Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Signs

This is one of man, many pictures I took last summer of the signs in Xenacoj.  Despite my limited Spanish, I could usually figure out what the sign said (at least generally speaking).

Can anyone guess what this sign says?

(SPOILER ALERT:  Here’s what the sign says – Ferrepuestos the key hardware and number, truck, motorbike, bicycle annex workshop.)

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – It’s Too Early For Pictures

After our morning photo opportunity with the mountains in the background, we stopped by German and Suzy’s house for breakfast.  Their youngest daughter, Gracia, was awake, but she was clearly not ready for photos.

Gracia is such a good sport.  Her house is constantly barraged by short-term missionaries, and she rolls with the punches for the most part.

Our team hung out on the couches on the front porch before and after our meals while we were in Xenacoj.  These pre-meal and post-meal impromptu gatherings gave us a great opportunity to hang out with our host family.

Finding A Fresh Perspective In Routine

When I was really young, my parents took us to a church where they did communion every once in a while (I think once every three months).  Then we moved from Illinois to New Jersey where my family attended a Presbyterian church.  Here had communion once a month (always the first Sunday of the month).  At my current church in Pennsylvania, we take communion every Sunday.

Communion is meant to be a special time to remember and reflect on the sacrifice Christ made on the cross – breaking His body and spilling His blood.  Paul instructs us In I Corinthians 11:27-29:

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  A man out to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgement on himself.

I think I may have fallen into a position I don’t want to be in.  I had become so used to the routine of communion that I missed out on the important and special nature of this meal.  Yesterday, my pastor who was introducing communion took some time to share the importance of communion, and he did it in away that woke me up to the numbness I was probably feeling regarding communion.

I thrive on routine.  It’s helpful to have habits and systems, but it’s not good if we forget the importance of why we do the thing in the first place.

I wake up everyday at 4 AM to read God’s Word, to exercise, and to eat breakfast.  These are important to keeping me spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy.

I take communion every week at my church to remind me of the sacrifice Christ made and to keep me centered correctly.

If I forget this, my routine means nothing.  I am simply going through the motions.  As Paul shared in his first letter to the Corinthians, I am called to examine myself each and every time I take communion.

Maybe it’s time you and I step back from our routines to reflect on what is really important – to look inside – to consider our heart and our motives.

Today, I want to challenge you to take a step back.  Look in the mirror.  Why do you do what you do day after day and week after week?

Thanks, Matt Silver, for helping me to renew my perspective on communion and on my other routines.

How do you keep a fresh perspective on things that are routine in your life?  Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

Ice Breaker – Wrestling

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.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Professional wrestler, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, passed away yesterday.  If you look him on Wikipedia, you will see that he had a storied career as a wrestler and trainer.  Today’s Ice Breaker question is inspired by the world of professional wrestling.

Question:  If you were a professional wrestler, what would your name be?  And what would your signature move be?

My Answer:  My brother, David, and I used to watch professional wrestling when we were kids.  Our Mom wasn’t too crazy about it, but we loved to watch the weekly antics of the “athletes” to give us ideas for our own living room wrestling matches between each other.  Many of our matches took place when our parents were away.  Our babysitter would actually announce the match from the couch as David and I paraded down the hallway into the “ring” (the living room) and as we wrestled each other.  One time, David lost a tooth while we were wrestling, and I think we even got it on cassette tape.

If I were a professional wrestler, my name would be Jon “The Swedish Fish” Stolpe.  And my signature move would be “The Pickled Herring.”  The move would involve grabbing a bucket of pickled herring from the ringside and shoving it down my opponent’s throat.  When performed correctly, the opponent would gag and run out of the ring leaving me to bask in the victory and the consumption of a piece of herring on a rye crisp cracker.

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.) And keep Stretching!

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Friends

Natalie had been to Xenacoj before.  This year, Natalie brought her friend, Therese, back with her.  Their experience together in Guatemala provided special memories for their friendship.

The Discipline Of Preparation – 5 Ways To Prepare For The Outcomes We Desire

The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.

Confucius

As long as I can remember, I have always taken great pride in keeping a nice lawn.  I may have been influenced by my Grandpa Miller who always kept his lawn green and well manicured when I was younger.  My obsession with a nice lawn may also have been shaped by my experience as a teenager cutting people’s lawns throughout the area.

When we moved into our brand new house over nine years ago, I was committed to making sure m lawn was well maintained.  Once our grass started coming in, I fertilized it.  I aerated it.  I watered it.  And I did my best to make sure it was cut just right with straight lines or near perfect geometric shapes.

One summer, I decided to let it go, and I was left with a burned out, weed infested mess.  My grass was gone, and there were ugly weeds everywhere.

This year, we have experienced an unusual spring drought.  My grass started turning brown before Memorial Day this year, and I knew it could only get worse without significant rain.

Over the past week, the rain arrived and lasted for a few days giving my lawn the drink it needed.  And my grass started growing again.  Tuesday night, I decided to cut the grass after work and dinner.  I opened the shed and backed my John Deere lawn tractor out of the shed.  I turned the blades on, and I began to move forward across my lawn.

It didn’t take long to see there was something wrong.  The blades on my mower were turning, but they were struggling to leave a nice clean cut.  In fact, there were many parts of the lawn that looked like a bad haircut.  I had to overlap my driving pattern and cut the lawn multiple times to get it looking even.  I didn’t have time to stop and sharpen the blades the other night as the rest of my week was very busy, but I ended up spending a lot more time cutting the grass because of the dull blades.

This weekend, I’ll be climbing under my tractor to remove the blades so I can sharpen them for the next mowing.

The whole experience reminded me of the importance of proper preparation.  The discipline of preparation can be a real challenge for many of us.  We lack the patience to wait long enough to make sure we are ready to tackle a project or task.  And then, we’re left disappointed my an outcome that doesn’t measure up to our expectations.

If we want to avoid this disappointment, it’s time we practice the discipline of preparation.  Here are # ways to prepare so we can experience the outcome of our desires:

5 Ways To Prepare For The Outcomes We Desire

1. Read the instructions.  I’m a pretty handy guy.  As a mechanical engineer, I sometimes think I can get away with doing something without reading the directions.  I’ve learned though that the directions help you prepare.  When you bake a cake, you don’t through random ingredients into a pan and hope it turns into a cake.  You read the instructions to make sure you have the proper tools and ingredients to be successful.
2. Request help.  I like to do things all by myself.  The reality is there are many people who have done things in life already that I’m pursuing now.  Asking for help is important to the preparation process.  My wife’s dad was the first one to show me how to remove my tractor mower blades.  He knew how to do it, because he had done it before on his own tractor.
3. Rehearse the project in your head or on paper before you start.  Before you set out on a journey, you want to make sure you have the right equipment.  You go over your gear again and again to make sure you don’t miss a key item.  My son is getting ready to go to Philmont Scout Reservation for two weeks of hiking and camping in New Mexico.  He has been practicing and preparing for this trip for months.  While this trip will be a challenge, I’m confident he will be successful, because he has put in adequate preparation.
4. Reserve the time required to prepare appropriately.  When I decided to cut my grass on Tuesday night, I should have given myself more time to check the sharpness of the blades.  Because I was in a hurry, I cut my grass with dull blades.  Build time in your schedule for preparation.
5. Remember your past failures caused by poor preparation.  Sometimes the best preparation tool is the memory of our past failures.  Don’t let your past go to waste.  Learn, grow, and move forward having made the necessary corrections.

I like this quote by Abraham Lincoln who gives valuable insight into the discipline of preparation:

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.

One word of caution:  Don’t fall into the trap of over-analysis.  Over-analysis leads to paralysis which leads to lack of action and ineffective action.  Once you’ve taken the necessary steps to prepare move forward with confidence knowing you’ve put yourself in a position to succeed.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Father And Daughter

It was fun to watch Ken and Natalie Shull as they served together in Guatemala.  It brought back memories of my first trip to Guatemala in 2012 when I went with Hannah (my daughter) and the high school youth group from my church.

There is something very unique about serving alongside your children especially in a foreign land.  Ken and I both had the construction skills to be successful in building homes in Guatemala, but our daughters both demonstrated their importance on the trip serving as translators.  Natalie and Hannah were able to communicate with the orphans, widows, and other villagers we encountered on our trip.  And they both demonstrated maturity that far exceeded their youth.

If you ever have the opportunity to go on a missions trip with your child or your parent, take it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Up On The Mountain

There is something powerful about serving together with your family.  Our family has made it a point to serve together here at home in the United States and in Guatemala.

As we head over to breakfast on our second full day in Guatemala, we had the privilege of seeing all three distant peaks very clearly.  This was probably the best view we had all week as the mountains were typically covered in clouds.

As it is, Xenacoj is roughly 7,500 feet above sea level which means we truly had a mountain-top experience this week in Guatemala.  The experience lifted us up for greater service, a deeper appreciation for our home, and a strong desire to return again to the village we love.

When was the last time you had a mountain-top experience?  How were you stretched and transformed by this experience?  Tell us about it in the comments.

The Discipline Of Adventure

When I was in college, I wrestled with the idea of becoming a full-time overseas missionary.  I wanted to help people.  Part of me longed for the adventure that came with this kind of pursuit, but a major part of my was terrified of the unknown related to this decision.

As I’ve become older and I’ve taken on more and more responsibility at home, at work, and at church, my sense of adventure has continued to diminish.  I have become reluctant to pursue things that may be a little crazy.

Recently, I was reading Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds (affiliate link) by Carmine Gallo, and he reminded me that we are actually made for adventure.  In Chapter 4 (Team Me Something New), Gallo shares some quotes from arctic explorer, Ben Saunders:  “In my experience, there is something addictive about tasting life at the very edge of what’s humanly possible.”  Saunders goes on to say, “In life, we all have tempests to ride and poles to walk to, and I think metaphorically speaking, at least, we could all benefit from getting outside the house a little more often, if only we could sum up the courage.”

I don’t know what’s holding you back, but I think it’s time we all reconsider the discipline of adventure.

Life is too short to live in our comfort zone.  We must relearn the thrill of doing something that scares us a little, that causes our heart to beat a little faster, and extends the boundaries on what we thought was possible.

You don’t have to go to the North Pole, to the moon, or to a strange land to practice the discipline of adventure (although these places may be where you end up someday).  Adventure is waiting right outside your door.  Get off the couch, and go do something that matters.  Seek out adventure, and you might just be surprised by how much you stretch and by how much you learn about yourself.

How would your world be different if you made the decision to practice the discipline of adventure?  How has adventure made a difference in your life?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – There Is No “I” In Team

This is our team for the first half of our 2014 trip to Xenacoj.  Even after a couple of days we began to bond.  As you can see by the photo, the boys were a little outnumbered by the girls.  Next time, we’re hoping there will be a few teenage guys for Isaac to pal around with.

The photo includes everyone on our team except for me.  I guess this is what they mean when they say “There is no ‘I’ in team.”  I’m so thankful I could be a part of this team (even if I’m not in the photo).