Month: March 2026

Posted in language

Entrega de electrodomésticos

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Both appliances showed up at the same time this morning, on two different trucks from two different warehouses. While the washing machine came from Jacksonville, the dryer came from Daytona Beach. I knew my delivery time window, but was surprised when each showed up unannounced. I usually get a text or phone call.

Anyway, I wasn’t surprised that both crews spoke English as a second language. They were all nice and did their jobs well.

I was surprised when the driver of truck number two used his phone to communicate with me. Using a translation app, he spoke into it and then held it up for me to read. When I answered, the phone texted back to him in Spanish. It was the first time a driver was dependent on a translator for delivery.

After he wheeled the dryer into the garage, he looked at me, spoke a few words, and showed me his phone. “You didn’t order installation.” I must have had a puzzled look on my face, because he showed me the screen a second time. I checked my big box store app and sure enough, there was no install on the order. I shrugged and said, “Thank you.” I don’t know why I didn’t say, “Gracias.”

It wasn’t a big deal. I’ve attached a vent and plugged in a dryer before. I was just surprised because the washing machine delivery guys hooked up the water and drain hoses, plugged it in and ran a quick cycle. I did have to watch a video to learn how to switch the door to open from the other side, but it was a pretty easy process.

Google translate is now available in 110 languages. Wow. That’s impressive.

Translation apps are amazing. Unless your cell service is spotty. Or the wifi is down. What if the power goes out? Yikes.

Posted in running

Building Spiritual Endurance: Lessons from Marathon Training

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash

“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints” (Revelation 13:10; 14:12).

No matter the meaning of the power and influence of the beasts and the wrath and judgments of God in Revelation, believers are called to endurance. Faithfulness is a marathon, not a sprint. This is going to take a while.

It’s been a while since I ran marathons. In preparation, I ran seventy, eighty, and sometimes ninety miles a week. I didn’t run fast. I just ran long distances for a long time. As a marathon race weekend approached, I would do long runs of sixteen, eighteen, and twenty miles, getting used to running several hours at a stretch. It wasn’t easy. But that’s what you do to be able to finish the twenty-six point two miles of a marathon.

How do we develop spiritual endurance? There are other scriptures that provide insight.

  • “The God of endurance” (Romans 15:5). He’s the source. God is faithful. He keeps going and going and going, faithful to his promises throughout our lives. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22).
  • “Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Endurance flows from God’s power. While a capacitor provides a quick burst of electrical energy, a battery provides a constant source of power over a longer period of time. God can ramp it up if needed. But he’s also a constant, steady source of power.
  • “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). As I read through the gospels, Jesus was never in a hurry. He traveled on foot. He stopped for those who cried out for mercy. He took time to rest, pray, eat, and teach. In contrast, I’m busy, impatient, rushed, and hate to be interrupted. What if I let him set the pace?
  • “Suffering produces endurance” (Romans 5:3). That’s the one I don’t like. It’s not going to be pleasant. It will be difficult. But you’ll be able to go further next time. You’ll develop endurance.

Do you want to follow Jesus? Are you committed to listening to him, learning from him, and doing what he says? If so, block out some time in your day, because it’s going to take a while to understand, trust, and do what he says. It’s going to take endurance.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I feel like I’m in a cloud

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A thick fog held off daybreak for a few hours this morning. Car headlights revealed tiny droplets of water in the air. I love to look up at clouds in the sky. But now the cloud surrounded me.

My usual morning walk route looks different on a foggy day. I feel like a kid watching black and white TV. Colors have given way to nothing but grays. The street should be lined with houses, but I can only see the next one in front of me. A few cars suddenly emerge from the fog, as surprised to see me as I am them.

Limited visibility creates mystery. Is this the right street? Did I miss a turn? Do I know where I’m at? Who else is out here? Who’s watching me?

As I keep walking, I see the sun trying to break through, burn off the fog, and take over the day. It’s a lot easier to chase away the night. But I know the sun will win out. It always does.

Posted in Life, Travel

Traveling the world on a drive through Florida

Posted on by William Douthwaite
The tower of a citrus processing plant somewhere in southwest Florida

We took two of our grandsons to an Atlanta Braves spring training baseball game at Cool Today Park, a beautiful stadium nestled between Port Charlotte and Venice, Florida. Our drive from northeast Florida took us down interstate highways through Daytona Beach and Orlando, before the GPS routed us down back roads to avoid ever-present slowdowns on I-75.

I took in a part of Florida I had not yet experienced. Some of the roads took us through abandoned orange groves. Others took us through vast cattle ranches and expansive strawberry fields. We passed thetowering citrus processing plants, endless rows of fabric-covered infant orange trees, tobacco stores, gun shops, and Latin-American food trucks of southwest Florida.

I thought I understood redneck Florida. I was wrong. Our drive took us through a whole different world, a strange new world in a state where I have lived for thirty years.

I trusted the Airbnb host’s recommendation for a casual supper place. I haven’t been out to eat in a place where people were smoking for a long, long time. The seating area was technically outside, so they got away with the few patrons who lit up a cigarette. I was happy when they finished up their meal and left.

On the way home, we were the only English-speaking folks inquiring about the restrooms. Nevertheless, everyone was friendly and helpful.

I don’t have to travel far to experience other cultures. They are right down the road.