Category Archives for "Arny Sanchez"

3 Thumbs Up! Dallas Edition

This week, I’m visiting my parents in Dallas, TX.  There are many things about being here that make you feel like you’re in another country – the culture, the people, the sports teams, etc.  All in all, Dallas is a good place to visit.  The people are friendly.  And the weather is great this time of year.

Last week, I tried something new with the first ever 3 Thumbs Up! post.  I’m going to try it again this weekend with a little Texas flair.  Here goes:

Thumbs Up Number 1:  Dave’s Ghost Pepper Jolokia Sauce.  My youngest brother is apparently following in the footsteps of my middle brother.  They both love hot sauce.  Upon our arrival in Dallas, my Mom and my brother combined to make some delicious pizza.  My brother, Erik, thought it would be a good idea to bring out the Ghost Pepper Sauce for his brother and his nephew to try out on their pizza.  Wow!  This stuff is good, but you only need a drop or two.  Don’t overdo it!

Thumbs Up Number 2:  Fiesta Mart.  We took a field trip yesterday afternoon to the local Fiesta to take in the grocery shopping experience from a Hispanic perspective.  Where else can you buy edible cactus, 25 pound tubs of lard, pig stomach, and an endless supply of tortillas?  The people in the store were extremely friendly as we walked through the store obviously out-of-place.  It’s hard to get the whole experience without actually being there to hear the music that plays over the PA system.  Our daughter who has a developing love of the Spanish language especially enjoyed the experience.

Thumbs Up Number 3:  Arny Sanchez. Arny is a blogger from the great state of Texas, and he has become a great friend through the blog world.  He has been writing for a while on The Analogous Truth blog where he uses pop-culture to point people to Christ.  I highly recommend heading over to his blog to see what’s new.  Arny has also been working on a new creative writing project called The Storied Soul.  Each week, Arny adds a new chapter to his story – a story which may leave you on the edge of your seat.  Go check out Arny’s stuff.  You won’t be disappointed.

What’s going on in your world that deserves a thumbs up?  Drop it in the comments, so we can all enjoy!

 

January 2012 Top Posts and Commenters

It was a fun month for The Stretched Blog.  This month, we switched to a self hosted platform.  It has been fun to learn and experiment with the new things available at jonstolpe.com.  If you add up the traffic from the old site and the new Stretched Blog, it was far and away the best month so far.  Here is a list of the top posts on the new blog for the month of January.  It is exciting to see how many guest bloggers appeared in the top ten list this month!

Managing Conflict – A Leadership Stretch … Guest Post by Frank Chiapperino
January 14, 2012 Week In Review
Book Review: The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
Our Behavior Is Our Witness – Guest Post by Kevin Stone
Why Did I Change To My Own Domain?
Ice Breaker – Leaving On A Jet Plane
Ice Breaker – Back to the Future
Rediscovering Grace Through A Two By Four Moment – Guest Post By Chad Jones
Stretching Beyond the Hurt – Guest Post by Diane Karchner
Say What You Need To Say (This was one of my favorites from the month!)

As promised, I am giving away a copy of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson to this month’s top commenter.  It was a tight race between the top two, and there was a tie for 3rd place!  Here’s the top 3 (or 4):

1.  Larry Carter (22 comments)

2.  Brandon Gililland (21 comments)

3.  Bill Grandi (11 comments)

3.  Arny Sanchez (11 comments)

Your comments are a huge part of what makes The Stretched Community so great!  This month, I will be giving away Chazown by Craig Groeschel to the top commenter.

As a reminder, don’t forget to subscribe to The Stretched Community by entering your e-mail on the right side of the main page.  This will make sure you don’t miss a single post, and it will give you an opportunity to receive any “exclusive” information that might be sent to the blog subscribers only.  Also, I’d encourage you to follow Jon Stolpe Stretched on Facebook.  This is an excellent way to see some of the things I’m reading elsewhere in the blog world.

As always, thank you so much for making The Stretched Blog part of your regular reading!

Are you a blogger?  What was the highlight of your month?  Feel free to share a link to your top post!


January 7, 2012 Week In Review…

It’s time for The Stretched Blog Week in Review – the first for 2012!   The traffic to the Stretched Blog is at an all-time high this week.  In fact, blog traffic on Wednesday was the highest ever on the blog (and Thursday’s traffic was right behind).  Thank you!

Here’s the rundown on the posts for the week:

Monday:  December 2011 Top Posts

Tuesday:  Meet Irwin

Wednesday:  One Word For 2012: Transformed

Thursday:  The Stretched Blog Visits The Analogous Truth

Friday (this actually posted Saturday do to a visit to me by the stomach flu):  Ice Breaker – My First Car

Your continued contribution to the blog through comments is greatly appreciated.  Your comments are what makes this Stretched Community!  Please remember to take the time to Subscribe to the blog, so you can have Stretched delivered daily to your e-mail inbox.  Also, don’t forget to stop by the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook fan page.  Become a fan to keep up with some additional Stretched stuff.  I have started to share more blog highlights from other blogs that I read regularly.  I think you’ll find some great stuff here.  Thanks!

Here are a few of my favorites from around the blog world this week:

It should be a fun week upcoming.  Brandon Gilliland will be guest posting on Wednesday.  We’ll have another fun Ice Breaker on Friday.  And there’s sure to be more Stretching the rest of the week.  Please stop back so you can see what’s going on here!

How about you?  How was your week?  If you’re a blogger what happened over your way this week?  Did you read any great blog posts this week?  Share with the rest of us!

The Stretched Blog Visits The Analogous Truth

Today, I have the privilege of guest posting over at The Analogous Truth.  The Analogous Truth is a blog written by my friend, Arny Sanchez.  Arny creatively relates pop culture to faith.  My post today (I Love You Man!) fits into Arny’s theme.  Please stop over to read it and add a comment or two.  Also, please consider adding The Analogous Truth to your regular blog reading routine.  Thanks!

(Note on guest posting:  I’d love to share a guest post on your blog sometime or to have you guest post here about your stretching story.  If either of these two opportunities interest you, drop me a comment.)