The Gilgal Passage

by Bob Brown

  “So in the middle of all this complexity, we are left as individuals with the choice to either believe or not, to accept the promise of salvation or deny it, and to live in the hope of eternal life or in fear that life after death doesn’t exist.

  “The Bible is full of people who struggle with their sin and with what they believe. For those who choose salvation, God’s plan is clear. Though life as we know it may still involve disappointment, uncertainty, pain, and death, God’s plan and His promise are expressed clearly in the Great Commission Jesus commanded to his disciples following his death and resurrection. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus says:

  ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

  Kyle put his hand gently on his friend’s shoulder. “Jason, for me this is the key. It means that no matter what I do, no matter how good or bad it gets, God is always with me. For the rest of my life. And to the end of time. I find great comfort in that. I pray that one day you will, too.”

  Chapter 10

  Several days later Jason met with his study group in a conference room in the library. They had gathered to work on a project for their course in American Culture. Their task was to do a ‘re-branding’ of an existing product by creating an advertising campaign to convince people that the product was different than the one it was currently understood to be.

  The example the professor had used was coffee. He had said, “Assume that you are trying to convince people to throw away their existing notion that coffee is something you drink to stay awake in my class.”

  That had brought laughter from the class. Funny. But also true.

  “Instead, you want people to believe that coffee is the next ‘green’ fuel alternative. It’s better than gasoline, better than ethanol, better than kudzu. Better than anything yet-conceived as a fuel source. What would your approach to an ad campaign look like?”

  The study group was supposed to come up with a product, an ad campaign, and an advertising budget. This was the second time the group had met. They had selected Jason to lead the group. So far, they hadn’t accomplished much.

  Kyle was in the group. So were Brad, a senior Marketing major; Danielle, a junior pre-Law student; Bryan, a junior Business Administration student; and Lisa, a sophomore majoring in Christian Studies. This was an elective course for Lisa. For everyone else, it was one of the required courses for their respective majors.

  “So where are we?” asked Jason.

  “We still need to pick a product.” This came simultaneously from both Brad and Lisa.

  “Anyone have any ideas?”

  “How about we do a re-branding of cell phones as transporter devices,” offered Bryan. “Phone numbers no longer represent places to send phone calls and text messages. Instead they represent personal code-coordinates. You punch in the code and are immediately transported to the location of the person associated with that code. Sort of a more sophisticated version of what they used in Star Trek.”

  “Awesome idea,” responded Kyle.

  “What about something like the Band-Aid?” offered Danielle. “Everyone knows it as something you use on a cut or scrape. But what if we improve the properties of the adhesive strip and market it as something people would use to stop plumbing leaks, like in pipes under the sink? You just peel off the cellophane, wrap the Band-Aid around the pipe, and, voila, the leak is fixed.”

  “Hey, that’s not bad,” said Lisa.

  “Why not think a little bigger, take a broader approach?” began Brad. “Instead of focusing on a specific product, why not expand the concept to a class of products. Take, for instance, rubber. Everyone knows that you use rubber to make tires and rubber bands. It’s also used to make gaskets for engines and other mechanical devices, to wind around the core in golf balls, and to absorb shock in the struts on motorcycles.

  “But what if rubber wasn’t used for any of that? What if rubber didn’t exist? Or if it did exist, what if there was something better for those applications? What if, for example, ceramic was used for all those things.”

  Brad went to the whiteboard and wrote a small list of product properties. “What if we market ceramic as a product with entirely new properties, making it ideal for use with products in which rubber has historically been used. Ceramic as a product becomes flexible, moldable. Imagine automobiles running on ceramic wheels. Or ceramic shock absorbers. Or micro-thin ceramic fibers surrounding the solid cores in golf balls and baseballs.”

  “Now that’s what I call creative thinking,” said Lisa.

  “Yea, that’s definitely outside-the-box,” added Danielle.

  “The problem I see with that,” began Jason, “is that we might have a hard time wrapping ourselves around our assignment. Something that extensive would require that we consider every single use for rubber, somehow determine who all the consumers for rubber are, then figure out how we’re going to reach all of those consumers and what it would cost to do that. We only have six weeks for this project.”

  “I like Brad’s idea,” said Kyle. “And let me tell you why. I like it because it’s bold, because, as Danielle said, it’s outside-the-box. Everyone else is going to be thinking in terms of ‘small’. They’ll be working off the example given in class and developing schemes around single products.”

  Kyle paused for just a moment, trying to give the idea emphasis. “This is much bigger than that. This will cause people to forget their existing notions about a well-known substance and think about something they might never have believed possible. This will create a huge paradigm shift.”

  As Kyle paused again, he had that gleam in his eye. The gleam wasn’t missed by Jason. He had seen it before. It showed up whenever Kyle talked about things he believed in. It usually appeared when Kyle talked about his faith.

  “All we have to do is make them believe that what we are selling is possible.” Kyle reached for his Bible.

  In Jason’s experience, when someone reached for a Bible in a secular group, there were almost always uneasy glances and the rolling of eyes. Not here. Kyle had done this before, with these people, with others, in other groups, for other classes. No big deal. It’s just who Kyle was, and most everyone just respected that.

  Besides, Kyle was older. People are generally taught to respect their elders.

  “In the Bible,” Kyle began, “Jesus had a similar problem.”

  Kyle held up his Bible, as he continued. “Jesus had to present an idea that was radically different from what was then being taught by church leaders of the day. He had to sell a concept that required people to forget their pre-existing notions about life on earth and the pursuit of eternal life.

  “You see, Jesus had to convince people that they could not gain eternal life by anything they did on their own. They couldn’t get there by leading the good life in Galilee. They couldn’t buy their way in by making donations to the church or to the poor. They couldn’t earn their way in by doing good deeds or working for charities. They couldn’t talk their way in by preaching, teaching, or soliciting the word of God. They couldn’t even pray their way in.”

  Kyle opened his Bible. “In Ephesians 2:8 it says:

  ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.’

  “So what Jesus was selling,” Kyle continued, “was that although we may be judged by our good works, because they are an outward expression of our Christian beliefs, we are ultimately saved and granted eternal life by grace alone. Our salvation is essentially offered free for the asking, because it has already been paid for in the death and resurrection of Jesus.”

  Kyle continued his argument. “So just like Jesus, we have to make people believe. We have to break down the traditional way of thinking, show them
an alternative, and get them to believe that the alternative makes more sense, that it’s better than what they currently believe.”

  Once again going to his Bible, Kyle made another point. “Let me just share one more passage with you. In Matthew 17:24-27 there is a story that I think will illustrate my point. It’s actually an account of one of the miracles attributed to Jesus.”

  Kyle flipped to the passage and began reading:

  “‘After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch: Open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.’”

  “Uh, OK, and what exactly does that have to do with anything?” Bryan asked, realizing that he probably sounded more annoyed than he meant to.

  “My point is this,” explained Kyle patiently. “Would it be considered normal for a fish to go swimming around with money in its mouth? No. Would it have been prudent for Peter to run off looking for cash in the mouth of a carp just because some guy told him to go do it? No. So why did he do it? Because Jesus told him to. Because Peter trusted Jesus. Because he believed what Jesus had to say.”

  Kyle paused for a moment, before summarizing his point. “Peter was willing to accept the unacceptable because he believed it was possible. Because Jesus made it possible.

  “That’s our campaign.”

  Chapter 11

  Jason was working three nights a week and Saturdays at Garrett Motors. He was averaging five sales a week and just over fifteen hundred dollars in commissions, after taxes. Not bad for part time. It was nice to be saving to pay off his college debt, and it was nice to have some walking-around money.

  He had to admit that he liked the selling. As Kyle had said, he was good with people. So the give-and-take of the sales pitch came naturally. The job also reaffirmed for him that advertising was the right career choice. Advertising was just selling at a higher level -- with the potential for a much bigger paycheck.

  *****

  Jason’s first lesson in the downside of automobile sales came shortly after lunch on a Saturday afternoon. He had just sold his second car of the day and was finishing up the dealer’s side of the title transfer. He had already handed the keys to the new owner and sent them on their way.

  Jason looked up to see a large middle-aged man with a broad mustache standing in the doorway of the office he had been using. He was wearing a Green Bay Packer jersey and a scowl. Immediately behind the man, Jason caught a glimpse of a young man trying hard not to be seen.

  “You Jason?” the man asked.

  “Yes sir,” Jason replied. Then, recognizing the young man from the previous week, Jason added, “Hey, Danny, how’s it going?”

  “It ain’t going worth a damn,” said the man. “That car you sold Danny is a piece of crap.”

  Jason was a bit surprised by the abruptness of the response. But he got up from his seat and came around from behind the desk. He extended his right hand.

  “I’m Jason Matthews. I’ve already met Danny. And you are?”

  Jason’s approach caught the man off-guard. From the expression on his face, Jason figured he was weighing his options: Shake Jason’s hand or just punch him in the face and be done with it. Fortunately for Jason, he took the hand.

  “Sam Jessop. Like I said, the car’s a piece of crap.”

  “Please sit down. Danny, come on in. Let’s see if we can figure out what the problem is here and what to do about it.”

  “Well, the problem is, the car don’t run. At least not regular. Danny needs the car to get to school and to work. Sometimes it starts. Sometimes it don’t. Like I said, it’s a piece of crap. I don’t have time to be driving Danny around town. We want our money back.”

  No problem, thought Jason. Give the man his money. Get him out of here. Problem solved.

  Instead, Jason heard himself say, “Mr. Jessop, you see that sign up there?” He pointed to the ‘We are a Christian, family-owned business’ sign outside the office, above the showroom door. It was a rhetorical question. He didn’t wait for Sam Jessop to answer.

  “That sign means I will gladly refund your money if you are not satisfied with the car I sold your son. No questions asked. But if there’s any chance at all that you or Danny like that car and think I gave you a fair deal on it, then I would like to work with you to see if we can find the problem and fix it. Where is the car now?”

  “Outside, right in front,” replied Sam.

  “OK, so here’s what I’d like to do, if it’s alright with you. I’d like our service department to give that car a complete inspection, see if we can figure out what the problem is. I’ll arrange to give you a loaner car, one our new Accords, no cost to you. Once we know what the problem is, we’ll fix it. Then the option is still yours. If you want the car, it’s yours. If you don’t want the car, I’ll gladly refund your money.

  “The most important thing to me, and to Garrett, is that you believe you have been treated fairly. I’ll do everything I can to keep you in that car. Or I’ll put you in another car if you decide you don’t like that one. Or I’ll give you your money back. I’m just asking for a little time to take a look at your car. Does that sound fair?”

  Sam Jessop looked like he had just swallowed his chewing tobacco. He looked over at his son and asked evenly, “Danny, do you still want to keep it if these guys can fix it?”

  “Yea, I do dad. I think Jason is a good guy, and I think he gave me a decent price. We need to give him a chance to make it right.”

  “OK, fair enough,” said Sam. Then he offered, “I’m sorry I came across so strong. It’s been a bad week. As you know, Danny bought that car on his own. I just figured you guys were like everyone else, and we were gonna get screwed.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” replied Jason. “Now, let’s get you set up with that loaner, and I’ll get the service department to take a look at your car.”

  As they walked through the showroom and out the front door, Jason glanced up.

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

  To Jason, no longer just words.

  Chapter 12

  Mid-way through October of his senior year Jason began a Marketing class internship at Channel 3, one of the local non-cable television stations in San Diego. The station was located in Mission Valley, just a couple of miles south and east of USD. The call sign for the station was WADP, and the associated tag line was ‘Another Day in Paradise’. Seemed appropriate.

  Jason figured he’d be spending most of his time working the phones, selling advertising spots to local businesses, or writing ad copy -- none of which seemed particularly exciting. On the up-side, Jason considered that along the way he might make a few useful job contacts.

  On his first visit to the station, Jason met the Station Manager, Bert Tyson. The meeting lasted thirty seconds. Bert was the classic over-achiever: Too much to do, too little time, no patience, and even less compassion. No wonder he looked like he hadn’t slept in a month.

  Jason reported to the WADP Accounts Manager, Merle Perkins. For some reason, every time he heard the name, Jason thought of Marlin Perkins, the TV personality who used to do the old Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom series back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. That was a bit before Jason’s time, but he had seen clips from the show in one of his media classes at USD.

  Merle looked a lot like Marlin. He had the same snow-white hair and mustache, and he presented the same gentle, soft-spoken, grandfatherly manner. Merle seemed more suited to be a school teacher than an Accounts Manager. Jason liked Merle.

  *****

  Initially, Jason was assigned
to work alongside the two copy writers at WADP. Both were young, maybe mid-twenties. He liked them both as soon as he met them.

  ‘Tub’, as he was called for reasons which were obvious, was a rotund extrovert, cast as the WADP class clown. But he was extremely smart, and a capable writer. He was also an accomplished artist and a voracious reader. When not otherwise gainfully employed, Tub drew pictures on anything with a flat surface and read everything he could get his hands on.

  Then there was Susan. Susan was ‘Laurel’ to Tub’s ‘Hardy’. Thin and relatively plain looking, she was also practical and even-tempered. She and Tub could not have been more complete opposites, which is likely why they got along so well. Like Jason, Susan had done an internship at WADP. She had been hired full-time shortly after her graduation from San Diego State University two years ago.

  *****

  “Jason, did you finish that ad copy for the Cagle account?” Merle asked, referring to an assignment Jason had been working on for a small chain of dry cleaners in town. Merle had asked Jason into his office and had closed the door.

  “Yes, sir. I asked Tub and Susan if they’d look it over for me. I can go get it or have them email it over if you’d like.”

  “No. That’s fine. I’ll have them send it over as soon as we’re done here.”

  Jason wasn’t sure why he was in the boss’s office. He hadn’t been there long enough to screw up anything.

  Merle asked Jason to have a seat and continued. “I just wanted to find out a little about you: Where you’re from, what you’re doing in school, what plans you have for your future, that sort of thing. I didn’t take much time with you when you showed up here last week. I apologize for that. So please tell me a little about yourself. Feel free to start at the beginning.”

  Jason was immediately at ease. Merle did that to people. He made them feel comfortable, like he was actually interested in what they had to say. To Jason, it seemed like a good way to be a boss. He tucked that nugget away for future reference.