If you want your story to resonate, if you want your characters’ bravery to feel earned and unforgettable, you must be willing to let their courage hurt. Today on Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re talking about how to write courage with consequences—bravery that leaves scars, changes outcomes, and refuses to let the story return to “normal.”

Many people pray for change while continually nourishing the very things holding them back: - Fear watered by constant worry - Discouragement watered by comparison - Anger watered by replaying old wounds - Faith starved by neglect The truth is simple but sobering: What you keep watering will grow.

Soldier of Light Against Darkness™,this message is not for those who quit at the first sign of trouble. It’s for those who keep showing up. Those who keep praying. Those who keep believing. Those who keep holding everything—and everyone—together.

This week’s Tony’s Superhero Saturdays™ shines the spotlight on a special kind of hero—the God-given dream chaser. These are the men and women who felt a stirring in their spirit long before they saw evidence in their hands. People who sensed that God placed something inside them on purpose—a vision, an idea, a calling—and chose not to bury it, even when fear, delay, or discouragement tried to convince them otherwise.

Quiet obedience is not flashy. It does not perform well in a world addicted to visibility. But it is one of the most trusted postures in Scripture, because it reveals something deeper than talent or enthusiasm—it reveals faithfulness.

When He‑Man and the Masters of the Universe premiered in 1983, it wasn’t just another cartoon. It was a declaration—one wrapped in myth, muscle, morality, and imagination. And now, more than forty years later, with Amazon Studios releasing a teaser for a new live-action He-Man film set to release June 5, 2026—one day before my birthday—the timing feels less like coincidence and more like destiny calling back.

In Book II of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™, Chapter 11—The Wages of Sin—we see this truth exposed in vivid, unsettling detail. What begins as a confrontation with a single demonic adversary escalates into something far more revealing: a system of bondage, working in unison, feeding off shared purpose and shared destruction.

Not every hero starts out chasing the right goal. Not every protagonist begins noble, selfless, or wise. Sometimes what makes a character compelling isn’t their purity—it’s their conflict. Because deep down? The best stories are about people who need change… but who are too stubborn, scared, or self-deceived to admit it. That’s where flawed desires come in.

Dr. King understood something deeply biblical: Change does not come from words alone—it comes from action, sacrifice, and service. And that is why today is called a Day of Service. Because service is not an accessory to faith. Service is a seed.

Some moments demand everything you have. But Soldier of Light Against Darkness™, one of the hardest assignments God ever gives His people is this: Stand firm when nothing appears to be happening.

Premiering in 1964, Jonny Quest introduced audiences to a grounded, pulse-pounding form of heroism rooted in science, exploration, and global danger. Where earlier animated heroes often embodied mythic ideals, Jonny Quest placed its characters in a world that felt startlingly real—one shaped by Cold War anxiety, technological ambition, espionage, and the very human cost of discovery.

Proverbs reminds us plainly, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). Guarding requires boundaries, and boundaries require discernment. That discernment—knowing what to refuse as much as what to receive—is not resistance to God’s will. It is often evidence of it.

Premiering in 1987, DuckTales didn’t just entertain kids after school. It invited them into a world of adventure, curiosity, history, danger, humor, and heart—and it trusted its audience to keep up. That trust is why it still matters.

In Book I of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™, Angelo faces this kind of moment. After a brutal confrontation with the demon No Mercy, aided by Melanie, Angelo is already broken—bloodied, breathless, and running on fumes. But the enemy doesn’t care that you’re tired. Darkness doesn’t wait until you’re ready. And sometimes, your healing hasn’t even started before the next fight comes.

It’s not just about starting a story—it’s about snatching your reader’s attention before they even settle into their seat. A great first line doesn’t wait. It doesn’t whisper. It doesn’t knock. It kicks the door in and dares the reader not to follow. So, what makes a first line memorable? Let’s dig in.

This message is not about settling. It’s about recognition. Because one of the quickest ways to become discouraged is to forget what God has already grown around you. You may be waiting for more—but that doesn’t mean you have nothing.

Soldier of Light Against Darkness™, many believers are exhausted not because they are disobedient—but because they are overcommitted. They confuse availability with obedience, activity with faithfulness, and opportunity with calling. The enemy does not always need to stop you. Sometimes he only needs to distract you.

This week’s Tony’s Superhero Saturdays™ honors a different kind of superhero: those who stand against injustice. Protestors. Organizers. Advocates. Elders who marched before hashtags existed. Young people who refuse to inherit silence. Everyday citizens who decide that wrong is still wrong—even when the system says otherwise. These are heroes forged not by power, but by conviction.

We celebrate the sudden win, the overnight success, the dramatic elevation. But Scripture—and life—tell a different story. God is far less concerned with how fast you move than with how long you can remain faithful while moving. That’s where endurance comes in.

Before Miami Vice, police dramas were gritty, procedural, and visually plain. They lived in shadows, rain-soaked streets, and muted palettes. Then came pastel suits, speedboats slicing through turquoise water, nightclubs pulsing with music, and a city that felt alive—beautiful and deadly at the same time.