Category: Life

Posted in Life

Where did those feelings come from?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Over the past few days, I’ve been talking with someone who’s been surprised by feeling of rage, fear, and sadness because of things going on in someone else’s life. Simply trying to come along side a good friend, be supportive, and walk with them through some really difficult situations, they were overwhelmed with feelings that overflowed from the other person’s life.

In Galatians, the apostle Paul tells us to carry each other’s burdens. In Romans he says we rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. These are very reassuring words, because they remind us that we don’t have to carry life’s burdens alone. We have others, specifically our brothers and sisters in Christ, to help us when life gets too heavy.

On the other hand, we will end up with some of weight others have to carry will overflow onto our backs. That’s the hard part. Here we are, minding our own business and trying to be good friends, and suddenly, we’re hurting because of someone else’s pain. We’re crying because of someone else’s tears. And sometimes we’re filled with rage because someone else is suffering an injustice. Is it fair that we have to suffer for someone else’s mistakes?

Ah, you’re getting a taste of what Christ went through for us. Punished for our sins, rejected because of our selfishness, killed because of our unfaithfulness, Jesus knows all about unfair. Maybe we go through some of that so that we know him better. And like Paul also said, there’s nothing like knowing him.

Image: Anguish by Thomas Hawk at Flickr

Posted in Life

Lacrosse

Posted on by William Douthwaite

My younger daughter is playing high school lacrosse this year, her freshman year, just like her older sister did a few years ago. Women’s lacrosse is quite a bit different from the male version. While guys wear protective gear and go at it with sticks, women’s lacrosse is, in theory, a non-contact sport. It’s all about speed, finesse, and ball-handling skills. Once in a while there are some scuffles, but most refs keep that under control.

The season gets started in just a few weeks, so I’m gearing up to go to lots of games. I think it took me a full year to understand the game from the stands. The constant sound of whistles, the change of possession, and positioning players on the field left most of us parent spectators bewildered. Then, gradually, I not only began to get it, but I could even explain some of it to others.

We who frequent the games are a committed bunch. There are no big crowds like there are for football. Just a few families huddled in the stands since it can be a little chilly on those February nights at the beginning of the season.

Posted in Life

The final curtain

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today was the last performance of “This Thing Called Love,” a dinner theater at our church. Having done five shows over two weekends gave me a new appreciation for those who do a show on Broadway for years, or those who tour and perform the same show 7 or 8 times a week. I wonder how you stay “up” for a performance that is essentially the same night after night, week after week, month after month. And many of those who do it love it. Not only is it their profession, but it is their passion. It’s what people pay to see, so that’s what you have to do. How do you keep from getting stale? I’m sure there are techniques you learn to be able to be your best on a consistent basis. But I’m also sure it’s hard work, too.

Touring bands must face the same challenges. Playing the same songs over and over each night in different places, and having to make them sound fresh and exciting each time around. I have great respect for those who do this and do it well.

Posted in Grace, Life, Ministry

People of influence

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Tomorrow, as the first part of a stewardship emphasis at our church, I’ll be talking about the influence we have in this world. My sermon is based on Matthew 5:13-16, where Jesus says we are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

One way to look at this is to see how influential Jesus says we are in this world, making as much difference as salt and light make when something is bland or dark. (If you’d prefer to think of salt as a preservative, that works, too. We make as much difference as salt and light when things are rotting and dark.) Anyway, I think we sometimes forget how influential we are as Christians. Feeling outnumbered by other faiths and atheists and agnostics, the temptation is retreat into our own worlds or let ourselves be influenced by others.

Whether we like it or not, God shakes us out of the saltshaker and puts us into the workplace, the marketplace, the schools, and our communities. There, whether we realize it or not, we bring some of Jesus with us. By that, I mean we bring what we’ve received from him, things like forgiveness, love, humility, patience, etc. And that is the stuff that salts, brightens, and changes the world. Wrap your mind (heart, soul, and strength) around that, and you might even do it intentionally, realizing what a difference God makes through you.

We are anything but ordinary, bland, and dull in this world. We’re salt and light.


Posted in Life, Rant

Coffee crisis

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Coffee maker crisis. The most annoying thing in our lives right now, at least first thing in the morning, is our coffee maker. We’ve become totally dependent on a Keurig one cup coffee maker, which has developed a mind of its own.

Here’s the problem: you never know how much coffee will end up in your cup. Sometimes it is a normal 8 oz. serving, exactly what you expect. Other times, the coffee maker holds back, giving you a couple ounces of really strong stuff. Still other times, you get more than you expected, more than will fit in the cup you have. I’ve cleaned it, de-scaled it, done everything I’m supposed to do, and we still can’t get the one thing we really want to work in the morning to work in the morning.

I know, this really isn’t much of a crisis, especially when people in Haiti don’t have water to drink and plenty of people in the world have no food much less a cup of coffee. It just shows how easy it is to get hooked on a convenience. This morning I reflected on the olden days when we had to get up and actually brew a cup of coffee, a process that could take 10 minutes. Now we call that roughing it.

There are lots of coffee makers on sale right now, so we’ll probably just shop around for a new one. Then my mind can move on to bigger and better things.

Posted in Life

Jazz 91.1

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’ve got some new music to listen to while I’m working at the computer. It’s the live feed at http://www.jazz.fm, Jazz 91.1 from Toronto, Canada. All jazz music, all the time, an amazing variety of music and musicians, instrumentalists, bands, and vocalists. A few things I’ve heard before, but a lot I haven’t. As soon as I turn it on, it creates a very relaxing mood wherever I am. I even have the app on my iPhone.

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been somewhere that had an actual jazz station to listen to. A long, long time ago, there was one in Philadelphia. There used to be a smooth jazz station in Jacksonville, FL, but they changed format to Latin music. So these sounds are very welcome when I find myself parked at the computer, working on sermons or letters or whatever.

It’s got me playing my trumpet more, too, especially some jazz etudes I’ve collected over the years. It would be nice to have some kind of band to play with, but for now, practicing on my own with some occasional background tracks has been a good way to clear my mind and stimulate some different parts of my brain.

Posted in Grace, Life, Ministry

Thanks, God

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I just listened to a message on my answering machine from someone we’ve been praying for who needed some tests done. Pretty serious stuff and a little bit of anxiety. Well, the news was good and the voice on the machine sounded suitably relieved! You’ve got to love a message like that.

Just that moment of joy and the chance to thank God for His care also made me realize that I don’t get to find out what happens to a lot of people for whom we pray. Our petitions for help and healing far outweigh our prayers of thanks and praise.

That’s one of the reasons I keep a list of prayers in the back of my daily devotional journal. That way, I can go back and remember what I prayed for a week or months ago. I would say nine times out of ten, something has happened in that situation, and I become aware of God’s response to a prayer. Without that list, I’d forget, wouldn’t think about the response, and would miss out on seeing God at work in our lives. It’s definitely a faith-building experience when your petitions are replaced by thanks and praise rather than just more petitions.

I do this when I teach prayer in confirmation class, too. We post our prayers on a bulletin board and revisit them each week to see what’s happened. I am just as amazed as the students at all the answers. Of course, not every issue is resolved. Some things remain in our ongoing prayers, but that’s OK, too. Our persistent prayers remind us of our dependence on God and his grace, and build our endurance, character, and hope.

Posted in Life

Manatees

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today we went to Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, FL to see the manatees. As we pulled in, the ranger station announced that 299 manatees were in the springs!

Manatees usually live in the St. John’s river, but when the water temperatures dip below 68, they head in towards the springs that feed the river, which are a comfortable (for a manatee) 72 degrees year round. I think we only got to see a hundred or so of these docile mammals, who were content to just float around, hoping to find some roots or something to eat. While they were comfortable, we were freezing. The air temperature was around 38 degrees, tough for those of us who have adapted well to Florida temperatures. But those are the perfect conditions to view the manatees in their natural habitat.

Blue Springs is both an historic site and a beautiful part of old Florida, filled with Spanish moss covered live oaks. Before the railroads were built, it was an important riverboat stop on the St. Johns. Now, over 15 endangered species make their home near the springs.

Posted in Life

It’s all over

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today I put away all our Christmas decorations. I took down the lights from the outside of the house, put away all the Christmas items that we set out around the house, like nativities, took the ornaments off the tree and boxed them up, and then took the tree apart and stored it in the attic.

It’s a ritual that is somewhat less exciting that the decorating that took place a month ago, but is not less a part of the year and the passage of time. After all, you can’t celebrate Christmas all year, can you? Actually, more than a few people would like to do just that. Trees are decorated earlier each year, often being put up weeks before Thanksgiving. Christmas items are available in stores before Halloween now. A day that wasn’t even observed in the early church now occupies almost a quarter of our year. Just how much Christmas can we stand?