Author: Ian Bothwell

I find it fascinating that I could have lived with something for all the time I can remember and know almost nothing about it.  Fels-Naptha is such a thing for me.  This afternoon I was in the laundry room and picked up a bar of such and was surprised to read that it was ideal for pre-treating stains.  It’s been around since 1893 and was formatted by Lazarus Fels.  Naptha is a petroleum product similar to gasoline, kerosene or a variety of things depending where you are in the world.  Obviously one should not use it for personal bathing.

As I held it I realized Jesus had pre-treated me for my stains.  Since the cross was 2000 years ago that does predate me by quite a bit.  God was ready to deal with my faults.  Actually God was ready even before the cross.  Psalm 51 written 1000 years before Calvary says, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”

Blots leave stains and so verse seven adds, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  This is better than blotting.  This is purging until no stain is left.  The end product here is looking like there was no sin, no stain, no blot and so forever after God will not treat us as forgiven.  It is better than that.  He will treat us as if we had never sinned at all.  We will always remember that we were redeemed.  But He will never rub it in.  We are stainless.

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 21, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

There was a little guy in the grocery cart ahead of me.  He looked to be about twelve months old and I have to say this was not a good looking baby.  As I was trying to ascertain just what it was that was so unattractive someone walked by and said, “What a beautiful child!”  “Whoa,” I thought.  “They must be compensating to make the parent feel good.”   But, as we moved up to the register the clerk said, “What a handsome young man.”  Well, the adjective “young” disqualified me so she must have been talking about the baby. Now, I have to admit had the child been mine or one of my grandchildren, for sure I would have agreed with the other people.

It just so happened there was also another similarly aged boy in the store.  I thought he was precious.  I wonder if the people who commented on the first child thought differently than I regarding the “precious” child.  Could it have been that the second child was good-looking because he looked like my boys at that age?  But I see many children that don’t look anything like my boys and I think they are really handsome.  No, I have to hold on to the fact that this first child was not well formed.

Now that I have made myself look like a biased old fool by telling you all this, I do have to say since we are God’s children, His bias toward us is extremely skewed.  Genesis tells us He made us in His image.  I have to conclude if we were born with our nose upside-down; God would still think we were the greatest thing since sliced bread. Yeah.  You really are!

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 14, 2016

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

One of my students told me he didn’t believe in anything that wasn’t tangible. I took a twenty dollar bill and a one dollar bill out of my wallet and asked, “If I gave you the opportunity to have one of these, which would you take?”  He reached for the twenty.  “But why,” I asked.  “They are both the same size and the same weight.  Intrinsically there is absolutely no difference other than the configurations of ink.”  He answered something like, “One is twenty times more valuable than the other.”

Really?  Who says?  All of us do.  This is only true because we have agreed that is so.  One piece of paper is worth more than another piece of paper only because we put our faith in our monetary system. The actual material value of each is less than a penny.  Yet, with one I can purchase a half gallon of gasoline and with the other I can purchase about nine gallons of gas.  This only works as long as we continue to believe we can.  Once we stop believing, the system collapses and chaos ensues.

Our money says “In God we trust” when actually it is “In Uncle Sam we trust.”  Whether my young friend understood or not, he is a creature of faith.  We all are.  So why not take the next step and have faith in the God who made us?  Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”  Our earth and the starry host had to come from somewhere.  It is much more intellectually satisfying to believe they are the work of a loving Creator than because of some accidental explosion.  And where did the stuff that exploded come from?

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 21, 2016

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

If we were playing Jeopardy the answer would be “a blend of tomatoes, carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach.”  And the question would be “What is V8 juice?”   I have always loved V8 juice.  I think it’s good for us.  At least it can’t be bad for us except that it does contain a lot of salt.

My home church is much like V8.  It is a mixture of all manner of people.  We have people from all over the world.  Just recently we were able to count at least 17 different nationalities.  I do admit sometimes I struggle to understand everyone’s English flavored with very unique accents.  And I know they often struggle to understand my vanilla flavored English.

Worshiping with such a conglomeration expands my sense of God’s family.  I hear new ideas growing out of different cultures.  Sometimes I am tempted to think my ideas and my preferences are the best but a morning at church helps me get over that myopic condition.  The variety makes my church a strong church.  It wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if everyone thought and acted like me.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12:12, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”  The wonder of strength through diversity is not a new idea.  It is a time proven concept.  Just as my church is strong because of diversity so is my country.  Each person with their uniqueness brings ideas, talents and strengths to the whole.  Heaven will be a marvelous place filled with beings not only from our little planet but from the expanse of the universe.   I can hardly wait to see what is waiting for us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 20, 2016

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

I have a couple of undergrads in one of my classes who can dunk a basketball.  Upon learning of their athletic skills I assured them that I too can dunk, no, not a doughnut, a real basketball.  They immediately acclaimed that I could indeed as long as the basket and supporting pole were manufactured by Fisher Price.  It’s nice to be respected!

But hey, a dunk is a dunk.  So, never say never.  We can always make a few adjustments and accomplish wonders.  Too be honest, we have to concede that the adage, “If you can dream it, you can do it” is not really true in this life.  Only if one is committed to Jesus will that be true.  That is the wonder of the Gospel.  All things in our lives are possible if we look beyond this fragile, flawed body that is overdue for a total makeover.  Never forget I Corinthians 15.  It is the greatest passage ever written about the resurrection and the transformation of the living when Jesus returns.  If you haven’t read it recently treat yourself to a reread.  Paul is at his best as he fills us in on what Jesus filled him in on.

A person is only as good as his promises.  That’s what makes God what He is – honest, pure and good.  He keeps His promises – all of them!  So go ahead and dream big.  I think I will add something new to my dream list of to-dos.  I will someday dunk a basketball when the basket and pole are not made by Fisher Price.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”  Ephesians 3:20

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 19 2016

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

The acorns being crushed as one drives in and out of our driveway sound like we are making popcorn. The oaks must have enjoyed the dry summer because we have an abundance of acorns.  The squirrels are going crazy trying to cache them away for the coming winter.  They will be well fed during this January’s blizzards.

I love acorns. Holding them in my hand reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors.  She wrote, “As surely as the oak is in the acorn so surely is the gift of God in the promise.”  There are over 3500 promises in the Bible.   That’s a forest of good things to anticipate.  One of the last promises found in Revelation says, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.”  I don’t want to be greedy.  I don’t need to inherit “all” things.  I will be happy with forgiveness and eternal life with my loved ones.  But our heavenly Father is a lavish giver.  That’s a promise in Ephesians 2.   God isn’t content with giving us the basics.  He wants to give us “all things.”

Paul says what we will receive is beyond what we can now imagine.  The Gospel is a story of excess.  Excessive love, excessive forgiveness, excessive lifespan, excessive health, excessive intelligence, excessive power, excessive understanding and excessive happiness are just a few of the things we are promised.

Right now I am going to go out to my driveway and pick up a few oak trees and carry them about in my pocket today.  Then I will not forget how very much you and I are loved.  Oh, how grand!

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 18, 2016

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

There are 695 songs in the hymnal at my church.  I think there are approximately 230 of them that I have never sung or heard.  So it was no surprise last week when we started singing Wonderful Peace and my eyes drifted to a strange hymn on the opposing page.  I am sure I have never heard of it let alone sung it.  It is named, “Life Is Great! So Sing About It.”  What a great title.  So I read the words.  I particularly like the second stanza.   “Life is great! – whatever happens.  Snow or sunshine, joy or pain, hardship, grief or disillusion, suffering that I cannot explain – Life is great if someone loves me, holds my hand and calls my name.”  I wanted to say, “Right on” but I guess because I was in church I should have said, “Amen” – same thing.

It instantly reminded me of a popular song by Martina McBride entitled, “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.  “I beg your pardon I never promised you a rose garden / Along with the sunshine there’s gotta be a little rain sometime / When you take you gotta give so live and let live and let go oh oh oh oh / I beg your pardon I never promised you a rose garden…”

What God does promise us is strength to endure and ultimate victory                   1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

I wonder what other wonders I have missed in my hymnal?

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 17, 2016

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

I talked to a man today who told me he was in the “Slow Leak Business.”  It seemed that I had a slow leak in my left rear tire, so I had gone to the “Slow Leak Man.”   Sure enough he told the truth.  Thirty minutes later my slow leak was no longer leaking and I was back on the road.  He found a nail.  I was patched.

As I drove away I realized I too am in the “Slow Leak Business.”  Five days a week I try to help patch the slow leaks that occur in people’s lives by writing about someone else who found nails.  He found four nails.  From the day we are born life slowly leaks away from us.  Every sunrise we are a day closer to being flat.   My prayer is by encouraging you to read about Him you will let Him patch you so you can continue the journey.  The patches are for the short haul.  Just like an old tire there comes a time when it cannot be patched anymore.  The tread is gone.

Now this is where the good part happens.  We have a road hazard warranty that has no mileage limits.  When the tire is worn out, He says, “Enough with the patches. I’m going to give you a whole new tire guaranteed never to show wear.  It will last forever.  “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’”  I Corinthians 15.

I wonder what will be written on our sidewalls.  Good Years, Good Riches or Richelin.

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 14, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

Someone should have warned the Chicago Cubs about the ides of October. The dream vanished with a pop fly to left field.  They were so close and yet were denied a chance to do something they have not done just shy of a century.   They went to their homes with one word in mind: “Lost.”

But this is not the most heartbreaking story of October 15, 2003.  There is a ten-year-old little boy lost in the forests of New Hampshire.  It has been two days now and hundreds of searchers have combed the mountains where he has to be.  It is getting cold out there and it has rained hard since he disappeared. It is not difficult to imagine his suffering and fear.  His plight makes the story about the Cubs seem like nothing.

Lost!  It is a horrible word.

Jesus told three stories about being lost.  One was about a lost coin.  The second about a lost sheep and the third was about a lost boy.  In Jesus’ story the lost boy knew his way home.  It had a happy ending.  He came home.

We pray for a miracle for a ten-year-old little boy to have happy ending.  The agony and despair in the face of his father is wrenching.

Then there are the masses lost for eternity because they chose not to take advantage of the offered gift of eternal life.  I wonder if God ever has a good day. Yes, there is rejoicing over the rescue of just one of us.  But what of the heartbreak over those lost!

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 15, 2003

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

Skid marks were all that was left.  A tow truck had taken away the car and a crew had cleaned up all the shards of broken glass.  As time goes by rain and snow and traffic will wear away the black stains.   Not all skid marks are the remnants of an accident.  Sometimes they are just the opposite.  Skid marks on the end of a runway mean many flights had safe landings.

Life leaves skid marks on people.  We are marked by life’s tragic events.  Accidents, death, disappointments and failed goals mark us and like the disappearing skid marks on the highway time has a way of helping our emotional past to slowly fade.  But it does take time even for the bold who act like they are recovered.  It is one of the reasons we advise people who have lost a dearly loved spouse not to make any major decisions for at least a year.  No matter how seasoned, we are not immune.

Jesus forgives sins in an instant.  It often takes much longer for us to forgive ourselves.  We rue our mistakes and harbor wrongs that we have done.  Jesus forgives but the skid marks remain and it takes time.  Forgiveness is a two way event.  As we forgive others so must we forgive ourselves seventy times seven.  We wonder how we could have been so stupid.  Well, we are.  It’s part of being a human, a major part.  But just as surely as the black stains disappear on the highway so they will fade for us.  Living the abundant life promised to us by Jesus is acknowledging our humanity and forgiving ourselves for being so.  Hopefully, some of your skid marks are and will be the remnants of safe landings.

Written by Roger Bothwell on October 5, 2015

PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org