Month: December 2019

Our dog is having a bad time tonight.  We have glass covered bookcases and she keeps seeing another dog inside the bookcase.  When I open the case that other dog goes away.  When the glass comes down the dog comes back. It is very troubling and cause for concerned growling.  It’s hard to rest with that other dog invading her space.

This is an easy analogy.  When we spend time looking at ourselves, unless we are quite taken with ourselves, life becomes troubled.  One or more of several things can happen.  Number one – we can begin to concentrate on our imperfections and become discouraged with our lack of progress in overcoming.  Or number two – we can start feeling sorry for ourselves thinking we are not getting all the good things we deserve.  Or number three – we can think others are expecting too much from us. Or number four – we can start thinking people are out to get us.   The list could go on depending on our personalities.  The point is looking at ourselves is rarely productive.  Life works best when instead we spend our productive hours looking for opportunities to do our job better or to find inventive ways to make others lives happier.

I’m reminded of the old nursery rhyme that goes like this.  “Nobody loves me.  Everybody hates me.  Guess I’ll go eat worms.  Long, thin, slimy ones; short, fat, juicy ones, itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.”   Just in case you ever get to feeling like that allow me to remind you that “Nobody loves me” just isn’t true.  We are very loved.  And we can always count on that love.  It endures despite our sometimes unloveableness.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 9, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

On a fairly regular basis I hear the questions, “Why doesn’t Jesus return?  What is He waiting for?”  If they were teachers at the end of a semester they would know the answer. II Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

It’s that most unwonderful time of the year when my desk piles high with term papers, essays, book reports, quizzes and finals.  Yuck!  First of all, it is amazingly boring to read thirty-five papers on ADHD.  Secondly, the writing is usually bad.  If it is good one grows suspicious and puts a few words from the paper into the Google search bar.  It is very disheartening to get a positive strike.

If it is so difficult for evil men such as I to give bad grades to my students, how much more so must it be difficult for our heavenly Father to close the door of eternity on His children?  I want all my students to get A’s. I am not one of those demented teachers who thinks they are tough (Why is that admirable?) if they don’t give many, if any, A’s.  I think that can be translated into, “They did not teach the assigned material very well.”  It is a matter of understanding that the students need this material that they might successfully meet life’s challenges.

Some teachers say they don’t give grades; students earn them.  Actually, I do hope it is a combination of both ideas.  While we are not talking about salvation which is a gift there is also the idea that those who have received much grace know how to be graceful.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 10, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

I listened very carefully today to an evolutionist explain how life forms mutated over the course of millions of years.  The life forms that survived to reproduce were those with favorable mutations that made it superior to those that perished.  It was the survival of the fittest. I like that argument. It sounds very logical.  The argument I heard explained how the first parts of an eye came into being and it was millions of years and millions of adaptations that finally enabled that organ to see.  What I do not understand is why the parts of the eye continued to develop if for millions of years the eye was not functional.  If it was not working for millions of years it would not have contributed anything to the survival of the life form and therefore would not have been retained for further development.   At least that is how my mind sees it.  No pun intended.

It has become fashionable in some scientific arenas to scoff at creationists.  We are looked down upon as beings with inferior intellect.  But really now, doesn’t it make more sense to believe the eye is the product of an intelligent creator?  They would say, “No.”  I would say “Yes.”  And my “Yes” is just as good as their “No” because we are both making statements of faith.  He has faith in a non-logical process and I have faith in a loving Father God.   I do like mine better.   I’m sorry. Now I am sounding snobby and that puts me in the same category as the evolutionist who thinks he is more intelligent.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 12, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I have a friend who is almost terrified that in the Day of Judgment God will produce a record or evidence of some unknown sin and the result will be the loss of his eternal life. He tells me he regularly searches his past trying to remember some misdeed he has not yet confessed. He breaks my heart. There is little if any of the joy of salvation in his life. I hope he never hears my concept of sin or he will go over the edge.  I believe all of us are filled with unknown sins.  It is part of our selfish nature.  I see it often regarding the gossipy things I both say and hear about others.  Recently I heard someone who is very perfectionistic in his theology speak unlovingly of someone who did not share his theology.  Sin permeates us.

I wish I could convince my friend that all of us will be lost if God is in the business of proving us unworthy.  There is only one who is worthy.  In Revelation 5 John weeps because there is no one worthy to open a book.  Then came the good news there was someone.  Verse 12 says, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”

God isn’t keeping records to prove us to be sinners.  That is very evident.  He is storing evidence to prove we accepted the gift of salvation.  None of the redeemed are worthy except in Jesus.  That includes the nicest, kindest, gentlest person you have ever known. My friend must stop worrying, relax and enjoy the joy of being held SAFELY in Jesus’ hand.  It’s a good place to be.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 8, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Like a very small child I continue to be amazed at our world.  My older son is at this very moment in the Himalayas in Northern India.  We are texting back and forth with little if any delay. I can follow his journey on Google Earth along with his texts of where he is and what he is seeing.  Several decades ago when my wife and I taught in Uganda in East Africa we were able to call our parents on the phone only by going to the capital city of Kampala and reserving three minutes of phone time on phone cables that ran under the oceans.  We had to make the reservation over a month in advance.  It was so expensive we could only afford to do it once every eighteen months.  Now we get instantaneous messages from the other side of the world included in our regular cell phone plan.

If we are now able to do this how easy it must be for our prayers to instantly ascend to the throne room of God.  Some say it is at the center of the universe.  Some say that it is beyond the nebulosity in Orion.  Someday we will know just exactly where it is.  However, being that God is omnipresent we don’t have to be overly concerned about such because our prayers need not leave the room we are in.  He is in that room.  Actually, we need not even speak them because our bodies are the temple in which He lives should we allow. (He doesn’t force Himself in where He is not invited.) He hears not as we speak.  He hears as we think.  That is way so much beyond text messages from the Himalayas

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 13, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

Just a few days after our blizzard, the temperature shot up to 50 plus degrees.   You can imagine what that did to the children’s snowman in the front yard. As we left for the airport this morning to get our California children back to California our seven-year old grandson looked out the window at the very small pile of remaining snow and said, “Look, he’s still alive!”  Surrounding a little bit of snow was a withered carrot nose and some acorn caps that had been eyes and tummy buttons.

Through the years I have watched some of my very alive and large friends literally melt away until they barely filled their wheelchair.  Little old ladies and little old men weren’t always so little.  It’s too bad that our grandchildren can’t see us when we were as strong and vital as their parents.  My students laugh when I tell them to be careful in heaven.  That pretty lady you eyed on the streets of gold might say, “Watch it young man. I’m your great grandmother.”

Luke 20:38 is a wonderful verse.  It says, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”  Though the Bible clearly speaks of a coming resurrection of the dead (I Corinthian 15 and I Thess. 4.)  Jesus wants us to understand (John 5) that once we accept Him we pass over from death to life. Though our humanity melt away we will always be alive in His memory and via His resurrecting power we shall once again breathe and move and love and do all the wonders that God longs for us.  Jesus is who He says He is – The Resurrection and the Life.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 3, 2011

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

‘Tis that wonderful time of the year when each day’s mailbox overflows with catalogs.   Some of the catalogs feature junk that one would be lucky if they didn’t arrive broken.  Then there are others with some lovely very expensive items one would be fearful to use lest they break.  I’m looking at one featuring silver coins from the time of Jesus’ birth.  To guarantee their authenticity they tell us they will send a certificate of authenticity with the coins.  But who is going to certify the certificate of authenticity is authentic?  If someone can make fake coins why not also make fake certificates?

I was wondering if heaven sent out a catalog at this time of the year, what would it feature?  On page one we might find an ad for peace of mind.  That should be a popular item.  Throughout the years I was a pastor I saw hundreds of people who needed this.  Page two could feature patience.  That should be a popular article.  I saw a couple of guys on the freeway this afternoon that really needed this one.  Honesty should be on page three.  That would be a good one for all those people trying to steal our identity and charge Christmas gifts to our credit cards.  Heaven could put the gift of hospitality on page four.  There’s a delightful quality that would enable us to make people comfortable and feel cared for.  That’s a gift that could change the world.

Then of course the feature item of the catalog would be eternal life.  The price would be paradoxical.  It is the most valuable item listed.  But it would be listed already paid for and with free shipping.  All of the items would include free shipping.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 5, 2010

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

rogerbothwell.org

At first I was a bit taken back and then amused.  There was an elderly lady (someone older than me) in the supermarket with a lip ring and a diamond stud in the side of her nose.  I have gotten used to seeing that in young people but really now – Granny?  I probably should not tell you what text jumped to my mind.  It reveals that I am not such a nice person.  It was Proverbs 11:22, “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.”

There are some things that just don’t go together.  Ferrari pickup trucks, breeding a Chihuahua with a Great Dane, marrying a Jihadist to a Jew are just a few things that pop into my mind. According to Paul there are a few things that do not go with being a Christian.  He lists them in Galatians 5. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

That is a very depressing list.  So let’s feed our souls with Paul’s list of things that do go along with being a Christian.  It is also in Galatians 5.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”   Now that’s much better.  If things are good let’s think about them.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 4, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

There is a fascinating clause in Ephesians 3:10.   Paul makes reference to “. . . the principalities and powers in heavenly places. . .”  This evening’s network news reported that astronomers have upped the number of stars accessible to our instruments.  The number is now a three followed by twenty-six zeros.  That looks like this 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.  Are we impressed yet?  Or is it so incomprehensible that it is just a string of zeros?

I have no desire to take advantage of your time by filling this message with my fantasies, but it is so difficult not to wonder just what Paul meant.  Is there some form of government and leadership on each of the worlds God has made?   “. . . his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. . .”  Hebrews 1:2.  It is obvious that Paul certainly did not think we were alone.

Diplomacy in our State Department is the fine art of representing our nation to other nations.  Might this be our eternal task?  To glorify God by being diplomats that bear physical witness to our redemption.  We, like no other beings, can personally speak of grace.  With us it is not an academic topic.  Salvation is not a subject for sermons or lectures in a classroom.  With us it is personal.  Those who have personally been rescued from some horror can speak with moving power that cannot be replicated by the greatest of actors.

One of my students mentioned the possibility of finally visiting everywhere and becoming bored at some point in eternity.  I am most anxious to find him tomorrow and give him an opportunity to pronounce the number three followed by twenty-six zeros.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 3, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I have just developed a serious case of printer envy.  I along with one of my colleagues took pictures of our students.  We want the pictures for a display in our department.  Her pictures are about twice as good as mine.  Hers look professional and mine look like a grade school project.  Both of us are using Canon cameras, Canon paper and Canon printers.  But her printer has five different ink cartridges and mine only has four.  The difference in the picture quality is dramatic.

My question is.  Is it okay for me to want a printer like hers as long as I don’t long for her printer?  Am I or am I not violating the “Thou shall not covet”?   I don’t think I am.  I believe the commandment was designed to keep me from scheming how to get something from another person.  I am not to want someone’s job or someone’s wife, something that can’t be replicated.

The entire issue of commandment keeping is all about love for someone other than myself.  It’s the heart of God’s law.  God is not interested in giving us commandments to see if we are obedient.  He is interested in protecting us from harming ourselves and others. This is why obedience becomes the fruit of our experience with Jesus.  With Jesus living in us we lose the desire to do anything that would bring harm.  We can go through the day and do anything we want to do because we only want to do what is beneficial.   This is what Paul is talking about in Galatians 5 and 6.  We have tremendous freedom in Christ and can prosper and do well as long as we allow Him to influence our wants and needs.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 2, 2010

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

Rogerbothwell.org