Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Yes, thank you, I would appreciate your help

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kampus https://www.pexels.com

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 13.

“Then [Jesus] poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:5).

It’s the lowest of all tasks. Only the lowest of servants wash feet. And Jesus is that servant. Jesus humbles himself. Jesus is the least. Jesus isthe servant. Jesus is last in line. Jesus is last in his class.

Peter doesn’t want it. He doesn’t want Jesus to wash his feet. No way, no how. But Jesus says he must do this. This is what God does when he comes to earth. This is his mission.

I’ve learned to always accept an offer of help. Even if I can handle it, or it’s not too heavy, or its within my capabilities, I now say, “Yes, thank you.” Someone carries something, cooks something, builds something, writes something, teaches something, or whatever? Yes, thank you.

It’s good for me. And good for them. I’m not self-sufficient. And others benefit from helping me. It’s a win-win.

Little ones love to help. I always ask the grandkids, “Do you want to help me?” They are thrilled to help me walk a dog, gather sticks for a fire, or prepare a snack. They love being a part of the action.

Jesus told us to love, serve, comfort, and encourage. But if everyone is doing just fine, how can we follow his command? Sometimes we need to let others follow his instructions by being helped, comforted, and encouraged.

Posted in Life

Nice try, but I’ll stick with what I’ve got

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jaycee300s : https://www.pexels.com

When I pulled up to the house, I noticed a business card on the front door. Another salesperson working the neighborhood. I get about two a week. Probably a tree trimming service.

It was someone from the internet company we used to have. Once another outfit put in fiber, I went with them for better speed and lower price.

The old coax company lost a ton of business and were out to win back some customers. This guy came back to chat with my wife while she was in the garage. He came back a third time to talk to me.

He laid it on thick, complimenting me on being a “legacy” customer entitled to a special deal. He claimed that the company had upgraded their equipment, so he could offer me the same speed I had with fiber for half the price. Plus, the system could handle up to 240 devices simultaneously. He’d install it so I could try what I had next to his company and decide which one to keep. For free. “Sure, why not?”

Someone was out the next day. The old line had been severed during some hurricane cleanup a few years ago, so the tech laid out a temporary line, set up a modem and router, and I was ready to give it a try.

At first, it seemed to work just fine. I was very tempted to save money each month. Then I ran an internet speed app. The download speed was a little faster. The upload speed was much slower. Hmm. That’s not what he promised. He didn’t exactly lie. He just didn’t tell me the whole story.

The next day, another tech was out to bury the new cable in the yard. These folks were serious. However, later that after noon, the system was down for a few hours. I haven’t lost internet service for years, not even during severe storms.

This wasn’t going to work.

Now I had the pleasant task of calling to cancel. I wasn’t on hold very long before a customer rep from Kansas City, Missouri, was on the line to help me.

I know he was just doing his job. I know he was following the script they gave him. “We don’t want to lose you as a customer. What if we took ten dollars off your monthly bill? Do you know we can give you free mobile phone service?”

I said, “I want to cancel my service” nine times before he conceded and closed my account.

The next day, I took back the modem and router to a local office. An emotionless young man took the equipment and said I was all set. I did not get any follow-up phone calls or correspondence from the company.

I guess that’s it. Until the next time they work my neighborhood.

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.