For all the rave reviews Bob Stromberg has gotten over the years, one that stands out the most for the co-creator and star of the hit show "Triple Espresso" didn't come from a critic. It came from a blue-collar worker who admitted he went to the show only to appease his wife.

"Later he said, 'Tonight when we left the theater I heard the crickets and saw the moon,'" Stromberg said. "To me, that's what theater is all about: nudging people toward an awareness of life."

If that strikes you as something of a spiritual quest, Stromberg agrees. As the next speaker in the continuing Faith & Life Series, he's going to discuss his Christian foundation and how it influences his art.

"I use 'Triple Espresso' as an example," he said of the comedy that ran for 12 years after opening at the Cricket Theater in 1996. "You don't need to drop the F-bomb 10 times a sentence to get laughs. Our intention from the outset was to create a wholesome but funny play. I think that for a lot of people in the audience, it never occurred to them that they had not been offended."

Musing about matters of faith is nothing new for Stromberg, who has written two books for Christian publishers, "Finding the Magnificent in Lower Mundane" and "Why Geese Fly Farther Than Eagles." (Both are available from his website, www.bobstromberg.com.)

"I like stories that bring together faith and art but don't put it in people's faces," he said. "I want people to read it and then keep thinking about it, asking questions about how it applies to their own lives. I think that's what art does best."

His speech -- "I don't want to call it a lecture because it's going to be full of jokes," he said -- is at 7 p.m. Friday in the auditorium of Hopkins High School, 2400 Lindbergh Dr., Minnetonka. Admission is free.

Calamities and Christianity We all know what happened at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007: A disturbed student gunned down 32 people before shooting himself. Most people don't know what happened right after that. Distressed students, teachers and parents turned to the Rev. Jim Pace, pastor of the university's New Life Christian Fellowship, to ask: Why did God allow this to happen?

Pace has spent two years reflecting on that question. The result is a soon-to-be-published book, "Should We Fire God?" He is on a national tour in which he talks about keeping faith in the face of calamity.

He's speaking here Sunday. At the 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. services, he'll deliver the sermon at Evergreen Community Church, 16165 Kenwood Trail, Lakeville. At 6 p.m., he'll be at Christ Presbyterian Church, 6901 Normandale Rd., Edina.

For adults only Self-acclaimed "Porn Pastor" Craig Gross, founder of the online XXXChurch.com, will be in town Monday to speak at Bethel University. No, you don't have to show up wearing a dirty raincoat. Despite his titillating marketing, he's four-square opposed to pornography.

Hear his speech, "Holistic Sexuality," in Benson Great Hall at 10:20 a.m. The university is on N. Snelling Av. just south of Interstate 694.

Cruise control Cash-strapped cruise lines are eliminating free trips for clergy, and while the preachers don't want to come off as crybabies, they're complaining about it, which, let's admit, makes them crybabies.

For years, cruise lines offered free trips to ministers, priests and rabbis in exchange for worship services. It was a fantastic deal while it lasted, but it hasn't lasted. Last year, the ships limited the free trips to major religious holidays. This year they're cutting all the freebies, and the clergy in the cities from which cruise ships depart aren't happy.

Perhaps we'd be more sympathetic if there were a corresponding offer for our clergy. How about free walleye-fishing excursions on Lake Mille Lacs if they offer to bless the minnows?

Jeff Strickler • 612-673-7392