Hello, Stretched Community!
I just wanted to let you know that I’m taking a few days off to enjoy the holiday weekend with friends and family. I’ll be back on Tuesday.
In the meantime, how do you enjoy taking a break? What do you do to recharge yourself?
See you next week!
A couple of weeks ago, I asked The Stretch Community to ask me anything. And they did! I’ve answered five of the questions so far, and I thought I’d take a stab at another question today. This one comes from Matt McWilliams. Here’s his question:
If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why?
Also, can I borrow $1 Million?…and by “borrow” I mean “have.”
I would probably go with Superman.
When I was a kid, I thought it would be so amazing to be able to fly. I can remember running down the hallway of our house into the living room and jumping into the couch. I believed that for a brief second I was actually flying. Believe it or not, I’ve felt that feeling on the basketball court a few times (not recently). It’s a feeling that you are floating through the air. But it only lasts for a quick moment. It doesn’t last.
As a kid, I also played with the idea of being invisible. Perhaps, this superpower would be more amazing than flying. You could walk into a room without anyone noticing. I could sneak into the kitchen and get a bowl of ice cream, and I could eat it undetected – as long as nobody was in the kitchen when I came in to see the freezer open and close.
More recently, I’ve thought that it would be helpful if somehow I could be in multiple places at the same time. Especially as our kids are involved in different activities, I would love to be at work, be at home, and be at the track meet or other activity all at the same time. We often joke at the office that the cloning machine is broken.
But in reality, these superpowers remain out of reach. It’s probably a good idea that we can’t do all these things. My guess it that we would have a hard time using these powers selflessly. I’m also guessing that possession of these superpowers would cause us to stray from God. We would fail to realize the amazing power of our Creator.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
So maybe it’s a good thing that I’m not Superman. As for your other question, Matt, I don’t have a million dollars, but I’d gladly buy you a cup of coffee when we get together. Thanks for the question!
And that’s my answer!
Now, it’s your turn. Answer Matt’s question: If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why?
This has been a traumatic week for many in the center of our country as they’ve been faced with the reality of tornadoes that literally ripped through their lives destroying homes, schools, businesses, cars, trees, and lives. Honestly, it is difficult to fully imagine the pain, anguish, and loss that so many in Oklahoma must be feeling this week.
My parents are finishing up an assignment at a church in Midwest City, Oklahoma which is just north of Moore, Oklahoma is located. I talked to my Dad the other night, and he described the destruction as devastating and like nothing else he had previously experienced. It was obvious in our conversation that the tornadoes had brought life in their area to a screeching halt.
Imagine driving your car at 65 miles an hour and it suddenly stops completely. Or imagine riding your bicycle at 15 miles an hour when someone jams a stick in your spokes.
This is how I imagine it must have felt for so many when the tornadoes came and interrupted their lives.
Sometimes life is like this. We are coasting along when something happens in our lives that brings things to a screeching halt. It’s happened in my life a few times – like the time I crashed my car two weeks before my wedding, like when my wife was rushed to the hospital shortly after our son was born, and like the moment I learned that my grandfather had passed away six years ago.
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I’ve learned a few things through life halting events. Here are 5 Ways to Deal with Life Halting Experiences:
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19
For those directly impacted by this week’s events in Oklahoma recovery will be tough. I can’t begin to imagine what these residents are going through. To many, my thoughts will seem shallow. It’s not my intent to belittle what those in Oklahoma have experienced. I simply mean to point out a few things I’ve learned from life halting experiences of my own. This I know, we can certainly pray for the victims and more importantly find ways to help out.
What have you learned from a life stopping experience? What other tips do you have for handling these kinds of times?
Over the weekend, our family sat down together to watch a movie. There are times when it seems like we are running so quickly from one event or activity to the next. It was so nice just to be still together in our own home for a couple of hours. Leanne and Isaac picked out the movie from one of our local Redbox kiosks. It seems like I am more and more out of the loop on the whole movie scene, so it’s no surprise that I had never heard of the movie they picked out – The Impossible.
The movie portrays the true story of a family caught in the ravages of a large tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004. They family who is vacationing along the coast is separated and swept away when the giant wave decimates the resort where they were staying. (Spoiler alert!) Most of the movie is spent telling the story of their search for one another and of their eventual reunion.
Most of the movie is pretty graphic as it shows the tsunami along with the injuries that occurred as a result. When Leanne told me what the movie was about, I was honestly not sure I wanted to see it. Who wants to watch destruction?
I’m glad I stuck around to the end. The movie was pretty powerful. In fact, there were a couple of moments that brought tears to my eyes. Along with the tears, the movie brought a few thoughts to my head that have been rolling around for a few days.
The circumstances of life can sometimes seem impossible. We face trials of many kinds, and we can easily get caught up in our tunnel-visioned, self-focused reality. It’s important to remember that we have a Father who loves us through thick and thin. And it’s important to live our lives in a way that honors Him. Believe it or not, The Impossible reminded me of this.
What are you facing today that is IMPOSSIBLE? How does it help to know that there is a God who relentlessly pursues you?
Tonight is a special night for our family. And if you live in the area (Eastern Pennsylvania), we hope you’ll join us. (If you live outside the area or can’t make it tonight, you can still help out!)
From 5 PM until 7:30 PM, we’ll be holding a Rally Night at the Royersford Chick-Fil-A. A percentage of all proceeds during this time will go towards our short-term missions trip to Guatemala this summer. To date, we’ve raised $3,550 towards our trip. The cost of our trip is right around $5,600. You can find out more about how you can help with our trip by clicking here.
This summer, our family will be taking a journey to serve with GO! Ministries in the village of Santo Domingo Xenacoj in Guatemala. During their trip, they will be working with widows and orphans in the village. Specifically, we will be focusing on a feeding program, kid camp program, and direct service to widows.
Hope to see you there. And thanks for your support!
Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
For many, next weekend marks the beginning of summer. People start traveling and taking time off from work to enjoy a break and to spend time with family and friends. This week’s question will get you thinking about the summer ahead and will remind you of summer days of the past.
Question: What are your vacation plans for this summer? What’s one of the best vacations that you have ever experienced?
My Answer: If you have been reading along for a little while, you’ll know our family is planning to go to Guatemala later this summer on a short-term missions trip to the village of Xenacoj. Besides that, we are planning to take a swing through the Midwest (Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) to visit my family who live in that area. In between visits with family, we’re also hoping to hit one of the water parks in the Wisconsin Dells.
As for best vacations experienced, I would say that I really enjoyed the trip that Leanne and I took to France to celebrate our tenth anniversary. We stayed in Paris for two days, the Louvre Valley for two days, the Bordeaux region for two days, near Marseilles for two days, and Lyon for two days. It was wonderful to see the various sites of this beautiful country, and it was refreshing to spend uninterrupted time together with my bride.
Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.)
Today, I’m guest posting as part of The Network for Joe Lalonde at his blog, Joseph Lalonde. In my post (Leading From Our Hands And Our Knees), I share some thoughts about servant-based leadership. Here’s an excerpt to get you started.
How are your hands and knees?
For so many, leadership is all about a position of authority. When most people think of leadership, they think of someone sitting in the plush corner office. They think of someone sitting on a throne. Or they think of someone who stands tall above everyone else.
Authority is an important aspect of leadership, but there is something else leaders should consider.
Leaders lead best when they lead from their hands and knees.
(Click here to read the rest of this post.)
If you’re visiting from Joe’s blog, I’m glad you stopped by. I hope you’ll check things out and become a regular part of The Stretched Community. You can sign up to receive daily blog updates by adding your e-mail on the main page (I promise not to send you spam). To help you get a taste of my other writing, here are a few of my favorite posts:
How could servant-based leadership impact your leadership effectiveness? What is one thing you can do this week to lead from your hands and knees?
From a spectators standpoint, a track meet can seem like organized chaos. There are athletes running on the track, walking in the stands, warming up in the parking lot, jumping, throwing, and socializing with other athletes. If you attend enough meets, you begin to realize that there is a method and organization to the entire meet.
As a father, my favorite events are the one in which my kids are competing. There nothing quite like cheering on your own kids. Besides that, I especially love watching the relay races. It’s fun to watch teammates cheering each other on, running as fast as possible, and passing the baton to their teammate. A well polished relay team is so amazing to watch as the baton flows around the track from one athlete to the next to the next.
For those of you unfamiliar with relay racing at a typical track meet, the race is made of four legs each run by a different runner on the same team. At the high school level, the typical relay races are the 4 x 100 (each runner runs one-quarter of the track), the 4 x 800 (each runner runs two laps of the track), and the 4 x 400 (each runner runs one lap of the track).
As I watched the relay races from the season, it was obvious which teams at practiced together and which teams needed a lot of work. If I looked more closely at the relay race, I came up with 4 Lessons From The Relay Race that we can apply to everyday life:
What lessons could you add to the list above? How have you experienced these relay lessons in your own life? What baton are you currently carrying? How are you preparing to pass the baton?
Over the past several weeks, I’ve been answering questions that you posed to me in response to an Ice Breaker question. Today’s question comes from TMZ (a Phillies fan who currently lives on the West Coast):
Who’s your favorite current Phillies player? Of all-time?
Okay, I’ll be honest. I haven’t been following the Phillies as closely as I used to especially as they have fallen back into the middle of the pack. I’m still a fan though. And to answer TMZ’s question, I’d have to say that Chase Utley is my favorite current Phillies player. His grit, determination, and pure hustle are a great example for other players to follow.
And my favorite Phillies player of all-time? That’s easy. Michael Jack Schmidt. Schmidt played 3rd base for the Phillies when I moved to the Philadelphia area in 1980, and he is arguably the best 3rd baseman of all-time. He certainly had his flaws as a sports personality in a tough town. But he has stayed with the Phillies since his retirement as a coach and promoter. I’d love to meet him at some point to talk about his faith, his family, and his career. (Tim Gradoville, you were a close second place!)
There you have it, TMZ. Who is your favorite Phillies player (past and present)? If you’re not a Phillies fan, who is one of your favorite players and teams?
Coming off the trails for a lap around the field at The Thanksgiving Marathon
Yesterday, I ran in the first ever Servefest 5K. It was a great event and a wonderful workout for my legs and lungs. I’ve been running quite a bit these days, and the 5K was a great test to see how effective my training as been. As I was out for my morning run this morning, I was thinking about the parallels between long distance training and life. A couple of weeks ago, I posted some tips for those who are thinking about running a longer race for the first time.
As I was processing this post, I was thinking about things that inspire me in my running and in my life. For example, I’m inspired when I hear stories of people overcoming adversity to reach new heights. I think that’s why I like movies like Radio, Remember the Titans, and The Blind Side.
I’m also inspired by scripture. The scripture below is a great reminder to persevere and to keep the right focus.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
It is so easy to give up and to lose perspective when we face the challenges of life. As with my tips a couple of weeks ago, here are six tips that I have found helpful in keeping my eyes on the prize.
It’s amazing how these things line up with the tips from my earlier post.
So what inspires you in running and in life? What other tips would you add to the list above?