Posted in Stories

I was busy

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash

I went through my Google calendar to remember all that happened in 2024. I was pretty busy.

We made three trips to Rowlett, Texas (a western suburb of Dallas) last year. We returned from a post-Christmas trip on January 1. We spent holy week and Easter with them March 26 through April 2. And then we made a fall trip November 6-11. Each trip included a stay in a nice Airbnb condo.

We spent a lot of time at grandsons’ soccer and baseball games. The younger grandson played soccer in the spring and machine-pitch baseball in the fall. He did really well and scored a lot of goals in the spring, and hit well in the fall. Unfortunately, we sat and watched a lot of games in cold, windy drizzle in the fall. Yuk.

The older grandson (age 9) had a really good spring machine-pitch baseball season, and played on a kid-pitch travel team in the fall. He learned a lot and really improved with good coaching and lots of practice with his dad.

On January 2 we picked up our Great Dane puppy, Willow, from a breeder in Ocala, Florida. She was about ten pounds at the time. By the end of the year, she was 110. Yeah, that’s a big puppy! I thought, “Well, when she’s a year old, we’ll switch her to adult dog food.” Nope. They grow up until 18 to 24 months. And you know what? She looks a little skinny. I just upped her daily food to 4-1/2 cups of large breed puppy food twice a day. Yeah, she’s got some growing to do.

I stepped out of retirement to pastorally officiate at three memorial services last year. They were all folks I had known for many years. Sweet memories on sad days.

The big trip this past year was to Hawaii in July. A gracious friend who owns a house on the big island let us stay for nine nights. We explored green and black sand beaches, coffee, macadamia, and chocolate farms. A luau and an amazing helicopter ride over the active volcanoes made my 67th birthday extra-special. We enjoyed running around in a rental Jeep, too! Best birthday ever!

Along the way, I wrote 367 blog posts, taught middle school Sunday School, started as an online Bible Study Fellowship leader, sold a whole bunch of stuff we didn’t need on eBay, did a lot of walking with the dogs, worked out in the garage, and read thirty-one books.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

It’s been a great year

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

As 2024 comes to a close, I think I’ll look back at my blog posts for the past year.

According to WordPress, I’ve written 366 posts. I posted twice on January 15, so today’s post is number 367 (remember, it’s a leap year). I published a post every day in 2024. As of yesterday, I’ve posted 462 posts in a row. This is number 463.

So what have I learned this past year? What have I learned from posting every day?

WordPress tells me that most people read my writing early on Thursday mornings. During that time my writing has had 1,420 likes and 60 comments.

In the first half of the year, I had many more readers than in the last six months. I started writing “through the bible” devotions in June. Maybe I lost readers because of that.

To be honest, I was running out of ideas. I decided that I would just write devotionally as I rad through the bible for the umpteenth time. I was inspired. But I guess my readers weren’t.

I don’t have a niche for my writing. I write about life, experiences, observations, and scripture. I write mostly for me. I want to be a better storyteller.

I wonder what would happen if I put my writing out there on Facebook and Instagram?

My most popular, most read post is from 2018, “After Prayerful Consideration.” It had 234 reads in 2024. This short piece almost has 1,000 views. I wrote it in a moment of frustration when a good friend and faithful member suddenly withdrew from congregational life. Since then, it has been my most read post. You just never know what will resonate with readers.

For the year to come, I’m thinking about putting links to my writing on Instagram and Facebook. But then I’m thinking I shouldn’t do that and just continue writing for me. I’m pulled between the pursuit of readers and the security of secrecy.

My goals for the new year

  • Publish something every day.
  • Publish a short story (at least 1000 words) once a week.
  • Join a group who can critique my writing.
  • Stop looking at the numbers and just write.

Thanks to all who follow and read my thoughts, devotions, and stories. I promise to put a lot more out there this new year!

Posted in Travel

Legoland

Posted on by William Douthwaite

As part of their Christmas present, we took two grandsons to Legoland Florida in Winter Haven last Saturday. It was a fun day, a long day, and a Lego-filled day.

The park was a little further away than I expected. We live about two hours northeast of Disney World, and Winter Haven is another half-hour south of those attractions. Traffic was heavy for a Saturday morning. I can’t imagine navigating these roads on a week day. We passed through all the slow-down stretches I hear on radio “stress-saver” traffic reports.

I had prepaid for my parking. I saved $3 off the $35 standard parking fee. That’s more than Disney. I could have upgraded to a closer, covered spot for another $20, but I passed on that.

I saved $5 per ticket by purchasing my tickets online in advance. There were some days I could have gotten tickets for as little as $74, but not for the day we could go. Ours cost $114 each, after the $5 discount.

I also paid $15 each for the two grandsons to get a package of three minifigures. It cost the same in the store. They could trade those mini-figures for others that any park employee was wearing on their name badge, or at a 200 figure trading board in the coffee shop. The boys made a few trades during the day. That was cool.

As expected, the park is filled with giant Lego structures. Some are made from standard bricks, while others were built with huge Lego pieces. The park offers many places where you can just sit and build with Legos of all kinds.

A phone app shows you a map of the property as well as wait times for all the rides. There are three what they call “pink-knuckle” roller coaster rides, two shooting type rides, and one virtual reality movie ride. We only did The Dragon roller coaster. The one hour wait time for the others was too long for this family.

Masters of Flight was a cool movie with moving seats which made it feel like a flying trip through all sorts of worlds. There was so much to see I could have ridden it two or three more times. The Grand Carousel is a double-decker carousel ride on Lego horses. The Wave Racers, Royal Joust, Beetle Bounce, and a small train ride were fun but geared towards younger children.

The Lost Kingdom Adventure is a light shooting ride. The Ninjago ride as similar, except you fire with arm motions rather than a handgun. Both were lots of fun.

We brought our lunch, drinks, and snacks with us. The food prices were steep. We passed on the $7 green swirl soft ice cream cone and $15 snow ice cream sundae. We did splurge on a $11 bucket of popcorn and $9 soft pretzel late in the day.

The park is cashless. My wife was behind someone in line at the popcorn stand who didn’t understand that. Rather than extending the wait, my wife simply paid for the woman’s popcorn, gaining the admiration of a gentleman behind her.

I enjoyed Miniland USA the best. Miniland is a collection of U.S. cities built entirely with Legos. Cities included Orlando, Tallahassee, New York City, Las Vegas, Tampa, Daytona Beach, and the Kennedy Space Center. Lots of Christmas decorations and figures had been added to all the locations. So creative!

The stores are filled with every Lego set imaginable, along with the usual shirts, hats, mugs, and other Lego-themed merchandise. The most expensive set I saw was the Titanic, over 9,000 pieces for about $650.

Overall it was a fun day, although my wife and I agreed that if you’re going to spend this kind of money, you might as well spend a little more and do a Disney attraction. Other attractions are just wannabes in comparison. The atmosphere of Legoland seemed more relaxed than Disney. Since there are fewer things to do, you’re not trying to pack too much into a single day at the park. That being said, you probably need two days to do everything in Legoland.

We had a great day, but I’m not sure we’d go again. In addition to the theme park, there is a water park open in the warmer weather and a Peppa Pig park for the under six crowd. Legoland is adding an aquarium attraction, too, which should be fun.

We also looked up lodging on property at the resort. Over $600 per night. A little pricey for Winter Haven, but they wouldn’t charge that if someone wasn’t willing to pay.

So there you have my impression of Legoland Florida. Check it out if you want something a little less busy than Disney and lots of chances to see, play with, and buy as much Lego as you want.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Don’t just do something. Sit there.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Chronicles 20.

Sometimes you don’t have to do anything.

On the heels of Jehoshaphat’s prayer, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12), a Levite, Jehaziel, brings a spirit-filled message:

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf” (20:17).

As they sang and gave praise to God, the Lord ambushes the attacking Moabite, Ammonite, and Edomite forces. In the ensuing chaos, they destroy each other. When it’s all over, there’s nothing left but dead bodies. And so much stuff left it takes them three days to collect it all.

I know. Sometimes you have to do your part. Sometimes God gives you the tools and the opportunities to get the job done. Sometimes you have to plant and water the seeds or go out looking for a lost sheep, or help out a stranger.

But sometimes, you don’t have to do anything but watch.

Just like Israel when God let the divided waters of the Red Sea rejoin to swallow up the entire Egyptian army (Exodus 14). All they had to do was watch and see what God could do.

Or like Peter and the apostles who an angel of the Lord opened up the prison doors and brought them out to continue their ministry (Acts 5). All they had to do was watch.

Or like Paul and Silas when the doors of their prison was opened and their shackles were unlocked. All they had to do was watch and see what God could do.

Sometimes he just wants me to be still and know that he is God (Psalm 46:10). As David wrote, “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Psalm 5:3).

How does anyone know whether it time to get to work or time to stop and see what God is doing? I doubt there’s a strict formula for this.

Maybe I’m not sure what to do. Probably a good time to wait and watch.

Maybe it’s a situation that is out of my control. (Like changing or fixing someone. We never do that, do we? Lol.) Sounds like a time to wait and watch.

Maybe I need to listen rather than say something. Hit pause and listen. Listen to hear the story. Listen to understand. Listen to what God might be doing in this situation.

Maybe it’s something God has promised to take care of. He’s made many promises of provision and protection. If he clearly said in his word that he would take care of it, let him do his thing.

By the same token, I need to act on his clear commands in scripture, too. Without hesitation I’m to apologize, forgive, feed, and give an answer for the hope that I have.

Waiting and watching, acting and obeying – they can all be grace-filled moments.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

From hopeless to hopeful

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Brad Barmore on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Chronicles 20.

King Jehoshaphat was in a tight spot. A huge army of Moabites and Ammonites are poised to attack Judah, and he feels helpless against this great hoard.

So he prays. He prays, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

It’s a great prayer. Simple, faithful, desperate, hopeful, and honest. No fancy words. From the heart.

Life is filled with “I don’t know what I’m going to do” moments. If we focus on the unexpected expense, the hurtful words we can’t take back, the doctor’s grim diagnosis, or the loss of a job, our mind takes us to hopeless places.

But if we simply remember to look to God, everything looks different. That simple shift of our eyes takes us to a hopeful place.

Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started to sink in the water. Bad move. But Jesus was there to save him.

Elisha’s servant could only see enemy armies. Until Elisha points out the armies of God surrounding their enemies.

The disciples’ hopes are dashed as they mourn Jesus’s death. But when they see the risen Lord, the future suddenly looks bright.

When you don’t know what to do, fix your eyes on him in prayer and in the scriptures.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

In search of a real prophet

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When Ahab, the king of Israel, asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to team up and go to war, Jehoshaphat says, “Sure, but maybe we should ask God about this.” Sound advice.

Ahab has a team of four hundred prophets who all agree, “God will give you the victory!” At that point, I imagine Jehoshaphat rolls his eyes when he asks, “Don’t you have anyone else? Isn’t there another prophet of the Lord we can ask?” He’s either leary of four hundred voices that all have the exact same message, or he knows that Ahab had built shrines for Baal and “did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33).

Ahab replies, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil” (2 Chronicles 18:7).

When Paul told Timothy, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3), he wasn’t telling him anything new. There is, as Solomon told us, nothing new under the sun.

Perhaps we all need to ask ourselves, “Am I listening to what I want to hear, or what I need to hear?” You and I hardly realize it, but social media algorithms make sure we see more digital content of what we like, desire, and approve of. In other words, the online world will always tell you want you want to hear.

Play with it sometime. Get on your preferred social media platform and search for a particular item. Sneakers. Labrador Retrievers. Wine. Before you know it, your feed will be filled with everyone with a cute Lab, wine subscriptions, and state-of-the-art athletic shoes.

Try this, too. Open up your bible. Give God a few minutes to speak to you. It might have nothing to do with what’s on your mind. It might not be what you want to hear at the moment. But it will always be what you need to hear. You might find encouragement, a warning, something shocking, or a promise to hang onto. You’ll hear something that generates questions, shocks you, or even makes you think, “I can’t believe God would say something like that!”

Writers join groups of writers who will honestly critique their work. We need people who will tell us where we need to improve and what we need to work on. Otherwise, with the encouragement of close friends, we never really hone our craft. (Come to think of it, I need to do this.)

Folks in leadership positions often want to have people around them who don’t always agree with them. People who challenge their assumptions. Advisors who make them second-think their decisions.

Couples discover early in their marriage that they are very different from their partner. Each has sought out someone different, someone who can complete what is missing in their lives. It’s not easy, but it is the way we grow and become the person we never could by ourselves.

Thank you, Lord, for those in our lives (pastors, spouses, children, parents) who tell us what we need to hear!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A shipment of baboons

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Lisa Stockton on Unsplash

This is a “through the bible” devotion from 2 Chronicles 9.

I tend to zip through the books of Chronicles, but one verse slows me down and makes me smile. “Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks” (2 Chronicles 9:21).

The writer is describing the wealth of King Solomon, an ancient version of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. Solomon didn’t have to do much to grow his assets. In addition to gold and silver, every explorer merchant, king, and governor who stopped by brought gold, silver, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules (9:24). And apes!

On the one hand, I have to wonder, “Why apes?” On the other hand, when you’ve got money to burn, why not? My research revealed that nobility would train baboons to climb palm trees and bring down coconuts. I suppose that’s like training your dog to bring in the newspaper in the morning.

Besides the parallel passage in 1 Kings 10, this is the only place that apes are mentioned in scripture. My trips to zoos always include time in the primate exhibit. Watching monkeys, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas is as entertaining as any movie or TV show. Baboons are fun to watch, but they usually don’t do much other than look back at me.

When the first Six Flags Great Adventure park opened in Jackson, NJ, it featured a drive-through safari which included a baboon exhibit. We had to keep our car windows closed because the apes would climb on the car and peer in the window at us. If your car had a vinyl landau roof, forget it. The baboons tore many to shreds!

Solomon didn’t have to worry about that. He had lots of chariots but no vinyl. Plus, I’m confident he had skilled trainers for his collection of palm-tree climbing, coconut grabbing baboons.

Posted in Advent devotions

Permanent light

Posted on by William Douthwaite

One of the trending decorations this Christmas season has been permanent lights for homes. I jumped on this bandwagon. Rather than re-hanging strings of lights from the edges of my roof, I now have permanent LED lights on the soffits. They will be red, green, and white for Christmas, but they will also be other colors for New Years, Valentines Day, Easter, patriotic holidays, and birthdays.

I love my pre-dawn and post-sunset walks around the neighborhood. Every year there’s a greater variety of lights, inflatables, yard signs, and projected displays on houses. Icicle lights appear to be dripping from roofs. Animated animals and snowmen wave from front Enormous spherical ornaments hang from trees. Some outdoor displays are creative. Some are tired and worn. Some look traditional. Some are abstract. But no two yards are the same.

Each brings light, reminding us of the light that Jesus brings. His light brings hope, healing, mercy, grace, and life to a world that is too often filled with dismal news.

Jesus’s light is permanent, too. It shines on our good days and bad. It’s there for times of celebration. Or times when we don’t feel like celebrating. His can never be overcome by the darkness.

The last ornament on our Jesse Tree is Jesus. The angel announce good news of great joy which will be for all people: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Those words were spoken to the shepherds, but the good news wasn’t only for them. It was for all people, including me and you.

Thanks for reading along this Advent and exploring the Jesse Tree with me.

Posted in Advent devotions

Sheep, shepherds, and angels

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

The scriptures are full of sheep and shepherds.

Abel tended sheep. Abraham had sheep. Jacob knew how to breed sheep. Moses tended his father-in-law’s flock of sheep. David worked as a shepherd. Job had large flocks of sheep. Jerusalem had a designated sheep gate.

“And in the same region (Bethlehem) there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'” (Luke 2:8-14)

Were the shepherds the first to hear of Christ’s birth? Not really. God promised it in Genesis 3:15. Isaiah spoke about a child who would be born to assume the throne of David. Mary and Joseph both heard it from angels. Magi learned of it in the stars.

But on that actual night when Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in a manger, the angel and all the other angels brought the announcement to the shepherds in the Bethlehem hills. Angels are always around. They were present when God created the heavens and the earth. They spent an afternoon in Abraham’s tent. They climbed and descended the ladder to heaven in Jacob’s dream. They shut the lions’ mouths to save Daniel in the lion’s den. They ministered to Jesus after his temptation in the desert. They were on alert but stood down when the mob came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. They were at the empty tomb to let the women know that Jesus was alive on the third day. The angles will accompany him when he comes again in glory.

Angels are always around, we just don’t get to see and hear them like the Bethlehem shepherds. Not yet, anyway. They’ll be there when we join them and all creatures to praise and worship him (Revelation 5:13).

The shepherds who heard the angels went to see the baby, and then went and told what they had seen. They become some of the first to witness the incarnation and proclaim it. So let’s give them an ornament on the Jesse Tree.