Author: Ian Bothwell

Recently one of my students said to me, “We can’t change the future.  What will be will be.”  Excuse me but nothing could be more wrong.  He could change his future by dropping out of college.  That will almost certainly change his income for the rest of his life.  It will change his career and most likely the person he will marry which will change who he will have for children.  Or he could buckle down and get a 4.0 GPA and get a scholarship to med school.  That would change his future and the future of thousands of his future patients.

I had a friend who asked three girls to marry him and he would marry the first one that got back to him with a “Yes.”   So much for romance!

Each of us is a Future Changer.  We change the future by our diets.  We change the future by how much or how little exercise we get.  We change the future by either stopping or driving by the Dairy Queen.  Each decision we make alters our path which alters where we end up.  Speaking of ending up, how about making that ultimate decision to make Jesus the Lord of our lives? Talk about making an important future changing decision.  That is the big one.

One of God’s gifts to each of us is free will.  We are not robots.  We are not on a predetermined path.  Freedom to think, freedom to do, freedom to choose is what life is all about.  The challenge is making wise decisions, which is not always so very easy.  If you sometime feel the need for help, claim the promise in James 1:5.  Ask for wisdom and Jesus promises to help.

Written by Roger Bothwell on March 30, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

Long ago in a far away place I was the pastor of a very warm and friendly church.  So you can imagine my uneasy reaction when a couple complained to me about the church being cold and uncaring.  I didn’t know how to respond.  I thought perhaps my view of the church was skewed because people are usually nice to the pastor.  However, maybe they weren’t nice to each other.  So I started paying better attention and what I soon discovered was the complaining couple usually arrived for the worship service after the opening hymn and they would leave just after the sermon during the closing hymn.  It was an “Aha” moment.

The last verse of Proverbs 18 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” I never had a brother, but I did have two older sisters.  So I watched with great interest the interaction between my two sons.  I soon realized if someone was going to deal with one they had to deal with both.  God has been so good in giving us animals.  Many of us have deep bonds with our pets.  They love us.  They keep us company.  They wait for us at the door.  They don’t complain.  Often all they need is to be near us.  I have an old lab that will with great effort get up and move just a few feet closer if I move to another chair.

I’m most impressed with this verse in Proverbs that says we have a friend even closer than that.  My students would say, “Awesome.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 22, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

While getting out of my car today at Taco Bell I spotted four copper pennies amidst the ice and slush that covered the parking lot.   When I was a boy I would have been thrilled to no end over such good fortune.  Four pennies would have warranted a trip to the corner grocery store where I could select four wonders from the glass case by the door.  I could get a pair of big red wax lips, a piece of Double Bubble, a large yellowish-orangish marshmallow peanut and a Tootsie roll.  If I saved them until I had six more pennies I could get a Superman Comic Book.   Can you believe it?  Sixty years have passed and I didn’t bother to stoop to pick them up.  Shame on me.  But then I’m not sure what I could get with four cents.

I am so glad God doesn’t devalue us.  He could think, “I have billions of people on earth.  It doesn’t matter if I lose four.”   Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”   I love to change one of the words to “guttermost.”  It really works.  It says so much.  No matter how worthless we might think we are, each of us is a treasure to God.  Each of us is the reason for Jesus’ sacrifice.  When it comes to people there is no bypassing even one.

One of my favorite stories is found in Matthew 9.  A woman who had been crushed to the ground by the crowd touched his robe.  Instantly he stopped and went back to her.  She made His day.  Actually she made His whole mission.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 9, 2009

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

rogerbothwell.org

 

At two this afternoon a student came into my office and apologized for missing class.  It seems that he overslept.  The remarkable thing about this is the class started at 11:30.  He told me he didn’t awaken until a classmate called him after class.   That wasn’t until one in the afternoon.  College students never cease to amaze me.  I have learned not to take anything for granted.  Today I discovered a student who really did not know how to use a paper clip!  He had always used a stapler.  Maybe my amazement level is very low.

I want to share something else that amazes me.  When I read Colossians 1:16 – 17, I am beyond amazed, I am flabbergasted.  Paul says, “For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

When I behold the intricacies of a crocus, when I peer into the dark brown eyes of my dog, when I try to grasp the complexity of the human mind, when I look at the delicate balance of the chemistry of a blood panel I am overwhelmed by this creator God who created ALL the things that are.   This is the One who died for us.  This is the One who became flesh and lived in poverty.  This is the One who submitted to subhuman treatment on the cross.

Are you not amazed by such love?   The story is so beyond belief it has to be true. No one would ever invent such a tale.

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 16, 2009

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

 

I think it all started one afternoon when I was listening to a Christian music station and realized a lot of Christian music is just plain old romantic songs with Jesus name being substituted for Barry or Jane or Keisha.  So just for fun when listening to secular music I started reversing the process and I have Jesus singing the words with our names in them.  It can be quite interesting.  This afternoon I heard a great one.  It is called, “If I were you I would fall in love with me.”  The lyrics go something like this with Jesus singing, “You look like life’s been leaning on you.  You look like you could use a friend.  If you want somebody you can count on this is what I highly recommend.  If I were you, I’d sit down at my table.  If I were you, that’s where I’d wanna be.  We’d laugh and dance as long as we were able.  Then if I were you, I’d fall in love with me.” *

What a great song because Jesus is always wooing us.  He is the ultimate suitor.  He is relentless.  We could even accuse Him of being a stalker.  He wants us and does all He can to get us because He knows just how great He is for us.   He is the ultimate friend.  He is the source of the abundant life and who doesn’t want that?  If you are conservative and are a bit put off by the thought of dancing with Jesus, it’s okay to dance with Him.  He invented music.  He invented dancing. Please note Psalm 150:4, “Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs.”

Lyrics by Gene Watson

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 8, 2009

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

 

For twenty minutes this afternoon my barber and I had an eye to eye conversation while never looking at each other.   The entire conversation was conducted with both of us looking in the mirror.  I suddenly realized this was the way we always have spoken to each other.  An eye to eye conversation would make getting the haircut to be very difficult for the barber.

During a lull in the very banal conversation I thought about our conversations with God.  They aren’t eye to eye.  We couldn’t handle that. Moses wanted such an experience, but God informed him he would die if that happened.  Exodus 33.  What we can have are heart to heart conversations. We can tell Him the truth about how we feel about our jobs, our families, our social status, our heart’s desires and our heart breaks.  Just as there is no formula for talking to a friend there is no formula for a heart to heart with God.  Don’t tell Him you love Him when you are angry at Him.  He already knows.  But if He already knows then why bother?   We need to talk to Him for our sakes, not for His.  He is already aware of every tiny detail of our lives.  But by our talking to Him we give Him an opportunity to talk back.  That’s the important part.   Listening to Him is so important.  Often we pray and run off to the rest of the day’s tasks.  Sometimes His still small voice can’t be heard over the television, the car radio and our iPods.

Just in case you are wanting an eye to eye conversation, just be patient. In Matthew 5 Jesus promises us the pure in heart will see God.  You turn is coming.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 2, 2009

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

Darkness is the absence of light.  Cold is the absence of heat.  Please note darkness and cold are nothing.  The logic here wants me to then say evil is the absence of good.  To a degree that is correct.  It is evil for good people to stand by and do nothing when they see horrible things being done to others.   But that is only a partial definition because evil is also the ignored acts being done.

Apparently the right kind of anger is not evil for Scripture makes record of Jesus being angry.  Mark 3 reads, “Then he spoke to the people: ‘What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?’ No one said a word.  He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, ‘Hold out your hand.’ He held it out-it was as good as new! The Pharisees got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod’s followers and ruin him.”

I doubt any of us would classify ourselves as being evil.  We might admit to being naughty or at best bad, but never evil.   That descriptor belongs to the Hitlers of the world.  It is a difficult thing to admit but how often have we turned away from doing good because it was not convenient or particularly useful for us?   We rationalize our actions lest we feel guilty and so we excuse ourselves.    But James does say, “To him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin. Ouch.  At some point we have to be honest with ourselves and realize the only way we can be saved is by grace.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 16, 2009

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

 

It has been my observation that emails are much more hazardous to our welfare than snail-mail or face to face communication.   When we write a letter for the postman to deliver usually some time passes before we get it in the mailbox.  It lies on the kitchen counter waiting to be mailed.   We have time to reconsider what we have said and how we have said it and we can rethink whether or not to send it.   When we talk face to face with people we can see each other’s facial expressions and body language. Often we soften what we say in those personal encounters.  But email can be sent almost instantaneously.  In a fit of anger or displeasure we can spill out our venom and send it without much consideration and once sent it cannot be recalled.  We didn’t get to see a person’s face only a computer screen.

I have thought a lot about sending messages to God.  Having gone to church all my life I have heard a lot of prayers.  While I don’t think they are hazardous to our welfare I’m not sure how effective they are.  Most public prayer isn’t really talking to God it’s just another kind of preaching.  Often we seem more interested in impressing the humans who are listening than God.  Often we lie to God and tell Him we love Him when we are actually very upset with Him for allowing some tragedy in our lives. I think we are afraid to open up lest we get struck by lightning.  We won’t. Maybe praying would be easier if we could actually see God face to face.   We could talk to Him as a friend if we could see Him.

Communication is the heart of all relationships and most often the hardest, most difficult thing we have to do.

Written by Roger Bothwell on September 16, 2009

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

 

 

One of my all time favorite cartoon strips is Calvin and Hobbes, the continuing saga of a little boy and his stuffed tiger.  One of my all time favorite episodes shows Calvin telling Hobbes that he, Calvin, wishes for some really stupendous things.  Hobbes responds that he wishes for a sandwich.  Calvin then chastises Hobbes for not having any imagination.  The last scene shows Hobbes eating a sandwich as he says, “Yeah, but I got my wish.”

The message is loud and clear.  Be practical. Don’t be ridiculous when you set goals. Have a genuine sense of reality.  Happiness comes with success and success can only happen if we are realistic.  I am not happy when I hear people tell youth, “If you can dream it.  You can do it.” That is just not so.  Now that I have said that I am sure someone once told Barack Obama he was foolish to think he could be President.  Yet I know I can dream of winning the Boston Marathon and that really is an  impossibility.

Then there is Ephesians 3:20.  “God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams. He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” *  People outside the house of Jarius laughed when Jesus said the little girl was only sleeping.  They knew when someone was dead. Yet a few minutes later she walked out to see and talk with them.  Somehow we need to put all of this into perspective and realize that our dreams will be fulfilled but have to be saved for resurrection morning.  See I Corinthians 15.

*The Message Paraphrase by E. Petersen

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 13, 2009

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

 

He looked like he was about seven years old.   He was a very nice looking little boy.  When I first saw him he was walking beside the wall in the hall of his elementary school with his white stick tapping the way.  I was amazed at his confidence and steadiness.  From all appearances he knew where he was going and needed no assistance.  I am sure this did not happen overnight.  Someone spent many hours orienting him to his school and making sure he could navigate by himself.  It was very impressive.

No matter what our special needs happen to be each of us needs help navigating. The GPS in my car has paid for itself many times over in saved gasoline.  It is so nice to go directly to my destination without looking like a directionally challenged person.   As a teacher I am continually frustrated by students that fail to follow instructions.  You can put something in the course syllabus, point it out, have them underline it and still they fail to do it.  God must feel that way with us.  Remember Isaiah 30:21?  “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.'”   God wrote it down for us and He whispers directions to us and we still get lost.  Ouch!

I do admire people who set a path and keep to it.  I, like my mind, wander all over the place.  It’s getting worse.  Staying on course is not easy because there are so many interesting things to see and to think about.  I rarely hear an entire sermon because the preacher says something that makes me think of something which makes me think of something which makes me think of something. Right now I am thinking I am so glad Jesus said, “I am the way.”   Don’t get lost!

Written by Roger Bothwell on April 10, 2009

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