Category Archives for "blog spotlight"

The Stretched Blog Visits The Daily ReTort

Today, I’m guest posting as part of The Network for Tor Constantino at his blog, The Daily ReTort. In my post (5 Reasons To Go On A Missions Trip With Your Family), I share some thoughts about faith, family, and missions. Here’s an excerpt to get you started.

5 Reasons To Go On A Missions Trip With Your Family

Early this month, our family traveled to Guatemala to serve the orphans and widows in and around the village of Santo Domingo Xenacoj.

Deciding to go in the first place was a pretty significant leap of faith.

As a father and husband, did I think we would be safe in a strange land removed from many of the luxuries we currently enjoy?

Did I really want to spend my vacation time working instead of relaxing somewhere?

How were we going to come up with the money necessary to make this trip a reality?

These were just some of the questions that troubled me for weeks as we processed this decision last fall.

Having arrived at the other side of this mission trip, I can tell you that we made it. We were safe. The vacation time from work was well spent. And God provided the funds for this trip in ways that far exceeded our greatest expectations. (Click here to keep reading.)

If you’re visiting from Tor’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:

You can also click here to link to more about my experiences in Guatemala.

Have you ever taken a mission trip with your family? If so, how did it impact your family? What’s holding you back from going on a mission trip?

The Sting of Stretching (@JosephLalonde)

I’m thankful today for Joe Lalonde. Joe is guest blogging today about a recent stretching experience in his life. His post is featured as part of The Network. Joe writes an excellent leadership blog. You can find more information about Joe along with the links to his blog in his bio which follows this post.

I’ve always been a fan of stretching. It’s helped me grow and reach my potential.

However, the last couple of weeks have tested my stretching limit.

Image by Mike Baird via Flickr

I’ve experienced so much stretching I don’t know how I’m coping with it.

Last month we had to make a tough choice and put one of our beloved dogs down. My dad was hospitalized after three visits to the emergency room.

It feels like life has been stretching and stretching me. And it’s been painful.

Tears seem to continuously stream from my eyes. Sleep comes but it is not restoring. And there’s such a heaviness on my heart.

There are times that stretching stings. It creates a pain that is almost unbearable.

And yet there can be awesome results from the stretching.

I’m becoming more attuned to feeling the pain of others: I try my best to understand how others are feeling but I can fall flat in this area. The stretching I experienced with my dog has opened up a new avenue of feelings that focuses on the loss others are feeling.

There’s now a connection that I’m able to share with those grieving over a major loss. It’s a blessing a curse.

I’ve become more open with my feelings: Realizing how fleeting our time on this earth can be, I’m stretched to share my feelings more. Especially with my wife.

Nightly I weep and nightly I try to pour out my feelings to my wife. I’m feeling more broken than ever but there’s also the feeling of openness.

I’m learning what’s really important: Losing my dog and almost losing my dad has given me a sense of urgency with how I should live my life. It needs to be lived with unction. With a passion that’s unrivaled.

It’s also showing me that I need to spend time with those that I love. And to show them that I love them and value their lives.

Don’t neglect this fact.

The stretching has been painful. Honestly, I don’t like it so much right now.

Yet it’s helping me to become a better man. A better son. A better husband.

I’m not sure if you’ve experienced stretching like this in the past. It’s so difficult I pray you don’t have to experience it as well.

The truth is, we will all have to experience loss and the threat of loss.

Still, I know you can survive the stretching and come out better. Don’t let the pain destroy you. Let it grow you.

Question: What have you learned from the sting of the stretch? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

This is a guest post by Joseph Lalonde. He is a youth leader at Oak Crest Church of God and leadership blogger at JMLalonde.com. Joseph shares leadership tools and encourages you to become a better leader. Connect with him on Twitter or at his blog.

I’m Back…

I just arrived back from a week and a half of vacation. Our family journeyed to the Midwest to visit with extended family. It was a great trip in general, and it was especially refreshing to unplug (for the most part). I’ll share more details in upcoming posts. Before I get back into blogging, I want to send out a special thank you to those who guest posted for me while I was on vacation. If you missed it, here are the four guest posts:

Monday, July 8, 2013 – The Truth About Unconditional Love (Catherine Lee Daugherty)
Tuesday, July 9, 2013 – The Impact You May Never Know (Matt McWilliams)
Wednesday, July 10, 2013 – How To Respond When You Are Stretched To The Limit (Zak Schmoll)
Thursday, July 11, 2013 – Call Me Gumby (Carol Peterson)

In three weeks, I’ll be heading out of the country for a missions trip to Guatemala. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to blog while I’m away, so I’m looking for more guest bloggers who would be interesting in sharing their STRETCHED stories and ideas here on the Stretched Blog. The dates I’ll be away are August 3rd thru the 11th. If you can help out, please drop me a line.

Stay tuned for a new post tomorrow. Also, I wanted to mention that I’ve been considering the possibility of posting on my old blog (jonstolpe.wordpress.com) to test out some new blogging ideas and material. Some of the material may be a little “rougher” than my normal posts, and I can’t guarantee that it will be consistent in themes or in timing. You are welcome to check it out.

Is your family taking any vacations this summer? If so, where are you going? Is there anything or anyone special you plan to see? If you’re a blogger, how are you handling your blog and other social media outlets while you are away?

How To Respond When You Are Stretched To The Limit (Zak Schmoll)

Today, I present guest blogger and extraordinary young man, Zak Schmoll. Zak is blogging his way through the Bible one chapter at a time, and he offered to share his stretch thoughts while I’m on vacation this week. For more about Zak, check out his bio at the end of the post. In the meantime, enjoy!

How To Respond When You Are Stretched To The Limit

Image by Hulagway (via Flickr)

I think that Jon’s blog title pretty much sums up the life of one of my favorite biblical characters, and that is why I decided to send this guest post into him.

Job was certainly a man who was stretched to the limit.

Of course, most of us know the story. He was a wealthy man with a great family. He was very successful by the standards of the world, and he was a man who followed after God.

You might say, “It was pretty easy for him to follow God. After all, look at how good he had it. It is easy to follow God when life is going good.” In fact, that is pretty much what Satan said in Job 1:9-10.

God obviously was not intimidated or worried. He told Satan that he could do whatever he wanted to Job besides killing him. It doesn’t seem like it took Satan very long to start trying to knock away all of the things that he thought made Job want to follow God. His land was overrun, his children died and his entire source of income (his crops) went away. His wife thought he was pretty much crazy, and he was virtually left all alone outside of his friends who didn’t think any more of him than his wife did.

I would say he was pretty much stretched to his limits.

However, there are a few important things to remember in this situation. I think these points can apply when we feel like we are being pushed to the limit as well.

God was always right there. In the beginning of the book, we know that God allowed this to happen. It is hard to understand why, and I cannot say that I have a perfect answer. However, I can say that Job was not abandoned. In fact, an interesting proof of this comes from the fact that God told Satan that he was not allowed to kill Job. The final verse of the book has Job dying long after that period of tribulation ended. It all happened in God’s time. He truly held his life in His hands. God never stopped caring or watching the situation even if we don’t understand His actions or lack thereof.
Job understood what was important. He did not sin in this entire process according to Job 1:22. It doesn’t mean that he did not question God, and it certainly does not mean that he was not upset over the loss of everything. He never lost perspective on the fact that God was ultimately in control. In Job 1:21 he came out and said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.” This is a point that people like to slam Christianity on. They always say how it is impossible for a loving God to allow terrible things that happen. Job may not have understood what God was doing, and we might not understand why he allowed all of these problems, but what we do know is that God is good. Job also knew that. That is important.
Finally, we know that Job’s friends spent most of the book trying to question him. Like the people I mentioned in the previous point, they didn’t understand what God was doing. Job was not pressured by his friends though. He remained faithful, and he persevered. This is why we hear about Job all the way in the book of James. We remember him for his perseverance, and that is a trait that we all need to develop at some point.

Job was a man who was stretched to the limit. He had everything taken away from him, and he was pretty much scorned by his friends. He could have easily given up and denied the existence of God. After all, if there was truly a powerful God, why on earth was he allowing all this stuff to happen?

However, he persevered, and I believe that he is one of the best models of how to live for God in tough times. We might question, and we might ask God why. However, I think that we can learn a lot about living like Job when we are pushed to the edge.

Question to ponder:

Why does God allow hard times to come into our lives?

Biography:

Zak Schmoll just graduated from the University of Vermont with a double major in Accounting and Statistics. On July 23, 2012, he went on a mission to write about one chapter of the Bible every day from start to finish. You can follow his progress at http://achapterperday.wordpress.com/.

One-On-One Meetings – A Powerful Leadership Tool

Today, I’m visiting Matt McWilliams for a post about the power of one-on-one meetings. Here’s an excerpt from my post:

Several months ago, Matt encouraged his readers to establish and maintain weekly one-on-one meetings with their direct reports. At the time, I was contemplating what I could do to connect with my team on a deeper level.

As an operations manager in the construction industry, I’m challenged to balance my time as I’m responsible to make sure my group is operating as planned. I meet with my team members monthly on an individual basis to review their projects to review their projects from a financial, resource, risk, and customer perspective. These monthly meetings, which typically last about an hour, provide a pretty good snapshot of things from a business perspective, but they don’t provide a lot of time for diving deeper personally.

I’m also responsible for participating in other department and company meetings. Again, these meetings are important for certain aspects of our business success, but they typically don’t provide opportunity for connecting on a more personal level.

I’ve heard it said that “It’s business, it’s NOT personal.” Well, I disagree. As a Christian leader in the workforce, I have a responsibility (and privilege) to represent Christ well. For me, this means our relationships in the business world are meant to be personal.

How can we take time to connect with our team members with all the different demands on our time?

You can click here to read the rest of the post. While you’re there, check out Matt’s blog. He writes a lot of practical posts about life and leadership.

If you’re visiting from Matt’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:

The Stretched Blog Visits Lynn Mosher – Out of Control

Today, I’m guest posting as part of The Network for Lynn Mosher at her blog, Lynn Mosher – Devotionals That Encourage. In my post (Out of Control: Faith Lessons From Flight), I share some thoughts about letting go and enjoying the ride. Here’s an excerpt to get you started.

This week, I’m traveling for business to the Chicago area. Last Monday, I took a flight from the Philadelphia International Airport to Chicago O’Hare Airport. I have always enjoyed flying, but I have to admit it’s become a little more challenging to fly as I’ve gotten older. I don’t like the turbulence, and I don’t enjoy the butterflies in my stomach I used to like.

While the plane was coming in for its landing, I was sitting in the back seat of the plane looking out the window. My natural tendency was to grab onto the arms of the seat and to force my feet into the pretend brake. But something made me change my mind and loosen up the tension flowing through my body.
(Click here to read the rest of this post.)

If you’re visiting from Lynn’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:

What are you holding onto too tightly? How could loosening your grip and giving up control make your flight/life more enjoyable?

On The Go…You’re Invited

This week is a reminder that I will have several busy weeks over the next couple of months. With that in mind, I’d like to invite you to share your stretch story here. That’s right – I’m looking for guest post submissions to help keep things going while I’m out for a couple of weeks this summer. In early July, I’ll be heading out-of-town to visit family in the Midwest. And in early August, I’ll be in Guatemala. I’d love your help, and I’d love to share your guest post here. Leave me a comment to let me know your interest.

Thanks!

What’s one of the best guest posts you’ve read recently? Share your link in the comments.

Moving Forward (Terrie Thorpe)

Today’s guest post comes from Terrie Thorpe. Terrie is part of The Network, a blogging community of Christ followers. Terrie’s post shares her thoughts on moving forward. Check out her post below and then hop on over to her blog. Her bio and contact links appear at the end of the post.

Moving Forward

What keeps us moving forward? I have pondered this idea for sometime and this is what I come to conclude. For the Christian it is faith. But for those who do not hold to belief in Jesus, it is a form of self-motivation, ever reaching into the darkness of the future.

So what is this faith that we Christians cling to? Let me tell you what it is not:

1) It is not wishful thinking – crossing our fingers in hopes things will go right.

2) It is not an unfounded hope – believing in something impossible.

3) It is not blind – mindlessly following ancient teachings.

Faith is an uncompromising knowledge—at the heart level – of the truth of God. In the book of Hebrews, the writer expressed; “Faith is the confident assurance of what we hope for will happen. It is the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) There is only one way to know this faith and its by a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus through His Holy Spirit. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

The reality of faith is action. We must move forward beyond perceived boundaries to reach our goals of maturity. When we believe Jesus and receive what He said is truth, we are born again. Being born again comes with many benefits including God’s own Spirit living in us. The Holy Spirit is who leads and guides us. We grow in faith through believing and acting on what the Word of God says.

In recent years the Lord has led me in many directions. I had hoped for several years to write about my relationship with Jesus. In time my faith grew enough to write and publish two books about my experiences. I shared many of my personal trials and victories through God’s grace and truth.

When I came to Jesus, I brought a lot of baggage. Several decades of issues and misconceptions about the Lord, the Holy Bible and my position as a believer. I discovered it was those issues which held me in bondage for the longest time and prevented me from living the full life Jesus purchased for me at the cross. It is the payment at the cross which set us free.

Over the years the Lord patiently assured me of His love and presence in my life. He led me to people who could clearly explain my issues and how to get rid of the strongholds in my life. The scriptures came alive and I began to discern how to apply truth to my misconceptions. Like the layers of an onion, the Lord went deeper and deeper to heal my hurts, pains, fears that prevented me from freely loving Him. I can not say that all my issues are healed, some raise their ugly heads, but now I have a better view of God’s love for me and understand I have a part to play – I must actively get rid of things the Lord shows me are lies or harmful.

John 10:10 says “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy – but I have come so that you may have life to the full.”

I am still amazed to what extent the Lord will go to show me that He hears my prayers, knows my thoughts and desires. How He moves in others to bring love and hope to me in the smallest of ways, like free cup of coffee, when I didn’t have money; A smile or an encouraging word from a stranger. These are some of the ways I daily encounter God as His child and His friend.

How am I moving forward these days? Knowing that the Lord goes before me and protects my flank. Even when I can’t see the outcome, I know the Lord is with me and directing my footsteps. Using the skills (courage, faith, love and forgiveness) I have learned to defeat the evil that comes against me and letting the peace of God rule in my heart because I trust in Him.

How are you moving forward today?

Bio

This is a guest post by Terrie Thorpe: author, blogger and writer of Christian Living articles. Her books “Am I Really Saved? Answering Questions of Christians” and “Footsteps of Jesus – Becoming a Disciple” are geared toward new Christians and those who have lost their way. Enjoys hiking, gardening, reading and sharing Jesus with the world!

Follow her blog: Light for the Journey

The Stretched Blog Visits Joseph Lalonde – Leading From Our Hands And Our Knees

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?

Growing is Unending

Today, it’s my honor to share guest blogger and fellow Phillies fan, Thomas Mark Zuniga (TMZ). TMZ is an aspiring author with a story worth sharing. He has just finished his first book, Struggle Central, which will be available on Amazon shortly. Until then, you can get a copy of his book for free for a limited time by signing up for his newsletter (click here). You can also follow TMZ on Twitter and Facebook.

Growing is Unending

Over the last couple years, I’ve endured some especially stretching moments: one vulnerable summer camp position in Milwaukee, another more exposing camp in North Carolina, and not one but two cross-country moves from Georgia to California on either side of those stretching summer camp romps.

That second cross-country trek stretched me even more than the first.

After completing the most impossible summer of my life in North Carolina, I returned to my parents’ home in Georgia. The previous year in California, I’d experienced my greatest year of growth: finding an amazing church, plugging into my first life group, and even getting baptized by said life group.

Stuck in the South, I knew I had to drive back West.

But how? My old roommates were gone. My savings were scant, at best. How could I drive 2,500 miles with nowhere to live, nowhere to work, and nothing saved up?

No plan?

I put off the inevitable for weeks. Two, four, six weeks passed as I grew increasingly sickened by my “backslide” into the way things used to be: living under my parents’ roof with no job, no church, no community, no sense of purpose whatsoever.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it.

I had to leave.

Leave again.

Leaving for California two years earlier was so much easier. After graduating college, I was beyond ready for the open waters of a new existence. Had a housing situation with friends already secured across the country with much saved from a lucrative summer job.

But this time was harder. The unknowns weightier, the waves far more perilous. I drove off my parents’ driveway the second time with saltier tears and a heavier heart from the first.

With so much stretching and growth in the two years separating these momentous drives, why was this second move so much more difficult than the first? Had I even grown at all?

After completing my drive across the country, I was inundated with struggle: an isolating living situation in the boondocks of an old married couple’s house, no work, and a car that died from thousands of wearied miles.

Additionally, I struggled to reconnect with my life group filled with old and new faces alike. It was the same amazing group who’d baptized me six months prior, and yet it wasn’t. I had changed, just as they had. And now we needed to start over and change together again.

The changing process would take months.

I’ve since learned that despite two momentous years of growth, capped by a summer camp that could have very well ended a triumphant feel-good movie, the process has really only just begun – my stretching and growing, still in its infantile stages.

Because growing is unending. And though struggles remain, redemption awaits.

I’ve recently broken ground on a project four years in the making: my first book. Since college, I’ve felt called to write, and this book in particular has long filled me with thrilling fear: a book of “messy memoirs” charting my struggles and the ensuing redemption of the last quarter-century.

Looking back on my quarter-life, I see the growth. See it so clearly. But I often wonder when the stretching will end. When will I be fully grown? A fully developed Mr. Miyagi or Gandalf with every arduous lesson learned, now able to impact any and all passersby?

At 26, I’m still very much learning the breadth and depth of this journey. Learning that this pursuit in stretching and growing is never done. That nobody this side of the grave has truly “arrived,” and the ones who impact most are the ones who realize this best. Truly, deeply know it.

I hope I come to know it, too. Know that despite the certain growth from a quarter-century on this planet, there’s more to the mountain than this.

When have you had to leap into the unknown? How was it difficult, and how did it affirm your growth? Have you ever felt like you’ve stretched or grown “enough” only to be shown otherwise?

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