Why am I thinking about this whole concept? When we started this whole journey to Florida, I was enamored with the idea of organic ministry. The problem is that I think my idea of organic differs a bit from the widely used term. I think I view organic life as complete, as something where every aspect of life is so infused with the Gospel that they cannot be seen apart from each other. Organic life to me is something like Walt Disney envisioned for EPCOT, a community where you live, work, play, worship; where it all comes together, for better or worse.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been diving headlong into dreaming and praying. The nausea is still there, but the dreams and vision overcome that feeling. The city has been on my mind a ton. This place is dark, full of hurt, deceit, greed…and desperation. Overwhelmingly, people live an work with a ton of baggage and are like empty shells with no hope. Moreover, the gloom of economy has left properties that lay vacant, houses that are deteriorating, and local governments on the verge of collapse. WHEW! No wonder people are down! Of course, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Many sectors are on the rise, such as medicine and various research sectors.

So….City Renewal/Transformation. A lot of work to be done, but a great task! One person at a time….Starting with me!

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!

You may or may not know the story of Jonah. Basically, his life story as we know it takes up four chapters of the Old Testament. We read of Jonah’s journey from being a called prophet of God, to being a pleasure cruiser to a land far-far-away, his journey into the belly of a big fish, and finally his moment of fulfilling his calling from God. God called Jonah to this town called Ninevah…Jonah tried everything in his power to get the heck out of dodge.

Personally, the story of Jonah is one that I have basically lived through. Not sure what my ‘big fish’ is, but I’ve literally tried everything in my power to get out of this place that God called me to for about two years. If you’ve ever gotten yourself into a fight with God, you know what happens. YOU LOSE! In retrospect, it was pretty foolish to even think that I could win this one. I never claimed to be wise, only that I want to be used.

This whole picture didn’t really become too clear for me until this past weekend. As I was sitting in a worship gathering at Real Life, the pastor made an announcement that the church would be replanting yet another church into a campus of Real Life. I literally wanted to vomit. Justin mentioned that they are looking for a guy to go and be the planter/campus pastor. Again, nausea welled up in me.  You see, this group of people are meeting in the area and dreaming about the area that I have envisioned impacting…It is sort of like the Las Vegas Strip/Hollywood BLVD without all the glitz and glamor. The area is one of the most densely populated area in town, with a great deal of people that ‘church’ normally would not reach out to…homeless, prostitutes, drug dealers, and every-day-average-joes. That is why I wanted to vomit. I’m praying that we would be used there. We are in a place currently that we can commit to something huge and we’re ready to rumble! Really looking forward to what the future holds…because I know who holds the future.

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’ve been thinking about how I will answer the next time someone asks me what I do. Not sure yet, but I’m sure that it will be something good!

Where did the idea of putting people in little boxes come from? I’m not sure, but I do know that the entire story of human history is woven with stories of people identified by what they did for money. This past week I have been reading Chronicles and was confronted by all the lists of people who were ientified by their role. Everyone had a job to do and had their name and role recorded in the annals of time. Were they something else outside of that role? Sure. But to some extent their “job” defined their place in history.

I think that is the part that I struggle with. I want my place in history to count. Not that I want to be recorded for generations to come to read about, I just want my life to matter.

Your thoughts?

While I do not wish that any of these things were different, I cannot help but try to read the real motivation behind them. I’ve come to the conclusion that it boils down to identity. Many of the careers that I have pursued have distinct identity associated with them. Police Officer, Pastor, Motorcycle mechanic, zoologist, doctor…all of them hold a distinct identity. So what does that say about me? It says I’m normal. It says that for the most part I’m not sure who I really am. A lot of the deep introspection that I’ve been doing lately has revealed that I’m just a dude who loves God, loves my family (and therefore want to care for them well), and loves people. I’m pretty sure I have said it many times before, but basically that is who I am and at the end of the day that is who I want to be known and remembered for. Sure, there are a lot of things that I want to accomplish in this life. Lots of dreams in my heart and mind, but those are really secondary until they become primary in their own time.

What about you? Do you struggle with identity? Are you okay with who you are, or are you like me and waste substantial time and energy trying to be someone else? How can we encourage each other in this journey?

I’m just a fellow sojourner…praying for your journey!

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?

• Many motorcycle clubs are highly entrepreneurial.  That resonates with me. They find ways to make money, invest for the future, and also take care of not only their own people, but people in their communities.  Their endeavors are not limited to bars and strip clubs, but law firms, doctor’s offices, and countless other LEGAL operations. Bikers are huge supporters of Toys for Tots and also have tons of charity events throughout the year.  A great missional community aspect if you ask me.  We could learn a great deal from this by not just opening a coffee house or bookstore in a Business as Mission environment. Where else can we branch out? What other lines of business can be mutually beneficial?
• They are fiercely loyal to family and friends. If you’ve got an issue, they have your back. No questions asked. In Church, if you’ve got an issue you’re probably scared to bring it up because of how you’ll be judged.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen a lot of Churches that handle issues very well, but many don’t. Not just big issues, but just general life stuff.  You need a place to live? Crash on my couch. You need some food? Here is $50 bucks. You need a ride? I’ve got this old Ironside you can use until we can fix yours. Your old lady left you? Let me buy you a beer and we can talk about it.
• They are not concerned with the status quo. I dare venture to guess that you’d never hear the President of a motorcycle club talk about how he is worried that the club down the street doesn’t like them or the club secretary report about all the calls they’ve gotten about the latest mailing they sent out.  They simply do what they do because it is what they do. How often is the Church concerned with the status quo. Motorcycle clubs are generally governed by a charter or bylaws. That is it. They don’t allow anyone outside the club to tell them how to run things. How much more (or less) should the church be concerned with the status quo?
• Motorcycle Clubs generally like to party. In all honesty, I’m pretty boring. I’m a family man now, which means I don’t spend a lot of time hanging out with people that aren’t my family or close friends…and that usually takes place at a home of some sort. But back in the day, I used to love going to parties and hanging out with people that I didn’t know, talking about who knows what. Some of my fondest memories of my early twenties are when I was a waiter because I would hang out with my coworkers after work, share stories, food, and beer. I can honestly say that I had more spiritual conversations open up during those late nights/early mornings than at any other time in my life. I loved every second of it. I’m not saying you should go down to the bar every night, but it wouldn’t hurt to venture outside of your comfort zone now and again. (I’m preaching to myself as much as anyone else here)

I could probably draw many more parallels, but these are just some of the thoughts that sprang to mind. The main thing is that I don’t see the Church actually being the Church as described in Acts 2 as often as I have seen Motorcycle Clubs be the Church.  Again, preaching as much to myself as anyone else here. I’m probably more at fault than anyone reading this. I need to re-examine my priorities so that my life displays the attributes of the Church more often. I need to be more missional in my daily life. My hope is that we are all daily moving toward a more missional life and focus.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

  John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word. He was with God and he was God.  Everything in existence was made by him and through him.  In the beginning was this man named Jesus.  We’ve been studying this man named Jesus’ life for the past few months in our worship gatherings at Real Life and it has certainly been interesting.  I always love to hear other people’s takes on scripture and the story of God and humanity and Real Life has some gifted teachers who bring new life to old stories.  This morning was no different.  Allow me to share a bit about my take on what the preacher shared. 

You’ve may or may not have read the Gospel of Matthew in which he records the genealogy of Jesus.  I say you may not have read this record simply because most people don’t.  Unless you are Mormon or really into genealogy, you probably skim over it like I have done many times.  The intersting thing about this section (and book) is that it is written primarily for Jews.  Jews would probably have taken great interest in what Matthew laid out.  Who is this man named Jesus?  Well, he was begotten by Joseph, the son of Jacob, the son of Matthan, the son of Eleazar…..You get the idea.  In all, 42 generations spanned from Abraham to Jesus.  A  Jew reading these names would know most all of them.  Names like David, Solomon, Uriah, Josiah, Obed, Ruth, Jesse, Rahab, Tamar…All ‘famous’ names in Jewish writings.  Some of these folks accomplished great things.  Some of these folks did great things…Most of these folks had something in their past or present lives that would exclude them from looking great on the outside. David, one of the most beloved Kings in all of World history, an adulterer.  Solomon, the wisest person to ever live.  Josiah, the good king.  Rahab, a friend to spies, but also a friend to many, many men who left money on the bedside table before leaving.  Tamar, a likely candidate for the Jerry Springer show because she pretended to be a prostitute so that she could seduce her father-in-law in order to bear a child in his line.  

The line of people that God chose to use in order to fulfill literally hundreds of prophecies simply amazes me.  And it gives me hope.  If there is hope for people like Tamar and Rahab and David and Jechoniah, then there is certainly hope for the rest of us.  If you think your family line is disfunctional, take a look at Jesus’ family line.  There are more miscreants and screw ups in this line that you shake a stick at!  I’m still amazed that I get a great deal of traffic to this site from the phrase “I suck at everything I do”.  If you’re here because you think that, this message is especially for you.

What is God’s message through all of this? His message is this (quotation and paraphrase mine): 

 ”I’ve been working through the entire span of human history, using ordinary, messed up people to accomplish what I wanted to do from the beginning.  What is that, you might ask?  I’ve been searching for you.  I’ve been longing for you to be near me so much that I used a long line of adulterers, prostitutes, and really bad kings to give you this man named Jesus.  All of history has been building toward this day, this day when I can be reunited with you, my child.  I love you.”

Christmas is undoubtedly a special time, even for people who don’t celebrate the birth of Christ.  Record attendence at churches across the land show time and again that there is still something amazing about this man named Jesus.  This year, more than ever,  Christmas is returning to the celebration of this man.  The glitz and glamour of presents and wrapping paper are fading, people are being humbled by life’s curveballs, and they are returning to the Bethlehem manger to gaze at the Christ child.  Whatever your leaning, I implore you to take a moment and relect on the monumentous accomplishments of God through a bunch of misfits to bring you grace, love, and peace through this man named Jesus.  At the risk of sounding corny, He is the reason for the season. 

From our family to yours, have a merry and blessed Christmas!  We wish you nothing but God’s blessing in the New Year and pray that you would start living life with this man named Jesus.