Posted in weather

A foggy morning

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When I stepped out the door to walk the big dog, I had no idea I wouldn’t be able to see to the end of the street. We rarely get fog so this was a rare treat. I love walking in a predawn fog.

It’s disconcerting. Suddenly, the same houses and neighborhood look completely different. Have I been here before? I feel disoriented. Where am I? Where is my house? How will I get back home? Take a breath. Just keep turning left and you’ll be back at your house in no time.

It’s beautiful, but distressing. The clouds have descended and stolen the sunrise. They have hidden the horizon. How will we get them back? Take a breath. The fog never stays for long.

It’s confusing. Maybe my glasses are dirty. Wait. I don’t wear glasses. I’ll rub my eyes, and everything will clear up. Right?

Is it a fire? We had wild fires just a half a mile from our home. The smoke was dense when we evacuated. Thankfully, when the smoke cleared and we returned, our house was still there, unharmed.

It could be the darkness closing in. Yoda said, “The dark side clouds everything.” I don’t want to start down that dark path. I might never return. Maybe I should just turn around and go back in the house.

It could be a dream. I’ll wake up any minute and the Florida sun will still rule the sky. Everything will be bright and clear. If I can just open my eyes.

Posted in Food, Travel

A little cheese with our wine

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We had time for some wine and cheese at the Antler Hill Village wine bar before our Christmas tour of the Biltmore House last night. The Fireside Ember & Oak Flight featured a Cabernet, red blend, and a Zinfandel. The cheese plate we ordered to go along with it was huge!

Before (a fourteen inch oval plate)

The generous slices of Swiss, Gouda, and Brie were joined by some balls of fresh mozzarella, dried cranberries, Marcona almonds, little bitty toasts, long crackers, peach preserves, and some coarse spicy mustard. And olives. Lots and lots of olives. When I ordered, the server asked if I’d like to add olives. “Sure.” There must have been about a hundred olives in the bowl.

After

We gave it our best shot. We made a respectable dent in the cheeses, nuts, crackers, and olives, but couldn’t finish it off.

Another option on the wine bar menu was a meat and cheese plate. We could have had all the above and three cured meats, too! And olives. Lots and lots of olives!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

High, low, buffalo

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When we’re together with the granddaughters, someone will say, “High, low, buffalo!” In response, we’ll go around the table and share the high point of our day so far, the low point, and then something silly (the buffalo). It’s a variation of the “Good thing/bad thing” we launch into with the grandsons.

It’s a fun discussion starter, and a good way to reflect on the blessings, adventure, and joys of each day.

But in some ways, every day is a bad day (according to Romans 3) and every day is a good day (according to Romans 4).

“None is righteous…no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10,12). I’m never really having a good day.

On the other hand, “To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). In other words,
‭‭through faith, I’m always having a good day.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to do better. And it’s good to admit you’ve screwed up. But it’s important to remember that we’re justified by grace through faith, which means God no longer judges us by high, low, or buffalo. His love is steadfast and endures forever.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

No excuses

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Romans 1 and 2.

With more means of communication than ever, we’ve also got more excuses.

  • “I didn’t see your email.”
  • “I didn’t get your message.”
  • “My phone was dead.”
  • “I didn’t hear what you said.”
  • “The email went to my spam folder.”
  • “I never got the letter. It must have gotten lost in the mail.”

In Romans 1, Paul states there’s no excuse for not knowing God. Creation makes it obvious (1:20).

In Romans 2, Paul adds there’s no excuse for your behavior, either. You can’t say you didn’t know. Either your conscience (2:15) or the law (2:17) convicts you.

On the one hand, I’m dismayed that all my excuses have been disqualified.

On the other hand, with no excuses to fall back on, I have can only depend on grace. Which is where my hope should be anyway.

Posted in lessons, Life

It sounded like a pretty good deal

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sollange Brenis on Unsplash

It sounded like a pretty good deal. We were sitting across the desk from the finance guy at the dealer where we’ve bought most of our cars. We got a good deal, knew we wanted an extended warranty, and were lured into adding on a maintenance contract.

It sounded like a pretty good deal. The friendly young man explained it would cover all our maintenance except for tires, brakes, and wiper blades. It was less than twenty bucks per month. It would quickly pay for itself.

It sounded like a pretty good deal. Until I took the vehicle in for a second maintenance. Oil change and tire rotation. Paid for. Fuel system cleaning and wheel alignment? Here’s an estimate. I asked, “What about the maintenance agreement?”

“Oh, that’s not covered.”

When I explained the purchase I had purchased, he admitted, “I hear that a lot. That only covers oil changes and tire rotation. You’ll get a small discount on the other services, but they aren’t covered.”

When I got home, I read all the fine print. There was a lot of fine print. And he was right. The nice young man had lied to me. I willingly and naively took his word for it and signed the contract. I’m not out any money. It would pay for itself. But the whole agreement was really just a way to make sure I bring my car to the dealer for maintenance.

Since I can’t prove that the nice young man lied, I’m not sure I have any recourse. I will write to the dealer and express my displeasure. I will go to the trouble of reading these agreements more carefully in the future. I will challenge those who offer me those really good sounding deals.

Posted in Christmas, crafts, creativity

Christmas crafts

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We had three granddaughters at our house three days before Christmas. Along with Christmas music in the background, cookies to eat, and a viewing of “The Star,” I helped them with some construction paper projects. All we needed was a stack of construction paper, three glue sticks, and a pair of scissors (for me).

All three were well versed in arts and crafts, and glued circle, square, diamond, crescent, and heart-shaped ornaments on their trees as fast as I could cut them out. They added tinsel (what I call garland), a star, and a tree trunk. The project didn’t use up as much time as I imagined, so it was on to a homemade nativity.

A baby Jesus in a manger, Mary, Joseph, and an angel soon occupied a stable topped by a bright star. Happy faces all around made it a very, merry, Christmas!

One granddaughter is very organized, grouping all her ornaments by color on her tree. According to another, you cannot have too much tinsel. Even the two-year old skillfully glued ornaments on her tree with an eye for design. But she decided to play dress up when we started on the nativity project.

I love these analog moments in a mostly digital world. The memories and impact last beyond the moment in the hearts and minds of both old and young alike. What a great reminder that our Lord was more than an idea, but a person complete with a voice, little hands, and a smile.

Posted in Christmas

A few baby Jesus sightings

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I received seven Christmas cards this year. (Yes, I know one is technically an Epiphany card.) Forty-three percent (three out of seven) include the baby Jesus, an increase from previous years. Two circle around the gift of a Savior, but don’t quite land the plane. And nothing embraces peace like a bundled up snowman, right?

The above photo doesn’t include the two family photo postcards we received. Two of the cards did include lengthy newsletters. One of the cards was from a family I don’t think ever sent one before.

Supposedly, Americans are still sending Christmas cards. Google AI says 1.3 billion cards are sent each year. Wow. Just wow. The average household sends twenty-eight cards. We’re below average in this category. We sent out none this year.

Perhaps the number of cards received is a response to how many cards were sent. Maybe I’ll do some research next year. If I send out my cards right after Thanksgiving, will I receive more in return?

And you know mine will include a baby Jesus.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

This is the way

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Romans 8.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22).

The apostle Paul transforms our view of suffering in the eighth chapter of Romans. What if suffering and sorrow were not simply reminders of mortality, but labor and delivery for new life to come?

Since we believe God has the upper-hand on everything, even suffering must be a part of his plans and purposes.

What?

Well, if the cross is any indication, suffering and even death are a part of God’s overarching plan. Suffering produces endurance, character, and hope (Romans 5:3-4). Want to experience comfort? It only comes after suffering (2 Cor. 1:7). Want to experience resurrection? You have to die (ugh) (Phil. 3:10-11).

Sore muscles means I am doing some beneficial workouts. My body reveals its power to heal after I’ve cut myself (this happens a lot). Bumps and bruises teach me not to do that again.

You learn from your mistakes? Failure is a better teacher than success? Grasping victory from the jaws of defeat? Exactly.

The next time you’re struggling, look at it as labor pains rather than death pangs.

Posted in Christmas

My 2025 gallery of Christmas yard art

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Here’s this year’s collection of Christmas yard decorations in my neighborhood.

Nativity

From inflatables to cut-outs to full figurines, the Lord was well represented this year.

Snowmen

I love seeing snowmen in Florida. Ironically, they wear hats, scarves, and gloves, as if snowmen could get cold.

Santa

I believe Santa’s popularity has waned in recent years. He’s still a mainstay, but has to share lawn space with a lot of other characters.

The Grinch

Candy Canes

I walked by many “candy cane farms” this year. For a season they replace driveway and landscape lights.

Lights

Of course there are plenty of lights. New designs include dripping icicles, programmable strings of LEDs, and red and green floodlights.

Miscellaneous

A Christmas unicorn?
When pigs fly…
Florida!
Getting a jump on Easter
Minimalist Christmas

Anything with a Santa hat is now part of the Christmas landscape. From turtles to flamingoes, pigs to dinosaurs, all are welcome to join the cast. As long as you have a storage unit for the other ten months of the year.