Yes, today is my birthday. So I thought I would check in on the blog and celebrate what God was up to while I was 32! It’s so crazy to think of the life Christ lived in just 33 years, and we don’t know a whole lot about most of it. As I turn 33 it’s definitely interesting to look forward and thank God for giving me more time on earth than His Son. In the past year He:

• Led our family through incredible peaks and valleys (figuratively and literally) as we drove 22,000 miles to see 52 Zoos in 52 Weeks!
• Nudged me to start Digital Disciples – which I think has HUGE potential for Him! Connecting monthly with great people in Columbus has been awesome!
• Asked me to proclaim what He is doing, and not just keep it to myself.
• Built new friendships through this blog and through Twitter / Facebook – which has taught me quite a bit!
• Allowed me to help my wife Marla as she continues to grow the writing / speaking ministry God has given her.

Obviously much more went on this year, but it almost makes me tired to think of how full this past year was. On the other hand, it makes me so thankful as we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, to know that God is at work. Being so busy wouldn’t be worth it at all if it didn’t include Him, right? Thanks, God, for blessing me this past year. Have your way with me – even though I know that takes being tired, confused, stressed, anxious, and many other things that the world believes aren’t necessities. You are.

I got an email this evening that blew me away. It was a radio spot from my wife’s uncle, Rod Robison. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of you readers had either seen him perform as a mentalist (mental illusionist) or heard him on Family Life Radio.

Back to the email he sent over. Some of you might remember my previous posts, Grow Up Already and Two Retired Video Gamers, from earlier this year. My addiction to playing video games was real, and SO many others deal with it as well (and some can tame it – or at least say so). For some reason, God chose to open my eyes to the reality that it was nothing short of idolatry.

This message isn’t a message for parents – to bash their teenagers or for wives to bash their husbands with – it’s for the individual that struggles to tame the addiction. The individual that can’t honestly admit that they aren’t glorifying God through one of the things that consumes a majority of their free time. I truly believe Rod hit the nail on the head in the radio spot – stewardship really is radical and is rarely an easy thing. It really does take genuine and radical stewardship to listen to God, especially when He’s helping you deal with something that has rooted itself so deep in your life. All I ask is that you listen to it, maybe even twice, and give it some prayer and meditation if you or someone close to you is struggling with it.

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PRAYING that each of us is able to find new ways of becoming a radical steward of the life God’s given us. PRAISING God for breaking me, and then using that as a testimony of His love.

I’ve been wanting to post a follow-up to the “Grow up already” post back in January for quite some time. Apparently this topic steps on people’s toes, and I REALLY think it needs to.

Matthew 6:34 tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean we just cop out of thinking about our life 20 years down the road. So today I want to join with you in looking at what life might be like for the video game junkie as they enter the golden years. Many people try to say that playing video games isn’t inherently evil. We’re all entitled to our opinion, and you could be right. But again, we’re looking at the end here, not the beginning. Let’s take a look at the choice to be one of two retired video gamers….

Choice A is to reach the end of life, having spent enough time playing video games to have retired and start receiving social security checks. This path might include spending thousands of hours killing make believe digital creatures, walking imaginary lands searching for a treasure that will impress your friends, or living the life of a professional sports athlete through your fingertips. Playing video games has changed quite a bit, with exercise and family enjoyment now being a part of it (thanks to the Nintendo Wii). But let’s be honest, that usually isn’t the case. The issue at the core of all of this? Truly being social. When people don’t want to go the extra inch and enter into real society, I believe they take the low road and form an imaginary society by hanging out with people they most likely never see.

Dr. Maressa Hecht Orzack, director of Computer Addiction Services at Harvard University-affiliated McLean Hospital, agrees that the social aspect is a primary factor in many game addictions in this article from CNET News. She hit the nail on the head when stating that “Many of these people are lonely, have never felt like they belonged. People get a sense of belonging in the game. In some cases, it provides the only friends they interact with.”

Choice B is the choice I made four years ago. Retiring as a video game junkie after realizing how much time that lifestyle required. I believe every life should be lived with eternal retirement in mind. A choice to stop making excuses that allows life to be lived around ourselves, and wrapping our focus around what really matters. The cross of Christ. Isn’t that what Luke 9:23 is talking about? At the end of the day being able to say that you picked up your cross. Living a life that the preacher doesn’t have to lie about at your funeral?

Retiring from video games was one of the best choices I’ve made in my life. If you’re struggling with it, I understand. I was also there a few times. Wanting to break the habit, but not having the guts to make the move. In the end it wasn’t me who made the move, it was God who recognized my heart was ready, and He’s now working it out as He should be. If you struggle with this, or have overcome the battle, I’d love to read your comments. This issue is legit, and I want to focus on speaking into it with your help!

PRAYING for more parents to realize how enjoyment can turn into addiction. PRAISING God for removing this idol from my life.

Last entry in this series. If there are things that don’t seem so clear, or that you might want me to be more specific about, feel free to comment below or contact me privately!

So there I sat, in October of 2007. Back in corporate America, making more money than ever. Why did I leave being self-employed for that? For some reason I thought that churches / ministries / individuals wouldn’t be willing to pay more for me to design them professional websites, blogs, etc. My fees when I left the camp to work on my own were too low, and the quality of work I was doing wasn’t near what it is today. So I decided to take the easy way out, and take an interview that a friend of mine hooked me up with. Got the job, and was sitting pretty for a while.

But God had other plans. God was curious how I gave it all up when He brought in enough work. My fees being low wasn’t his fault, it was mine! How about Gabe continue to offer better websites and blogs, and re-visit the self-employment / ministry world? So I did. I knew there was enough work coming in. The internet’s too big, and there are too many poor websites out there for that not to be true.

So here I am today! My fees are very competitive for what I offer, but are more than double what I was charging back in 2007. There have been tough spots along the way. Times when checks didn’t arrive when expected, projects took longer, and quite a few other obstacles. It’s not easy, I guarantee that. I believe the closer we get to doing what God has planned for us, the harder it might be for us. What I enjoy most is giving away what I know. That’s why Digital Disciples and the God’s Mac Podcast exist at all. Knowledge is not where it’s at…..it’s with a fear of the Lord when we start to gain real wisdom.

I don’t know where I’ll be next year. Our church has brought me on staff part-time, first at 5 hours per week and increasing to 15 hours per week these past 9 months. I will finish by making it even more clear that God has orchestrated the entire process. I haven’t spent a penny on advertising in all of the 5 years I’ve been on my own. My boss (and yours) seems to enjoy divine connections, and letting word of mouth sell the work He wants done. Saving me quite a bit of money, and bringing me closer to Him through it all. I wouldn’t change anything if I had to do it all over again!

PRAYING for those who have found this series challenging. God will never leave you, no matter where you are or what you are doing. PRAISING God for the clients He has lined up next year. The ones I haven’t met yet, and couldn’t reach even if I did purchase advertising.

Yesterday I left you with our first steps in leaving the corporate world, and how that ended up not working out. We had 35 families and a few churches financially supporting us (as they would overseas missionaries) as we worked at Scioto Hills Camp. The rest of the staff was paid through the camp budget, but my role was new and wasn’t planned. They wanted me there, but couldn’t pay. That’s usually how missions work happens. After we spent a year at the camp, God allowed some things to come up that made it clear it wasn’t where He wanted us. Talking about challenging! It was the toughest few months of my entire life! Praying about the move, fleeing a comfortable and reliable paycheck, relying on God as we raised the support, and then that not working out? Not easy at all, but I knew it had to be God!

So we approached those same 35 families and few churches about what God might want to do with us next. It was their hard-earned money that helped us get to where we were. God opened a door. There had been many churches, organizations and individuals that had contacted me the past few years to help them with websites and graphic design projects. I helped a few, but didn’t dare attempt to help them all. Not while having a full-time job in corporate America or working at the camp (and having our first child). But what about now? What if those families and churches were fine with supporting us as I ventured out into working on my own and starting to say YES to the possible projects I could be working on with those other ministries?

The families were all for it, and completely understood that the internet is a mission field. Many of them attended churches (and the others were churches), so they knew how vital an online presence is for ministries these days. So Taviano Design was created in October of 2003. We moved closer to our families in northwest Ohio, found a fairly cheap house to live in, and kept our fees extremely low so we could definitely have enough work coming in. That went really well for over two and 1/2 years, until May of 2006. God always came through with enough projects to pay the bills, but our budget just wasnt’ working out. It wasn’t looking good, but we knew the challenge had to be temporary! I made a decision to jump back into an open door in corporate America. Working at a new company with previous co-workers and friends, making the most money I had ever made. The temporary financial problem was gone, but you won’t want to miss tomorrow’s post on  how that all changed in October of 2007!

PRAYING for individuals as they go through the difficult leap from a stable income to having to rely on God for every penny! PRAISING God for teaching us that money is not the focus, and that He will always provide. Sometimes not when it is easiest for us, but ALWAYS!