For the old school crew, we know this joker as Lord Vader, the baddest dude in the galaxy. Folks under 25 know this guy as someone completely different. A little guy named Anakin Skywalker who raced some serious pod, was a prodigy Jedi, and pretty smooth with the ladies.

How does one go from having the world by the proverbial horns to becoming arguably the most villainy-villain around? A choice. You know, THAT choice. Most of us have been there, our world crashing in around us while faced with two paths diverging. Which way to go? Left, we become the Dark Sith Lord. Right, we become the Jedi Master and save the universe. Obviously, the young Anakin chose to become the Dark Sith Lord, maybe with good reason. He lost his mother to rebel kidnappers. He loved a girl that he couldn’t really have, to top it off said girl was with child. Throw in some career possibilities and it is pretty easy to see how young Anakin cracked and chose the path of least resistance.

The man Vader learned from some of the best on how to cause mayhem. He was very good. You don’t become the leader of the not-so-free universe without being good at being bad.

Do you know how Vader’s story ends? Essentially, his mentor Palpatine is ticked at Luke (Vader’s son, if you didn’t know) because Luke refuses to take over command from Vader. Palpatine gets rather upset and unleashes a torrent of lightning upon Luke. Crying out, suffering an excruciating electrocution…Eventually Vader just can’t take it anymore and steps in for his son. That was Vader’s Second Chance, his chance at redemption. You know the beautiful thing? He took it. He extended himself the opportunity to prove that he was never beyond second chances.

I don’t know about you, but I have Vader moments myself. Actually, I’m going through some serious Anakin/Vader choices now. Not that I’m choosing between becoming a Sith Lord and a Jedi, but the principle is the same. A question comes to mind. Can you go back to being Anakin after being Vader for so long? I tend to believe in the redemptive work of God to restore and/or make new. Looking forward to being a Jedi again…How about you?

I don’t know about you, but something about Mike Tyson is almost surreal. Maybe it is because long before I even knew what a face tattoo would look like, I was playing Mike Tyson’s Punch Out on Nintendo. Now, of course when the game is named after you, you’ve got to win. You’re the good guy. You’re the hero. And I’ll bet for many kids/teens growing up in the 80′s, Tyson was just that. A hero. Yes, I know he has done some bad things, but who hasn’t? Yeah, I haven’t raped anyone, nor have I bitten anyone’s ear off..But I’ve done plenty I’m not proud of. The problem most of us face is that we get blinded by tiger fur. We start to believe our our hype. Our ego soon becomes bigger than the MGM Grand and we actually believe that Don King is looking out for us.

Tyson is a person of second chances. At first glance that sentence seems weird. Second chances means more than one and really the term second chance implies that it happens once. Are our transgressions always the same? For some of us, yes. For others, we take delight in sampling from the cornucopia of sin, getting a second chance from each one. Then there is THE second chance…You know, the big one where you surrender your whole self, turning away from what you were to the life that you’ve been redeemed to.

It has happened for me and many people I know and love. Can it happen for Mike? You bet. Is he beyond a second chance? Maybe a better question is, are you? If you can answer that question, then you’ll have an answer for Mike because the same grace and forgiveness we bestow upon ourselves, we MUST extend to others. Even high pitched voice dude who cuddles with tigers and will have a funny face at 85 years old.

Love to hear your thoughts…

One of the larger projects is the installation of the lawn itself. I purchased a bunch of sheets of sod, carted them home in my trusty Suzuki, and laid them down on the already prepared soil. Done, right? Not by a long shot! You see, the first two weeks are critical. You gotta keep it watered daily and nurture it along until it really takes root. You basically have got to be all in on this deal otherwise you might as well use the cash as kindling.

We’re like that beautiful Empire Zoysia in my front yard. We need feeding, nurturing, and care so that we will grow. I’m focused on balance this year. A balanced life, like a balance lawn, produces something beautiful. Part of the balance in my life has to do with sticking with the vision that I feel God has really put before me. I had a call yesterday that had me in a tizzy all day questioning my vision. Finally, I realized that my balance is a little out of whack. My spokes are just a bit loose and by tightening them up I’m able to see clearly the path marked before me. I’m the type of person who will constantly need a reminder of the vision. It is really easy for me to get sidetracked an totally off point.

What about you? Do you need daily reminders about why you’re doing what you’re doing? Do you need to get a tune up so you’re back in balance? Maybe you just need a drink from the quenching spirit of God?!

Just remember: The grass over there might be greener, but it still has to be mowed. And the dog over there is meaner. And your water bill will double.

In this, the very second episode of Toil Radio, I talk a bit about what I learned from Three Time WCW World Television Champion Marc Mero.

Setting goals in life is important. Goals in your work life are even more important.

Take a few minutes to write down your work/life goals. Where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish? Plaster those goals where you can see them!

Love to hear your goals. Chime in and share!

After our gourmet feast this afternoon, my wife and I were discussing some really serious things. Big things. Dreams, visions, goals. Life threatening things. I was attempting to convey all of the dreams, visions, and goals that I have inside me. She was attempting to understand and then draw more information out. I didn’t have it. In that moment, I sincerely felt like I was from Mars, attempting to win the fair maiden’s affection.

Here is the issue: We’re speaking a different language. I’m pretty cerebral. I visualize ideas, plans, goals. I have a very broad idea of which direction I’m headed and a general idea of how to get there. Map? I don’t need no stinkin’ map! My wife, while she is very creative and right brained, she is also very literal. She needs the actual picture or action plan before her so that she can understand what is going on.

At this stage in the game, I don’t have the total picture. I’m okay with that. I’m okay with the 30,000 foot view, whereas she needs/wants the minutiae. She wants to know how she can help and I literally have no idea other than to keep feeding me.

When mapping out the next stage of life, I’m finding that it is important to take some language lessons. Learning to speak in such a way that paints the picture for the fair maiden is important. If she can’t understand where I am headed, how can anyone else?

What language do you need to learn today? Whom do you need to communicate with to help YOU understand where YOU are going?

As always, I’m here for you. I’d be glad to chat, text, tweet, whatever…Just reach out!

The same applies to spiritual life. I’ve got to be honest: I’m dehydrated. The past month has been a very long one. I kind of thought that switching jobs from one that is quite physical to an office, more cerebral sort would be less demanding on my body. I’m more tired than I’ve ever been, even when I was working 12-16 hour days riding a bicycle. My brain is mush, my body is tired, and all I want to do is sleep.

So what do you do when you’re dehydrated? If you have to go to the hospital, they put you on an IV full of goodness to get you going again. If you’re spiritually and mentally dehydrated, you hook into the IV of life. You pray. You read the Word. You spend quality time with your family. You write. You sabbath. I learned a great lesson this past month. Sabbath is one of the most important aspects of life. In August, I have nearly all of my regularly schedule days off with 6 days off in a row at the end of the month. I’m looking forward to that period of rest.

When I was going through training to be a Bike Patrol Officer, the Officers leading the class quoted the following quote often. The same principle applies to life in general.

Drink before you are thirsty, eat before you are hungry

Preparation and prevention. I knew that I would be working for 30 odd days straight, but didn’t prepare in order to prevent the burnout that I am now suffering. It would have easily been prevented had I prepared by staying hydrated.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Shalom.

First, it isn’t as bad or as hard as it seems. At first, when faced with eliminating many foods that you love and cherish, this whole living without lifestyle really seems like the end of the world. I grew up in the northern mid-west. We eat lots of carbs, casseroles, and other things that make even the least sensitive Celiac break out in hives. When we found out that most everything that we consumed, we could no longer eat, we were pretty bummed. But then we began to explore the alternatives. Corn tortillas and/or leafy lettuce make excellent substitutes for bread and/or wheat tortillas. If you must have bread, make it yourself.  I can count on two hands the number of traditional sandwiches that I have had in the past year or so. It isn’t that big of a deal. However, I can tell you that if we absolutely did not have to do this for the sake of our health, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have made the switch. A possessed toddler and fatigued and grumpy dad make for a pretty miserable household! You have to make the commitment. A few notes about food stuffs:

• There are tons of products available out there. Some of the best that we have found really are the cheapest. Bob’s Red Mill makes an excellent line of gluten free mixes/flours/meals. These are normally available in most grocery stores and Wal Mart. Betty Crocker also makes some really good cake a cookie mixes. Can’t beat 2.97 for a cake mix!
• Fresh, whole foods really are best. Fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts..you know, that whole food pyramid minus the wheat-y stuff?
• Ancient grains such as quinoa, amaranth, and millet are really head and shoulders above most traditional grains. We really prefer quinoa to even brown rice. It has a bit of a nutty flavor to it, but blends well with most dishes. Brown rice and quinoa together is pretty common in many recipes that I have seen. Get a little adventure!
• About dining out: Many places have a menu for gluten-free selections, just ask. We don’t eat out much because it can be a pain in the neck, but I can tell you that many steakhouses such as Longhorn and Outback have great selections and are willing to help. Fast food is hit-or-miss. McDonald’s: Pretty much can only eat their burgers. Fries are cross contaminated, if not laced with poisonous flour to keep them from sticking. Chicken is out as they have hydrolyzed wheat protein injected. Wendy’s is really pretty good, and I think they have a menu available (on-line if nothing else). Chick-fil-a is paradise: Grilled chicken with no bun and fries. Polynesian sauce = heavenly!
  

Second, you really don’t need to eat all that junk. We basically arrived at a point where our love affair with food ended. Our situation was a bit different because we couldn’t just buy the gluten-free alternatives (they are $$$$!), so we made due and changed it all up. If you do enough research, you’ll find plenty of ‘junk food’ that is gluten free. My recommendation: Don’t search too hard. I mean, if you’re not going to be able to eat many of the foods that you love, just choose a couple things that you know you can eat and get those for a treat. My choices: Peanut M&Ms and Cool Ranch Doritos. That is pretty much the extent of my junk food.

Finally, get some good resources. The first book that we got about gluten-free living was Living Gluten-Free For Dummies. My wife, Destiny, got this book as a crash course into the living without lifestyle and this book laid a great foundation for our new life. Another book that we recently got is You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free!: 500 Delicious, Foolproof Recipes for Healthy Living.This book is an excellent resource if you want to make some of your own foods, but do not want to buy a lot of special flours. The author gives a lot of excellent ways to use different starches. The pizza crust recipe that she has for using corn starch is hands down the best crust we have eaten to date! Google is also your friend. If I am even remotely suspect of an item’s contents, I Google it. If I can’t find anything on it, then chances are we won’t eat it. Gluten-Free Living for Dummies really is a good resource in that it helps to determine some of the hidden ingredients that we would never have thought twice about. Also, sites like Celiac.org are priceless. The people on there talking about their experiences with different products have been an invaluable resource for our family. These people are generally highly allergic to gluten/wheat/etc and take almost no chances.

The bottom line is this: You have to go from living to eat to eating to live. In our culture, food is a way of life, a way of socializing, a way of comfort. The living without lifestyle can be all of those things, but I honestly believe that a healthy outlook on food is that we really only need it so that we can live. We don’t have to enjoy it, nor does it have to be some grand presentation. Are those things nice, you bet! Necessary, no! When the love affair ends, when you lay food down as an idol, you will view it differently.

I’d love to share dialogue with anyone going through this process. These are just some guidelines that have helped us in our journey and I hope they help you in yours. Feel free to leave a comment or a tip in the tip jar. Oh wait, no tip jar. Comments would be great!

How often have you been in a conversation and had to ask the speaker to repeat? In all honesty, I do it every night when I’m talking to my wife on the phone. I’m listening in my other ear to another set of conversations, so I can really only hear one ear at a time. Too much input and I cannot compute. In my personal life, I have learned that I have been listening to too many conversations at once. I’m asking the most important speaker in the conversational cluster to repeat Himself. We love living here. We love the places that we’re involved in. We love that we can spend pretty much everyday outside. I personally love that my wife freaks out about bugs. What am I saying? Part of what I’m really hearing is that we are where we are supposed to be. Some good things are on the horizon for me in my work life, so one of the main things that really is a struggle and keeps me from doing all the things that I already heard from God is being taken care of. This process is not easy and it is actually a bit humorous that I’ve had to have minor hearing loss in order for me to hear all this. I mean really hear!

What about you? What areas of your life are you turning a deaf ear to? What part of the conversation do you need to hear again? I’d love to hear some of your story….

I’m using my computer less and less these days. This phone has been revolutionary for me. I can read my bible, track my fitness, track my finances, surf the net, get my email, and make phone calls. Not too bad!

“Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.” — 1 John 2:6

What kind of life did Christ live? He lived, for most of his 33 years on Earth, as a normal human being. Of course he did some amazing things even before he began his public ministry, but by all appearances, he lived a normal life. He was born a baby. He wore diapers. He lost his teeth. He had chores. He got summer jobs. He was just like you and me. When he began his public ministry, he was still living as a ‘normal’ human. He had the same struggles that you and I have. He also did some crazy things. He performed miracles. He washed dirty, smelly feet. He ate and drank with some of the most hated people of his day. He touched lepers. He prayed a lot. He struggled with his calling. We talk about him like the life that he led is not attainable by us, even if we really wanted to live like him. Chan says, “In short: You think He’s a great Savior, but not a great role model.” I have to agree. I have to say that in my life, this is most often true. Sure, there are plenty of times where I’m totally living the Jesus life, but a lot of the time I’m living the Tony life. I claim that I’m intimate with Jesus, but my life doesn’t show it. 

One of the dreams/visions that I have for myself and my family is that we would be Jesus with skin on to the people around us. It is kind of hard to do that when I’m living the Tony life. It is hard to do that when my wife is living the Destiny life.  Sophia is only two, but she has a built in propensity to live the Sophia life. It is my hope and prayer that as I live the Jesus life, that she will long for that life as well. It is my hope and prayer that as I live the Jesus life that my neighbors and co-workers will long for the Jesus life. It is my hope and prayer that as I live the Jesus life that you will want to live the Jesus life as well.

Good thought to keep in mind: Would this (insert action/thought) imitate the life that Jesus lives and calls us to live?