Look What I Found In My Closet – Notes From My Last Willow Creek Group Life Groups Conference

Okay.  I have a confession to make.  Many of you will find this surprising as I am generally known as an organized person.  I’m not always great at dealing with smaller paperwork.  As I learned today, many of the receipts and small notes that I carry around in my pockets end up in a pile in my closet.  Today, I had an opportunity to get in there and do some clean up, and I discovered a small sheet of notes from my last Willow Creek Group Life Conference.  I thought I’d share them with you here, because I think they still apply.

Conference Overview:

– Just like water and oxygen, COMMUNITY is essential to living.

– I don’t remember all the details, but the speakers, worship, breakout workshops, and discussion groups were excellent.

– The conference gave me a chance to:

– Rub shoulders with “Group Life” people from around the world (there were roughly 4,000 people at the conference and 13,000 viewing via satellite.

– Get new ideas and resources.  (These conferences are always great for this!)

– Recalibrate, Recharge, and Re-vision

My Big Take Homes:

1.  I need to be in Community.

2.  Check my centerline (Community helps keep me in check).

3.  We as Christian leaders have an opportunity to leverage technology for Community.

4.  Caught a deeper vision for how discipleship can happen in Community.

5.  We have a hope that we need to take into the Community.

I realize that these notes make seem a bit sketchy, but they bring back some great reminders and memories for me.

What conferences have had an impact on you?  What conferences do you recommend and why?

God Can Use Our Junk

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Phil Olson.  Phil is the pastor at Church on the Mall which meets at the Plymouth Meeting Mall.  Phil was also a partner in ministry with my dad in Mt. Holly, NJ while my dad served at a church there.  I happen to work ten minutes away from this mall, so it was convenient to hook-up for lunch.  (I don’t know why we don’t do that more often.)

Phil and I caught up about friends from our NJ hometown.  We shared about our families.  And we prayed together.  It was truly a blessing to be with this friend (even though he’s a big New York Mets fan).

Recently, Phil has been working as a chaplain at Cancer Treatment Centers of America one day a week.  At first, this doesn’t sound all that strange, but Phil will tell you that this wasn’t something he had considered before this opportunity came along.  Phil admitted that he didn’t have the training of most hospital chaplains.  One thing that sets Phil apart from the other chaplains is that he is a cancer survivor.  When patients learn this fact, they are more receptive to Phil.  They relate to Phil, because he knows their pain.  Obviously, Phil wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone – including himself, but he has realized that God can use his cancer along with his other “junk” to help others.

As our discussion continued, I was reminded that I have “junk” in my own life that allows me to relate to people on a different level.  For example, the struggles that we have dealt with through my wife’s illness have given me (and our family) a deeper understanding and compassion for families that are impacted by mental illness.  God can use my “junk” to help others and to draw me closer to Him.

As we concluded our discussion, Phil prayed for me using the following scripture from Isaiah 40:

²⁸ Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

I am thankful for Phil’s encouragement and the reminder that God can use our “junk” for His glory.

We’ve all got “junk” in our lives.  How is God using you through your “junk”?

My Fenway Park Experience

I’m a big baseball fan!  I started cheering for the Chicago Cubs while my family lived in the Chicago area when I was little.  And I’m a big Philadelphia Phillies fan now!  I moved to the Philly area in 1980, the year the Phillies won the World Series against the Kansas City Royals.  (These past five or six years have been amazing!)  I still have all my baseball cards, which I used to spend hours organizing, studying, and memorizing.  I enjoy watching baseball, especially live!  I’ve been to several major league stadiums and a few minor league stadiums, and I’ve even been to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.  Like I said, I’m a big baseball fan!

When I was in college, I worked for ServiceMaster for the summer where I traveled to New England every week to inventory all the equipment in various schools.  One week, I had an assignment outside of Boston, so it made sense for me to try to get into Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play the Yankees.  (I don’t even like these teams!)  I couldn’t resist an opportunity to see a game in this “old school” stadium.  You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the game was sold out.  It was definitely a “stretch” to get into the game. I walked around the stadium a couple of times looking for someone who was selling a ticket.  I just wanted to get into the stadium.  Unfortunately, no one was selling any tickets.  At this point, I was being to resign myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to get into the game.

In Philly, we have cheese steak sandwiches and pretzels.  In Boston, I learned that they have sausage sandwiches.  I purchased a sausage sandwich from a street vendor.  As I enjoyed the sandwich while standing against a telephone pole a few feet away, the sandwich vendor walked over and asked if I was looking for a ticket.  I confirmed that I was indeed looking for a ticket.  He told me that he had one that he would sell to me for next to nothing.  I couldn’t believe it!

I made my way into the stadium and followed signs to my seat.  Unbelievable!  My seat was 12 rows directly behind home plate – at Fenway Park!  I had a perfect view of the field and the dugouts.  Around the third inning, the sandwich vendor and his family came and sat right next to me.  We had a friendly conversation.  During the fifth inning, my new friend bought me a beer.  Can you imagine?

To be honest, I don’t even remember who won the baseball game.  I do know that I will always remember my experience at Fenway Park.

Are you a baseball fan?  Have you ever experienced something unbelievable?  Have you ever had a “Fenway Park” experience?  Please share.

Red Light, Green Light – Give Thanks In Everything

This Sunday, our family was running late for church.  As we drove together, we came to two traffic lights where we normally have to stop at one of the lights.  This time both lights stayed green.  As we drove through the second life, I said, “Thank you God for green lights.”  As I said this, I smiled thinking about my mom.  When I was young, I could hear her saying these very words in our car perhaps as we were also running late for church.  I think my mom has always been a great example of being thankful for the simple things.

Getting back to my ride to church this past Sunday, the next traffic light we came to was red.  “Ahhh!  Come on!  We were on a roll!” My wife said to me, “Do you thank God for the red lights too?”  Wow, what a question.

On a much bigger scale, do I thank God for the ups AND downs?

The Bible talks about “giving thanks in all circumstances.”  I guess that seems easier said than done.

Am I thankful when I face a challenging situation at work?

Am I thankful when I’m hungry?

Am I thankful when I’m sick?

Am  I thankful when my wife or my kids face a challenge that I can’t fix?

Am I thankful in all circumstances?

It’s amazing that a few simple traffic lights can speak so loudly to what I need to hear.

What are you thankful for today? 

Refuel Your Marriage – Cape Cod Getaway Highlights

As I mentioned yesterday, Leanne and I had the wonderful opportunity to take a vacation to Cape Cod.  We dropped the kids off with Leanne’s folks for the week, and we enjoyed some time away for just the two of us.  We try to get away at least once a year without the kids.  Usually, it’s just for a night or two, but this year we decided to extend it to almost a week to celebrate our anniversary.  In the past, we’ve enjoyed our stays at different inns that offer a bed and breakfast type atmosphere.  This year was no different.  We stayed at the One Centre Street Inn in Yarmouth Port, MA.  It was such a refreshing experience to wake up to a gourmet breakfast every morning after a quiet nights sleep.  Here are the brief highlights from our trip:

Monday – Travel and an evening at Dennis Beach (on the Cape Cod Bay)

Sunset on Dennis Beach

Tuesday – Martha’s Vineyard

Edgartown Lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard

Wednesday – Nantucket

Leanne on our Nantucket private boat tour

Thursday – Provincetown and Cape Cod Baseball League

Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown

Friday – Nauset Beach and an evening in Chatham, MA

My lobster dinner in Chatham

As you can see, we had an adventurous week.  Time like this is so important for refueling our marriage.  It gets us away from the distractions of home life.  It provides an opportunity to focus on us.  It gives us a chance to take a break and relax.  It gives us a chance to enjoy each other.  And it gives us a chance to talk about the future and to set goals.  (And by the way, our kids had a blast with Grammy and Pappap.)

If you’re married, I strongly encourage you to get away with your spouse on a regular basis to refuel .

How do you refuel?

I’m Back…

I’m back!  But maybe you didn’t even know I was missing.

I just returned from a week of vacation with my wonderful wife as we celebrated our 15th anniversary in Cape Cod.  It was an incredible trip, and I hope to share some of the details in the days to come.  I just wanted to send out a quick thank you to all four of my guest bloggers this week.  I think they all did an excellent job sharing how they have felt “stretched” these days.  If for some reason you missed it, here are the links to the four guest posts.

Monday:  Norman Stolpe (my dad) – God in the Spaces

Tuesday:  Beck Gambill – Faith Stretch

Thursday:  Alex Humphrey – Savor The Flavor

Friday:  Hannah Stolpe (my daughter) – Middle School Missions Trip Recap

Thank you!

When you go on vacation, do you prefer the mountains or the beaches (or maybe somewhere else)?

Middle School Missions Trip Recap

Today, I am so proud that I can introduce my daughter as my guest blogger.  In her post below, Hannah shares her take on a missions trip she took two weeks ago with my son and a group of middle school students from our church.  I think you’ll see that this trip had an impact on Hannah, and you’ll see that God can use anyone – even a group of crazy middle schoolers!

(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment.  I’d love to connect with you.)

 

Two weeks ago, I went on a missions trip to Johnstown, PA with my church’s youth group.  We had a great time and were able to help and shine God’s love to so many people. As well as serving people, I also learned a lot about how I should live according to God’s Word.  One of the biggest things I learned can be found in Luke 22:42:

 “Father, if you are willing take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done“

A lot of the times, I want to do what I want to do.  I’ll want to do this. I won’t want to do that.  But as a follower of God, He calls me to do His will – to step out of my comfort zone and not necessarily do what I want to do.  He has amazing plans for me, but they can only happen if I follow His will.  Two weeks ago, whatever we did we asked God for guidance so that we could do His will.  Whether it was asking Him what He wanted us to do that day or listening to Him to see if He wanted us to talk to someone, His will was done and it was amazing to see His plans for our group unfold.

Here’s a recap of our week:

On Monday, we went to a church down the street from where we were staying.  This church has been closed for two years due to the economy.  With the amount of churches closing in their area, they have decided to reopen.  As it has been closed for two years, there was a lot of work to do.  We mopped, swept, weeded, trimmed bushes, painted, scrubbed, and scraped paint and rust off poles.  It was amazing to see how much work our middle school group was able to accomplish in such a short time.  It also was great to see how grateful everyone was for the work we accomplished!Tuesday was by far my favorite day.  On Tuesday, we went to an old hospital in the town of Culver.  The owner of the hospital (Jeremy) is turning it into a community center for Culver.   It will have apartments, a kitchen, his house, and other things for youth – such as a gaming room.  On Tuesday, my middle school group and the high school group that was staying with us helped to clean out the hospital and tear down the walls and ceiling.  It was God’s miracle that no one got hurt despite the large amounts of plaster that continually fell.  After we finished our work, a friend and I explored the hospital.  There was lots of papers, x-rays, and old equipment.  Later that evening, we played volleyball, roasted marshmallows, sang songs around a fire, and watched fireworks.My day on Wednesday was split into two parts.  In the morning, I baked cookies and made cards.  Another group would hand out the cookies, cards, and Bibles to people the next day.  Their decision to do this definitely involved following God’s will by stepping out of their comfort zones to talk with the people who received the Bibles.

In the afternoon, we went to Goodwill.  We swept up trash and threw trash it into a big dumpster. Then a few people who worked there told us about what Goodwill does. We also got to meet a man who was employed by Goodwill a couple of years ago.  He was very thankful for his job and groups like ours who help out at Goodwill.

On Thursday, we went to a soup kitchen and a nursing home.  At the soup kitchen, we moved wood and sorted food and utensils. At the end, we were able to eat lunch with a few recipients of the soup kitchen food.

At the nursing home, we did several things.  First, we escorted the residents to their rooms after a ballroom dancing show.  A few of the people on our team were able to talk and pray with residents.  After that, we cut and colored Forth of July coloring pages with residents.  Later, the nursing home staff were going to put the decorations on the residents’ doors.

On Friday, we traveled home, but first, we made some detours.  After a small lunch of pop tarts at the church we were staying at, we went to McDonald’s for a bigger breakfast.  We then followed the GPS until we arrived at the incline plane in Johnstown.  We took a round trip on the incline plane and then headed to Chuck E. Cheese’s for some last-minute fun.  After Chuck E. Cheese’s, we sat on the pavement and went around in a circle complementing and encouraging each other.  After that, we went to the food court to grab some food before heading home.

All in all, it was a great trip.  I’m so glad I went, and I look forward to future opportunities to serve!

Have you ever been on a missions trip?  What was something you learned on this trip? 

Savor The Flavor

Here is a guest post by Alex Humphrey.  Alex is an author, coach, entrepreneur, husband, and Christ-follower.  I have enjoyed following Alex on his blog for the past couple of months, and he graciously agreed to share his thoughts and talents with us today.  I love what he has to say below.  Please chime in on his questions, and don’t forget to get connected with Alex.  Besides his blog, you can follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment.  I’d love to connect with you.)

Last week my wife and I had “a talk”. We haven’t been communicating well and it has left us feeling frustrated and making it hard to be open with one another.

It took a while, but we finally figured out what was going on:

• My wife lingers on ideas. She sees books, movies, and even the Bible like a delicious meal where each bite needs to be savored, experienced, and understood before she can move on to the next.

• I try to understand the ideas quickly so I can move onto the next one. If my thoughts were a meal it would be an all-you-can-eat buffet and I’d be doing my best to finish off 10 plates in 20 minutes.

After our conversation, God made it clear: I need to linger more.

Knowing God isn’t something that can be done quickly. We must experience him. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good”. The experience of lingering on a delicious bite is the same experience of understanding the goodness of God.

There are 3 lessons I’ve taken from this:

1. One thing at a time – More than that and I miss out on something.
2. Experience every moment – life is a marathon, not a sprint. Every moment should be experienced and enjoyed.
3. Work until it’s done – My method leaves a lot of projects unfinished. From now on, part of experiencing every moment is finishing what I start.

When was the last time you really experienced an event in your life? What are you doing to help you experience more of them?

Celebrating 15 Years!

Today, I celebrate 15 years of marriage to my best friend and my soul mate.  There’s been far more adventure than I could have ever imagined.  I’m thankful for each day.  And I’m so thankful that we are “stuck” together.

What were you doing 15 years ago on this day?

Faith Stretch

Here is a guest post by Beck Gambill.  Beck is an author, mentor, wife, mother, and Christ-follower.  I have enjoyed following Beck on her blog for the past month, and she graciously agreed to share her thoughts and talents with us today.  Her writing is inspired and beautiful, and I love what she shares below and how she says it.  Please chime in on her questions, and don’t forget to get connected with Beck.  Besides her blog, you can follow her on Twitter.

(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment.  I’d love to connect with you.)

Lately the very fibers and sinews of my heart are being pulled tight in a deep faith stretch. Three months ago my husband, Chris, and I took a risky step of faith. After serving as worship pastor for four years in a Wyoming church, due to some difficult circumstances and God’s leading, we left our place of ministry trusting God had a plan. My human assumption was that the plan would be revealed quickly and before long we would be serving in a new place of ministry. I was wrong.

We are thankful for dear friends who have graciously opened their home providing a place for us to stay while we wait. Yet I’ve learned it’s not good for a man to live without fulfilling work or a woman to be without a home. God knows this.

There are moments in the waiting that fear and hurt swell, choking off my breath. There are also moments of deep joy. The difference, I find, lies in the abiding. A tenacious sitting at Jesus feet decides if I will sink in despair or soar on wings of faith. Time in the word of God fills my heart with life-sustaining truth that counteracts the lies I would otherwise believe. Lies that say; God doesn’t see you, he has abandoned you, you’re not good enough, you have failed, you will never know fulfillment.

Daily I come, I press on, my spiritual muscles stretched and strengthened. As I come Jesus is always faithful to meet me. He recently revived my heart with the words of Psalm 18. Are you weary from the journey of life, stretched by your limitations or circumstances? Let me share some of those verses with you.

But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
my cry to him reached his ears…

He opened the heavens and came down;
dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
He shrouded himself in darkness,
veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.
Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him
and rained down hail and burning coals.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded
amid the hail and burning coals…

He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters…

He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.

 Can you see the God of heaven leap to his feet at the sound of your voice crying out in need. Imagine him take flight on the wings of an angel, thundering his approach, reaching down his mighty hand to rescue you! Like a mother stalking across the playground, determined eyes focused, set to rescue her child from the bully, so is our God with his own children. In a purely physical sense we may not see God on the move but we can be sure when we call out in need he hears and acts.

In the midst of messy circumstances God is stretching my heart to trust him. He challenges me to show up daily to sit at his feet to be fed. As I obey, my heart is comforted that God sees me, he rescues me and it’s his delight to do so.

Are you being stretched through difficult circumstances? How has God reminded you of his care?