Author: Ian Bothwell

In the late 1940’s there were several shoe stores in downtown Harrisburg, Pa.  It was a long time before indoor shopping malls. I loved getting on the bus and going downtown.  At Christmas time we would stand in the snowy slush on the sidewalks and peer into Bowmans and Pomeroys.  They filled their sidewalk display windows with mechanical reindeer and elves.  It was dazzling to my young eyes.  I left lots of finger and nose prints on those windows.  But it was the shoe stores that provided the best entertainment.  Each store had a fluoroscope.  I would run down the street from store to store sticking my feet in the machines and watching the bones wiggle about in my feet.  It’s a wonder I still have feet.

We now have devices to detect which parts of our brains we use when we perform certain mental tasks.  And while we have machines that reveal the veracity of our comments we do not yet have devices to see into our souls.  Some say our eyes are the windows of our souls but that is more poetry than truth.  Some of the most dishonest people can look so honest.  Remember the last used car you bought?

I’m not sure, if I could, I would want to see into my soul.  It can be a frightening place filled with a lifetime of nourished flaws.  Recently I found myself in church singing, “Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, thy will to see, open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.”  I stopped. One must be careful for what one prays.  It might be answered and we might not be ready for the revelation.  Perhaps I should pray, “Open my eyes just a little bit.”   Perhaps I can handle “a little bit.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 30, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

I am surrounded by great friends and people who are very Biblically literate.  Some time ago I wrote about misspoken truth.  I mentioned that even though I did not think there was a Scripture verse proposing that our Heavenly Father loved us as much as Jesus, I did believe it was true.  However, I got an email clarifying that there really is such a text.  It is John 17:23 in the very words of Jesus Himself.  I am delighted to be corrected. It isn’t that I have never read John 17.  It is just that verse didn’t stay cemented into my memory.  So I thank my scholarly friend and pass on to you what has to be one of the most wonderful verses of Scripture.  God loves you as He loves Jesus.  In the words of a younger generation, “That is totally awesome.”

“I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

Now the issue is did I not remember because of advancing age or did I not remember because I wasn’t paying good attention the other times I read John 17.  I hope it is the latter but I fear the first.  Then there is the chance that the Holy Spirit was saving it for me.  I like that reason the best.  I have noticed that I can read Scripture over and over and each time something new comes to my consciousness.  My friends tell me that is also true for them.  So read the Gospels again and again.  There is always something wonderful to discover.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 7, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

The Bible I read from to begin my classes is getting a bit frayed on the edges.  A few years ago I did a homemade rebinding job on it that has worked very well.  It was a gift from some special friends so I am reluctant to retire it to a shelf.  Today as I was reading to my students the book of Revelation fell out onto the floor.  A couple of my Biblically literate students started laughing because of how the book of Revelation closes. “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”   I clearly had subtracted not just words but the entire book.

John the Revelator was very precise about the importance of keeping his book intact.  His message most assuredly applies to all Scripture.  No one has the right to support their particular belief system by adding or subtracting material from God’s Word.  Please note I used the word “material” while John uses the word “words.”  Obviously very few of us are able to read the Bible in Hebrew and Greek.  We are dependent on our English, Spanish, French, German and Chinese translations.  We understand it is not the words that are important it is the ideas.   Even good paraphrases, while not adhering so much to syntax, are morally and ethically bound to adhere to the ideas and not slip in any private beliefs.

Peter said it so well when he wrote, “For the prophecy came not in old times by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 23, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

Every once in a while I come upon a text that overwhelms me.  It is as if God secretly altered His Word one night while I slept.  Suddenly one morning every Bible has a verse never before seen by men.  Obviously I am being very egocentric because it was always there.  It was my blindness that never saw it til now.         I Peter 1:12 tells us the message of God’s grace about the Good News of Jesus is so special that angels longed to understand and have the insights that the Holy Spirit has shared with us.  Apparently as we learn angels learn.  As we plumb the depths of God’s grace and are given new insights, they benefit.  They thrill as they ever so deeply grasp the depths of God’s love and grace for His fallen children.

Heaven was rapt with attention to hear Jesus’ teachings on the mountain and by the sea.  His parables were filled with lessons that opened insights into eternal themes.  Personally I find this hard to grasp.  Why are we so privileged?  As I look at you and me I mostly see animals, smarter than the average bear, who as they age make a horrendous amount of mistakes and have to say, “I’m sorry” with great regularity.  And if they don’t, they should.

It is our privilege to take God’s Word and ponder its transforming power. Each new idea, each new concept brings us closer to communion with heavenly beings. Spending time in His Word prepares us step by step to walk on into eternity and to be comfortably at home with angels and other heavenly beings.  We are so blessed and yet how often we would rather spend time with some fictional television character than with Jesus.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 2, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

I dropped my camera over the weekend.   It was less than a two-foot fall and when I picked it up there was no visible damage.  Not a scratch anywhere, but then I turned it on.  The picture screen looked like a giant black spider was living inside.  Alas the repair bill will be greater than the value of the camera.  I think that’s what the auto insurance companies call “totaled.”

Unfortunately people are same.  They too can be damaged without showing any outward marks.  The damage is internal.  Every day children are abused and totaled.  A lack of love, a lack of appreciation, a lack of understanding eats away at self-worth and one’s belief that he or she can be anything worthwhile.  When we yell at our children and call them stupid they believe us.  After all we are adults.  We should know.  We shouldn’t shower our children with undeserved praise. That dilutes the experience when real praise is deserved.   We should correct them and guide them to responsible behavior.   It’s the manner in which we do so that can be destructive. While not wanting to be overly Freudian because I do believe everyone is responsible for their decisions in life, we cannot ignore the power of suggestion in shaping lives.

The God who made us knows the levels of consciousness with which we live. He knows the healing that can come from forgiveness and knowing we are wanted. That’s why His word is filled with invitations to come for healing. The greatest miracles of Jesus were not physical but spiritual with the psychological benefits that resulted.   That is why he said to the paralyzed man let down through the roof, “Your sins are forgiven.”  The abundant life Jesus promises us in John 10:10 isn’t so much about our bank accounts.  It’s about inner wellness.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 4, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

One of the writing assignments for my Introduction to Psychology course is a five-page autobiography.  Since few of us know the truth about ourselves it is most interesting to see what nineteen-year-olds have to say about themselves.  Last semester I received one paper filled with daring-do.  It was the story of a hero, a knight in shining armor, a savior of small children who would otherwise be victimized on the streets of a giant metropolis.  The paper closed with the following sentence.  “This is me in my head.  The real me isn’t worth the ink.”

I found myself wondering how little different he was from all of us.  If we were asked to write the story of our lives would we write the truth?   If you have a Face Book page, is it really you?  Or is it some dream person you wish were behind the face in your carefully selected picture?  I wonder how many of us actually write our lives or do we just let life happen to us?  Are we really the protagonist in our biography or are we playing a supporting role to others who are leading and directing?

All of us find ourselves on roads we chose years or decades ago.  The question is do we have to stay on that road or can we alter directions.  Can we say or are we brave enough to say, “God help me change.  I want to go some other place than where this is leading”?  I know you have good sense and want to improve your life.  I know you want to make a difference before you are so old you have to be led about by others.  So pray for the wisdom to write a life that is worth the ink.

Written by Roger Bothwell on May 11, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

Jesus’ brother James asked a question most everyone would respond to with a hearty “Yes.”  He asked in chapter three, “Do you want to be counted wise?” * He then goes on to tell us how.  “Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” ** Wisdom is not something we are born with. Wisdom comes from experience. Wisdom knows how to improvise. Wisdom is the behavior displayed by the janitor whose supervisor has instructed him to vacuum the small chapel and yet he does not do it because when he arrives with the noisy machine in hand he finds the room occupied by grieving family.  Wisdom is knowing when to make an exception to the rule.

Jazz musicians intrigue me.  The notes on the page are rarely played as written but become the guide around which the musician dances with improvisation.  Sometimes the result is marvelous.  Sometimes it is notThe wisdom was in the act of trying.  Sometimes when we improvise we fail and we learn if we are wise.  Hopefully most of the time we are successful and we learn if we are wise.

Paul wrote in Romans that we fulfill the law when we love each other.  The latter part of chapter twelve is a treasure trove of wisdom.  There he shares with us a literal bonanza of counsel that, if followed, will enable us to live the abundant life Jesus offers.  It is not a list of rules.  It is a list of ideas for those wise enough to realize good living, real living, is a fruit of intelligent improvisation.

*The Message Paraphrase.

**King James Version

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 19, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

II Corinthians 5 closes with Paul pleading to us to claim the wondrous gift God is offering us.  He points out that God has already done everything necessary for our salvation.  Paul implores us to do it.   He wrote, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

In “The Message” the paraphrased words “be reconciled to God” are intriguingly rendered, “Become friends with God, he’s already a friend with you.” Each time I read this I think of a song from one of my favorite children’s movies “Toy Story.”  It is difficult not to like Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Potato Head.  However the best part is Randy Newman’s song, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”  Some of the lyrics go like this, “If you got troubles I got them too. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. We stick together. We can see it through cause you’ve got a friend in me. . . And as the years go by, our friendship will never die. You’re gonna see it’s our destiny.  You’ve got a friend in me.”

The provision God made occurred at the cross.  Without that sacrifice no one could be saved.  How grand that the one arm of the cross extends to the past and the other to the future.  Provision was made for the billions who lived B.C. and for the billions that have lived A.D.   God has friends on both sides of the cross. Abraham was a friend of God.  James 2:23

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 23, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

One of my students told me a harrowing tale of taking a shower and going blind. Almost immediately after turning on the water everything went foggy and white. Gasping in fear she raised her hands to her eyes only to discover she had gotten into the shower still wearing her glasses.  Obviously this wasn’t nearly as frightening as one of my friends who got hit in the head with a baseball and was blind for about three hours. Our eyes are our ticket to freely move about, freedom to independence, freedom to see the wonder of a smile on the face of a child, freedom to savor the beauty of a flower, a bird, a sunset or the face of one’s spouse.

One of my favorite Jesus stories is found in John 9.  Jesus gives sight to a man who was born blind.  The religious establishment tried to discredit the miracle by claiming fraud.  They made the man’s parents verify their son’s identity.  Finally they proclaimed Jesus to be an impostor.  The now-seeing man’s reply is marvelous.  He said, “I don’t know about that.  What I do know is I was blind and now I see.”

One afternoon I sat with about five hundred people and watched two theologians debate the nature of Christ.   It was such a pointless exercise. Each spoke so authoritatively.  As if they knew.  How could they?   God is beyond our finite minds.  As we left, someone asked me my opinion.  Which position did I favor?   It was such a joy to indirectly quote the man in John 9.  I said, “I don’t know about that.  What I do know is before I knew Jesus I was blind but now I see the only thing that is important.  Jesus saves.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 9, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

I’m tired of having people tell me I need to think outside the box.   I like being in my box.  My box is a comfort zone of assurance of salvation and eternal life. Jesus lives in my box.  He is very nice to live with.  He helps carry my burdens.  He assures me nothing can come my way that together we cannot handle.  Some might criticize and say that is a very narrow confined way to live, but quite to the contrary.  You see Jesus is already sitting at the right hand of the Father.   See Hebrews 1.  In John 5:24 He promises me I have already passed from death to life and on top of that I don’t have to go to judgment.  I have a “get out of judgment” card.  There is no point in judgment for those who have already received the gift.  The promise to those who overcome is they get to sit with Him on His throne. See Revelation 3.  The view from there will be stunning.  Can you imagine the music?

Until then Paul tells us in Galatians 5 that we are called to live a life of freedom.  We are free from guilt.  We are free from existential concerns. We are free to do almost everything we want to do.  I have to be honest and say “almost” everything because I am still working on a few things.  But I certainly have no desire to rob my local credit union.  The laws forbidding that mean nothing to me.   We only feel confined when we are forbidden from doing something we want to do.

Maybe others need to think outside their boxes because their boxes aren’t very nice.  But my box contains ideas that will take me out of this world.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 27, 2009

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

roger.bothwell.org