The Gilgal Passage

By Bob Brown

In the Bible, the Israelites completed their journey into the Promised Land by crossing the Jordan River at Gilgal. Now Jason Matthews is on his own journey, struggling to understand the complex series of events in his life as God’s plan to fulfill a particular purpose -- to lead him to his own Promised Land. This is the uplifting story about one man’s journey to complete his Gilgal passage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bob Brown
• Release date: Apr 8, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452380773

Bob Brown

Construction industry innovation leader BOB BROWN founded Arizona Repair Masons, Inc. in 1988 and Arizona Foundation Solutions in 2001. He has earned a raft of accreditations since graduating in 1984 from Arizona State University with a bachelor of design science from the school of architecture and a bachelor of science from the school of business in finance. His credentials include LEED ( Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) and CFRS ( Certified Foundation Repair Specialists). He has certifications related to measuring moisture and strength in concrete, has served as an expert witness in court cases, and holds four patents. Bob is an EPA - certified Radon measurement and mitigation specialist, and an Arizona Department of Real Estate-approved continuing education provider.

Book preview

Prologue

‘After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them -- to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.’

Joshua 1:1-3

In the Bible, the story of how God fulfilled his promise to the people of Israel is found in the book of Joshua. After being exiled in the desert for forty years as punishment for their transgressions, the Israelites were ultimately allowed passage across the Jordan River into the land which God had promised to generations of their forefathers. That passage occurred at Gilgal.

As Christians, we are all trying to get to the Promised Land. The Promised Land is that place where we are the best we can be, where God would have us be. Unfortunately, for most of us the journey is similar to the forty years of wandering the Israelites endured. We get beat down by circumstance. We give up on our principles. We focus on the wrong goals. We ignore or abandon God. For whatever reason, life gets in the way. We end up not reaching our Promised Land. We never complete the Gilgal passage.

This book is about one man’s journey to understand God’s plan and complete his passage into the Promised Land.

Chapter 1

Jason swiped his student ID and pushed through the turnstile. Then he walked through the metal detector and headed down the stairs, looking for a vacant cubicle along the back wall of the university library.

Tossing his backpack onto the desktop, he unzipped the center compartment, extracted his laptop, and plugged it into an adjacent outlet. As the computer booted up, Jason pulled out his notes and reviewed the requirements for the assignment due tomorrow for his Sophomore Philosophy class.

As the computer blinked to life, Jason sat staring blankly at the screen. He was shackled with the realization that he didn’t have a clue how he was going to write a philosophical abstract about how religion had impacted his life.

‘More like Creative Writing than Philosophy,’ thought Jason, as he recalled his own upbringing and the lack of any particular role religion had played in making him who he was. Jason had lived life pretty well so far, and he had managed to do so without any help from religion. He suspected he was going to have to reach pretty deep to find much of a connection between religion and the person he had become.

After some reflection, Jason resolved to treat life like a journey, something for which people pack and prepare. They pack their beliefs, memories, knowledge, and expectations. They prepare with guidance, education, and experience. He knew the concept wasn’t exactly unique, but he figured he could work in the religion angle by playing it as one more thing to be packed for the trip. Determining whether it was something needed or not and arguing the rationale would be the subject of his discourse.

Jason began typing…

‘People get to where they are by moving from where they once were. Life is, after all, a journey.

‘Often, the journey starts out fine. We pack well, plan thoroughly, and follow the necessary directions. The signs guiding our path sail by. The path is paved and well lit. The horizon beckons.

‘But sometimes the journey turns difficult. Perhaps we discover that the road doesn’t go where we intended. Or perhaps we strayed from our chosen path somewhere along the way and can't find our way back. Or maybe we just didn't plan well enough, or we failed to pack what we most needed.’

Jason looked at what he had written. He figured it was mostly crap, even by Philosophy standards. But he liked the concept of the journey. It occurred to him that he was on that journey.

As he idly tapped the keys on his keyboard and stared blankly at the words on the screen, Jason reflected on his journey so far. He thought about his life growing up, on what it was he had gained, and on what he may yet be missing.

*****

Jason grew up an only child in a middle class family outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. His parents cared about him and taught him the lessons he would need to succeed. He learned manners, discipline, and self-control. He was taught to respect others, to work hard, and to expect positive results from honest efforts.

Jason learned his lessons well. In high school, he excelled at nearly everything he tried. He finished near the top of his class, lettered all four years in football and baseball, and held a steady job, working weekends at a local gas station. Not one of those pump-your-own stations with the mini-mart attached. This one had lifts, diagnostic equipment, lots of grease, and tool boxes full of socket wrenches. Like many kids his age, Jason loved all things mechanical.

But when it came to religion, Jason’s parents never taught him that faith could be something more than just a place. That place was called church. God was there on Sundays, at least for an hour or so. But for six days of every week, God was nowhere to be found. Growing up, Jason never made the leap from church as a place to faith as a purpose.

*****

Jason retreated from his recollections and focused once again on his assignment. Searching for something philosophical and remembering some of what he had been exposed to growing up, he wrote in abstract about finding religion…

‘How does a person on the journey first discover that something is missing? If they don’t know it’s missing, do they even know to look for it? If they don’t know about it, can it really be missing?

‘But what if what’s missing is the most important thing? Does life simply go on anyway, as if what’s missing doesn’t matter? Or is there a reckoning one day, when suddenly what’s missing is suddenly owed?’

Wrapped up in his philosophical musings, Jason failed to make the connection between what he was typing and what he was living. In the real world of Jason Matthews, things missing were things to be gained. If something was missing, he would achieve it, make it, or buy it. If he couldn’t get it, then it wasn’t worth having. And if he didn’t know it was missing, and there was therefore no way to pursue it, then it was likely not worth worrying about.

Jason spent the next two hours on his assignment. In his conclusion, he argued that living a life of charity, civility, and integrity was good enough. Relying on anything more was like traveling with excess baggage—no problem if it came up missing.

Satisfied with his argument, Jason bundled his belongings and headed up the stairs en route to his next class. As he pushed through the turnstile and exited the building into the afternoon sunlight, he had no way of knowing that the rest of his life would ultimately be defined by what was missing.

Chapter 2

Jason met Kyle during his junior year at the University of San Diego.

They were both majoring in Advertising and were paired together for a project in a course which taught current-age advertising alternatives to newspapers, magazines, and television. Students were required to think in terms of online and onscreen and to become expert in the technologies of web pages, texts, tweets, blogs, and tubes. No problem -- for anyone over the age of twelve.

Turns out Kyle was at the University on the ‘My dad owns the business but I have to get a college degree to inherit it’ program. His family had owned Garrett Motors, the Honda dealership in Pacific Beach, for nearly three generations. So it wasn’t like he was attending college because he was going to need a job. He was already twenty six years old and had been working at the dealership for almost nine years.

But even Kyle’s dad knew times were changing. Hanging balloons on car antennas still worked sometimes. But competition was increasing, and marketing methods were changing. So Kyle was required to attend college in order to ensure that Garrett Motors survived into the next generation. At least that’s what Kyle had been told.

Even though Kyle was a little older than the other students, he got along well with everyone. It may have been because USD is a relatively small campus. It may have had to do with the large number of students from the at-large community participating in after-hours executive programs on campus. It might also have been because Kyle became the go-to guy for anyone looking for a good deal on a new or used car. Whatever the reason, Kyle fit right in.

Jason and Kyle were teammates on a number of intramural teams while in college. Make no mistake. Even though he was a few years older than most everyone, Kyle was a player. At just over six feet and two-hundred-twenty pounds, Kyle was two inches shorter than Jason but thirty pounds heavier. He had been a state wrestling finalist in high school and kept himself in shape by jogging the beach and surfing.

On campus, Kyle was also a bit of a celebrity, because his team from the Honda dealership was a three-time champion of the annual Over-the-Line softball tournament at Mission Bay Park. The event was legendary among the college crowd in San Diego. Widely advertised and much anticipated, the tournament presented the best in beer, softball, and sun-tanned bodies for two weekends of adult fun every summer. The OTL, as it was known, was likely the only place on the planet where softball was not considered a family-friendly sport.

But perhaps the most significant thing about Kyle was also the most surprising. Kyle was a serious Christian. Not the kind you see carrying signs at sporting events on Sunday, or the kind who attends arena church services looking for salvation in numbers. Kyle’s faith was very personal. It was reflected in how he acted and in how he treated others. His faith was how he lived his life.

Kyle lived his faith every day, in every way. He was known around campus for opening his Bible in the middle of class if he thought a verse made a point, something which took courage, even on a Catholic-affiliated campus. Kyle just knew what he believed. And he believed what he knew.

Still, Kyle never pressured Jason about his faith, about religion in general, or about how Jason felt about God, grace, sin, or salvation. Not even when they became best friends. Kyle always figured there would be time for that.

Life, after all, was a journey. And Jason’s had just begun.

Chapter 3

By the end of his junior year in college, Jason had amassed close to forty thousand dollars in college-related debt. His scholarship came nowhere close to covering all of the costs at USD. His parents helped when they could, but his family never had a lot of money. So it was clear when Jason accepted admission to USD that he would be responsible for making up the difference between what his scholarship provided and the final bill. As it was, he couldn’t even afford to have a car on campus.

One Friday afternoon Kyle and Jason were having a beer at a local student hangout near campus, one that didn’t look too closely at Jason’s under-age ID card. Jason was lamenting his poor financial situation, his lack of a car, and the breakup with his latest girlfriend. As far as Jason was concerned, all three were related -- the second caused by the first, the third a result of the second.

How about I talk to my dad about giving you a job at the dealership, Kyle offered.

You must be kidding.

Should be no problem, insisted Kyle. We always have things that need doing. You could work with the service department doing tire rotations, oil changes and tune-ups. The same kind of stuff you used to do in high school. Or maybe you could help out with some of the administrative tasks, like accounting, payroll, or advertising.

Jason thought about it. Then he said with a grin, Or maybe I could just apply for your job.

Well, truth is, I don’t really have a job, replied Kyle. I’m just the owner’s son. It’s more of a position than a job. And truth is, right now it’s not paying very well.

They both laughed. Jason sure liked Kyle. He was like the big brother Jason never had.

Look. I know you could use the money. And I know you’re smart, and you’re good with people. I expect you would do well at Garrett Motors. And you could eventually make some decent money if I could get you into sales. How about it?

Jason considered the offer. You must be forgetting. I don’t even have a car. Exactly how am I supposed to get to and from work? The irony wasn’t lost on Jason -- He didn’t even own a car, and here he was being asked to work at a car dealership.

Kyle knew Jason’s situation and had the perfect solution. Well, if you work for the dealership, I can probably swing you a company car. You pay the gas, the dealership picks up the insurance. I’m sure I could clear it with my dad.

Sounds like a plan. And for that, I think I owe you a beer, Jason said as he raised his hand for another round.

*****

Jason started working part time at Garrett Motors a few weeks later, just before the end of his junior year. He wasn’t exactly changing oil and doing tune-ups. But the routine office chores, document filings, and car deliveries were also a far cry from anything that remotely required a college education.

Still, the dealership was only about fifteen minutes from campus, depending on traffic. And thanks to Kyle, he was now driving a year-old Honda Civic LX. No car payments. No insurance payments. Good gas mileage. His dating life was back on track. He was saving money faster than he was spending it. Life was good again.

As the school year ended and summer arrived, Jason began working full time at Garrett Motors and moved on to more meaningful assignments. His first task was to work on some cost/revenue projections to determine if there was money to be saved in how the dealership spent its advertising budget.

Finally, something useful from all that money I’ve spent at USD, Jason muttered late one afternoon as he was wrestling with a cost-benefit spreadsheet.

He had been trying to correlate total sales revenue to total advertising costs for different advertising methods over a five year period. He was having a hard time factoring in certain variables, like turnover of salesmen, sales tax increases, gas prices, that sort of thing.

One of the variables Jason looked at was ‘target customer’. He actually chuckled at that, because Jason took that to mean just about anyone who could draw a breath. After all, weren’t car dealers supposed to be near the bottom of the moral food chain, right behind lawyers and politicians?

While looking for more research data, Jason found something in a Garrett Motors Employee Handbook that caught his eye:

‘Who we are: Garrett Motors is a Christian, family-owned business.’

‘Mission: Our Mission is to offer the best overall value and service to our customers. We commit ourselves fully to these ideals.’

Jason knew from his studies at USD that Identity and Mission Statements were often more about sales than substance. Good companies practiced what they preached. Most companies got by with far less.

Jason made a mental note to ask Kyle about the statements when he saw him.

Chapter 4

The sky had turned an ugly gray.

It was mid June, and another day of ‘June gloom’ had descended on San Diego. The sun had disappeared by mid-morning, and the beach was nearly deserted. Tourists who had booked vacations with travel agents who told them that it’s always sunny in San Diego were about to be disappointed -- again. As many as half the days during the months of May and June were just like this.

Jason knew only that the gloom had something to do with ocean currents, air temperature, and offshore breezes. After all, he was majoring in Communications, not Meteorology.

But it didn’t matter. It was fine with Jason. And with Kyle.

The two were sitting on their surfboards just north of the pier in Pacific Beach, waiting to catch a final wave. It was mid-week, slow at the car dealership, and the two had been surfing since early afternoon. The ocean was the same gray color as the sky, and it rolled gently in the steady breeze. Both wore full-body Hyperflex wetsuits to protect against the chill of the early-summer Pacific.

After a long silence, Jason asked Kyle about the statements he had seen in the Garrett Employee Handbook. Hey, Kyle. What’s the story with Garrett’s business statements?

What do you mean?

That thing about being a Christian, family-owned business. Seems odd to announce right up front that your business is Christian-oriented. Won’t that offend some potential customers? What about customers who are Jewish, or Muslim, or whatever?

Well, I can see your point. It’s something that’s been part of the dealership as long as my family has owned it. A couple of generations now. My dad has just kept it going. I suspect you know he’s a strong Christian.

I sort of figured he was, based on the couple of conversations we’ve had. And since I know you are.

Anyway, continued Kyle "when I asked him about it once, he told me he wanted to run his business without compromising his beliefs. He figured the best way to do that was to put it right out front, where people would see it. That doesn’t mean he won’t respect another person’s beliefs. But his faith is important to him. It drives all of his decisions for the business.

The other thing is, my dad only hires employees that he knows share his beliefs. He wants customers to know that all of Garrett’s employees have a common bond in Christianity and in their commitment to Christian ideals.

OK, I guess I get it. But he seems to have made an exception in my case.

Not really. replied Kyle. He’s a pretty good judge of character. And so am I. I don’t think we’ve seen the final version of Jason Matthews yet.

The two were silent for a few minutes, bobbing up and down in the gentle ebb and flow of the tide.

Then Kyle remembered something else. Have you ever noticed that the ‘Christian, family-owned’ statement is prominently displayed on the showroom wall at Garrett Motors? It’s also on the Garrett web site, and it appears in all print advertising we do.

Now that you mention it, I guess that’s true, Jason replied, somewhat embarrassed that he had to be reminded of something so obvious.

The bottom line is, we have strong beliefs, and we stand behind them. We want people to know and understand that. Turns out, it’s also good for business. People can be taken advantage of by just about any business these days. At Garrett, they know they will be treated with Christian integrity.

Once again the two enjoyed the solitude, their thoughts intermittently interrupted by the occasional screeching of a gull.

After several minutes, Kyle again broke the silence. Jason, you’ve heard me talk about being a Christian, right?

Sure. I’ve even seen you pull out a Bible right in the middle of class.

Well, do you know what it means to be a Christian?

Before Jason could respond, Kyle continued. "I know you grew up going to church. You’ve told me that much. So I suspect you may have some concept of what Christianity is. But sometimes people confuse church, religion, and Christianity. It’s possible for a person to go to church for an entire lifetime and not be a Christian. It’s possible to practice religion and never find God.

Jason, have you ever read the Bible?

Now Jason was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Well, not really. Just in church.

Kyle paused. Then he cautiously continued. "Jason, nothing would make me happier than to share my faith with you. As a Christian, I find my greatest joy in learning more about God and sharing that knowledge with others. In Matthew 7:7 it says:

‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.’

"It’s all about asking God into your life. Look, I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship, but I want you to do me a favor. Call it payback for getting you a job at Garrett. Find yourself a Bible and read John 3:16. I suspect you’ll remember it from growing up. It’s one of the most-quoted verses in the Bible. It says:

‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’"

So why read it? You just told me what it says, Jason said sarcastically.

Maybe so. But I want you to read it anyway, when you have time to think about it. And if you get inspired, feel free to keep on reading.

Jason was feeling a little resentful that Kyle had interrupted their pleasant outing with a Bible study. And as much as he was grateful to Kyle for the job, he didn’t like the feeling that he owed his friend something for it. He was working hard at Garrett and doing a good job. And now he was being asked for payback at a price he wasn’t sure he was willing to pay.

Still, after a moment of silence, Jason responded, OK. I’ll do it. It’s only one verse. Then with an additional touch of sarcasm, he added, By the way, I thought I already paid you back. Didn’t I pick up the beer tab the day you offered me the job?

Just read the verse. And think about what it says. Trust me. You’re getting off pretty cheap.

*****

An hour later, Jason and Kyle were still in their wetsuits, sitting in an outdoor patio bar along the boardwalk in Pacific Beach, sipping a couple of Pacificos. There was nothing quite as good as cold Mexican beer on a mild summer day.

The bar was actually a two-story affair, with an upstairs restaurant that featured a band on Friday and Saturday nights. The food was decent, but overpriced, like just about everything else in San Diego. For now, Jason and Kyle were getting by on the free chips and salsa that came with the beers. Free was always good.

From their seats next to the low concrete wall bordering the boardwalk, Jason and Kyle looked out across the wide expanse of sand to the ocean, where the waves rumbled in the distance. The sun, still several hours from setting, continued its struggle to break through the thick, gray clouds. Surfers and sunbathers shared beach-side showers, washing sand and salt from bodies, bathing suits and neoprene. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and skaters jockeyed for position up and down the concrete path.

It was classic San Diego.

The bar was not deserted, but the lack of sun had chased most of the tourists away. And the locals knew better than to come around while the T-shirt shops were still open, attracting the out-of-towners. So Jason and Kyle were enjoying some quiet conversation. For the time being, neither seemed willing to reprise the earlier discussion.

So you’ve got one more year at USD. Then what? Kyle asked casually. He was anxious to let Jason know that he wasn’t going to beat him up with the Bible.

Well, I figure after I impress your dad with how smart I am and triple the business at his dealership, maybe he’ll make me a partner. Then in a couple years I’ll retire and surf all day. Or maybe play golf. Or both.

Good luck with that plan, replied Kyle. The way things are going, I’ll be lucky to get a job at the dealership. And my dad almost has to hire me. I think it’s in the company operating agreement.

They both laughed, and what tension might have existed melted away.

I’m serious, Kyle continued. What kind of job do you see yourself doing a couple of years from now? Do you want to stick around San Diego?

Jason knew that his time in college was coming to an end. And much as he hated to think about it, he knew that Kyle’s questions were the same questions he should be asking himself. Now that the questions were being asked, he found he didn’t have much in the way of answers. That bothered him. Because he had always worked hard at having all the answers.

"To be honest, I’m not sure I know. I just assumed I’d figure it out in my senior year, when it mattered most. I guess I’ll attend the campus job fairs, workshops, and seminars. I’ll send out stacks of resumes and line up as many interviews as I can. I guess what I’d like to do is work for an advertising agency. Get into accounts. That’s where the money is.

One thing for sure, he continued, "I plan to work hard at whatever I do. I was brought up with the idea that if you work hard, you succeed. Failure comes to those unwilling to do what it takes. That’s not going to be me. When I was growing up, my folks never had much extra. Which is why I’ve got this huge debt from college. Much as I love my folks, I’d like more from life than what they have.

And yea, I really would like to stay in San Diego. I love it here. But there are only a handful of ad agencies in town. If I don’t get lucky, I may have to move to find a decent job. Hopefully, I can at least stay on the West Coast.

Deep down, Kyle knew he was fortunate. His future was assured, at least as long as Garrett Motors remained profitable. But for the first time he understood that Jason might end up leaving San Diego. He could lose his best friend.

Fortunately, there’s still time to sort things out, Kyle offered.

Then after a brief pause, he added, At the risk of pushing your buttons again, just let me say that I believe God has a plan for our lives, for you and for me. At some point, I expect He’ll reveal that plan. In the meantime, I’ll continue to pray for us both.

Jason considered his friend’s comment. Kyle, just so we’re clear. I respect you for being so strong in your Christian faith. And it’s not like I don’t believe. I just don’t know at this point what I believe. So if you want to pray for me, then I’m OK with that. Because until I get things figured out, I’ll take whatever help I can get.

Well, that’s a start, replied Kyle.

Chapter 5

One of the classes Jason signed up for in the first semester of his senior year was called ‘Ethics in Advertising’. After suffering the anguish of Applied Statistics and surviving the tedium of courses like Introduction to Composition and World Politics, Jason figured the Ethics class would be nice change of pace.

What surprised Jason was that he actually found himself stimulated by the discussions in class. At least on most days. It was on one of those ‘other’ days when, only half-conscious in the late-August heat of the classroom, Jason thought he heard, So what do you think about that, Jason?

It took a minute before it registered. Crap. He hadn’t dreamed it. Professor Boyle had actually called his name.

Uh, could you repeat the question, please, Jason asked, realizing as soon as he opened his mouth that everyone in class now knew what he knew. He hadn’t been paying attention.

I was asking whether you agree with the following statement: ‘Ethics in advertising is assured through government regulation and by the legal actions of dissatisfied customers.’

Jason quickly regained his composure. He had to admit it was an interesting concept.

I think I would have to disagree with the first part of the statement, because I don’t believe that ethics can be controlled by the government.

And on what basis do you make that argument? asked the professor.

"First, government regulations are subject to external influences, personal biases, and party politics. This means that regulations are often flawed at the outset and therefore inadequate to provide the guidance or protection intended.

"Second, I don’t believe the government should even be in the business of regulating advertising. The first amendment to the Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech. This applies to advertising in all media forms, as well as to speech.

"And third, to the extent that regulations do exist, we are then left with the burden of legal enforcement. This presents a problem. Because, as I said before, regulations are often flawed at the outset. A law that is inherently flawed is ethically unenforceable.

As to the second part of the statement, Jason continued, "I find this even more absurd. We

Reviews for The Gilgal Passage

[ron centner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The essential theme of this book is the story of two friends, locked together in their life journeys, and the influence God had on each of them. Interwoven within the book is how each friend helped the other through difficult times. The characters are so well-developed that the reader deeply feels their emotions and problems. The story is entertaining, spiritual, and inspirational, and I highly recommend it for all Christians and for anyone seeking deeper meaning in their life. I am ready to read it again!