Author: Ian Bothwell

I watched a little boy about 8 years old walk over to his little sister about 6 years old and push her down and then walk away.  What happened next was fascinating.  His dad grabbed him and said, “Why did you do that?”  And of course he said, “I don’t know.”  To which his father responded, “Yes, you do.  Now tell me.”  And all the boy could do was shrug his shoulders.

I found myself being sympathetic with the little boy because I believed him.  I really don’t think he knew why he had done it.  Humans are amazingly complex beings and we react to a multitude of causes.  He probably pushed her down because of a host of reasons, none of which he understood.  He just did it.  Perhaps the best reason was because he was human.

We are sinners – all of us.  So why do we allow our selfishness to overrule our reason?   Paul struggled with this.  He wrote in Romans 7, “I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”  Most of us have most likely at some time or other parroted Paul by exclaiming, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

I am so happy Paul did have an answer to that question.  “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”   I don’t know why I do some of the things I do.  But Jesus covers me.  Praise God for Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”   Awesome!

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 19, 2017

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I just finished reading an article in the New York magazine about an actress regarded as being critic proof.  I wondered if that meant she was so good no one would dare criticize her or if it meant she was able to not pay attention when people did so.  Criticism can be difficult to handle, especially when one is trying one’s best.  After I preach I can have a hundred people compliment me and one person criticize.  I will forget the compliments and obsess for the rest of the day on that one criticism.

Was it difficult for Jesus, who was perfect, to receive criticism?  He got lots of it.  “The Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?’” John 8.  “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” Luke 15.   But, He also received recommendations from some interesting sources.  “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, ‘I find no fault in this man.’”

The reality is we will never please everyone.  There will always be someone able to fault us.  It’s a way for them to bolster themselves and cope with their own flaws. If they can make us look bad then they, by comparison, don’t look so bad.  In the meantime with God’s help we will reach for the goal Jesus set for us in the Sermon on the Mount.  “Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  Obviously we will never make that on our own.  But I John 1:9 is such a blessing to read.  “If we confess our sins He is able to forgive us and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”  Don’t you love that?

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 17, 2017

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I do not want to diminish the value of truth.  Without truth we wallow in false ideas resulting in confusion and disorientation.  Truth gives us a foundation for unity and purpose.  Truth gives us a burden of light to tell the world.  But without character and personal and corporate values our truth becomes irrelevant.   More important than being right is being like Jesus in the way we relate to others.  Kindness, unselfishness, generosity, thoughtfulness and empathy are of supreme importance when it comes to the Christian walk.  Jesus did not say, “Hereby shall men know you are my disciples if you are more theologically pure than others.”   His emphasis was on the love we have for each other.

Fairness and the recognition that God created Eve from Adam’s side and not from his foot is symbolic that gender equality is a value and a Biblical truth.  When Paul speaks of a woman submitting to her husband, he also speaks of a man loving his wife as Jesus loved the church and died for it.  That is potent. See Ephesians 5.

When people speak of us and the church we belong to, is it not better for them to recognize us as loving Christians more than commenting on some unique belief we have that distances us from the main body of Christ.  Our values are constantly on display by the lives we live.  Paul said it so well in I Corinthians 13.  “Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing.”   Faith and hope are important but love is the greatest of all.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 14, 2017

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When one of my neighbors told me the city had an easement to put a road between his house and his neighbor I thought that meant the city owned that strip of land and was allowing my neighbor to use it.  Therefore, I thought that’s a great illustration regarding us and heaven.  We accept Jesus and become daughters and sons of God and then, as heirs, we have an easement, a legal right, to an acre of God’s Kingdom with a home designed just for us.  I was so wrong.  It is usually worthwhile to actually look up definitions of words.

An easement does not give the city ownership of my neighbor’s land.  The city only has the right to use my neighbor’s land.  Ownership remains with my neighbor.  (Because he still owns it, he still has to pay taxes on it.  That is very clever of the city.)  As heirs of the kingdom, (See Galatians 4 and Romans 8.) we do not receive an easement while God retains ownership.  It is much better than that.  We actually become owners of our own place.  It is ours.  I was going to say, therefore we can use it anyway we please.  But there are most likely zoning laws so our neighbors can’t have any rusted out Fords or Chevys on cement blocks in their front yards.

I want to once again use Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:32.  It is our Father’s good pleasure to GIVE us the kingdom.   We do not inherit an easement.  We inherit ownership. One of the best things to enjoy is there will be no annual property tax.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 11, 2017

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It is often said, “The best revenge is to live well.”   You would be a very unusual person if you lived your whole life without having someone really not like you.  The best way to handle it is to prosper and be happy.   Proverbs 25:22 talks about heaping coals of fire on their heads.  The way to do that is to be super kind and generous.  Romans 12:19 talks about vengeance belonging to God.  Surely the very best vengeance God could take against His enemy, Lucifer, is to save us.  God loves us.  Lucifer’s only use for us is to cause our heavenly Father pain.  When you love someone their pain is yours.

Lucifer would love to have us join him in eternal loss, not because he thinks we are good company and fun to be with, but to snatch us away from the one who loves us dearly.  God’s vengeance is to snatch us back.  The more precious we are the more pain inflicted.  So just how precious are we?  We are so precious that a wooden cross divided human history into two.

It might be a bit startling to contemplate the endless battle for one’s soul.  But the reality is if we want to participate in this drama by inflicting pain on God just decide to die with Lucifer.  His day is coming.  If we want to give God incredible joy and give Him a true sense of vengeance accept His gift.  Join sides with the winner.  God will win.  There is no question about that.  It is just a matter of time.  God’s vengeance against Lucifer is having you on His side.  That’s sweet to Him.  Actually it is bittersweet because He also loves Lucifer.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 10, 2017

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Because I was sitting on the platform in church this weekend I was able to carefully look at the faces of the assembled worshipers.  I am so glad we are not like birds, where individuals within a species all look alike.  (At least to me.)  People are wonderfully unique.  Starting with my wife who I think is stunningly perfect, my eyes roamed to a Latina behind her who was beautifully perfect. Beside her was a balding middle aged man looking perfect.  Two rows back, there was an African American family with two of the most perfect children one could ever find.  Mom and dad were also perfect.

How was it that so many perfect people were assembled in one place?  Simple.  We had just finished the worship service prayer where the suppliant requested God’s forgiveness for the congregation.  God is so good.  He is so pleased to grant us the merciful benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice.  Jesus said in Luke 12:32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”  Our wish to be perfect is God’s command.  Really!  It is not arrogant to think that we should be able to command God to do something because in this one important issue it makes Him happy.

What I found to be so satisfying as I looked up and down the pews was the perfection of the assembled shone from the inside out.  People glowed and when people glow they are beautiful.  They didn’t need perfect cheekbones and perfectly white straight teeth.  They had a perfection so much better.  They were perfect in Jesus and it doesn’t get any better than that.  Ever.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 9, 2017

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I would like to speak in favor of naps.  (I just decided to take one.  There is an hour between that first sentence and the one coming up.)   I realize we should not wish our life away.  It is way too short.  However, if we are anticipating something wonderful, time seems to slow down.  A remedy for that is a nap. Naps are restful.  Naps speed up time. Naps often generate wonderful dreams that can transport you over geography and time.  Naps mix people from your past with people in your now.  I often find the mixture delightful.

Remember Jesus’ parable of the ten young women waiting for the bridegroom to appear for the festivities to begin.  He didn’t chastise them for napping.  He just chastised half of them for not having extra oil in case there was a delay and there was a delay.

I find naps to be delightful in church when the preacher is droning on and on.  The problem is the floppy head syndrome.  That can be cared for by sitting in the back row.  One of my favorite professors used to look like he was napping when I was preaching.  The issue was he always seemed to know what I said.  He told me he could listen better if his eyes were closed just like we can pray better with our eyes closed.

Now here comes the really good part.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 3 “that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, . .”  So there it is.  Power naps for believers.  How good is that?!   We have a God who thinks of everything we need.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 3, 2017

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The postman brought us a travel  catalog this morning.  It is 142 pages of enticement.  Now if only the postman would bring me the resources to utilize this colorful bait to travel the world.  If you can name it there seems to be a trip designed to take you there.  I would like to go to Cuba.  If I go this March I can go for $7,595.  Of course there is an additional $7,595 if I take my wife.  Excuse me.  I don’t want to buy Cuba.  I just want to visit.  The small print tells me it does not include airfare from Miami and back.  That is an additional $600 a piece.  Hey – the last time I looked it was only a 90 mile trip!  The jet barely has time to put its flaps up.

I also happened to have another travel brochure.  It’s called Ephesians.  And the wonder is all travel is prepaid.  Listen to this enticement.  Paul was a master promoter.  “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

How about that?  In John 14 Jesus told us He was going to His Father’s house to prepare places for us.  And Paul tells us we are to be seated with Christ in heavenly realms.  Now I understand that some people are stay-at-home types that don’t like to travel, but really this is just too grand to refuse.  So come with me.  Please.  I’ll even tip the angels for you when they check your bags.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 5, 2017

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About thirty years ago a group of youth pastors in Northern California invited me to accompany them on a trip up Mount Shasta.  As a forty something I was the old man among all these twenty somethings.  At over 14,100 feet it is the fifth highest in California and is still a potentially active volcano.  The top is embraced by a heavy scent of sulfur.  On the second day as we neared the summit it slowly dawned on me that I was doing very well for an older guy.  The young men started lagging.  One of them did become ill from the strain in the thinner air.  About noon I passed the last two and found myself standing alone on the top.  I was feeling very studly as I sat and watched the others arrive.

On the way down I noticed myself being at the end of the line and working to keep up.  How could this be?  How could I be so comparatively strong going up and not so strong on the way down?  Then it dawned on me. (I can be mentally slow.)  It was a set up.  Those guys had colluded.  During the last two thousand feet they deliberately fell back allowing me to summit.  They never said a word about it in my hearing range.

I have come to think that Jesus does this for me on a daily basis.  He grants me little victories to encourage me on. At the end (or as I should say, “The real beginning.”) He will give me a crown of righteousness. (Romans 8)  I might be tempted to think that I did it.  But when seriously contemplating I will realize how improbable that is.  It is a gift as was my summiting Shasta.

Written by Roger Bothwell on January 30, 2017

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One of my undergraduate students from Haiti came to class this morning looking like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine.  His suit was well tailored, double vented with creases on his trousers that would cut your finger.  His tie matched a handkerchief in the breast pocket of his jacket and all was spotless.  The first words out of my mouth were “You look hirable.”

It is so easy to judge someone by their appearance.  It is such a natural thing to do that James, Jesus’ brother, speaks of it in chapter 2.  “Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

One of my favorite stories about Jesus is he touched the leper while the leper was still a leper.  Jesus honored everyone.  He could sit with Nicodemus or with Zacchaeus.   Of course they were both well dressed so let’s remember the demoniacs of Gergesenes. Both were disgusting to look at but in Jesus’ eyes they were his first two missionaries sent out to preach.

If we are to be like Jesus, everyone no matter how they appear, is a soul for the Kingdom.  Jesus saves to the uttermost.  Hebrews 7:25.

In my case this morning I am happy to say the inside perfectly matched the outside.  He is a fine, fine young man.   He really is hirable.

Written by Roger Bothwell on February 1, 2017

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