Full Circle

 Consider where you are at this moment in time.  If you were to review your life today, what kind of grade would you give yourself?  It's possible we may have much in common.  As for me, I find myself in a series of circles similar to the circle of life.  The deeper I dig into the mystery of the universe, the more I see these circles.

If you have any doubts you are a spiritual being, maybe my own life will inspire you to go on some kind of quest.  Here goes, beginning with the small circle of my geographic journey...

I grew up in Arizona.  My dad's dad, a primary care physician who raised his family in North Dakota, moved to the Valley of the Sun for health reasons.  I never knew what the Midwest was all about until I fell in love with an Iowa native who exported herself to Arizona in order to escape the bitter Winters.  We moved to Southern California and remained there for twenty-two years.  Then it happened.  My wife felt a calling to return home to her Midwest roots.  Although many of my friends predicted I would not thrive, I too found the place where I truly belong.

The geographic circle of my life pales in comparison to my spiritual journey.  I uncovered something out of this world when I was prompted by a visitor to our house of worship to ask a very personal question.  I followed the advice of this stranger and asked Jesus to show me who I am before "randomly" opening my Bible to look in the mirror and see myself in one of the ancient characters.  It turns out my circle of life journey brought me back to a cave dweller possessed with multiple demons who was a castaway from society.  This was my Tom Hanks moment from the movie, CASTAWAY.  

Circles have no beginning and no end.  Neither does the one I follow, the Alpha and the Omega.  Good luck trying to figure that one out.  The good news is all of us are connected to the circle.  Even when we think we have come full circle, as long as we are in this world we will not fully experience the reality of who we really are.  I challenge you to find your connection.  Have a great day.

Honey Do List Today

What does one do when the opportunity comes up to have a couple of days alone?   My honey do list is extensive.  While my wife is enjoying a well deserved ladies weekend I'm going to tackle some projects around the home.  The sub floor on the new deck is complete and our new friends will be back on Monday to complete the job.  It's getting really exciting.  Time to sign off and get busy.  Have a great day.

I'm Sharing My Secret Weapon Today

Some of my bosses at my day job asked for volunteers to make a sixty second video sharing our super power for success interacting with others while we're introducing our culture.  My direct boss asked me to participate and PLEASE keep it to under ninety seconds.  My secret is simple yet powerful.  The key is to ask great questions.  I didn't share where I learned this because in our world not all agree with my specific belief system and going too deep may have a negative result.

I truly believe that anytime you're interacting with others, the best thing you can do is ask great questions.  Jesus did the same thing.  "What do others know about me?"  Or, "Who do others say that I am?"  I modified this to fit my day job.  I asked others what they know about us or what their friends are saying about us.  The answers give me an idea of where to proceed with the conversation which nearly 100% of the time is favorable.  

How can you use this in your life?  It's simple.  Learn to ask questions that help you understand others.  When you ask someone what their goals are and you listen, you are going to be able to help them.  If you are a teacher or a parent, you just need to ask "What are you hoping to achieve with your life?"  The same is true with coaching.  In other life I taught tennis.  I often asked, "What do you want to work on with your game?" The answer helped me direct the lesson to their goals.  

As a blogger/writer/publisher, I'm asking you today, "What topics would you like me to cover in the future?"  I realize that commenting here is difficult on the blog because I needed to put controls in place to keep out the negative influence coming from the Dark Side.  That's one reason why I often share my stories on FaceBook.  It's easier to leave a comment.  Feedback helps me write stories that may help you in your own pursuits.  Thank you for participating.  Have a great day.

Transformation Begins Today

I'm on the run today.  Deck materials arrive at our home within the next five hours.  The workers will be here by this afternoon or early tomorrow morning.  I must scurry to get some of the old deck boards removed before I head to my day job this morning.  It's all coming down to minute by minute efficiency.  Keep me in your prayers.  I have been pushing my body for the last several days.  Of course, I couldn't give up a night of tennis last night.  I can rest on my next day off.  Now it's time to get serious.  Have a great day. 

Are You Smarter Than a Caveman?

 If you could take a test to see if you're smarter than a caveman, how do you think you would do?  If the test had to do with modern technology, you would win hands down, right?  The caveman would fumble with your cell phone and fail miserably with anything having to do with social media.  What about food choices.  The caveman would pick fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, seeds and when he captures a wild animal, he would eat that too.  Your food choices may include a visit to a fast food place and you may be consuming new foods invented in the last century.  Which of you would score higher on the food test?  There's no cheating when it comes to a food test.  Blood lipid panels don't lie.  Ask your doctor about your test results and ask him if he or she thinks a caveman might have better results.

My money is on the caveman when it comes to eating.  He sides with natural whole foods and so do I.  For me, cutting out processed foods changed my life and most likely extended it.  If you failed your food test, try again and see if you can do better.  Have a great day.

What Does Your Guardian Angel Want to Say to You?

 Some of you reading this may be skeptical about angels.  The idea that you have a spiritual being assigned to you from the moment your life began until death may seem a bit absurd.  You may not even believe in angels.  Believe in them or not, there are reports of angels at key moments in our history, like the angel who spoke to Mary about conceiving a child who would be our Savior.  Or the angels who were around when the first followers of Jesus visited the empty tomb and they declared, "He's alive."

The fallen angels may not be assigned to you but there is also much evidence that the universe is out of balance and I believe these fallen ones are the instigators of our troubles.  Getting back to your guardian angel who is with you always, can you imagine over 8 billion of these angels roaming around the planet, each one guarding their most valuable asset?  

I had a dream last night that my guardian angel was trying to communicate with me.  He didn't speak but I could read his mind and it went something like this..."Hey, dumb ass, look over here."  Sorry about the language.  I'm giving it to you straight, right out of the dream.  The truth is I've been misinformed most of my life and I have a feeling my guardian angel may get really perturbed at times, especially those times when the truth is right in front of me and I can't see it.  

I would like to take this moment and thank God for sending me protection.  There is a storm ahead and I sense I need to prepare myself for some special challenges.  How about you?  What do you think your guardian angel would say to you if he or she could speak and you could hear the message?  Have a great day.

Two New Friends at the Perfect Time

 If you're like me, you understand that nothing really happens by chance.  When serendipity happens regularly, when does one stop calling it as coincidence?  I actually renamed it as "Godincidence" because that's the source of what's happening in my life.

The first new friend hails from Columbia.  We met at my day job.  Out of nowhere at the end of our conversation he offered me his daughter's business card and asked if I needed any work done at my house.  I was in the initial stages of renovating and expanding my patio deck and told him the timing was off as another contractor was getting ready to start.  It turned out I needed my new friend and I reached out to his daughter who happens to be the business operations manager.  The new project starts on Thursday and my new friend wants to be on the crew coming to my home.  

I met new friend number two yesterday, also while working at my day job.  I always tell new members they are my family and I believe this to be true.  Well, friend number two told me she is a writer, also near the end of our conversation.  Her book is already on the way.  It seems like something I will treasure, "5 SIMPLE STEPS TO BALANCE YOUR MESSY BEAUTIFUL LIFE" by my new friend, Stacey M. Dhouhy.  Check her out on Amazon.  I know the perfect place to read her book – sitting in my swing on my brand new deck while sipping on red wine, that is if my wife doesn't get a hold of the book first.  Have a great day.

When Should You Eat Wheat?

 Today's story is a follow-up to my trading places with a caveman story from yesterday.  By the way, the cavemen never had the opportunity to eat wheat as it came along much later in our quest to find the best foods to eat without having to do hunting and gathering.  About the time I was born they found a way to produce wheat with greater yields called high yield semi dwarf wheat.  Odds are if you eat wheat you are eating this variety of wheat.  

How would you answer today's question?  If you happen to be an American, you are probably eating wheat.  Is it healthy?  I'm going to offer my answer as a simple layman with no official education in nutrition.  In my opinion, there is only one time.  Ready?  If you are starving and your only food source is wheat, go ahead.  Indulge.  And when you get the opportunity to switch to another food source, cut out the wheat.  

I'm going to caution you about going down the path of no wheat in your life.  You will fight two very powerful forces.  The first is your brain.  It's going to go into an all out rebellion.  The truth is you are probably addicted to wheat.  You will understand what I'm talking about when you cut out wheat.  The second opponent happens to be the food industry.  These guys at the top want to protect their profits.  It's not good for their business if you stop buying what they're selling.  

Consider what would happen to your health if you cut out all sources of wheat from your life.  I dare you to do this for 45 days.  It takes thirty days to form a new habit.  Give yourself an extra fifteen days and when you discover new life, don't ever go back unless you are starving and the only option is wheat.  Have a great day.

What Would Happen if You Traded Places with a Caveman?

 I normally don't share my stories with anyone until they're published.  Today is different.  My wife told me her body would go into some kind of shock if she didn't have access to her daily dose of sugar.  Aside from all the other challenges that both you and your caveman would go through by trading places, let's focus only on food and how that would change your health as well as your appearance.

Think about Tom Hanks in the movie, CASTAWAY.  Remember what he looked like on day one?  Fat, sick, super stressed, right?  And later in the movie when he went through his caveman transformation.  Maybe that's the same way it would be with trading places.  We would look like the before shot in all those diet commercials while the caveman would look more like Tom Hanks four years after his time on the island.

Consider what would happen to the caveman if he lived among us in our modern world.   My bet is that the waistline would grow and this caveman would eventually get sick from all the sugar he would devour night and day.  This caveman would need medical attention and he would soon be consuming all kinds of pills for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart related diseases.  

How about you in the caveman world?  Assuming you survived the sugar withdrawal period, I have a feeling you would begin to look like Tom Hanks in CASTAWAY.  Sure, it's no fun having to hunt and gather your food when it doesn't come from the grocery store around the corner.  Maybe, just maybe, you are liking the slender body you acquired and you discovered you no longer need all those pills you were taking relating to the Standard American Diet (SAD).

This story doesn't need to be hypothetical.  You can change your ways now before it's too late and you die prematurely.  You can be the caveman.  Start small so you don't get overwhelmed and quit.  I began my caveman lifestyle by cutting out snacks.  I reduced my meals from three a day to two.  I also said goodbye to sugar and foods high in carbs that are stored in the belly just like sugar.  I became a caveman when it comes to eating.  Think about your health and what you can do to improve it.  It may be as simple as living like a caveman.  Have a great day.

Training the Wild Stallion Within

 Like it or not, you are the product of certain behaviors mostly controlled by your brain.  If you are like me, you may be operating under the influence of specific brain patterns that are nearly impossible to change unless you happen to know how to tame wild stallions.  Your brain falls under this category.

I may not be a stallion trainer but I'm making substantial progress teaching my brain new tricks even though I'm becoming some kind of white-haired caveman who happens to like confronting challenges.  

The first step to training the wild stallion within is deciding you are in charge of any change you want to try in order to improve the quality of your life.  Decide this and you're half way there.  The next step is to keep getting back up every time you fall off the horse.  I guarantee the bucks are coming.  Train the wild stallion within and you can do just about anything.  The rewards are out of this world.  Think about it.  Have a great day.

Do You Know What You're Doing?

Just before Jesus died on the Cross, he uttered these words, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they're doing." Luke 23:34.  If Jesus were with us today, would this be the same plea to his Father?  In my situation, I believe this to be true.  Most of the time I don't really know what I'm doing.  It's all trial and error.  Speaking of trials and errors, these mistakes in my life are helping me to find the truth.  A wise man once said, "It's not about the destination; it's all about the journey." 

Do you know what you're doing?  Do you know your purpose in life?  If not, what adjustments are necessary?  One thing I know for sure – it's okay to be wrong.  Whatever you do, don't give up.  Find your purpose.  Have a great day.

How I Found My Writing Inspiration

 Think back in time to the exact moment you found your inspiration.  Perhaps it was the first time you touched a piano keyboard.  Maybe it was the first time you swung a tennis racquet.  How did you feel at the moment?  My writing "moment" was slightly different because I already had a preconception in my mind that writing was some kind of a time waster that took me away from important tasks, like earning a decent living.  I had to confront this false idea when I was locked in a room for a long weekend with my wife on a marriage retreat.  I could feel this tension inside my body when I was hand writing a series of love letters to my wife.  The one that got me was writing about my feelings should I be dead and this was going to be my final statement.  The shock was so bad that I mistakenly believed that vomiting was a stomach flu.  It wasn't. It was something much more profound.  When the retreat ended, my wife and I continued to hand write love letters, 2,500 each over a span of many years.  I found my passion.  Next month will be 5,000 days of continuous blogging.  More books are in the pipeline.  I can't stop.

There are currently two people who are directly involved in my caveman food experiments.  They are keeping their own food journals and doing daily weigh-ins.  The rest of the world will learn what these and others are trying.  None of this would have happened had I not discovered my passion for writing.  Deep down inside I believe I can make the world better by sharing my lessons.  I also believe this passion comes from outside this world.  These stories are seeds.  My hope is that some of these seeds will be planted in fertile soil and that something good will sprout.  Stay tuned.  Have a great day.

My Track Record is Improving

 Garbage in means garbage out.  Is this happening in your life?  Who wants to spend time sorting through the garbage to find hidden gems?  If you were standing in front of me right now you would see my hand raised.  There are times when I wish I could accelerate the hands of time to get things done but I realize I'm not in control and I must work on my patience, especially when it comes to challenging tasks.

All I want to do today is share how I feel about recent events.  My biggest failures in my life are in the rear view mirror and I'm looking forward to sharing some ideas that may be helpful in our broken world.  I'm most thankful that my mother took an interest in my food experiments and decided to try out some new ideas.  If you happen to check in on her you will find one excited human who is making big strides in her life.  Thank you for following my daily stories.  It's hard for me to believe I will reach 5,000 stories early next month.  Many of these stories are about coming up short.  I can confidently state that the garbage is getting cleaned out and when the gems are polished I will publish.  Have a great day.

Are Houses of Worship God Made or Man Made?

If you don't regularly visit your house of worship you may not believe in organized religion.  I know people who tell me they worship by spending time in nature.  Or, they quit worshiping because they got "turned off" by the leaders.  I'm the first to admit these places are filled with sinners.  As long as I'm welcome in my house of worship I'm part of the problem because I often fall short despite my best efforts.

In my opinion, part of the problem is we don't really know the story behind our houses of worship.  Sure, there's all kinds of dissension and infighting.  Every time someone disagrees with an interpretation, there goes another splinter.  I don't even have a clue how many different houses of worship there are today because the list seems to be growing exponentially.

The question of the day is, "Are houses of worship God made or Man made?"  If you think on this question and dig deep, you may find the answer.  I finally committed to completed a study of the Bible from cover to cover last year.  It's probably my most significant accomplishment in my life.  A close second is my current study called catechism in a year (CIY).  Although I'm only on day 107 today, I'm figuring out the difference between God made worship and man made.  The Creation story is a love story.  It's an amazing journey of God's quest to bring us home after our fall.  If Jesus is the center of your house of worship, I have a feeling you already know what God made religion is all about.  If you haven't found Jesus yet, don't worry.  He will find you.  Have a great day. 

Have You Heard of 2MAD?

 The jury is still out on the best food program for me.  If I were to decide today I'm leaning toward 2MAD (two meals a day).  Even though I no longer snack between meals or eat sweets, I find that there is no hunger.  What I like about 2MAD is the simplicity.  I go big at breakfast, cruise through the day and go big one more time at dinner.

I dipped my toes in the water with OMAD (one meal a day) and joined a FaceBook group to learn more about what results others are seeing.  All of this is part of my food research in search of the optimum food program.  Stay tuned for more food related updates.  Have a great day.

Man Made vs. God Made

 While mankind has made significant advances in recent history, there is one thing man will never be able to do, make something out of nothing.  That is what separates us from our Creator.  There is something else to consider about God and man.  God is perfect, man is broken.  Perhaps that's why so many of our attempts at solving problems come up short.  Something happened at my day job yesterday that inspired me to think about man made vs. God made.  The building we work in at our day job has no sky lights because it was originally constructed as a warehouse.  All other buildings across the country employ natural lighting while we rely 100% on man-made lighting.  One of my teammates visited our onsite optometrist for persistent migraines.  Her doctor asked his patient to chat with me because I reported a migraine that was so bad it caused my vision to blur.  Others were also complaining of migraines that occur most often while inside our building.  

I don't really know for sure what's causing so many of my teammates to get migraines but I suspect the man-made lights are inferior to God's natural sunlight.  I do my best to get outside every minute of my breaks and this habit is definitely helping me to feel better.  I'm also avoiding man-made foods that I believe cause harm to my body.  Instead, I consume foods with no labels because they are God-made and contain nothing artificial.

If you were to make a list of all the man-made items in your life, how big would this list be?  Consider what you eat.  Are there additives?  Processed foods? Artificial ingredients?  What about prescription medicine?  Are you taking pills to cover up all the symptoms from man-made foods?  What about the ground you walk on?  Is it natural grass or concrete?  Consider going outside and taking your shoes off so you can plant your feet in the grass and see if this helps you feel better.  Have a great day.

Dream Deck Project Coming Soon

 The old deck has been used so much that the deck boards have become hazardous.  I'm the neighbor who fires up the Weber when it's below freezing.  Yep.  Year round barbecuing in all kinds of weather with the exception of tornadic winds which launched our back yard shed and landed it a couple of houses away during the last storm.  By the way, despite the opinions of others who thought restoring the shed was impossible, I just want to say it's all back together again.  Now it's time to move on to deck expansion and renovation.  For those of you who know how limited my construction skills are, don't worry.  I'm hiring a contractor to do it right.

My wife and I chose Trex for the building materials.  Recycled plastic has come a long way.  There is no maintenance and the colors are amazing.  We decided to extend the deck in order to have more free space for our outdoor lifestyle.  Stay tuned.  This is going to be a fun upgrade to our home.  Have a great day.

Family Day Today

 What a great feeling it is to have so much family time these days.  For nearly eleven years my wife and I were on opposing schedules.  It looks like we are going to have eight or more family days a month from now on.  That may not seem like much to the casual observer.  For me, this is a huge blessing.  I'm off to family time.  Have a great day.

The Truth Will Set You Free

 How many times in your life have you searched for the truth and come up short?  Why do we have to sort through so many lies in order to find the truth?  I have a simple answer yet it lies beyond human reach.  The Father of Lies is in charge of this world.  We are mere captives and the ship is sinking.  Good luck finding the truth.  It's a buried treasure and the Evil One isn't passing out shovels.  Blindness is the game of the 21st century.  The Dark Side can hide the truth, bend the truth, and disguise the truth like no other.  You may think the blame rests with others but it's not really their fault.  Most have simply been blinded and they refuse to admit they are wrong or that they could be wrong.  

If you were in charge of this world and you wanted to hide the truth from the world, how would you do it?  The flip side of the question is this..."If you wanted to expose the truth, how would you do it?"  Ponder these questions for a moment and let's compare notes.  

There was a gathering of Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah.  The Gospel writer, John, was there to witness what Jesus said to them and he shared it for all to see who are seeking the truth... The truth will set you free (John 8:32).  John also tells us what Jesus had to say about truth... "I am the truth" (John 14:6).  Boom.  Mic drop moment.  The proof of this is Easter Sunday.  The truth came back from the dead.  The truth is risen.  The truth is all around you.  And yes, the truth will set you free.  Have a great day.

How Many Times a Day do You Eat?

Have you ever wondered why you seem to get hungry every couple of hours?  I have friends who go off the deep end with their emotions if they cut out snacking.  Frequent eating may be the result of all those brain signals your brain sends out when the sugar supply is running on empty.  If this sounds like you, I have an idea that may help.  

Before we go too deep, keep in mind that your brain is already getting defensive with you while you're reading this.  The brain senses change and it's going to fight you, distract you, or even threaten to shut you down and make you sick unless you keep feeding it.  You need two tools to fight back and win.  The first is a food journal.  You make an entry every time you eat and you note the time.  Also, record your weight at the same time of day, once a day.  

The first week you do this, keep track of your regular food habits.  Week two is when the real fun begins.  Focus on one change, like cutting out one snack per day out of your routine.    Keep this up until all snacks are out of your life.  Slow progress is best because you are in this to win and this type of change is more like a marathon than a sprint.

If you are having trouble eliminating snacks, try cutting out sugar.  Once your body understands that you aren't going to starve without sugar in your life, you may experience less resistance.  By now you are only eating three times a day.  Take a look at your weight loss progress and decide what's next.  This is the point where I decided to try intermittent fasting.  It's easy because you set your own rules.  You can do this any time and it can be as simple as skipping a meal every once in a while or as often as daily.  I'm feeling amazing at two meals a day.  

Use your food journal to see what foods work best for your body.  If this is working for you, keep up with the journal and make this a way of life.  Have a great day.

Success Story from My Mother

 If our lives are divided into four quadrants and we make it to age 100, odds are that each quarter has important lessons to teach.  I reached "half-time" nearly 13 years ago.  There were some highs and there were some lows.  I entered the locker room at half time with my head low and my self-esteem challenged.  That's when my mother revealed her gift for lifting others up and I was the prime beneficiary.  Mom spoke from her heart.  She shared her highs and her lows.  She found herself in the same situation as she entered her own half time and she had no one to guide her.  Mom came out of the locker room and showed the world her true colors.  Mom's story inspired me and I turned my life around.  

I'm thankful my mother visited my wife and me for thirty days in Iowa.  This morning she gave me permission to share something that I consider remarkable about her vacation.  We had a chat on day one about the books I'm writing and mom seemed very interested to learn more about my food research.  Her first objection had to do with past failures when it came to losing weight.  "I never weigh more than a pound or two from my current weight,"  she said.  Mom's half-time talk was still in my head and maybe that's where I found the inspiration to share my food research.  Like me, my mother enjoys participating in experiments.  Her doctors monitor her when she tests new medicines for treating diabetes.

I asked mom to keep a food journal during her stay and to record daily weigh-ins.  Just like life, there were ups and downs.  The ups showed her which foods are no bueno and the downs helped her understand what was working.  This morning I got a text message at 3:15 AM from mom.  She hit her goal of losing ten pounds and she did it in 31 days.  She also increased her walking from 1/10 of a mile to 7/10 of a mile while visiting.  If you want to know what my mom did to shed those pounds, ask her.  Her doctor will probably be asking the same question.  I have a feeling in my gut that her doctor may discover a diminished need for insulin and I won't be shocked if her diabetes is reversed.  

Thank you, mom, for giving me permission to share your success story with my readers.  You are my hero.   Have a great day.

The Guest Room is Empty

 I got the call early this morning.  Mom is back in the Valley of the Sun.  The guest room she occupied for thirty days in now empty.  It reminds me of the empty tomb.  Followers of Jesus discovered it was empty early in the morning on the first Easter Sunday.  

I would like to thank my friends and teammates for welcoming my mother into their lives.  She really enjoyed her time in Iowa.  Now it's time for her to reunite with my five siblings.  My wife and I are headed to our house of worship to celebrate the Resurrection.  This is the most important day in human history.  Thank God that tomb is empty.  While our guest room may be empty today, we are filled with joy from all the memories created while mom visited.  Happy Easter!  Have a great day.

Salvation Unveiled

 If you're on the outside looking in, this story is for you.  If you're already on the inside but want a simple way to explain the Easter story to friends and family who are curious, this story is for you.  This story is based on my personal experiences seeking the truth.  By the way, it was a tax collector named Matthew, tasked with taxing his own people who said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

Outsiders may think the Adam and Eve story is some kind of fairy tale.  That's exactly what the dark side wants all of us to believe.  It's similar to modern day groups who happen to hate people of Matthew's lineage.  They argue the Holocaust never happened.  Fake story?  I don't think so.  Nonbelievers focus on what they consider flaws in the story, like creation happening in a mere seven days.  They don't understand how the poets use allegory to paint pictures of creation.  What's important to know is that a Divine Creator did all this and God's sense of time is far from our own understanding.  How does one create something out of nothing?  Only God can answer that question.  

Adam and Eve blew it.  The serpent found a way to add confusion to paradise.  The confusion coupled with subtle temptation caused doom for each and every one of us.  It's like when your kids disobey and you have to give them consequences.  The top of the list of consequences is death.  Like it or not, we are all headed to certain death.  The entire human race was condemned to the consequences related to disobedience.  

Even though the human race was in what seemed like a perpetual time-out, God the Father devised the perfect plan to set us free from captivity.  The plan needed to be covert in order to keep the dark side from further interference.  The entire Old Testament is all about the plan for our salvation.  This plan was so well disguised that even God's chosen ones who he set apart from the world didn't see it when Jesus entered the picture over 2,000 years ago.  Sure, they expected a Savior but Jesus didn't measure up.  That's how perfect the disguise was.  So, Jesus was executed.  This was the centerpiece of the plan.  Boom.  Jesus went straight to Hell right after he said, "It's finished."  He busted down the doors and told the hostages, "Time to come home."  The gates of Heaven were opened for the first time.  Adam went home.  Eve went home.  Noah.  Every single person who was held captive since the fall was set free right in front of the Dark Side.

That's not the end of the story.  Even though Easter is all about the Resurrection, it's also about what happens next.  Sorry, God won't tell us exactly when Jesus comes back.  There are some pretty good clues if you spend time studying the Bible.  The Old Testament is all about God the Father preparing us for salvation.  The chosen ones were picked for one special purpose, to deliver a Savior from their lineage.  The New Testament is all about how Jesus carried out the rescue plan.  Insiders didn't like the idea of including non-jews in the rescue plan.  Religious types despised the idea of including tax collectors and prostitutes in the plan.  There is even a story about the roman soldier who drove a spear into Jesus converted when his eyes were opened to who Jesus really is, the Son of God.  Yep, everyone is invited to the party.  That's what the second coming is all about.  It's part II of the rescue plan.

Tomorrow is no ordinary day.  If the world really knew the truth about Jesus then tomorrow's headlines would be something like this... Dead man comes back to Life!  Witnesses claim Jesus is Risen!  Believers are willing to die for king who conquered death!

Time is running out for the dark side.  The world is in a desperate place.  We need Jesus to return.  Do what Matthew suggests in Matthew 7:7.  Seek and you will find.  All of us need to be rescued.  And when we find Jesus we need to share the Good News.  Don't forget to visit your house of worship on Easter Sunday to thank Jesus for setting the captives free.  Have a great day.

All the World's a Stage

William Shakespeare begins his famous monologue with these words...

All the world's a stage,

And all the men  and women merely Players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

Flash forward to our modern times and you may see the world the same way Shakespeare viewed it – as if we are bit players.  The question of the day for you is, What kind of actor are you on the world stage?  Is it the role you were born to play or are you missing something?

On this day over 2,000 years ago a man was killed because the audience didn't like the role he was playing.  His entrance was humble.  His followers were ragtag.  He challenged the people around him with probing questions meant to unveil hidden gems buried within.  Those in power saw a threat.  At the age of 33 this man exited after suffering a public execution.  It was 3pm.  The skies darkened.  His life was over.  The man was taken down from the cross and laid to rest in a tomb.  If this had been any other man on the planet, that is where the story would have been buried.  This man played his role perfectly and it was planned perfectly.  The empty tomb on Sunday revealed the true nature of this man, Jesus.  Never before had a man come back from the dead.  Only God can do this.  Jesus did it.  Why?  For you.  Jesus died for you so that you can live forever.  

Your exit will happen some day.  On that day you will wake up on an unfamiliar stage surrounded by those who came before you.  You will live forever.  Only God knows when that will happen.  If you are uncertain about your role on this planet, why not ask Jesus for some guidance?  Think about this at 3pm today.  Ponder how much he loves you.  If the role you are playing has no meaning to you, ask Jesus to help you find your part.  Ask him to change you the way he changes everyone he encounters.  He's waiting for you to call on him.  Do it before it's too late.  Have a great day.

What if Food Got Involved in Politics?

I believe we can all agree the world is divided.  Brother against brother.  Son against father.  Skin color.  Religious beliefs.  Last but not least, politics.  The truth is, food doesn't need to be involved in politics as there is already much dissension about what foods are ideal for optimum health.  

If food got into politics, which party would you support?  Imagine the type of campaign you would be exposed to.  How about this?... Vote for me because I'm sweet.   Or this?... Don't let the other side win because they will confiscate all your sugar.  Food peeps may even steal from other groups and do something like this... My body, my choice.

Before my inbox gets flooded with hate mail, let me say this... While food may not have a political affiliation, politics has played a big role and many scientists have been silenced because certain people don't want you to know the truth.  Follow the money and you will see why we are in the state we are in.  We have been duped.  

Should food ever appear on the ballot, make sure you look beyond the fancy marketing campaigns and maintain your independence.  Don't allow your taste buds to be in charge of how you eat.  Beware of foods that are spiked with ingredients that cause food addiction.  It's not too late to change your vote and support healthy eating.  It's not sweet but your quality of life will be enhanced.  Have a great day.

Humble Pie Served Daily During Family Scrabble

 There is only one kind of pie I'm eating these days – humble pie, compliments of my mother and my wife.  No matter how hard I try I find myself in last place every time I play Scrabble.  These two are relentless.  My time for a comeback is limited since mom returns to the Valley of the Sun in three days.  All I can say is, win or lose, there is nothing better than family time.  My sisters claim the same thing happens when they play cards with mom.  Don't let her toothpaste commercial smile suck you in or her kind personality.  Deep within her is a killer instinct that will disarm you in a heartbeat.  Today is a day off for more family time.  The humble pie is already in the oven.  Wish me luck.  Have a great day.

It's Heating Up on the Dark Side

Have you ever wondered why the dark side seems to be so busy these days?  Is it related to the Resurrection?  I think so.  In my opinion, the dark side wants to change the inevitable.  How dare Jesus bamboozle the Evil One and all his sidekicks by coming back to life.  His first action?  Going straight to Hell to free all the captives.  That must have been quite a site to behold.  The next visit is going to be even bigger.  Many signs point to this.  The dark side gets one final push before they are banished forever.

What are you doing to prepare for God's victory lap?  Why not pay a visit to your house of worship and get connected?  Odds are the Evil One is doing everything in his power to either stop you or slow you down in your pursuit of God.  Do your best to overcome all the obstacles and celebrate with your church community. No more excuses.  Have a great day.

My First Positive Experience with Sardines

 Call me crazy but I do believe my taste buds are changing.  This morning I added one small sardine to my breakfast meal.  The enticing messages about the health benefits were mostly ignored all my life even when I got serious about my eating habits.  All I can say is, "I'm in."  Sure, my brain would rather that I add sugar, especially those yummy sea salt caramels I ate every night for dessert.  That's not going to happen.  I'm searching for ways to maximize longevity and health span into my senior years.  Give sardines a try.  Have a great day.

Good Luck to the Lady Hawkeyes

If you're not from around here, you may not know about what everyone in Iowa is talking about – the University of Iowa women's basketball team.  Maybe a statewide holiday needs to be declared.  If a whole day can't be allowed, how about a three hour siesta at 2:30 pm, central time?  Today is the national championship battle.  Tune in and see something really special.  What happened in the final four matchup against what happened to be the number one ranked and previously unbeaten defending national champions and the lady Hawkeyes was the bomb.  It was David vs. Goliath.  David won.  Nobody outside of Iowa predicted this.  It didn't matter.  The team believed.  The coaches made a plan and the team executed.  Watch number 22, Caitlin Clark.  See her unselfishness.  As great as she is, her number one quality that I admire is her ability to set up the players around her.  Enjoy.  Have a great day.

Neighbor Makes Harrowing Escape from Williamsburg Tornado

 

I'm leaving my neighbors name out of the story for privacy reasons.  Those of you on Facebook already know about the neighbor across the street who lost his trampoline when the tornadic winds passed through our hometown yesterday.  My wife walked outside to see our shed was missing.  We found it a couple of houses away by following the trail... our lawn mower, our snow blower, a shovel, and a gas can.  Unfortunately, the shed was in pieces. My mom is visiting from the Valley of the Sun and she was in the closet downstairs most of the time.

We walked outside and discovered another neighbor who ventured outside during the storm and got locked out when her garage door locked shut from the gusty wind.  We talked with the neighbor who lost his trampoline and he shared a video he shot from his bedroom window.  The first picture above is from a friend who was at my day job when the tornado narrowly missed our building.  The second photo is from our backyard moments before we lost our shed.  All I can say is it was a close call.  We are thankful everyone survived.  Check out my neighbors video below to see our neighbor escaping the path of the tornado.  Scary stuff.  Have a great day.