Roy Goble, Author at Junkyard Wisdom

The Crucibles That Shape Us

Full disclosure, I have not yet read The Crucibles That Shape Us, by Gayle Beebe. But I have lived it with the author, at least in part, so I know the lessons in this book are worth your time.

Gayle and I met nearly 20 years ago when I was on the committee that brought him to Westmont College. I’ve served on the Board of Trustees and worked with him that entire time. Actually, this past weekend marks my last meeting with the Trustees. Yes, I’m retiring from the board after 21-years.

But this isn’t about me, it’s …

Sarcasm

My blog went silent for a few weeks as the devotions were sent, so I’m overdue for a post. Thought you’d get a kick out of this story.

A friend sent this meme:

“I once got sent out of class at school for being too sarcastic. The teacher yelled at me, “What would your parents say if I called them?” I replied, “Hello?”

I laughed, and it reminded me of a childhood story.

I was about 10 years old and playing with my buddy Larry during recess. We were taking paper towels out of the dispenser, dampening them, folding them …

The Gospel of Mark

In past years the Easter devotions were based on the Gospel of Luke. This year they are based on the Gospel of Mark. It’s a good source for short, simple devotions because the author wrote in a very direct manner.

The brevity of the writing lends itself to what I do well. Namely, make stuff up to fill in the blank spots! I will read a story in Mark and immediately have questions. The book leaves the reader begging for more detail.

Here’s an example. One passage that won’t be in the devotions is Mark 2:18-22. There are several …

Winds of Change

One of my first projects at Goble Properties was to build an industrial complex on a piece of land in San Jose. It was a weird shaped parcel, but a good location. The project was big enough to test me but small enough to get my arms around.

A curious thing happened when the buildings were framed. A huge wind storm came through and knocked everything over. Boards and planks were piled up like so much drift wood pushed ashore by rough seas. Nobody had ever seen anything like it, and the consequences set everything back by weeks. Not to …

Those Silly Devotions

I’ve had a successful four decade long marriage with my high school sweetheart. I’ve grown a significant company. I’ve served on several distinguished boards. I’ve visited so many countries some don’t exist anymore. I’ve saved thousands of acres of rainforest. I’ve been invited to the White House. I co-founded a ministry that was mentioned on the cover of Christianity Today. I’ve written three books. I’ve raised two great kids who are now adults. I’ve been to some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the world. I’ve been in some of the poorest places on the planet.*

And you …

Rollercoaster Retirement Year

The year is done, thank goodness. Not that it was all bad — some really wonderful things happened in 2023. Those were the highs. And then there were lows. It was a rollercoaster year.

One event of the year was my 65th birthday. Typically it’s the age a person moves into retirement. Not me. The form filling lady at Medicare kept asking me why I continued working, and when I answered, “Because I enjoy working,” she was truly flummoxed. I suppose I’d be flummoxed too if I filled out forms for Medicare all day.

But I did wonder, what would …

Annual Book Recommendations

Thanks to all of you who tell me how much you look forward to these recommendations. Writing this post is one of the few consistencies in this blog!

As of now I’ve read 70 books this year, and I’ll read a few more this December. The recommendations below come from the 70, but narrowing it down was difficult. My first list was 16 books! From there I got it down to eight, and I’ll call the other eight honorable mentions. So here goes.

My favorite work of fiction was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. A brilliant …

Trust, Church, and Golf Carts

I was ten years old when my Dad brought a golf cart home. It was a junkyard golf cart, with ugly old paint and nearly flat tires. Even then, a half century ago, it was ancient. It had two rear wheels, with one front wheel that was steered rudder style.

To my surprise Dad tossed me the key and said, “Have fun.”

Shocked, and delighted, I stood there dumbfounded for a minute. Then he gave me a brief tutorial – key goes here, forward here, reverse there, turn the rudder the opposite direction you want to turn, now go.

Laughing …