R.J. Gilbert's Blog, page 3

Rice or Chow Mein?

I pulled up to the drive-thru at the local Panda Express and spoke into the box. “I’d like an orange chicken bowl with fried rice,” I said, “And a second bowl of…”

 

“Do you want a panda bowl with rice?” the young woman interrupted from the speaker.

 

Confused by her question, I repeated my order. “Yes, a panda bowl with orange chicken.”

 

“Do you want a Panda bowl with rice or Chow Mein?” she repeated.

 

“Rice,”...

If I Have No Breath In Heaven

If I have no breath in Heaven, let these bitter words now be said.

For someday, I know, I’ll stand before the judgment of the dead.

And many will say, “Lord, Lord, did we not do great things on Earth for You?”

Yet I will stand in silence as He answers, “You are Who?”

Then, when it is my turn to stand before the mighty throne,

I will not speak, as to a friend, but as a wretched soul, alone.

“Lord, all my life I sought You,” I will say, “Did You seek me...

Understanding...

I used to be GAY…

But then those who did not understand changed its meaning.

I used to be CHRISTIAN…

But then those who did not understand changed its meaning.

I used to love ART and the THEATER and the FREEDOM OF SPEECH…

But then those who did not understand changed their meanings.

I used to love my MISTRESS…

But then those who did not understand changed its meaning.

I used to be MARRIED…

But then, just last week, those who did not understand changed its meaning.

How mu...

The Book Thrown Across the Room

Many years ago I heard the story of a musician who had joined up with one of those Satanic rock groups that were so successful back in the eighties. For a time he went right along with the show, doing all those nasty things you might have heard those kinds of rock bands doing for the sake of “the show”. And he was successful. But one day, while he was away with the band, two Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped by his house and gave his wife a book. (It may seem odd to you that he ha...

Samaritan on the Siskiyou Trail

(Based on a true story.)

Luke Driscoll checked his Colt .45 for the ninth time since breaking camp that morning. Five round, brass shells stared back at him from the pistol’s six chambers. Five—the same number he’d counted the last time he checked. The bullet-loops on his belt were empty as well, leaving only those five rounds of ammunition to last him the next three days’ ride into Jacksonville. The way his luck was holding, five would not be enough.

It had been a sm...

Men of Renown, an Author's Review

(If the online publishing sites that feature my book would allow a message from the author, this is what I would say.)

 

Dear prospective reader,

 

I did not write this book to sell it. I wrote it because I wanted people to read it. It is a story about priorities—about two contrasting definitions of success. Saph must choose how to measure his success. Will he define himself by the wealth, power, fame, and glory like his kinfolk? Or will he join with an obscure old hermit who was...

The Sword of Condemnation

Part 6 of the "wrong" armor.

 

The Demon Armor I address in this work is based on the Biblical “Armor of God” as listed in Ephesians 6. Most Christians are familiar with this passage and the spiritual trends represented. Few Christians, in reality, adhere to these spiritual traits. One or more of them have been replaced by the cursed armor-pieces I discuss here.

 

The Sword of Condemnation.

 

Finally we come to the cursed weapon that has conquered civilizations from the d...

The Shield of Legalism

Part 5 of the "wrong" armor.

 

The Demon Armor I address in this work is based on the Biblical “Armor of God” as listed in Ephesians 6. Most Christians are familiar with this passage and the spiritual trends represented. Few Christians, in reality, adhere to these spiritual traits. One or more of them have been replaced by the cursed armor-pieces I discuss here.

 

The Shield of Legalism

 

The way Paul puts it, a warrior hides behind his shield to avoid the “flaming...

The Boots of Ambition

Part 4 of the "wrong armor.

 

The Demon Armor I address in this work is based on the Biblical “Armor of God” as listed in Ephesians 6. Most Christians are familiar with this passage and the spiritual trends represented. Few Christians, in reality, adhere to these spiritual traits. One or more of them have been replaced by the cursed armor-pieces I discuss here.

 

Boots are meant to protect the wearer’s feet from injury as well as to enhance one’s footing. Paul as...

The Helmet of Self Righteousness

Part 3 of the "wrong" armor series.

 

The Demon Armor I address in this work is based on the Biblical “Armor of God” as listed in Ephesians 6. Most Christians are familiar with this passage and the spiritual trends represented. Few Christians, in reality, adhere to these spiritual traits. One or more of them have been replaced by the cursed armor-pieces I discuss here.

 

The Helmet of Self-Righteousness

 

Here’s where we start to see some real differences between C...