Carter.  A normal school was a school designed to train teachers. Mr. Carter would be happy to know that two teachers, who used to teach in the Education (Teacher Training) Department at Atlantic Union College and now at Fitchburg State University, reside on his hill.

They were called normal schools from the Latin word “norma” meaning “model.” Model schools were supposed to produce excellent students who became model teachers.  Wouldn’t it be grand if “model” was normal?   What if all our normal children were model children and all the normal people around us were model neighbors and model citizens.  What if all normal church members were model Christians?  Alas, that is way too much to hope for.  Actually, that’s okay that we are not.  We, being normal, are a hodgepodge group of sinners, each at a different stage of development.  Just as there is no one size tree in the forest so there is no Christian like another.  Variety is indeed the spice of life.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 29, 2012

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

Denny’s has a value menu listing $2, $4, $6, and $8 items.  One of the $4 dollar items is called “All you can eat pancakes.”  It sounds really good except underneath the description are the words, “Limit Restrictions Apply.”  So it really is misnamed.  It should be called “All you may eat pancakes.”

God has an “All you can eat” offering.   We read about it in several places.  The 23rd Psalm says, “Thou preparest a table before me … my cup runs over.”  Malachi writes, “Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”  When Jesus fed the 5000 and the 4000, on both occasions there were leftovers.  The people had all they could eat.  When He told the disciples to cast their nets they filled with so many fish they nearly tore.  It was all they could handle.

When our Heavenly Father makes us an offer there isn’t any fine print.  He is always out front with us letting us know what to expect.  His promises are amazing.   “Goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.”   The mercy part is the best offer.   Think of the worst thing you have ever done and know it is forgiven.  No wait, don’t think about it because that might bring us some bad memories.  Merely ask Him to freely forgive you and everything will be blotted out.  You don’t have to be afraid that you forgot to confess a specific sin. Our Heavenly Father has an all you need mercy plan with no fine print.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 15, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

Thermometers are extremely useful.  They can tell us if our coughing and sneezing are the result of springtime pollen or a real cold.  They tell cooks just how hot to make the oven or if we should take a coat to work today.  They are very useful when boiling maple sap alerting the boiler when to take the pan off the stove.  As humans we seem almost obsessed with measuring things.  Most homes have a door jamb with marks and dates heralding milestones in our children’s growth.

Jesus had a measuring device to apply to you and me.  He said, “Hereby shall men know you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   He also said, “By their works ye shall know them.”  Jesus wasn’t much of a fan of people that professed one thing and lived another.  Matthew 23 is a manifest of His displeasure with the religious establishment in Jerusalem.  In Matthew 23 He is not gentle Jesus meek and mild.  He really went after them with scathing language.  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

What is wonderful about Jesus’ measurement of us is we are not on our own.   He promised to send His Spirit to dwell within us.   The Spirit will empower us to see the needs around us, help us figure out how to touch those needs and grant us the resources to do something meaningful.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 14, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

Our fruit trees are in full bloom.  Apple trees and cherry trees are breathtakingly beautiful.  You could easily call both the apple and cherry trees “cheery” trees.  A storm passed through this afternoon and something strange happened to one of the cherry trees.  The wind, which wasn’t severe, combined with the heavy rain pretty much knocked off most of its pinkish white petals.   What is interesting is this did not happen to all of the cherry trees.

So why?  Could it be that one tree caught a blast of wind the others didn’t?  If not, was that tree weaker than the others?  It reminded me of some folks I have known along life’s way.  Some manage to survive major storms, while others seem to fall apart under similar trials.  I used the word “seem” because there is so much we do not know about each other.  Perhaps it only appeared that the trials were similar.  Maybe something additional happened that we did not see.  One thing for sure, they had different childhoods, which could have strengthened one and weakened the other.

As we do not know why one cherry tree fared better than the other, we do not know why people respond so very differently to what appears to be the same events.  Jesus was so wise when He instructed us not to judge others.  We don’t have enough information and insight to do so fairly.   When we judge others we often use ourselves as the standard and when others don’t respond as we would, often we are harsh and belittling.  Using ourselves as a standard is so wrong because we make a zillion excuses for ourselves that we do not afford to others.

It is a wonder that God loves us so much.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 13, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

My neighbor’s children had been busy with their street chalk.  Their driveway was decorated with pastel designs of flowers surrounding an urgent message drawn in huge letters.  “Ice Cream Truck Stop Here – Please.”  I hope it worked.   But I have on occasion seen him driving too fast to notice such a message.

‘Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”   Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet!  He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.  “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”  “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.  Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.’

The ice cream man should be as attentive as was and still is Jesus.  Whatever your need He will always hear you.  He will always stop and attend to you.  For sure you will be blessed.  It might not be the blessing you thought you needed, but be assured it is the blessing an all knowing, all caring, all loving God knows you need. You don’t even have to write it on your driveway just on your heart.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 12, 2015

P.O. Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

 

When Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse the Southern army had 200,000 well armed, well fed, well equipped soldiers.  The Union army had not delivered a final fatal blow on the battlefield.  Historical scholars maintain the war came to an end because the will to continue was broken.  Confederate soldiers were receiving letters from home encouraging them to desert.  General Lee saw a strengthening Northern army and decided there had been enough blood shed.  It was time to quit.

Surrender is a difficult thing.  Surrender rips the heart out of pride.  Surrender acknowledges someone or something is bigger or stronger.  Surrender says, “I can’t do it.”  While surrender is often the logical, sensible thing to do often times pride keeps people from doing it and useless senseless carnage continues.

It is so fascinating that surrender is the key to victory in the Christian walk.  We finally acknowledge we cannot be perfect.  If we understand the depth of sin we own up to the cold hard truth that we cannot even go a day or an hour without sinning.  At this point Jesus is eager to step in and grant us victory.  He proclaims us faultless and sends the Holy Spirit into our lives and real growth finally begins.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 27, 2000

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

It was inevitable that somewhere in the infinite stream of eternity God would make creatures in His image.  It is the natural fruit of love.  Intelligence longs to communicate with intelligence.  Angels, as wonderful as they are, are not quite the same as humans.  Psalm 8:5 is translated from the Hebrew that man was made lower than the angels, yet the Hebrew word for angels can also be translated Gods.  In Hebrews 2:7 we are told that Jesus, by becoming one of us, was then lower than the angels, but could that not mean fallen man is now lower than angels?

The Bible is the story of fall and restoration.  I Corinthians 6:3 tells us that we shall someday judge angels. Could that mean we will be restored to our original higher place?  I realize at this point I am venturing into areas that can be disputed and I do not enjoy disputing the finer points of Biblical interpretation.  So I will just say let’s wait and see what is the truth.

What I do know is God wanted us because of His great love.  Nothing is more lasting than love because nothing is more pregnant than love.  It is the ultimate state of being.  God is love. I John 4.   Pierre-Simon Laplace, one of the greatest mathematicians ever, was being consoled on his deathbed with a recital of all his significant accomplishments.  He even posited the existence of black holes long before others. He told his consolers that his accomplishments were not that important to which they asked what was important.  “Love,” he responded with one of his final breaths.

It was love that conceived us, love that sustains us, love that forgives us, and love that will restore us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 11, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org