Posted in worship

How was church today?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by City Church CA on Unsplash

“How was church today?”

I’ve asked that question. Others have asked me that question. Just as we review a product or business, we evaluate worship experiences.

  • “I enjoyed the music.”
  • “It was too hot/too cold in the sanctuary.”
  • “The sermon was long.”
  • “Why so many announcements? They’re printed right here.”
  • “I love those banners.”
  • “I love/hate it when people bring babies to church.”
  • “Not many/lots of people attended today.”

News alert: God isn’t trolling for a five-star review. His feelings are not hurt if you weren’t inspired, challenged, or fed during the worship service. He will be the same tomorrow as he was yesterday whether you praised or criticized Sunday morning experience.

All God wanted was to be with you. If you were there, it was a five-star moment for him. If you heard his life-giving word, it was a win. If you believed the good news, it was a good day.

If I wouldn’t give Sunday morning worship five-stars, who needs to improve? The preacher? The musicians? The custodians? Late arrivers? Ushers?

Or is it me? What’s going on with me that made worship seem blah, so-so, and forgettable? Why was I distracted, unenthusiastic, non-responsive, preoccupied, comatose, uninterested, and critical?

Instead of reviewing worship after the fact, perhaps I should ask myself a few questions in advance.

  • Do I believe God will speak to me today? Am I ready and prepared to listen?
  • Will I be amazed by God’s grace today? Why would I ever take that for granted?
  • What will I learn about God today? What new thing will he reveal to me?

Someone suggested praying these petitions before any private or collective encounter with God:

  • Give me knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
  • Teach me something new about you.
  • Direct my steps according to your word.

Maybe worship will be convicting, eye-opening, and instructive. Maybe it will reinforce truths you’ve always known. Maybe it will bring you to tears. Or put a smile on your face.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

God is good

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

“God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.”

I don’t hear it as much as I used to, but it’s still pops up here and there.

It’s a truth right from the pages of scripture:

  • “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever.” (Ps. 100:5)
  • “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Ps. 34:8)
  • “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

There’s plenty more where that came from.

But here’s my question. What does it mean that God is good? Ever ponder that? Ever doubt that statement? What’s so good about God. And if God is good, what difference does that make? How does that statement affect the way I view the world and people around me?

If something or someone is good, that means it’s not bad, right? That’s not much of a definition. Dictionaries offer up “of a favorable character or tendency.”

But that makes goodness subjective. Food tastes good. A tennis serve that is inside the line is good. A dog who sits on command is good. Someone who stays fit is in good shape. Someone who is happy is in a good mood. In stores you still see products rated good, better, and best, depending on how much money you want to spend. In that case, good isn’t all that great.

God’s goodness isn’t based on his performance or my opinion of him. It’s one of his attributes, just like all-powerful, all-knowing, eternal, and merciful.

God’s goodness doesn’t vary. He is still good whether you’ve had a good day or a bad day. It’s doesn’t matter if you feel good or not, he’s still good. If bad things happen, he’s still good. If you really mess up, nothing has changed. He’s still good.

In what ways do I experience the goodness of God? When do I catch a glimpse of his goodness?

A good place to start might be John 10. While there are those people and things that kill, steal, and destroy life, the good shepherd comes to give life (John 10:9,10). If sin, which we know is bad, takes life away, whatever gives life, brings us to life, and preserves life must be from God. It’s not a perfect explanation, but it’s a good place to start.

Being disciplined, learning hard lessons, and having to confess that we’re wrong never feels good. But they’re all expressions of our Father’s love for us. That’s good. Blessings that go beyond what we ask or imagine are good too. A day when nothing eventful happens might be good when the previous nine days were stressful.

How did God reveal his goodness today?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

An unusual classroom

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:1-2)

No matter how many times I read this passage of scripture, I come away with questions. How could God ask Abraham to do something like this? How could Abraham even consider going through with it? What did Isaac think about this moment?

From our point of view, little about this makes sense. But I could look at it from a different perspective. What does God reveal about himself in Genesis 22? What do I learn about God?

God does not want human sacrifice. Other Canaanite religions sacrificed their children as a way of appeasing their gods. God is not like those gods. His love does not come in response to anything we do or not do. His love is who he is.

God does provide the substitute sacrifice, just as Abraham knew he would (22:8). A ram is the substitute for Isaac. Ultimately, God provided his own son as a substitute, atoning sacrifice for us. How could he do that? We are that important, that valuable to him.

God had promised Abraham that Isaac would be his heir, the beginnings of a great nation. God keeps his promises. He is faithful. I can trust him.

It takes a long time to learn obedience. It took Abraham twenty-five years to get to this point, where he knows, trusts, and obeys God. It’s a process. It takes time.

We’ll never understand everything about God. He is far beyond our comprehension. But he has revealed a lot about himself in creation and in the bible. That I can understand.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A relentlessly faithful God

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On his way back to back to his homeland and family, Jacob encounters a camp of angels. But even with the backup of a heavenly army, Jacob is afraid of his brother Esau’s approaching force of 400 men.

Jacob starts planning for the encounter, preparing gifts, dividing his family into two groups, and praying. That’s right, Jacob prayed. At least he’s learned something these past twenty years working for his uncle Laban.

George Mueller wrote, “The most important part of prayer is the fifteen minutes after ‘Amen.'” What you do next speaks volumes about you and who you trust. Jacob is thankful for God’s provision, recalls God’s promises, and asks for his protection. So far so good. But the next day, he continues lining up gifts to pacify his brother.

That night, Jacob wrestles all night with God (Genesis 32:24). He’s determined to get a blessing from him. Really? Jacob is on his way home with wives, children, servants and livestock. God has shown him kindness and faithfulness, given him the covenant promises, and dispatched the angel army to protect him. How much blessing will it take to get through to you, Jacob?

The world has taught us not to trust anyone. Anyone. I know most of our email, texts, and phone calls are scams. Stories and images are AI generated. Marketers manipulate me to like, desire, and buy things I don’t need or even really want. I understand completely why Jacob is cautious and has a backup plan.

However, God is relentless. He tirelessly shows us that we can trust him. He displays his faithfulness by fulfilling promise after promise. If there is anyone we can trust, it’s the Lord.

It just takes me people like me and Jacob (and probably you, the reader) a long time to take that truth to heart.

Posted in Easter, grandparenting

A resurrection worship craft

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We didn’t make it to church with the three granddaughters last Sunday. But we did a worship craft, which kind of counts, right?

I got out the stack of construction paper, crayons, glue sticks, and scissors. “So,” I said, “Let’s make a bible story craft.” One granddaughter immediately said, “Yes. We need to make one showing the cave, the stone, and Jesus who is risen.”

Great idea. We started by choosing a background color.

What’s next? “We need a dark cave.” I folded the paper over a few times and cut out the black shape of a cave entrance.

“Now we need the big stone.” I didn’t have any gray paper, so I cut out white circles and gave everyone a gray crayon.

Next is Jesus. “He has to have a white robe and a red sash.”

I asked, “How do you know he had a red sash?” They just shrugged. I cut out a Jesus and a red sash.

“What else?”

“Mary, of course.”

I cut Mary out of some pink paper, with an orange face, brown hair, and a blue scarf. Perfect.

The tomb was in a garden, so we added a bush, a tree, and some flowers.

And an angel. “Why do we need an angel?”

“The angel told them Jesus wasn’t there.”

“Oh. That’s right.” I cut one out. “But where’s the halo?”

“You can draw one in.”

I think the three-year-old’s, five-year-old’s, and seven-year-old’s worship project turned out great.

I did notice that the younger you are, the more glue stick you apply to each piece. Her pieces weren’t going anywhere!

Posted in grandfather, grandparenting, Jesus

A little Jesus

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I and the grandchildren have a lot of fun with the one hundred Jesuses I got for twenty bucks.

I put a few in my pocket and leave one wherever I go. I’ve left a little Jesus in restaurants, stores, homes, parks, and churches. Once the grandkids discovered one at home, they set out to find more. When they’ve found them, they re-hide them so they can search for them again and again.

A couple of folks from South Carolina, Erin and Emrie, came up with the idea in 2024. It’s a variation on the ducks people leave on Jeeps or painted rocks I see everywhere I go. A month ago I got into “A little Jesus goes a long way.”

The batch I bought has seven different color sashes, giving the grandchildren something to fight about. (Some colors are better than others?)

They constantly ask me, “How many did you hide?” “Where else did you hide them?” I have no idea. I just leave them here and there and everywhere.

Of course, you can get tiny Mary, all sorts of different animals, dinosaurs, food items, gnomes, insects, and just about anything else you can imagine.

Posted in Food

Pressure and donuts

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Time to make the donuts!

We met our daughter at a Dunkin’ to bring her three daughters home for an overnight sleepover. Since we were there, why not take home some munchkins? The drive thru lane was clogged, so I said, “I’m just going to go inside to order.”

Inside, the place was hopping. It only took a few seconds for me to realize no one was going to be taking my order at the register, so I stepped up to the video kiosk and tapped in a twenty-five piece assorted munchkin order.

As I waited, I watched the crew efficiently handle a barrage of drive-thru, mobile, and walk-in orders. I was fascinated by a monitor over the drive- thru register that monitored greeting time, wait time, prep time, and delivery time. Some numbers were green (I assumed that was good), while other numbers were red (needs improvement). Every fifteen seconds or so, the screen would change to one that compared the performance of other Dunkin’ stores in the area.

This busy store was #12, about halfway down the list. I watched as the headset-wearing crew filled bags with donuts, made sandwiches, poured coffee and other drinks, lined up bags of food, and handed them out the window. The eight employees moved around each other and worked well together. I don’t know how they could have moved up in the standings. Maybe the other stores weren’t as busy?

The greeting time was immediate. Perfect score there. Order fulfillment? About a minute and a half. Red numbers. Pretty good if you ask me.

However, I waited eight minutes for my bag of munchkins. Had I stayed in the drive-thru lane, I would have been out of there in about four minutes. I knew that my wife and three granddaughters would be impatiently wondering what was taking so long.

But what could I do? I had already committed to the walk-up kiosk. Drive-thru is the priority. Get ’em in, and get ’em out as fast as you can. I could order on the app. They love that. Walk up to the register? Hello, boomer!

Posted in Life

My favorite line

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Yep, my to-do list included a Walmart return. I knew there would be a line. I didn’t expect over-the-top service. I expected a long wait. I knew I would see some interesting people.

I was not disappointed on any level.

One woman occupied the register next to me the whole time I waited in line and beyond. She had a large bag full of returns from a number of shopping trips, challenging the customer service representative to process her returns. I would give this employee a nine out of ten for patience, kindness, and proficiency. She did her best to take care of a complicated return.

The woman just ahead of me had an unusual issue. She said she had ordered groceries online, but hadn’t paid for them. Several employees told her to go to the pick up area and ask about her order. She insisted on asking about the status of her order.

“Can I see the order on your phone?”

“I don’t have a phone. I ordered online.”

With a smile on her face, the rep said, “Well, if you drive around to pickup, they might be able to help you.”

She unhappily headed off in that direction.

Two people ahead of me: a woman who needed to get some kind of refund. She didn’t have a receipt, but knew the cashier and time of the purchase. They said, “We might be able to figure it out.” I thought that was very gracious. I don’t know if they got it figured out.

Finally, I heard those special words, “Next.” I had a return with receipt in hand. So basic. So easy. Routine.

After a lot of keyboard clicks, the rep showed me the screen. The shipper refunded my purchase, but I could keep the product. What am I going to do with all these L and XL tops? I guess we can donate them. I guess the shipping cost more than the product itself.

I wonder if there’s a way to play this game. Is there a way to find out who doesn’t want their stuff back so I can get refunds, keep clothes, and basically get stuff for free? Of course there is.

I drop off Amazon returns at Kohls, post office returns, and UPS returns weekly. Occasionally I send something back FedEx. I think the whole return business is a business in itself. Postage, boxes, tape, bubble wrap, and krinkle cut paper make shipping an expensive and involved endeavor.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What a ridiculous prayer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

How bold are my prayers? Do I pray for what I think God would be willing to give? Or do I go out on a limb with a ridiculous prayer for grace and mercy? Will I go to bat for someone undeserving of anything but his wrath? Am I willing to ask for something I don’t — and never could — deserve?

Abraham prays with boldness and humility in Genesis 18.

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” (Genesis 18:27,28)

From a place of extreme humility, Abraham isn’t shy about challenging God’s plan to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. His bold prayer originates from the dust and ashes of someone just as sinful, just as deserving of God’s wrath. He is not afraid to confront God, negotiate with God, and call God out on matters of justice.

“Maybe there are a few good people there.” Sure, keep dreaming Abraham. I know you care about your nephew Lot. He chose to live in Sin City, remember? His wife will look back and be turned into a pillar of salt. His daughters will use him to bear children who will torment God’s people for generations to come.

50? 45? 30? 20? 10 righteous people? If you can find that many, God will step back. He doesn’t. There wasn’t. God’s judgment is perfect, just, righteous, and appropriate. He knows what’s going on. He knows what he’s doing.

Abraham’s humble yet bold prayers remind me of something Paul wrote in Romans 8:34. There we read that Christ “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” The one who humbled himself and became a servant boldly goes to bat for us, as deserving of God’s wrath as any sinner in scripture. Forget about fifty righteous or even ten. “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). We’re only spared because he took the full wrath of God on our behalf, “wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5).

Both Abraham and Christ remind me that humility and boldness in prayer go hand in hand.