Inside the Mind of Gibby
In late 2016 I was approached by the Executive Director and I was asked if I would consider writing an article for the Saints newsletter, “The Insider”. I was thrilled that I would have an outlet for writing and for sharing some of my truly insightful deep thoughts on prison ministry. After writing my first article, the Executive Director sent it back and clarified that he really wanted me to write more stuff that made fun of my teammates, prison food, church buses, and mostly myself. So that is where “The Mind of Gibby” came from and as of this writing, it hasn’t been canceled yet!
Please enjoy this lighter look inside of The Saints Prison Ministry!
(To receive a paper or digital copy of the “The Insider” please contact info@saintsprisonministry.org )
Episode 1– “Remove Sharp Objects from the Room”– This is a quick look at how something as good as team devotions can go terribly wrong…
Episode 2– “The Wheels on the Bus Go…”- The story of the infamous humble beginnings of the Illinois Bus.
Episode 3– “The Official SPM Crusade Survival Guide”– Going on a Crusade is sometimes hazardous for your health but here are the things that can help you survive the week!
Episode 4– “On a Saints Trip Far, Far Away”– Get your bath robe and your plastic light saber because we are going to talk about how a Saints day is pretty much like a typical Star Wars movie!
Episode 5– “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles”– This post is about how to and how not to car pool on a Saints trip!
Episode 6– Wait ‘til it Stops Rolling and Go Pick it Up…”– This is a helpful guide on how to fit in on a Saints Prison Ministry Team
Episode 7- “In the Beginning…”- How exactly did the Illinois team start?
Episode 8- “My Goals for 2019”- How I plan on being a better prison minister and person and how you can too!
Episode 9- “Saints Dip Into Free Agency”– A look at some prime free agent candidates to join our softball teams!
Episode 10– “The New Mexico Crusade that Never was”– Our 2019 Spring Crusade was canceled, but I have no doubt that this is how it would have gone…
Episode 11- “A Wife’s Thoughts”– This was written by my wife, Kelly, and these are her thoughts on the good, the bad, and the ugly things about being a Saints wife!
Episode 12- “When the Trip Gets Boring”– There are some parts of the ministry that are just flat our boring but here are some ideas on how to fix them!
Episode 13– “When You Wish Upon a Star”– What to do when you are purchased by the Walt Disney Company.
Episode 14– “I Declare a Do-Over”– If you are reading this in the future, please send the time machine and some hand sanitizer back this way!
Episode 15– “I Guess it’s not all Bad…”– As I write this, I’m pretty sure the year 2020 will not be missed but here are some things that I REALLY don’t miss this year.
Episode 16- “Putting the Fun in Fundraising”– Here are some ideas to running a super duper over-the-top can’t fail fundraiser.
Episode 17- “Confessions of a Useless Missionary”– This one is actually mostly serious…mostly… These are my takeaways from my church’s missions conference last fall.
Episode 18– “Dear Gibby“- This is best attempt to answer fan mail and solve some of the world’s problems!
Episode 19- "I Think the Bears are Winning the Super Bowl"- How to deal with misplaced expectations....like thinking the Bears are going to win the Super Bowl
Episode 20- "Press Start to Play"- Grab your controller and your headset because we are designing the next big video game!
Episode 21- "How to go from Locked Out to Locked in"- If the players go on strike or get locked out again, we are ready with tons of practical advice for MLB.
Episode 22- "Supply Chain Blues"- Everyone is running out of stuff but here is what we really need!
Episode 23- "35 Years and Counting"- A look at some of highlights of our 35th anniversary season!
Episode 24- "Placed on the 15 Day Injured List Retroactive to 1997"- How to survive the season...no really, you will need to read this to survive the season...
Episode 25- "Corky"- This is a tribute to someone who had a profound impact on me and our Saints team in Illinois.
Episode 26- "Technology to the Rescue"- The hostile AI powered robot takeover is imminent...so, in the meantime, we should make fun of it.
Episode 27- "The Benefits of Injury"- Welp, this is my story of how I tore my Achilles tendon...in prison...1,300 miles from home...
Episode 28- "Super Bowl Dos and Don'ts"- Here is what we can learn from the World Champs on how to make our Saints teams better, and why we shouldn't hire Matt Nagy in any capacity...
Episode 29- "If you can Survive Youth Ministry..."- There are Navy Seals, Green Berets, and then there are people who serve in the youth ministry. These are the brave souls you want to take to war with you!
Episode 30- "Bringing your Kid on a Saints Crusade"- If you are looking for some good father-son bonding time, you probably should go fishing...but if you are afraid of drowning, consider taking your kid on a trip across the country to volunteer in prison!
Episode 31- "Important Inventors and Indigestion"- We all have our favorite missionary athlete heroes, but for crying out loud, here are the real heroes!
Episode 32- "A Tribute to Bob Uecker"- Some of my favorite quotes from the funniest man in baseball!
