Posted in people

In the right place at the right time

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When I got done reading the biblical book of Esther a few months ago, I asked myself the question, “What people has God strategically put into my life?” Esther found herself in just the right place at just the right time to save her people. It wasn’t a coincidence. It was a God thing. Who else has been in the right place at the right time for me?

I’m stretching my memory here, but the first person that shows up on my radar is my eighth grade Algebra teacher, Mrs. Flaig. She was the first teacher who awakened my love for math and recognized my aptitude for that subject. She was tough but one of my favorite teachers ever. Mrs. Miller was like that, too. She taught my high school Algebra 2 and Calculus classes, always emphasizing “good mathematics!”

Then there are those who brought me along musically. Bonnie Strang taught me to play the trumpet in elementary through high school. My friend Gary Lefkowitz taught me to play guitar in college. An organist and choir director, Diane Allwein, let me play all kinds of sacred music on the trumpet at Luther Memorial Church in Tinton Falls, NJ, and gave me my first real experience in choral music. Rev. Richard Resch greatly expanded both my trumpet and choral music experiences while at the seminary.

A few pastors were in the right place at the right time, too. Pastor Don Sallach who told me at age thirteen, “You should think about being a pastor.” I never did, though, til I was twenty-six. Pastor Don Biggs in New Jersey who let me get very involved with music and youth work when I was new to the his church. Pastor Paul Harris, then a vicar in Austin, TX, who directed me towards seminary study. Pastor Dave Mulder, president of the New England District, ordained me and installed me at my first parish in Coventry, CT. He was a source of amazing encouragement in my first few years of ministry.

To this day, I still love math, music and ministry, no doubt because God had placed many of these people in my life “for such a time as this!”

Posted in Ministry

A few random grandkid pics

Posted on by William Douthwaite
This is by far the best way to eat spaghetti. I twirl mine, but I want to learn from the master, Elijah!
The cousins decided to start their own book club. At ages 12 and 16 months respectively, they emptied the bookshelves, ploughing through story after story, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Keeping the grandkids busy tip #22: paint the fort with water. Each one is holding a paint can filled with water and a three-inch paint brush. Sixty minutes of quiet activity on a beautiful late December afternoon in Florida.
Posted in Ministry

So why did I join a college fraternity?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I just finished reading Fraternity by Alexandra Robins. It resurrected a lot of memories from my freshman year at college in 1975-76. I found myself wondering, “Why did I join a fraternity when I went to college?”

On the surface, it was simple. Better food, better living space and a established social life with the friends I made my first few weeks in the dorm. The Upislon chapter of Delta Sigma Phi at Franklin and Marshall College was a place where I fit in, had a brotherhood that had a greater focus on academics, a little less emphasis on hard partying and an easygoing approach to college life. The author of the book describes a well-defined approach to brotherhood, leadership and philanthropy that I don’t believe was emphasized forty years ago. I learned many of those things, but only a a byproduct of fraternity house life. We had a bit of hazing, but nothing so severe as that described in the book.

Annually recruiting new members was critical to the survival of out chapter, so I don’t remember being all that discerning about who was invited to pledge and who wasn’t. If a guy desired to join, he was in, for better or worse.

At that time, social events were the domain of the Greek system. There were no sororities on campus till a colony formed my senior year. If you wanted to go to a party, you went to a fraternity. Parties simply involved kegs of beer and a live band. We didn’t drink anything harder than that. A few guys dabbled in marijuana or whippets. Most of us were under the twenty-one year old Pennsylvania drinking age, but as long as we kept it in the house, no one ever seemed to mind.

We certainly did not treat women with any kind of respect. They were simply a commodity, whether they were from campus or nursing students from the hospital down the street. Casual sex was rare, even in the pre-HIV world of the late 1970’s.

Communication was all face-to-face. The house had a pay phone that we all shared. A few brothers had their own phones installed in their rooms. Yeah, I know, it was a strange world with no email, no texting, no internet, no FaceBook, and no word processing. Library card catalogues, books and periodicals, manual typewriters, a campus bookstore and vinyl music defined daily campus life.

However, I probably learned more from fraternity life (along with the college radio station and band) than I did from my classes. I learned a lot about running a house where twenty guys lived and another twenty dined during the week. I learned a lot about music, including playing the guitar. I actually had a lot of fun washing dishes in the kitchen every night to pay for my room and board. I learned how to tap a keg, hack into the college administration databases with a dialup modem connection, make a few bucks typing papers for my friends and jimmy a lock to someone’s room when necessary.

About a year ago, my office manager stuck her head in my office and said, “There’s a guy here who says he’s one of your fraternity brothers.” I didn’t remember much about him since he was a freshman as I was finishing up my final year. But we had a ton of mutual friends and memories, and he helped me realize the lasting value of brotherhood.

Posted in Nature

Sand Hill Crane

Posted on by William Douthwaite

In between sessions at workshop yesterday, I was walking by a wall of windows and saw this guy staring at me through from the other side of the window, just foot away. I stood really still and he stood really still until I got a few nice pictures and he slowly wandered off.

He looked a bit different than the usual herons I’ve seen in the area. Today I went to allaboutbirds.org and used their handy identification guide. With just a few clicks indicating location, size and color, “Sand Hill Crane” popped up. Bingo! He (assuming this was a “he”) was probably wintering in Volusia County. His slow, graceful gait was mesmerizing. I wish I could have seen him fly. His wingspan would have been magnificent. I loved watching his backward-bending knees and the way his toes splayed out each time he took a step.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he was surprised to find a church and parking lot in the place that was remote and wooded the last time he was here. He may have been thinking the same thing about me. A year ago this church wasn’t here, either. Natural wetlands are succumbing to relentless development in this part of Florida.

I think we were both a little sad.

Posted in church

A new, modern church

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Daytona Beach First Baptist Church

I attended a required Child Evangelism Fellowship workshop today so that I could continue working with the Good News Club at a local elementary school. The workshop was held at the new campus of First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, which recently moved from its historic location closer to the heart of the city. I looked forward to seeing their new site.

On the way there, I missed the turn into the church entrance. After I turned around, I turned into a mile long drive into a gorgeous acreage with the two new church buildings. A friend of mine commented, “That drive must have cost at least a million dollars.” I believe he was on target.

But as I pulled into a parking space, I was underwhelmed by two very understated buildings. I felt like I had pulled into an industrial park rather than a church complex. OK, take a breath. Just walk in and see what they have done here.

I walked into a space that was designed to be a coffee shop, restaurant and gathering area. It was very nice, and I quickly recognized others from my Good News Club. We sat together with coffee and bagels and caught up since our last time together.

The opening session was in the adjacent building, the main worship space. I tried to keep an open mind, but to tell you the truth, it felt like a warehouse rather than a church. The audio/visual technology was spectacular, but with a back wall of garage doors, exposed ventilation ducts and exposed walls, I did not feel like I had stepped into a church. I know that this design was intentional, but wow, what a difference from what this church used to be. Our breakout sessions were in very nicely appointed classrooms with very homey appointments.

So many thoughts went through my mind. Is this what a church looks like in the 21st century? Am I old enough to feel uncomfortable in a contemporary church? Is this what Jesus had in mind?

Jesus never went to church. What would he have to say about our churches? I am so glad he is merciful and abounding in love!

The dais, screen and stage
Posted in Psalms

Rock climbing

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I am having a ball in the Psalms this time through the Bible. The word pictures just keep jumping off the page and into my life. Like this one:

“Lead me to a rock that towers above me” (Psalm 61:2 AAT).

You never have to teach your kids (or grandkids) to climb on rocks. From parks to the zoo to a creek or the each, take them anywhere there are rocks and they will automatically begin climbing.

Why is that so appealing? Is it the physical challenge? It is the sense of accomplishment when you get to the top? Is is a chance to be higher and taller than the grown-ups? Or is it for that moment when they can announce, “Look at me! I’m all the way up here!”

For David, these words were his prayer for help against an enemy. The top of a rock was a good defensive position, a strong tower of protection. There’s no better rock and no more secure tower than God himself!

You’re never too young to begin and never get too old to keep climbing on the Rock!

Posted in visual prayer

Put it on the scale

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Those of low estate are but a breath;
    those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
    they are together lighter than a breath. (Psalm 62:9 ESV)

Mortal men are only a breath,
even important men a delusion.
When they are weighed the scales rise;
they are altogether less than a vapor. (Ps. 62:9 AAT)

There have been times at the airport when we cut it really close as we put our luggage to be checked on the scale. If it weighs an ounce over fifty pounds, you have to pay a hefty added fee for that bag. I’ve put a forty-nine point something on that scale and breathed a sigh of relief! I’ve also watched people franticly toss items from a fifty-two pound suitcase, desperately trying to lighten their load.

I often overestimate the weight of what someone has done, could do, or might do. I’ll stay awake at night fretting about what someone has said, what I fear they will do, or hypothesize a worst-case scenario. I’m convinced that I’m going to have to pay the price for their criticism, abandonment, negativity, accusation or failure. Those things always seem so heavy! This psalmist has a cure for such sleeplessness: put it on the scale.

Put it on a scale to see how it compares to God’s power, grace, mercy, forgiveness and promises. Go ahead, try it. No matter who they are or what they’ve done or what they might do, the scale rises on their side. Next to everything God is, does and says, they are “lighter than a breath” or “less than a vapor.”

I just love that image. I will add it to my collection of visual prayers. Whoever is antagonizing me, I will just prayerfully put it on a scale opposite my Lord. Suddenly, it’s not so heavy. It’s virtually weightless!

And I can rest in Him.

Posted in Grace

Forgiveness is a must

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Gianandrea Villa on Unsplash

“Is it ever OK for a Christian to not forgive?” In a word: no.

I wasn’t present, but I know the question came up recently in a bible class. More than a few folks argued that there are just some offenses and sins that couldn’t and shouldn’t be forgiven.

Scripture is clear: Christians forgive. We forgive because we have been forgiven. When Peter asked Jesus if there was a cap on forgiveness, Jesus said, “No.” Peter asked, “How many times do I forgive someone? Seven times?” Jesus replied, “Seventy-seven times.” In other words you always forgive.

Jesus then tells a story that illustrates his point in Matthew 18:23-35. God’s forgiveness is so extravagant that we must forgive the comparatively small things others say or do against us. His instruction to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” expresses the same directive. Our mandate is to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). He sets the example; we follow suit.

No one ever said it was easy. Forgiveness is hard. God doesn’t just look the other way or say, “Forget about it.” His declaration of the forgiveness only happens because Jesus was crucified, paying for our sins with his life. In fact, Jesus paid for all sins by his innocent suffering and death.

“But what if they don’t repent?” “What if they aren’t sorry?” Neither changes the call to forgive. Forgiveness is one-sided. You let it go. You don’t hold it over someone’s head. You don’t seek retribution. You do not make them pay for what they have done.

Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting, though. It does, however, give us a different way of remembering without resentment or bitterness. Forgiveness makes it possible to see the one who hurt us through the lens of the cross, which always brings Christ’s compassion and mercy into view.

However, forgiveness may or may not lead to reconciliation. Forgiveness is one-sided. You can intentionally forgive in your heart all on your own. Reconciliation, however, takes two. It requires two people to work to heal a broken relationship. Reconciliation may take a long, long time. Though pursued, it may never happen. You may never get along with someone, even though you have forgiven them.

What about Jesus’ words to his disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:23)? The church pairs these words with Jesus’ teaching about what to do when a “brother sins against you” (Matthew 18:15-20). Much responsibility is given to the church to hold its members accountable for their actions and proclaim God’s forgiveness. In other words, the preaching of Law and Gospel is serious business! Just remember, you are not the church. You are simply a child of God, forgiven and free from your sins. “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8 NIV).

Posted in people

“Hey, I like your glasses!”

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by William Moreland on Unsplash

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that I’ve been in the process of having my cataracts taken care of. I started the process about a week before Christmas. Except for a few days here and there, I had to stop wearing my contact lenses. Though they are so thin I can’t even tell they are in my eyes, they can affect the measurements which determine what implants I need. So, I’ve been wearing my glasses for last month.

That first Sunday, the comments didn’t surprise me. Nor did they seem out of place on Christmas Eve. A couple of weeks ago, people returned from holiday travel, so they got their first view of me in glasses. But this past Sunday, four weeks into the process, I was still getting the comment, “Hey, I like your glasses!” My response was a little different, though. This time I said, “No you don’t. You like my frames!” You see, I took the lens out of the right side of my glasses since that eye sees so nicely with its new implant. I only needed the left lens until tomorrow’s procedure.

But I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why didn’t you notice my glasses before?” Did they really not notice? Not remember? Not pay attention? Could be any or all of those. Most of us are poor eyewitnesses. Asked to describe a person, would you fail to mention he or she was wearing glasses?

It’s so easy to be distracted or preoccupied, and miss a whole bunch of stuff going on around you. I like to go places and intentionally watch people, noting what I observe about them and what seems odd or out of place. I work hard to be situationally aware of who is around me, what they are doing and listen to what they’re saying. Such awareness is a good way to be safe in this world. It’s a good way to notice how you might help someone. I get to enjoy the incredibly diverse population God has created.

Most of the time, no one notices I’m watching. They’re absorbed in their phone or their own little world. So I can take pictures, eavesdrop on conversation, catch a pin or password, and learn their name, what they do and where they’re from. I think it’s fun to do that.

Sometimes though, I notice that someone is watching me…

I wonder if they noticed I was wearing glasses. And next week, will they notice that I’m not?