tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:32:07 +0000a simple place for creative thoughts about life, especially in the context of christian spiritualityhttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)Blogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-4988102262087325434Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:33:00 +00002009-10-11T09:29:59.975-07:00Wouldn't it be grand if everything always turned out great, if good guys always won, if it never rained on anyone's parade? But life isn't like that, is it? Great plans go awry, good guys seldom win, and rain falls on parades.What are we to make of that? What good is a God who can't get the little things right? Wouldn't we be better off in a purely naturalistic world?Hardly! Without God, we wouldhttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2009/07/match-point.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-6186300416411010997Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:06:00 +00002009-04-20T18:50:01.237-07:00Okay, it's time I started writing again.For several years I wrote a column for our weekly newspaper. It was well received by our community, and I enjoyed finding a way to gently communicate spiritual truths to a secular audience. Many of those articles found their way into this medium.When the paper closed a year ago, so did the pressure to write. I've missed it.I'm not making any resolutions, http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2009/04/hello-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-272689945862765188Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:55:00 +00002008-12-17T16:03:16.478-07:00Merry Christmas from our house to yours!What’s new with the Gilbertson household? Well, without dredging up a lot of ancient history, here’s the latest: for the past two years we’ve been living in our beautiful new home in Cave Creek, Arizona, working on staff at North Ridge Community Church, and enjoying our children as they grow toward adulthood.Steve’s responsibilities at North Ridge include http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-letter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-273413906178407869Wed, 26 Dec 2007 04:44:00 +00002008-03-25T21:50:01.275-07:00Without the benefit of knowing the whole story, we are not sure what to think of Strider when first we encounter him. He lurks in the shadows of The Prancing Pony, keenly interested in the Halflings and their songs. It is evident he knows more than he reveals. Is he friend, or is he foe? We are unsure.In time, we learn that Strider is in fact a friend, and will be a trustworthy guide for the http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2008/12/striders-secret.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-8079578152979777836Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:40:00 +00002008-03-25T21:44:40.224-07:00It is our twenty-eighth Christmas as a married couple. Twenty-eight freshly-cut Christmas trees. Twenty-eight years of hanging stockings. Twenty-eight Christmas mornings waking up together.In the early days we traveled to someone else’s home for Christmas. But for the most part, Christmas has been our own private family tradition, a blending of the homes we grew up in, as well as those habits http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-past-present-and-future.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-6180442103160012314Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:09:00 +00002007-12-11T13:14:51.534-07:00Although baseball and football were my passion in high school, I have always enjoyed competitive sports. If it requires skill and a ball, count me in.That is why I was happy to pack my tennis racket when my friend and I went to a summer camp together. He was an avid player, and I was happy to give him whatever competition I could muster.When we headed out to play, however, we were dismayed to http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/12/tennis-court-soundtrack.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-5975880550817414022Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:36:00 +00002007-12-11T17:40:47.737-07:00I’d like to introduce you to some fascinating folks. I wonder if you can recognize them.These people are fanatical about living a good life. Models of personal purity, and careful to live above reproach, they are among the most respected persons in the community. They’re honest, hardworking, and conscientious.They take their spirituality very seriously. They are scrupulous about attendance at http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/12/missing-jesus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-3728210621220862672Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:51:00 +00002007-12-11T18:05:05.085-07:00Tony had polio. I presume he was one of the thousands of children who contracted the disease during the epidemic in the mid-twentieth century. Like most self-conscious adults, however, I never asked him about it.His right leg was stiff. He walked with a cane. Once I got to know him, I hardly noticed it. His quick humor and keen insight quickly captured my affection.As best I recall, he only spokehttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/11/politics-of-polio.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-7727352945000967349Fri, 23 Nov 2007 01:11:00 +00002007-12-11T18:18:00.263-07:00I have always loved Thanksgiving. I don’t know if it is the mild climate, the scrumptious turkey, the fall football, or the family gatherings – I’ll take them all!Growing up in Lake Havasu City, we’d squeeze the whole family, Mom and Dad, three boys and our little sister, into the ’69 Rambler wagon. Our goal was to reach Phoenix and my uncle’s Moon Valley home by noon.Upon entering Wickenburg we http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/11/thanks-for-memories.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-3185134115984216788Sun, 11 Nov 2007 01:38:00 +00002007-12-11T18:59:17.494-07:00The picture commanded a torrent of memories. How old was she? Twenty-five, he guessed.He remembered those blue jeans like yesterday. High on the waist, loose on the hips, straight down the leg, folded at the ankle…. Her waist-length golden brown hair rested casually over her shoulders, nesting on the tan knit vest and short-sleeved shirt. It must have been late summer, early fall.Hoisted upon herhttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/11/marital-muse.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-6975211137967778196Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:03:00 +00002007-12-11T19:09:42.119-07:00In the movie "Shawshank Redemption," Red speaks about Brooks, his beloved inmate friend. After a lifetime in prison, he was released -- only to take his own life. He couldn’t live on the outside. “Brooks is just institutionalized," Red mused.This is the sad state of many Christ followers. We have been “institutionalized.” Set free from the sentence of death, we have never learned how to live. Ourhttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/11/carpe-deum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-2266444820966321846Sat, 27 Oct 2007 02:10:00 +00002007-12-11T19:13:23.625-07:00All right, brothers and sisters, it’s time for some straight talk.If you are serious about following Jesus, you will be active in a local church. Otherwise, you are only playing pretend. Period.The idea that you can follow Jesus without being part of a local fellowship of believers? Forget it. It’s not in the Bible.I’m not saying you’re not a Christian. I’m not questioning your faith. I am sayinghttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/10/straight-talk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-4534466098172268908Sat, 20 Oct 2007 02:14:00 +00002007-12-11T19:17:59.075-07:00James had a problem, and it was about to split the church.The good news was that hundreds of new people were beginning to follow Jesus. The bad news was that they were not the right kind of people.No one doubted their sincerity. No one questioned their devotion. However, their habits were disgusting. Their hygiene was despicable. Their respect for the traditions which had birthed their faith? http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/10/nothing-less-nothing-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-5005188015954068769Thu, 11 Oct 2007 02:18:00 +00002007-12-11T19:24:46.441-07:00Watching Cleveland in the playoffs is a huge memory jolt. In a story I’ve recorded here previously, my ten year old son and me had the privilege of attending a World Series game there in 1997.It was a gift from Major League Baseball – a prize I won when my wife entered me into a contest while we attended an Arizona Fall League game in Scottsdale. All I had to do was throw a strike between inningshttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/10/world-serious.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-8039468832167549327Fri, 05 Oct 2007 02:25:00 +00002007-12-11T19:28:20.325-07:00Writing during a period of philosophical and spiritual upheaval in Russia in the latter nineteenth century, Fyodor Dostoevsky brilliantly depicted the futility of a world view which marginalized God.I first read him as a young college student. Wading through “The Brothers Karamazov,” my primary motivation was to complete the weekly reading requirement as painlessly as possible. Only later did I http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/10/idiots-muse.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-7658025880366650774Sun, 30 Sep 2007 02:28:00 +00002007-12-11T19:32:14.914-07:00On the one hand, my editor wants this article by a certain date and time. She wants to make sure that everything fits, that nothing is objectionable, that all the words are spelled correctly, and that obfuscation is eschewed.I have no problem with that. In fact, I am grateful someone is willing and able to correct my mistakes before they become public knowledge. If only that were the case for thehttp://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/09/baseball-gods.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-728101608674801854Wed, 26 Sep 2007 04:51:00 +00002008-03-25T21:58:20.766-07:00Ivan gave his brother a penetrating look. “The question is this: is freedom a gift or a curse?”“Are you serious? Of course it’s a gift!” The provocative question unnerved Alvin. Why would anyone question the value of freedom?“Be careful what you wish for,” Ivan cautioned. “For if you embrace the gift of freedom, you can no longer blame God for evil. You can’t have it both ways.”Alvin was http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-free-or-not-to-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-3344711827133709616Sat, 08 Sep 2007 18:46:00 +00002007-09-08T11:47:51.184-07:00Milton Bradley was miffed. Not the company that makes the games. The athlete who plays the games. That Milton Bradley.Baseball players have some of the strangest names. What other sport can claim someone who is a toy-maker (Milton Bradley) and a breakfast cereal (Coco Crisp)?Anyway, Milton was miffed. “Strike Three!” said the umpire. Milton didn’t think so. He remained in the batter’s box, http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/09/youre-outta-here.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-252818519080356345Fri, 24 Aug 2007 06:38:00 +00002007-08-23T23:41:24.403-07:00We didn’t know any better. After all, what kid would question the opportunity to go play at a friend’s house?“I’m going to drop you off at so and so’s for a while. You boys play while I go shopping,” Mom said. “Does that sound like fun to you?”What’s not to like about that? After all, these were the days (please don’t call Child Protective Services) when it was fairly common for Mom to leave us http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/08/mom-knows-best.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-7357045930725020874Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:54:00 +00002007-08-24T00:01:00.995-07:00Eschew Obfuscation. Two words, bold white letters, light blue background. I saw them on a poster while studying in my high school library.Eschew I thought I knew; obfuscation was unclear. Ever inquisitive, I looked it up in the dictionary. Thirty years later, I have forgotten neither it nor the ironic library poster.In an effort to eschew obfuscation, then, let me be perfectly clear: the key to http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/08/eschew-obfuscation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-2638776712493440525Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:50:00 +00002007-09-08T11:55:50.887-07:00Some people swear because they are angry; others swear because they are stupid.That at least is my opinion. I state it merely for shock effect, for calling someone stupid is practically the same as swearing at them.Angry swearing I can understand. I can see why, for some, “shoot!” just doesn’t capture the moment of frustration. For my part, the guilt of saying something unseemly would outweigh http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/08/profanitease.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-6738224133751237283Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:58:00 +00002007-09-08T12:02:22.538-07:00In her novel, Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather crafts a fascinating portrait of a nineteenth century Jesuit priest.Born and bred to a scholar’s life in France, Father Latour served instead in the obscurity of the wild and woolly New Mexico Territory. He battled harsh conditions, primitive superstitions, and renegade priests while building a thriving diocese in the greater http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/08/dying-to-live.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-6517810108514255633Thu, 26 Jul 2007 06:47:00 +00002007-07-25T23:49:13.890-07:00Let’s just say it wasn’t a good day. The beautiful monsoon storm that dumped 1 ½ inches of rain in Cave Creek? I loved it, but my septic tank certainly did not. It will cost me several thousand dollars to have it fixed.Ouch! I feel like suing somebody. I am really angry to be put in this situation after less than a year in my brand new home.In times like these, my Christian faith is decidedly http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/07/inconvenient-faith.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-8509494727164204497Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:07:00 +00002007-09-08T12:14:16.300-07:00It was 4:30 in the morning. I was driving down Cave Creek Road. Half asleep, I balanced a hot cup of coffee in one hand and the steering wheel in the other.I was traveling 62 miles per hour. I know, because that’s what the officer told me. He also mentioned that I had neglected to signal when changing from the left to the right lane. He gave me a little piece of paper to remind me never to do it http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/07/big-ticket-item.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9882450.post-2664899737968472271Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:18:00 +00002007-09-08T12:20:02.536-07:00Tamar. Rahab. Ruth. Bathsheba. Mary.These extraordinary women are members of an exclusive club, one usually reserved for men: they are listed in the Bible as ancestors of Jesus (Matthew 1).You might imagine that these women had to be pretty special to be included in the official record of Jesus’ lineage. And they were.But not for the reasons you might expect.For example, Tamar got on the list by http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/2007/07/well-behaved-women.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Gilbertson)0