I Didn’t Win The Powerball Lottery

Yesterday, I walked into a local convenience store at lunch time after a quick-lunch time geocaching run.  I couldn’t believe how many cars were in the parking lot.  As I entered the store there was a line of people wrapped around the store.  I followed the line and saw that it led to a lottery machine in the middle of the store.  I was clueless.  I had no idea that everyone was in line for a huge Powerball jackpot.

It kind of cracks me up.  People stand in line for their entire lunch hour just to plunk money into a machine at $2 per ticket for an unlikely chance to win a $579 million dollar lottery jackpot.  What are the odds of winning this jackpot?  Some reports indicate that the odds of winning are 1 in 175 million.  The news today is reporting that there were 2 winning tickets (one in Arizona and one in Missouri).

I didn’t win.

I didn’t purchase a ticket though either.  They say you have to play to win.  But I think I may have already won.  In Proverbs, Solomon talks about ways to become wealthy:

Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.  Proverbs 13:11

I’m not sure that the whole lottery system is dishonest, but it’s not a smart way to gather money.  People think they can get rich quick by spending their paychecks on $2 lottery tickets or by putting their money in a slot machine or on a blackjack table.  Sure, it’s possible that someone could win and alter their financial existence forever, but is it likely?  Of course not!

As Christians, we are called to be good stewards of our resources.  While I’m not wasting my money on $2 dollar lottery tickets, I’m sure there are purchasing decisions that I have made that don’t offer the best return on investment.  Over the years, I’m learning more about good stewardship, and it’s an ongoing lesson.  Here are a couple of thoughts to get the conversation started:

1. Don’t go into debt.  This is a challenging one for Americans.  We have built a culture of consumerism where consumer debt is the norm.  We want the latest thing now, so we go into debt instead of saving up to make the purchase.
2. Get out of debt quickly.  So most of us missed step one.  There’s still hope.  Get out of debt as fast as you can.  This means cutting up credit cards.  This means sacrifice.  But it can be done!
3. Have a plan.  This is an area that has taken our family a while to develop.  Sitting down once a month to plan your spending is key.  Your plan shouldn’t involve spending more than your income (makes sense).  Review your plan regularly throughout the month to make sure you are on track.
4. Save your money.  Since when did we have to spend it all.  Just like the verse above states, wealth happens when you gather your money little by little.  Do you have a retirement fund?  Do you have a college fund?  Do you have an emergency fund?  These are great places to start.
5. Give your money away.  When you get out of debt and start saving money, you suddenly have money that can make a real difference in the world.  I would say that this includes tithing to your local church (which should start from the beginning).
6. Remember who owns the money.  If you are a Christian, you should realize that it’s not your money anyway.  Every good and perfect gift comes from God.  When we remember this fact, it will help us to make better decisions about how we spend the money we’ve been given.

Did you play the Powerball?  How are you being a good steward?  What other advice do you have for the Stretched Community on practicing good stewardship?

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program

Last night, our H.O.P.E. group was supposed to be serving at The Good Samaritan Shelter in Phoenixville, PA.  We were scheduled to paint and clean a couple of rooms at the shelter with our group which typically meets twice a month to serve other people.  It didn’t happen though.

In the middle of the day, we received news that the shelter was closing their offices early due to the inclement weather.  We received a few inches of wet snow yesterday which doesn’t sound like a lot for those in the some parts of the country.  For some reason, the first significant snow fall put everyone in our area on high alert.

And so our regularly scheduled program was interrupted.  The interruption came with mixed feelings.  My wife and I were a little sad, because we had a big group scheduled to help out.  We were excited to have our whole H.O.P.E. group along with a few guests lined up to put a dent in the shelter.  It’s challenging to reschedule activities like this, so cancelling this event brings an unknown as to when we’ll be able to serve again with this ministry.

On the other hand, our family has an extremely busy schedule this week with activities scheduled for each evening.  The break last night was somewhat of a blessing as it gave us the opportunity to be at home for the evening.  We were able to eat together, read, and relax after a busy day of work and school.

Sometimes an interruption can be a good thing.  I don’t normally handle interruption all that well.  I don’t like change, and I don’t like it when my schedule or routine is compromised.  So what can I learn from last night’s interruption?

1. Interruptions happen.  It’s a fact of life. You and I need to get used to the fact that things come up that will interrupt our lives.
2. Embrace the interruption.  Sometimes an interruption can be just what we need to get us realigned.  Besides, pouting and grumbling over the impact of an interruption is a waste of energy.  My kids enjoyed the opportunity to play in the snow.  Perhaps, this was their way of embracing the interruption.
3. Evaluate your interrupted activity.  What was I doing when I was interrupted?  What part of my schedule was interrupted?  Do I need to return to that activity, program, conversation, etc.?  Or do I need to move on?  I hope that we can reschedule this H.O.P.E. serving opportunity, but it will be important for us to evaluate how this fits into the schedule for our group and for our family.
4. Expect interruption.  Interruptions are a good reminder that we need to build in margins into our schedules and into our lives.  Margins give us space to breath, to think, and to react to life’s interruptions.
5. Be considerate when you interrupt and when you are interrupted.  It’s going to happen.  You will need to interrupt someone else and their regularly scheduled program, and you will be interrupted by someone else who really needs your attention.  Learn to respect other people.  Respond in grace.  Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
6. Trust God when your life is interrupted.  Sometimes interruptions can be far more than an inconvenience.  Sometimes an interruption can be like shoving a stick in the spokes of a moving bicycle.  Maybe it’s a health crisis, a job loss, or a death of a loved one.  These kinds of interruptions can rock our worlds.  In times like these, we need to remember to trust God.  He may be the only thing we can hang onto when an interruption shatters our lives.

When was the last time your schedule was interrupted?  How was this interruption a good thing?  How has interruption in your life STRETCHED you?

Pay It Forward – Let’s Start A Revolution

Saturday night, I watched Pay It Forward with my family.  I’ve seen the movie before, and I couldn’t help being inspired all over again by the premise of this movie.  There are some ugly parts in the story like an alcoholic mom, a homeless grandmother, a heroin addict, and a bunch of junior high bullies.  But there’s also amazing beauty in this movie.

The movie clip above gives a brief explanation of the “pay it forward” concept.  The idea is that a person does three acts of kindness for three different people.  The acts of kindness have to be something big – something that the person couldn’t do for themselves.  Instead of repaying the giver, the recipients of the act of kindness must pay it forward by doing acts of kindness for three more people.  You can see how this would multiply quickly if people really followed up on the “pay it forward” movement.

Do you think this idea could work?

Imagine with me for a moment, that each of the readers of this blog took this challenge seriously.  If 100 readers took the pay it forward challenge between now and the end of the year, 300 people would be impacted.  Then these 300 people took the “pay it forward” challenge in the next 3 months.  By the end of March, 900 more people would be impacted (for a total of 1,000 people).  Then these 900 people took the “pay it forward” challenge in the following 3 months.  By the end of June, 2700 more people would be impacted (for a total of 3,700 people).

Maybe “pay it forward” is utopian as the teacher indicates in the clip, but so what?  What if only half the people followed through on the “pay it forward” challenge?  Over 400 people would still be impacted by the end of June.  That’s a big deal!

This Christmas season can get so crazy with trying to find the perfect gifts for our loved ones.  It’s also busy as we run from one holiday event to the next holiday event.  It’s so easy to forget the real meaning of Christmas as we are flooded with all the pressures of this holiday season.

What do you think about trying something crazy this season?  What do you think about starting a revolution?

Let’s try it!  Seriously.  Let’s start our own “pay it forward” revolution.  Wouldn’t you love to change the world for someone this season?  Who’s with me?  Let’s do this thing!

Leave a comment if you plan to join the “pay it forward” challenge.  Let us know how you plan to join the revolution (not to brag – but to encourage – to share ideas).

How To Waste Your Gifts

In several passages of the New Testament, Paul talks about spiritual gifts.  He explains that we’re each given certain gifts when we become followers of Christ.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I Corinthians 12:7-11

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reminded of this topic.  Last week, I led a discussion in my Foundations Class about gifts.  This week at RIOT, guest speaker, Matt Silver, spoke about the importance of sharing our gifts instead of hoarding them.  Yesterday, I was having a conversation with Terri Stone, the Pastor of Pastor Care, and we talked about the importance of using our gifts in the right places.  As I’ve been thinking more about the subject, it dawned on me that many of us waste our gifts.  Here are some of the ways we waste our gifts:

1. We don’t know our gifts.  If I read Paul’s letters to the Romans and the Corinthians correctly, we each have spiritual gifts (when we decide to make Jesus the leader and forgiver of our lives).  How can we use or gifts, if we don’t know what they are?
2. We don’t serve in our area of giftedness.  Instead of being strategic, we take an unplanned approach to jumping into ministry.  This does a disservice to the body of Christ.  It’s like taking off our arm, attaching it to our head, and trying to listen with it.  It just doesn’t work right.  My arm wasn’t meant to be an ear.  Some of us are not meant to teach.  Some of us are not meant to preach.
3. We over-serve.  I may have just made up that word.  Here’s what I mean.  We over involve ourselves.  We plug into every ministry we possible can.  Our calendars are completely filled up with serving opportunities.  This is like asking our hands to listen, to speak, to think, to walk, to see, to smell, to digest our food, to breathe, etc.  You get the idea.  Our hands can’t do all that.  And if they tried, they would wear out pretty quickly.  Strategically serving where we are gifted keeps us from wearing out.  It also allows other parts of the body to serve where they are gifted.

So how can we use our gifts more wisely?  Here are a couple of ideas.

1. Discover your spiritual gifts.  Talk to leaders in your church.  Ask them if they offer help for discerning your spiritual gifts.  There are several spiritual gifts “tests” that can be used to help you figure out how you might be gifted.  Check out Discover Your Spiritual Gifts The Network Way by Bruce Bugbee.
2. Be strategic with your spiritual gifts.  Jump in and serve where you are gifted.  It will feel right to be serving where you are gifted.  Find out how you can get involved at your church.  Go through the list and cross of ministry areas where you know you’ll fail.  Circle the ministry areas that interest you.  Start serving.  If one area of service doesn’t work out, try a different area that you circled.  It’s important for you to plug-in where you are most gifted.  The whole body will benefit.  I would also encourage you to find accountability.  Use friends and church leaders to help direct you to an area of service that fits you best.  Often others can see where you fit in better than you can see yourself.
3. Resist the urge to do everything.  You may be robbing others of using their gifts to the fullest when you do everything.  Besides, you will wear yourself out and become ineffective when you try to do everything.  Find your sweet spot!

I know that I need these reminders from time to time.  It’s easy for me to lose focus on my spiritual gifts.  I tend to over involve myself in areas that don’t match up with my giftedness.  I want to be a productive part of the body of Christ.  I don’t want to waste my gifts!

Do you know your spiritual gifts?  How are you using your gifts to serve the body of Christ?  What other suggestions do you have for making the most of our spiritual gifts?

Do Unto Others

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Luke 6:31

 

It seems appropriate to post this picture taken at Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, TX this week following the Thanksgiving holiday.  When our family was visiting my folks at Easter this year, we had the privilege of visiting Thanksgiving Square.  This mosaic in the square grabbed my attention.  As we continue through this holiday season, may we especially remember to look after others.

How will you flesh this verse out today?

Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and Fresh Brewed Sundays.  Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.

Magic Johnson Quote

All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.
Magic Johnson

Billy Graham Quote

God’s mercy and grace give me hope – for myself, and for our world.
Billy Graham

Ice Breaker – Top 5 Christmas Songs

Each week on The Stretched Blog, we 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.

This week’s question is designed to get you in the holiday spirit.  While malls, shopping centers, and television commercials begin playing Christmas music right after Halloween, our family typically doesn’t start listening to Christmas music until right after Thanksgiving.  Since today’s Ice Breaker falls one day after Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a good idea to start thinking about Christmas songs that you like.

Question:  Name your top 5 Christmas songs.

My Answer:  My list will include a mix of Christian and secular songs.  (For my Jewish friends, you are welcome to chime in with any songs that may be part of your traditions.)

(1) In A Bleak Midwinter – This isn’t a real popular song, but I love the words.  “What shall I give Him? Give my heart.”

(2) Go Tell It On The Mountain – A fun song about spreading the Good News.  I especially when we sing this one on our neighborhood caroling adventures.

(3) I’ll Be Home For Christmas – I had a saxophone solo in this song when I was in the junior high jazz band.  As a result, this song has always had a special place in my heart.

(4) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen version) – I didn’t grow up with the Santa tradition, but I’ve always enjoyed hearing this song when it comes on the radio – especially the saxophone solo part.  I dream of playing that part someday with a live band.

(5) The Gift – I first heard this song when someone gave Leanne the Jim Brickman Christmas album by the same title.  I’ve had the privilege of hearing it live twice at Brickman concerts.  It’s a great song to put you in the right mindset for Christmas.

There you have it – my answer.  Now, it’s your turn.  Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment.  I look forward to reading your response!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From The Stolpe Family

How are you spending your Thanksgiving Day?

Be Intentional TODAY – (How Did 15 Years Go So Fast?)

15 years goes by so fast!

Yesterday, we celebrated Hannah’s 15th birthday.  She was able to relax at home thanks to a day off from school.  To celebrate, we went out for dinner to an Asian restaurant nearby and for dessert at Dairy Queen.  When we arrived home we watched home movies for a while.  We watched Hannah as she could barely roll over.  We watched her dedication service.  And we watched her during her first year as a big sister.

Through the videos, I was reminded that Hannah has a double portion of grace.  Hannah means gracious, and her middle name is Grace.  I was reminded that Hannah has always had a fairly calm and steady personality.  Even as a baby, she was pretty content much of the time.  I was reminded that she is a leader.  I get to see that more now, but it was obvious through the videos that this quality was already developing when Hannah was three years old as she directed her brother around the house.

It’s hard to believe that Hannah has moved into high school this year.  It’s crazy to imagine that she could start driving with a permit in a year.  And it’s unbelievable to think that she will be looking at colleges before long.  We try to plan appropriately for upcoming events and changes, but I’ve also learned that it’s important not to get too wrapped up in the worries of the future.  We need to make the most of the current opportunities that we are experiencing.

One of my favorite verses come from Ephesians:

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16

This verse is about the urgency of the message we have to proclaim about Jesus Christ.  We certainly need to make the most of every opportunity we have to share our faith with those who are far from God.  We need to be wise in how we live, so we set the best example and point people in the right direction.

I think this verse also applies to our relationships with our friends and family.  It’s easy to let the busyness of life hijack our time with our kids.  We can get so busy running from one activity to the next or trying to climb the corporate ladder that we forget to be intentional with the moments we have in the present.  Before we know it, our kids are teenagers.

These 15 years have gone by quickly, and I’m sure the next 15 will seem like a blur as well.  I want to make the most of every opportunity.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!  Thanks for changing our lives forever.

What are you doing today?  How will you be intentional with the time you have today with family and friends?