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First Month Out of the Cave

"Gratitude"- Thank others.

"Zoom's Best Friend- Tony Truggy"- Show appreciation.

"Flush the Toilet"- Another must read.

"Who's Your Daddy"- Claim your inheritance! 

Hug a Firefighter The picture you see above this post sits on my youngest son's dresser (the second picture on the right is a satellite photo showing how the winds push the dust and smoke from the wildfires into the ocean). It was taken once we were allowed back to our home after the first wildfire. Fire season is upon us once again. The fire danger is in the extreme range and our firefighters are on high alert. Soon, the Santa Ana winds will be blowing with tornado force and one spark could force a third exodus from our tight-knit community.

Within forty eight hours of our first evacuation, there was a knock on the door at the home we stayed in. The man knocking was a federal firefighter who had been separated from his crew. He checked in with his captain and was told to stay in the community and help any way he could. He went to businesses on Main street and asked for food and water to take to the front lines. By the time he reached out to us, he had already logged over 1,500 miles on his truck delivering supplies to our beloved firefighters.

My friend promised our wives that if we helped him, we would be far from the flames (mostly true). We got some quick training in fire protection and stopped by the base to get some fire clothes before making our first round of deliveries to the front lines.

My friend bought a blue strobe light at K-mart and then used his badge to get us through the barricaded roads. The firefighters were all connected by radios and generally worked in pairs. They would come out of the Cleveland National Forest to get a water bottle or some food and then disappear. This went on for miles. There were firefighters from all over California helping to save our homes.

One of the female firefighters we met was craving peanut butter. We told her it was the least we could do. Many stores donated like Taco Bell, and KFC but the one I will never forget is Albertson's. They were in the middle of a strike when we asked for donations and they told us we could have anything we needed in the produce section. We loaded two trucks to the max with bananas, apples, water and... one jar of peanut butter. At the end of the day, we finally found the firefighter that requested the peanut butter and she ate it right out of the jar. Sadly, one of the other firefighters we fed would be eating for the last time. He lost his life fighting to save someone's property.

We continued our journey for two days and stopped once the roads were cut off due to the encroaching fire. I will never forget what I saw behind the scenes. These firefighters are some of the bravest people I have ever met.

The firefighters told me later that my next door neighbor lost her home before they could get to it. Her home became a "fire chimney" and deflected the flames from our home. Our home was filled with soot because we left so quickly that we did not close all the windows. We lost every plant around our home except for some pine trees in our front yard that we nursed back to life.

Another neighbor hooked garden hoses together and put out spot fires on all four sides of our home after the firefighters moved to the next community. It is tough times like these that bring out the best in people.

As another fire season approaches, keep our firefighters in your prayers. If you see one in your community, give him or her a big hug from all the gracious people in my community. I am keeping an extra jar of peanut butter in my pantry, just in case there is another special request.
Posted by Michael Mulligan at 5:56 AM No comments: 

Our Father


who art in Heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy Kingdom come


(God's plan is better than our plan)

On earth as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

(give us what we need to get through today)

and forgive us our trespasses

(clean us up)

as we forgive those who trespass against us

and lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil


(all of us agree) 

Tony 530 

The Meaning of 808

The day I started this blog I was inspired to include the number 808 in my name. Numbers have always played a role in my life. The number three shows up five times in my direct line and reminds me of who I work for (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

If you tip the first number on its side, you have the symbol for infinity...  ∞.   This reminds me that the Creator has no beginning. The last number also represents the symbol for infinity when it is rotated 90 degrees. This shows that God has no end. He is the "Alpha and the Omega". The zero in the middle represents me. As long as I am included in "808" or "∞0∞", I am part of the universe and connected to the Creator. If I am "disconnected", my life is empty. By connecting, I become part of God's puzzle (see earlier post).

808 also represents the area code for Hawaii. This is the place where my wife found the ring I buried in the sand over twenty one years ago and said yes when I asked her to marry me. It is the place I dream about when I am facing a challenging day. Some of our most memorable family vacations have been in the 808 area code. I will always treasure the look on my mother's face when she saw Maui for the first time.

808 also represents the balance that I seek in my life. The 80 represents eighty days of work and the 8 represents the eight days off. This is an ideal that I strive for and I have a long way to go on this one.

808 is a target that I am sailing to in my personal, professional and spiritual life. At Zoom, we figured out that we can achieve more if we sail in one direction and speak with one voice. Seven captains doesn't cut it unless you like being docked in the harbor. One of my partners is part Hawaiian and he tells me the Zoom boat is sailing southwest (towards our goals and towards living our dreams).

In my spiritual life, 808 means being connected to God. Each of us has a choice to place our number in God's puzzle. Once our "number" is in the right spot, it begins to shine. It's value multiplies as it is connected to the other numbers in the puzzle. Some of the most famous "numbers" in the Bible started out so bad that God had to give them new "numbers" or names. Paul was called Saul before his number was "converted". He needed to "see the light". Once his number was changed, he became one of the best-known followers of God and his writings make up a substantial part of the Bible.

What happens when God calls your number? Does He get a busy signal? Are you part of a party line? Is your number on the "Do not call list"? Maybe today is a good day to answer the call. He wants you to be connected. Once you answer the call, your number will begin to shine just like the song below by the "Newsboys". These guys are God's telemarketers and if you are looking for a new job, there will always be an opening in God's Kingdom. In fact, you are the only one uniquely qualified for the job that is waiting for you. You don't need references. He already knows every hair on your head and He doesn't care about your past. Yes, you are just the one He is looking for, just answer the phone when He calls. I think I hear your phone ringing...

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 8:08 AM 15 comments: 

Time Targets 

God's Puzzle

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 6:48 AM No comments: 

Falling off the Horse

U.S Navy Seals Posted by Michael Mulligan at 6:25 AM No comments: 

Where There is Faith

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 6:38 AM No comments: 

Tennis Lessons

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 7:46 AM No comments: 

Flush the Toilet

As I woke up this morning, I laughed. This is only the 22nd blog of my life and I write about whatever pops into my head. God has a funny way of revealing Himself to me. The earlier blog about my biggest Bible lesson actually happened while I was sitting on the toilet reading the "Good News". So now the message is to "flush the toilet"...

Can you imagine how ugly it would be to live in your home with a broken toilet flusher? Your place would become so smelly that you would have to flee. What if all the flushers in the world stopped working at the same time? Would we resort to living in caves (been there, done that...not recommended)?

The sad truth is that for most of my life, I failed to flush the toilet even though this very necessary piece of equipment was in good working order. I just chose not to flush. I am not talking about the toilet I sit on while reading the "Good News". I am referring to the toilet that is attached to the bottom of my soul. It is where all the garbage goes. If it is not flushed on a regular basis, my insides start to stink.

Sometimes, we want to flush the toilet but something is broken and we need to call a repairman. The same is true with our souls. There is a really good handyman out there that started out as a carpenter and then got into fishing. It turns out He knows all about repairing toilets and He always has time when you need Him.

My toilet was clogged for a long time and that's why I had to live in a cave until the repairman showed up in the middle of nowhere to help me. It turns out that my "toilet" was full of anger, hatred, prejudice, guilt, greed, grudges, etc, etc. I wanted to hide from this problem. This "Plumber" told me that the toilet needs to be flushed regularly in order for it to work properly (that is what we are discussing when you look at the picture in "My biggest Bible Lesson").

You are probably thinking to yourself that some of the bad stuff in your soul can't be repaired. The demons inside of me convinced me that some stuff can't be flushed. My third year in college I found out that my high school doubles partner was gay. We played number one doubles together during my junior and senior years in high school. My doubles partner knew of my prejudice so he kept this part of his life secret from me and we often talked about girls that we liked. He was often picked on because of his small size. I will never forget the time our opponents made fun of us under their breath. I decided to nail these guys and when I got a shot I took it. The taunting got to me and I finally silenced one of them when my overhead smash hit the target. I broke his nose and blood was spilling everywhere. My coach rushed onto the court and cleaned up the mess while the demons inside of me rejoiced.

Scott's dad asked me to check up on his son since we were now at the same university and Scott was having trouble adjusting to college life. I went to see him but he was out. His room-mate told me what was up and I became furious. I walked out of his condo and never saw him or spoke to him again. He sent me Christmas cards that went unanswered. His mother called me to congratulate me on my new tennis director job and I thanked her for calling but never brought up her son in the conversation.

One day my brother called to tell me Scott's name was in the paper. He was in the obituaries and the cause of death was Aids. My heart sank. I had turned my back on a friend that could have used some comfort. I attempted to reach out to the family but the phone was disconnected and there was no new number. I learned about Scott's final days when another family friend told me she was in the same support group as Scott. Her son also lost a battle to Aids and both families spent time together coping with their circumstances.

A second tragedy struck when the father, a splitting image of the Wendy's founder, died of a heart attack right after his son's funeral. Now two wounds were piercing my heart and the guilt was piling up in my toilet. This broken toilet stunk up my soul for many, many years.

Once my soul was restored, I stopped judging others who are different from me. It all comes down to loving God with everything you have and loving others. I stopped trying to convert people who believed in God but played for other teams in other divisions. Some of the best talent at Zoom comes from people that I used to hate. My managing partner has a strange sense of humor and when a joke went too far, I refused to talk to him for an entire year. I did not care when other team-mates told me they were uncomfortable with my attitude. All of that has changed since my conversion experience.

If you find your toilet is clogged, hire a plumber. Don't forget, He died for you so that your broken flusher could be fixed. Why not give him a call today? It's time to go. I am playing in my first doubles tournament with my daughter and I promise not to break anyone's nose! It feels so good to be out of the cave now that my toilet flushes.

Don't forget to flush!
Posted by Michael Mulligan at 7:37 AM No comments: 

Zoom's Best Friend- Tony "Truggy" 


Yesterday I got the opportunity to see my daughter and my niece on the tennis courts. They were competing against another high school team that was a little bit better and the team only managed one victory. Most of the players on this junior varsity squad are new to tennis and they have come a long way in a short period of time.

As I watched my daughter play, I recalled one of my first tennis matches of my high school days. My competitor walked onto to the court with his coach by his side. They both stared at me as I pulled my racket out of my bag. As soon as I held the racket in my left hand, my opponent threw his hands up in the air. His coach offered some encouraging words but they had no impact... the match was over before it started. This player had never won against "lefties".

Many of the defeats in the world today have to do with what is going on in our heads. If we feel that there is no hope of winning, we are right. The level of success we achieve is directly related to our mind-set. If we can change our mind-set, we can change the outcome.

At Zoom, we have no problem finding superior talent to join us as we expand across the country, one city at a time. After all, Goliath laid off over 4,000 people when they believed they could no longer win in print. These unemployed workers are on the sidelines. They need a new boss with a winning attitude and we can't wait to put some of them back to work.

The conditions we face in our country today are difficult. A superior mind-set is needed to get America back on its feet. It starts with each one of us. Lets promise each other that we will work on our own attitudes and belief systems first, and then go out and make a difference. Victory must be achieved in our minds before it can become a reality in our world.
Posted by Michael Mulligan at 6:10 AM No comments: 


Today's blog is about gratitude. As I was waking up this morning, I found myself thinking about the awesome people that have helped me on my journey. Some of you reading this have been around since I was born.

I want to recognize my aunt Marcie and uncle Mike in a special way today. They have given me permission to share their story and they are also the first to make public comments about this blog. There are many other friends and relatives that have helped me along the way and I want the world to know that I am here today because of their prayers and support.

My mother's youngest sister is Marcie. Before she was married, she spent time with my family on vacations and she was always fun to be around. I remember watching her when she was on national TV during the junior Miss America contest. The whole family rejoiced when she made the top ten. Her future husband also made the national spotlight when he was brought in as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game with bases loaded and two outs (finals of the college world series). Tension in the packed room mounted as the count went to 3-2. I could barely keep my eyes open as my uncle swung at the final pitch. For the rest of the story, you will have to read their blog (are you ready to write yet, aunt Marcie?).

I still can't believe that my uncle Mike and my junior college tennis coach were room-mates. Some would call this a coincidence, but I prefer to call it a "God-incidence". God has a way of putting people around us to help us serve Him better.

My uncle went on to coach baseball and some of his players that he recruited have become superstars. They have four adult children spread out all over the country. The youngest, Ryan, showed up at my father's funeral wearing his "Dress Blues" to honor a fellow marine. He told me that he had only worn this uniform a couple of times because it was only to be worn for special occasions. I held back tears as he presented me with the American flag at the close of the ceremonies.

The amazing part of this funeral story is that my aunt is from the "other side" of a divorced family and there she was with her son honoring my father. Even more amazing is that my mother (the ex-wife) spoke at the funeral reception and had many kind words for my dad's family. The wounds of this divorce were very deep but my aunt demonstrated that wounds can heal. My mother taught me it is better to forgive than to carry around anger.

As I close this post today, I just want to say thanks to uncle Mike and aunt Marcie, and all the other special relatives that have contributed along the way. Your prayers and support have allowed me to be the person God created me to be.

Please show your gratitude today. Maybe it is your food server who is trying to keep food on the table for his or her family. Maybe it is your spouse who loves you or an aunt or uncle that watched your back. A few kind words can go a long way.
Posted by Michael Mulligan at 6:55 AM 1 comment: 

Life's 2 Minute Warning

Today's blog was inspired by one of my best mentors. He was the very first person I called when I learned it was time to exit the cave and he asked me to come visit. I will never forget his phone call last December while I was away from Zoom. He told me he received a message for me and my partners. "Be encouraged", he said. This message came at an important time for Zoom because we were struggling to stay alive and we were running out of money. Within thirty days of his call, we learned that Goliath decided to retreat from publishing and would instead focus on the internet. For Zoom, it was like completing the "Hail Mary" as the clock ticked to zero.

I got to re-connect with my good friend yesterday and he shared another powerful message. I asked permission to share his story with my blog buddies and he agreed.

Doug McDaniel has dedicated his life to bringing others to Christ and he has always been there to encourage me on my journey. Yesterday he told me about a 92 year-old man that he met while he was teaching Bible study in nursing homes. Everyone in the group of seniors got along except for this newcomer. He made life miserable for those around him with his negative attitude and Doug was not excited to have him in his study group but it was open to anyone who wanted to attend.

Most of the seniors were at the "two minute warning" of their lives. They shared about their time on this planet and most knew that they were headed for Heaven. Doug asked the group, "how to you get to Heaven?" Everyone had a great answer except for the newcomer. Then Doug asked a follow-up question directed at him, "have you ever accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?" The man shook his head and said "no".

This 92 year-old is probably one of the oldest people on the planet to invite Jesus into his heart. Doug never saw this man again because he moved out within a week of saying yes to God. This home was for people in the final stages of life on earth and the man suddenly became so full of energy that they moved him to a home for more active seniors. He had a new outlook and his anger was replaced with joy as he began his new life.

Doug told me that this story is amazing because the odds of "conversion" diminish over time as we become more set in our ways. No matter how old you are or how far away from God you are, it is not too late to invite Jesus into your heart. If you are looking at your time clock and you are facing the two minute warning, don't wait for the game to end... Say yes and spread the word.

Thank you, Doug, for your words of encouragement and for being a "light" in this world.

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 7:42 AM No comments: 

God has an In-box

To: You
From: God 

Tribute to my cousin from Mulligan's Island

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 7:34 AM No comments: 

My life before meeting Jesus 

In Memory of 9/11

Today is a day of remembrance. One of my cousins lost a close friend who was traveling on a plane on 9/11. He was one of the brave passengers who rallied others and stood up to the terrorists. He was a family man and a Christian.

I have a feeling that he said a prayer before he said, "lets roll" and brought the plane down before it could be used for evil purposes. I am posting Psalm 91 in honor of my cousin's friend and all those who lost their lives on 9/11. Pay special attention to the last lines in the Psalm and say a prayer for the families that are missing their loved ones...


My Refuge and My Fortress

91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say [1] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge [2]—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 8:22 AM No comments: 

Kobayashi Maru

My wife discovered some unused movie tickets while she was cleaning and we decided to take the family to see the new Star Trek movie. As we were driving to the movie theater, I shared memories of my childhood with my three teenagers. The first time I watched Star Trek, it was on a black and white TV. Now, we were about to see my childhood heroes on the big screen. How exciting to share this experience with my family.

Since my wife had never really seen more than a couple of episodes, I decided to give the family a little background on this group of people who had a mission to go where no man had gone before. I shared the story of the "Kobayashi Maru", a no-win scenario that star fleet cadets had to face. No matter what choice the cadet made, it led to certain death.

The day before the big test, James Kirk reprogrammed the computers so that he could win. He shocked everybody with his "creativity" and became a hero that lives on more than forty years since Gene Roddenberry created the original series.

My wife looked at me with a huge smile as we watched Kirk on the big screen. There he was on the bridge showing no signs of fear as the enemy approached. The "Kobayashi Maru" was repeated for my whole family to see and we were sitting so close to the screen that I felt like I was on the bridge as Kirk did the "impossible" and conquered his 23rd century Goliath.

One of the biggest problems that I see every day in our world is that many of us think we are facing the "Kobayashi Maru" scenario and there is no way to win. Instead of getting creative, we give up.

At Zoom, the attitude is that if there is no current way to solve a problem, we need to invent a way. Sometimes, the best way to win is to get the customer to look at his problem differently. Some customers believe print is dead. We show them how we tie new internet technology to old ideas and how our new "hybrid" is better than any other solution on the market. In essence, we are doing just what captain Kirk did...finding a way out of the "Kobayashi Maru".

The lesson I learned from these fictional characters, is that even when I am faced with certain death, I refuse to give up. I am thankful to have a wife and business partners that have the same attitude. Success comes from changing your mind-set first.

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 8:09 AM No comments: 


Today's post is in honor of one of my cousins who is celebrating his 49th birthday today. When we were growing up, he was like a twin brother to me. One of our favorite activities was playing tennis and when we were in high school, we actually competed against each other. My cousin is the superior athlete and I look up to him even though I am older (by two months and five days).

The scar on my knee came from trying to beat him in a downhill race when were kids. He fixed me up pretty good but he still tells me he wished he could have done something for the head injury. Today, he is a world-class doctor and parent. My cousin is one of the best examples of one who perseveres and he has always been an inspiration to me. My birthday present to him is to just say thanks for always being there and for being such an awesome cousin.

Once I have secured permission from others, those of you following this blog will have access to extraordinary talent that comes from other friends and family members. Some of the stories border on the unbelievable but the success comes from persevering in the face of adversity.

I started playing tennis just prior to entering high school. Many of my friends moved on to a private high school and I found new friends in my neighborhood public school. Although most people around me thought I had my head together (except maybe my cousin, the future doc), I was carrying around a lot of anger inside of me. When I would be on the tennis courts, I could block out all the negative stuff that was in my head. My cousin and I would ride our bikes to the courts and play for hours and hours.

I spent my first two years of college at a community college and competed on the tennis team. It seemed like every number one player from all of the surrounding high schools was trying out for this team. I was not as talented as these other players but didn't want to be anywhere else except on a tennis court.

It was at the start of my second year on the team that my coach told me he did not think I could make the cut. We had some new talent vying for a spot and it did not look good for me or my doubles partner. We asked the coach not to cut us. Instead we would work longer and harder on the courts to prove that we belonged on the team. We fought hard and we won. At the end of the year, I earned a special award, called the "spark plug" award for my contributions to the team. This was also my first lesson in perseverance.

When we decided to compete with Goliath, we knew that this would be a battle like nothing we had seen before. We set up about a thousand distribution points in less than thirty days. We invented software from scratch. There were days when we watched the sun come up while still working. Then, the unthinkable happened...when we distributed our second batch of weekly magazines, we discovered that very few customers had picked up magazines from our launch the week prior. We knew we would be dead if the results weren't there right away. In fact, we lost most of our customers during our first two months in business because Zoom was not making the phone ring. They even had proof, compliments of free telephone tracking numbers provided at no charge by Goliath.

We came up with a plan to "re-distribute" these magazines on driveways. The only problem was that we were already working overtime to sell ads, type ads, and distribute magazines. We got our spouses and children involved in the re-distribution process. The kids would rubber band the magazines and throw them on driveways, usually until about midnight.

Our customers started to get phone calls (thank you, Goliath, for giving away the tracking numbers showing how Zoom was working) and we survived. Goliath had predicted that we would not be around more than 90 days. Almost five years later, we are getting ready to launch in our third city and Goliath has retreated from the publishing arena. They told their customers that print was dead. Our tire customer that is getting 1,700 Zoom calls per month may have trouble believing that statement!

It is time for me to go to work. Goliath laid off about 4,000 talented people when they exited the print business. My partners and I will do our best to hire some of them. Maybe we will be in your city soon. You can follow us by checking out our website, ZoomAutos.com. For now, don't ever give up, no matter how challenging your situation is.

Happy Birthday, cousin!
Posted by Michael Mulligan at 8:14 AM 1 comment: 

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Fear not!

Posted by Michael Mulligan at 4:45 AM No comments: 

My Biggest Bible Lesson 

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