Roger Bothwell

The sounds of words are wonderful when the very sounds of them describe their object or intent. Words like “roar” or “bark.” Or the word “maliferous.” It just sounds dark and evil to say it. Then there is another, “insalubrious.” That one sounds unwholesome just to let it come out of one’s mouth. There are some wonderful Swahili words. One of them is the word for bugs. It is “dudu.” The word for kill is “kufu.” So “insecticide” becomes “dudukufu.” Just say it. It rolls off the tongue so much easier than “insecticide.” Say it fast and it is even more fun.

The names of people we love are wonderful to say. Our spouses’ names are music to our ears. The names of our children and grandchildren are magical. In the musical “West Side Story” there is a song, “Maria.” It says it so well.

Now for the best, most marvelous, fabulous, extraordinary set of sounds in the world. Here goes. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.” That is music to our hearts.

Written in 2000

Writing letters of recommendation is a wonderful opportunity to say good things about people. It is an opportunity to help others continue to grow.

Have you ever wondered what kind of recommendation we would need if we had to apply for salvation? Would we need to vouch for our perfect characters? That would be hard to come by. Would we need someone to say what hard workers we are? The problem with that is works are not a ticket to heaven. It is given by grace.

Actually what we need is not someone to write a letter of recommendation; rather we need to proclaim the impossibility of obtaining a recommendation adequate enough to get us in. We need an attorney. And that is exactly what we have. In I John 2:1 we read, “…if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” He is a great attorney. He has earned the right to do something for us we cannot do for ourselves. He can declare us innocent. Now that is what will get us into heaven.

Written in 2000

If you are a precise, persnickety, pernickety, perfect, particular person there is a website just for you. It is www.time.gov. This wonderful location gives you the official United States time. You can set your time zone. It even tells you just how precise it is. Usually it is within one half of a second. This site is a chronologist’s dream. No longer do you have to scan the short wave bands of your radio listening for the “knock, knock” sound that indicates you are tuned to the broadcasting of the official GMT. Now you can bookmark this site and instantaneously know the time.

Wanting to know the time is not a modern phenomenon. In Acts 1:6-7 we read, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, ‘Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?’ And he said unto them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.’”

History has seen its time setters. All of them have had to invent fanciful explanations for the obvious failure of their predictions. When one pauses to think about it, it really is not a good idea for us to know the exact time of Jesus’ return. As hard as we might try not to do so we would regulate our behavior in harmony with the announced time. That is not so good. We need to live our lives by the principles of God’s kingdom regardless of when our Lord should appear—that is the key to the abundant life.

Written in 2000

Some days are just “ordinary” sorts of days. Actually though one person’s “ordinary” is another person’s “extraordinary.” If we had to go to work in the morning and do what someone else ordinarily does that could be pretty extraordinary for us. If you got to pilot a 747 airliner today it would probably be the “extraordinary” of a lifetime. But for lots of people it is very ordinary to pilot several hundred people and a hundred tons of metal thousands of miles across the country at an altitude over five miles above the earth.

For those of us who were fortunate enough to grow up believing Jesus is our Savior, it is ordinary to live with the assurance of eternal life. It is ordinary to know we are loved. It is ordinary for us to know we have a purpose in life. It is ordinary for us to know any setback we might have now will be rectified in the future.

For lots of people those wonderful things are not ordinary.

Written in 2000

The words to the familiar hymn begin, “For the beauty of the earth,….” Those words create a mental slide show of snow-capped mountains, flower filled meadows, pastel sunsets, rainy mornings and snowy evenings. The beauty of the earth is all of the above, but it is also the mathematical precision of an atom, the double helix of DNA, the infinity of numbers, the curve of a normal distribution and the tenacity of life.

Our heliocentric solar system with its balance of gravity and distance that enables us to safely fall in yearly cycles dazzles the mind. Einstein’s theory of relativity, Feynman’s quantum physics and Sagan’s cosmos are layers of beauty unfolding a depth of artistry far beyond the hand of Michelangelo.

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon wrote, “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” All this beauty that surrounds us is the handiwork of the creative artistry of our heavenly Father. And He has created us to see, taste, feel, hear, and fathom this beauty.

Written in 2000

When making a purchase we contemplate many things. We wonder if the item will really work. We wonder how long it might be before it breaks. The sales person always tells us how wonderful the company is in honoring their products. Yet we have learned not to believe everything we are told.

Once the purchase is made we take it home, take out the papers and we read, “Limited Warranty”. We read the fine print hoping to find that it really will be fixed if it breaks. Have you every wondered about the thirty-year warranty you get from the guys who roof houses? The truth is there are few things one can really count on. Even the U.S. Government’s safety net for savings accounts in insured banks is limited and not absolutely sure. Remember the great Roman Empire?

But there is one thing you can count on. You can always count on God to keep His promises. Jesus once said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28. He also said, “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. These promises are guaranteed. The guarantee was purchased at Calvary.

The traffic light turned green and the driver pulled out to make a left hand turn. Just then another car appeared coming from the left at about 50 miles an hour. It never slowed for the red light. Fortunately, there was no collision. The driver of the other cars entering the intersection saw the speeding car and waited. But an assumption had been made by the driver of the first car; the light was green, and it was safe to go. It is so easy to become complacent and let down one’s guard. We assume life will go on the way it is supposed to. We are not always careful.

Fifty times in the New International Version of the Bible we find the expression “be careful.” There are some rather interesting verses connected with this phrase. Just one is found in Titus 3:8,9. It says, “…those who have trusted in God should be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”

Written 7/27/2000

In many cities people regularly put cans, bottles and newspapers out on the curb for the recycle man. Recycling makes many of us feel good. Living in one of the most consumptive cultures the world has ever seen can be bothersome. Knowing our newspapers and stuff are going to be used again helps assuage our concern.

When you think about it, God is a great recycler. But He is not so much into cans and paper as He is a recycler of people. Moses was a murderer and God recycled him into the great Old Testament lawgiver. Paul was a murderer and God recycled him into the great New Testament evangelist and theologian. David was a murderer and God recycled him into the great psalmist. Matthew was an outcast Roman tax collector consigned to hell by the religious authorities and God recycled him into Jesus’ biographer.

These are good stories. God takes the fallen and recycles them into blessings to others. God is truly the great Recycler so there is indeed hope for each of us.

Written 3/2/2001

The fallen hawk lay on the forest floor. He had not been dead long. He was still beautiful and noble. Soon he would return to the dust of the forest to become part of a flower, tree or vine. How high had he flown? What vistas had he seen? What conquests over mice and rabbits nourished him? Why was his piercing scream now silent? Was it old age? Had he lived his three score and ten? Or had a hunter used him for target practice?

There in death his remains would provide the essentials of life for a host of other creatures. His death would provide life. Thankfully God will take the memory of our personhood and on resurrection morning put it in a brand new immortal frame and body.

Jesus, who not only proclaimed Himself to be the resurrection and the life but also proved it, promises us so much more than decades of limited walk. Centuries and millenniums await us. We too shall soar like hawks and eagles with nothing to bring us down. Surely one of the most marvelous verses of all scripture is Isaiah 40:31, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Written 9/14/2000

Standing in front of a tempting display of freshly picked cherries was a very classy looking gentleman and lady. They appeared to be about sixty and were well dressed. His clothes were impeccable, and she was well appointed with expensive appearing jewelry. They were filling a plastic bag with cherries and were literally feasting while doing so. Even more amazing, after eating the not-yet-weighed-or-paid-for fruit, they spit the pits back into the display. It was truly an amazing display of thoughtlessness for others.

These people were someone’s parents, somebody’s grandma and grandpa, most likely someone’s employer. And they were behaving like small children. Now, true, Jesus tells us we must become as little children if we are to enter the kingdom, but surely this was not what he had in mind when he said that.

Being thoughtful of others. Thinking before we act and using our talents, resources, and gifts for others is what makes society work. Peter once said in 1Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others….”

Written 7/27/2000