Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in dogs

The big, ferocious dog behind the window

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

He either smelled us coming or he heard us. All I know is he was big, had a substantial woof, and was not happy that the big dog and I dared to walk on the road in front of his house.

My Great Dane was mildly interested in what he had to say, but was quickly distracted by the brave bunny sitting very still by the side of the road.

I was entertained by the beast in the house, wildly jumping, barking, and pawing at the window. With each lunge he got hold of some curtains, pulling them from the rod.

I asked my dog, “What’s he saying?” And, “Why is he so upset?” I assume all dogs speak the same language, but none of my dogs have been willing to translate for me. I can only assume it’s a fierce warning to move along and never, ever return.

We’re soon out of sight, but we’ll be back tomorrow. And I have feeling we’ll have the same conversation.

My big dog isn’t concerned by neighbors walking their dogs. But she hears the beep when someone pushes a key fob or starts up a truck or opens a garage door. Then she’s got something to say. Probably a big woof that means, “Who’s that? What was that? Did you hear that?” Thankfully, she doesn’t paw at the blinds. She just leave a bunch of nose prints on the window.

Posted in Life

Seafood? No thank you.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Durenne Loris on Unsplash

Last month, we took my son and his family out to supper at a nice seafood restaurant in Saint Augustine. As we were looking over the menu, I overheard an interesting conversation at an adjacent table.

“I’m allergic to all kinds of seafood. What else do you have?”

The menu was filled with wonderful appetizers and entrees. With dishes ranging from gator tail to butterfly shrimp to the catch of the day, I had a hard time deciding on what to order.

I listened with interest as the waitress explained to the seafood-allergic customer that they had little to offer a hyper-allergenic customer.

Why? Why would you come to a seafood restaurant if you were allergic to all fish and shellfish? What were you thinking? What did you hope would happen?

The boyfriend was beside himself. This was a bad idea. No matter how you look at it, this was going to be a bad night. She’s pissed at you. You’re both hungry. There’s nothing on the menu you can order.

You might as well just go somewhere for dessert.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

God is really good at the game of Risk

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 46.

“The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations” (Jeremiah 46:1).

It turns out that God had a message for the whole world, not just Israel or Judah. God speak of judgment for Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Syria, Persia, and Babylon. Their violence, cruelty, pride, oppression, and idolatry has not gone unnoticed. Don’t worry. God will deal with them.

As I read through these chapters, I jotted down two notes in my journal. First, God is not a spectator in human history. He doesn’t passively watch it unfold. He’s the star. He’s on the stage, causing and working through current events.

My second note is, “God is playing the game of Risk.” Risk was one of my favorite childhood games. We left the Risk board on a basement table, since an ongoing game might take days to complete. Ours was an original game with wooden pieces representing armies and tens of armies. Risk taught me geography and strategy, along with statistics and luck. With a large enough army, I could defeat anyone, even if the dice seemed to be against me.

When it comes to God, there’s no luck or odds. He’s in control of the board, and he comes out on top. I too often forget about God’s role when I read the news. For better or worse, he’s behind all the headlines. He’s not a passive observer of human ambition. God is the headliner, the main event, and the star of the show. Nothing happens outside of his control. There may be a lot of players in the game of Risk (I think six is the max), but when it’s all said and done, God always wins.

My memories of playing Risk with my brother and sister and neighborhood friends helps me understand the Old Testament. There are lots of nations in play, we think it’s all random and luck, but God reveals himself and his plans as nations rise and fall.

Posted in Life

Put it on a gift card

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today, I had the wonderful pleasurof taking a return to the customer service counter at Walmart. The good news is that the line was short. The bad news is that the person ahead of me didn’t have her act together.

The counter person was stoic, helpful, and efficient. The refund amount for the two small cans of diced tomatoes was $1.76. Why did she need to return those? I have no idea.

Oh, and she wanted the refund put on a gift card. Yes, $1.76 on a Walmart gift card. She did not want cash. Or a credit on her card. She insisted on a gift card.

I couldn’t help but wonder why? Why not cash? Why not a one and a little change? Why not a credit on her Visa? Why even bother with such a small refund?

I have no idea. I don’t know what was going through her mind. I don’t know how much food she had or didn’t have at home. I don’t know where she got those tomatoes.

No harm, no foul. The tomatoes were returned. The gift card got a credit. Everyone walked away happy.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

You should have seen it coming

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jun Weng on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Lamentations 2.

The Lord has done what he purposed;
    he has carried out his word,
which he commanded long ago;
    he has thrown down without pity;
he has made the enemy rejoice over you
    and exalted the might of your foes. (Lamentations 2:17)

When I think of God’s promises, I think of positive ones. I remember promises of his presence protection, provision, and forgiveness.

But what about God’s promises of discipline, punishment, and destruction? As Jeremiah witnesses the siege, invasion, and destruction of Jerusalem, he recalls God’s promise of consequences for unfaithfulness and disobedience (Deuteronomy 29). Whether you like it or not, God keeps his word.

I used to have a little book that listed all of God’s promises by topic. Well, not all of them. Only the positive ones. It never occurred to me that the negative ones had been conveniently overlooked. I don’t think they would sell as many of those books.

Come to think of it, the first promise in the bible was a warning. “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) I never see those words on a t-shirt or wall plaque.

So when you want talk about God’s faithfulness, don’t forget the warnings as well as the blessings. It’s all part of his word that teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains (2 Timothy 3:16).

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Sick to his stomach

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Image by Darko Djurin from Pixabay

My eyes are spent with weeping;
    my stomach churns;
my bile is poured out to the ground
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because infants and babies faint
    in the streets of the city. (Lamentations 2:11)

The destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of the people is gut-wrenching. The whole scene makes Jeremiah sick to his stomach.

His words made me wonder, “Have I ever seen anything that made me want to throw up?”

Some people lose it when they see blood or a hypodermic needle. Neither bothers me. Pictures of an especially violent car crash might make me a little queasy, but not too bad. I used to find vomit or poop disgusting, but after raising kids, helping care for grandkids, and cleaning up after puppies, I got used to it. I might lose it watching an autopsy, but I’ll probably never find out.

I’ve never seen the violence Jeremiah witnessed. Perhaps I’ve never seen the suffering his family and friends endured. Devastation has never hit my home and my community as it did his.

Or, I’ve become desensitized to violence, destruction, abuse, and killing. Jeremiah didn’t see any of that on television or in movies. He experienced it first hand, and it was like a punch to the gut.

It bothers me that I’ve been desensitized. Can I get that back, or is that just the way I’m going to react to the world around me now?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Alone

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jamison Riley on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Lamentations 1.

“How lonely sits the city
    that was full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1)

Left behind after most of the people have been taken into exile, Jeremiah sees a deserted Jerusalem.

It must have looked like a once vibrant shopping mall that sits empty as people shop online or on the streets of trendy town centers. It was as deserted as my evacuated county when wildfires raced towards our homes. It was as empty as a closed Wally World when Clark Griswold and his family arrive in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” Or like the church when everyone stayed home because of Covid-19.

When someone dies, family and friends gather to mourn, comfort, and support their loved ones. When they leave, and you’re alone, the house feels especially empty. It’s so quiet. Your voice echoes. You’re never felt so alone.

Jeremiah knew it would happen. In distress he groans, “You have brought the day you announced” (1:21). But he didn’t know his stomach would church and heart would be faint as he witnessed the faithful justice of the holy God.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I don’t want to do that

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 42 and 43.

Most of the nation has been taken into exile. The remnant who’s left wants Jeremiah to ask God, “Now what should we do?” They promise, “We will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you” (Jeremiah 42:6).

Jeremiah passes along this message from the Lord: “Don’t run away to Egypt. Stay here. I’ll take care everything” (42:10-12).

That’s not the answer they wanted to hear. “You’re lying!” they said, and “did not obey the voice of the Lord” (43:7). They all ran away to Egypt, dragging Jeremiah with them.

How often has someone asked you, “What do you think I should do?” Or, “What can I do to help?” After your thoughtful and loving response, they reply, “I don’t want to do that.” You’ve been that someone, haven’t you? Yeah, me, too. We don’t really want advice. We just want someone to affirm what we wanted to do all along.

It’s just like the man who asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16) He had obey all the commandments, and wanted to make sure he had left nothing undone. When Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Jesus, he walked away sadly because he had a lot of possessions. Jesus’s instructions were the last thing he wanted to do.

The fact that Jesus’s instructions are often the last thing I want to do reveals a lot about my heart. I need his grace a lot more than I like to admit.

Posted in lessons

A new perspective on partiality

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I was teaching a middle/high school class on a recent Sunday. We looked at the first part of James 2 and talked about the “sin of partiality.” I know that doesn’t seem like much of a sin, but in the early church it was a big deal.

In the adult world, partiality is huge. We place a lot of value on appearance, achievement, belief systems, political parties, wealth, race, and sexual orientation.

The students all said none of that really mattered to them. They’ve grown up in a much different world. I told them they are better adjusted than most of the grown-ups I know.

Finally, I said, “What about furries?” Everyone reacted with comments like, “No way,” “I’m not getting near them,” “Forget it.”

It took a while, but I hit a nerve, at least with this group. A furry is someone who dresses up and acts like an animal at home and in school. I never went to school with someone who had a tail coming out the back of their pants, paw-like mittens, and animal nose and ears. No one ever dressed like the cast of Cats. But you’ll find them in the schools, and they aren’t popular outside of their own private circle. It’s not just a costume, but part of their daily wardrobe.

It’s not that students are more tolerant. They just look down on different people for different reasons. We all do it. We all fall short in that area. We all have a lot to learn about other people.