Author: Ian Bothwell

My wife and I spent a marvelous morning at Kykuit, the Hudson River home of the Rockefeller family.   While the house is magnificent, it is the gardens that take one’s breath away.  It is the way everyone should live.  But everybody can’t because somebody has to care for all those gardens.  If we all lived like that who would we hire to care for our places?  The Rose Garden, the fountains, the private nine-hole golf course, the topiaries, the ancient elms and beeches, and the carriage house are all beautiful.  The carriage house contains the carriages the family owned prior to the automobile and finally a dozen or so cars from the first Tin-Lizzy to the cars used by Nelson Rockefeller when he was governor of New York.

One of the early cars was electric.  Not a favorite of someone who amassed a fortune selling gasoline.  As I looked at it I wondered what our world would be like today if all the innovation that was poured into the development of the internal combustion engine had been focused on electric cars.  Would we have global warming?  Would the Middle East play such a pivotal role in world politics?  Would the Rockefellers ever own such a home?

It would be so easy with our hindsight to shake our fingers.  But that is unfair.  People in different times, with different information, with different insights have little right to condemn those of another era.  According to Jesus we really should not judge people that live in our era let alone those of times past.  Recently I heard a sermon really condemning the leadership of Israel for crucifying Jesus and I wondered what it must have been like for the High Priest to watch an uneducated carpenter tear away the very reasons for the existence of a priesthood.   When Jesus told them to go into their closets and pray to “Our Father” the priests became superfluous.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 27, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Yesterday along with friends we stopped for a picnic.  As we walked to the outdoor table we noticed a very pretty Irish Setter kind of dog lying by a car.  At first I thought he was chained but soon a man came and asked how long the dog had been there.  We didn’t know.  The man then said, “I was so scared.  I thought he was lost.”  They had gone for a walk and when the dog lost sight of his master he went back to the car to wait.  Smart dog.

I think sometimes we humans underestimate the intelligence of the rest of God’s creatures.  They most likely know much more than we think they know.  The dog by the car didn’t seem distressed.  It calmly watched us set out our picnic.  It knew where it was and knew his master would be back.  It was merely a matter of time.

It should be like that with us.  The world is falling apart and we are waiting for our Master’s return.  I hope we are doing it calmly.  Worry and stress truly eat away at the quality of our lives.  Jesus gave us so many promises of His care and that He would return.   He said, “I go to prepare a place for you and if I do that I will come again so you can be with me.”  He will not disappoint.  He will do as He says.  So let’s calmly wait and watch what unfolds around us.

There are so many things we can learn from our animals. They love us but sometimes I must confess my dog wants so much to be the alpha female in the house she can be a pest.  I love it.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 29, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I am trying to write this but my dog keeps pestering me.  Last evening we took her swimming and another Black Lab named Cyrus gave her a tennis ball.  You would have thought he had given her the moon.  She was ecstatic.  We couldn’t get her to come home until he went home.  That tennis ball has become the object of much attention.  Because I will not throw it for her, I am trying to write this, she is throwing it for herself and then running to retrieve it before it rolls under the couch.  When it does I have to get up and lift the couch so she can retrieve it.  If I don’t I am barked at until I catch on.  She wonders about my intelligence and why I can’t learn faster.

My dog and God have that same characteristic in common.  He cannot understand why I don’t learn faster.  For decades He has been trying to teach me all kinds of useful habits.  And for decades I have been resisting.  I eat things I shouldn’t.  I don’t get enough rest.  I read and watch things that rot my brain.  I don’t spend enough time in His Word.  It really isn’t that I don’t know better.  It’s that I just do the things I want to do regardless of the resulting effects.

I know I can’t be the only one in this sorry state.  I see people smoking. Now how can anyone in this age not know what that does?  My newspaper runs stories about alcohol related fatal auto accidents.  Really now, does anyone not know drinking and driving is a recipe for disaster?

The more I think about it the more I understand God and my dog are not alike.  He knows I know.  She wonders.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 1, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

We had a serendipity this summer.  Last winter the most serious ice storm we had ever seen destroyed our woods.  Now we have a beautiful area filled with Jewel Weed.  With the trees gone a whole new ecosystem has taken over.  While we were most disappointed to lose our trees we have been amply rewarded with thousands of little orange flowers. The name weed seems to be a misnomer.  It couldn’t have been any prettier had we planted them.

I don’t want to sound like Pollyanna, the little girl that refused to see bad in anything.   However this is truly an unexpected blessing.  God has touched the earth and it has responded with vibrant life.  We should be wary of calling something a weed.  I have seen students shock me with their success.  They come into college as stumbling scholars and four years later graduate with honors.  It is an awesome thing to see.

Actually it isn’t so bad to be like Pollyanna.  So much of life isn’t what happens to us but how we choose to react.  In the original Pollyanna story the missionary barrel only contained crutches when she was hoping for a doll.  She was immediately thankful that she did not need them.  Our attitudes create our environment.  We feed on the remarks of others and they in turn feed off our remarks.  In Proverbs 15 Solomon told us a soft answer turns away wrath.  He also infers that a cheerful attitude turns away gloom and doom.

So go out and enjoy the dandelions.   Actually they are really pretty both in the flower stage and in the round ball of seeds stage.  Just don’t notice the leaves.

Written by Roger Bothwell on August 5, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

A lot of the federal stimulus money is being spent on repairing roads here in Massachusetts.  There are lots of detours.  Obviously it makes me happy to ride on smoother roads but this morning on my way to school it really became too much when I had to take a detour while on a detour.  I began to wonder if I had to go to Connecticut and back to get to Massachusetts.

It is much like our lives.  We make plans and goals but soon discover achieving them often requires detours.   In Ephesians 2:10 Paul wrote, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”   God has plans for us and if we cooperate with His leading we will end up accomplishing marvelous things.  However, often our selfish will leads us off track.   But God doesn’t give up on us; not at all.  He has plan B for us.  It is still wonderful, perhaps not as grand as plan A, but still really good.   I sometimes wonder if I am on Plan Triple Z.  Then I stop and say to myself.  “Hey, Bub, life is really good.  You are in the classroom everyday teaching God’s young people.  What more do you want?”  I do think I am on a detour but I have to say it’s a great detour.

Sometimes God has to do drastic things to get us where He wants us.  We would never go there of our own choosing.  He had to knock Paul off his horse on the road to Damascus.   We have to acknowledge the detour that followed was a tremendous string of incredible missionary journeys.  The grand part is God never gives up on us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 3, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

In mid-July New England roadsides are lined with day lilies.  I cannot tell you how beautiful they are.  My vocabulary isn’t expansive enough to describe how they turn mundane old roads into showcases of botanical loveliness.  I wish I could import them to all of your roads.  I almost suffer from luxury guilt.  Please note I said “almost.”  I refuse to allow guilt to spoil these days of wonder.

Guilt is one of Satan’s most effective tools.  He tempts us to do wrong.  We listen to him and do it and then he attacks us for listening to him.  At this point I could think of some very bad names to call him.  In regard to luxury guilt, he tries to destroy the joy of God’s gifts by making us feel guilty for having something others do not have.  When people are the sole survivor of an accident they often suffer survivor guilt.  Why should they be the one left?

One of the gifts of God’s grace is to remove from our mental loads all guilt.  We have enough responsibility in life just meeting our obligations.  We certainly do not need guilt to be piled on top.   Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”   The way He does that is to lift the heavy burden of guilt.  Folks, I don’t care what you have done.  Jesus’ message is for you.  The only sin Jesus can’t forgive is the one you refuse to confess.  The unforgiveable sin of which the Bible speaks is grieving the Holy Spirit.  And how do we do that?  By not listening to Him when He convicts us of sin.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 17, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I am sitting here with an old friend, Dagwood Bumstead.  I have known Dagwood since before I could read.  I would look at the pictures and little by little I figured out the words.  Somehow Dagwood and Blondie haven’t aged.  They raised Alexander and Cookie as I grew and then I passed them.  The kids stayed frozen in their teen years.  I wanted to name my first dog Daisy but was overruled by my older sisters.  Blondie is such a great looking woman I often wondered how Dagwood got her.  I actually had a boss that could easily have been Mr. Dithers.  There is something wonderful about having something so permanent in one’s life.  On Sunday mornings, like the Bumsteads, I have no age.  For a few moments I am part of their world.

Constancy in an ever-changing world is remarkably soothing. Everyone needs some kind of psychological anchor.  We need to come back to something solid. We need something that doesn’t change.  Our heavenly Father is like that. Malachi 3:6 is a great promise.  God assures us that He doesn’t change. What He was He is.  What He is He will be. It is a blessing when we can have that kind of biological parent, but just in case you don’t, be sure you have a Father in heaven who is real and permanent.

At the close of Matthew Jesus promised that He would be with us always.   Always is a good word.  As the decades have gone by my vision of my heavenly Father has changed.  He has grown more personal. But it was me that changed not Him.

Written by Roger Bothwell on March 22, 2009

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

Rogerbothwell.org

 

While mowing the lawn with an electric mower, someone in our house who will remain unnamed ran over the wire.  Instant silence.  Without the connection the mower ceased to be useful.  John 15 came rushing to the forefront of my brain.  Unless we are connected to the vine, no matter how hearty the branch it cannot bear any fruit.  It is useless.  Jesus goes on to say He is the vine and we are the branches.  If we remain connected we will bear much fruit.  I long for a much fruit experience.  Sometimes we think a much fruit experience means lots of baptisms.  That is pretty discouraging because few of us can boast of bringing thousands to Jesus.  However when we read about the fruit of the Spirit, baptizing people isn’t even mentioned.  The fruit is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.”  See Galatians 5

It is true. Jesus did commission His disciples to go and baptize.  But it is also true that Paul speaks of a variety of gifts.  Each of us is to play our part in the great Gospel Commission.  Not everyone is to be a baptizer and not everyone is to be an administrator.  But what all of us are capable of is being and remaining connected.  Some of the finest Christians I have ever known cannot point to one person and say I baptized that person.  However, they are the most generous people.  They would give anything if convinced of the need.

It would be so grand if we had engraved on our gravestone the word “Connected.”  It would say it all because fruit happens.  It doesn’t have to be forced.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 13, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

Every  Presidential inauguration is always followed by multiple inaugural balls–sometimes as many as a dozen or more.   Celebrating is important to us.  Yet it doesn’t seem to be merely a human activity.  In Luke 15 Jesus regales us with stories of redemption and lifts our spirits by telling us there is joy in heaven when someone repents.  He follows that with the story of the Prodigal Son which ends with a great celebration.   In other stories He tells of wedding banquets and was Himself feted by Matthew and Lazarus.

Just in case we might feel left out please note in Revelation 19 we are invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.  The angel said those who attend are blessed.  Of that I have no doubt.  This is the grandest celebration of all eternity.   It is the celebration of life eternal for the redeemed. Paul wrote, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”  I Thess. 4   It is the fulfillment of His promise in John 14, “If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again that where I am there you may be also.”

There is an amazing celebration yet to come and you can, if you so choose, be there in the best clothes of all time – Jesus’ robe of righteousness.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 21, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

The New England forests are decorated with vernal pools laden with choirs of frogs that fill the night air with songs of romance.  As spring wanes and summer makes her entrance the pools will vanish along with the spring flowers nourished by their water.   Each day brings something new and says farewell to the occupants of now.  Everything but God changes.  How important to cherish the good things we have and relish moments of joy and togetherness.  This weekend my grandson was eager for me to note he had changed.  He is now taller than I.

I was awakened this Sunday by the aroma of scrambled eggs, sizzling links and baking sweet rolls.  It is usually that way when the children are here. Grandma plans days in advance for each course.  Nothing will be left to chance for this time must be cherished.  It might not happen again.  And if it does it will be different.  Each child will be older, bigger and more interesting.

We do grow more interesting as the years go by.  We have more stories to tell.  We have more honed opinions.  Hopefully our values shift from the tangible to affairs of the heart.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told us our hearts will be where are treasures are.  Optimistically as we mature our treasures become people.  We want to love things that can love us in return. I can love my car but it can’t love me back.

The reality and the pain of life is that the people we love all go away.   Either we leave or they leave.  It is just a matter of time.  Everything changes so cherish now.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 7, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org