S-E-X on the Big Blue Bus (A Guest Post by Shawn Smucker)
Today, I have the privilege of presenting guest blogger, Shawn Smucker. Shawn is a fellow blogger from the great state of Pennsylvania. I have enjoyed connecting with Shawn over the last year or so. His writing is inspiring and thought-provoking. Today is a special day for Shawn as his newest book officially releases today. How To Use A Runaway Truck Ramp is a collection of thoughts and stories from the adventure of a lifetime that he took with his family last year in a big blue bus. After reading Shawn’s post below, consider picking up the new book. You won’t be disappointed.
The woman who still feels like a girl sometimes tires of digging through the bottom of the bus for the kids’ shoes or wondering if the next Laundromat will have a change machine. The man who still feels like a boy is weary of emptying the waste tank and worrying about getting the bus stuck. The third month of a four-month trip is the 21st mile of a marathon.
The woman looks for a movie for the kids while the man makes popcorn. She bends over and sweeps Legos out of the way, then opens the small drawer under the couch. The man pinches her butt. She laughs and looks over her shoulder.
“What movie are you picking, Mom?” one of the four kids shouts.
They have been in very close quarters for over ninety days. Moments of intimacy for the parents are few and far between. The man gives the woman a signal.
Meet me in the back in two minutes.
They walk back the long bus hall, closing the two doors. They are giddy, like high schoolers trying to find a place to park late at night. Unfortunately, the bedroom door has a gaping hole in the bottom where a large vent used to be, so the man blocks it with an oversized plastic storage container. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
She moves the dirty clothes on to the floor, and he jumps into bed. More Legos greet him, like tiny sea urchins. They sigh and pull back the sheets and pick out the Legos and doll clothes and Matchbox cars.
When the bed is clear, they lay down. He smiles. She smiles. He kisses her. Then, they hear the tiniest of voices from the other side of the storage bin blocking the door. He looks over his shoulder, and a small head peaks up through the narrow space.
“Guysh, what are you doing?” It is their four-year old. She has long blond hair and blue eyes, and her s’s come out like sh’s (think Sid from Ice Age). She wants a drink. The man shakes his head in disbelief.
“How do you even fit through there?” he asks, walking toward the door.
“Are you guysh naked in there?” she asks them.
He tries not to laugh. She keeps asking questions.
“Did you lock the door sho that no one would shee you when you’re naked?” she asks again.
“I wish,” he says, leaning down and pushing her head gently back through the vent. “Now, go ask your brother for a drink. And don’t come back in here until the door is open. Understand?”
“Of coursh.”
He goes back to the bed and lies down beside the woman. And suddenly the woman and man are boy and girl again. They look at each other – she giggles, and he laughs. They hold hands and stare at the ceiling. She suddenly remembers, in the time it takes a lightning bug to flash on and off, that this is the greatest adventure of their life together. He recalls the first time they held hands in that movie theatre in Camp Hill, PA. He remembers how he hadn’t wanted to be anywhere but there.
They hear the voices of their children in the front of the bus: how’d it happen so fast? How could those two people holding hands fifteen years before be in any way connected to these very different but same people, holding hands in Yellowstone while their four children argue over popcorn rights in the front of the bus?
Outside, a few miles away, herds of bison and elk wander through Haydn Valley. A bear swims through icy Yellowstone River, her cub following desperately behind. Downstream, water crashes through the gorge, wearing away another layer of time.
But in the big blue bus, for just a moment, time has stopped.
(This piece first appeared at Tamara Out Loud)
When was the last time you felt like time had stopped? How has parenting been different than what you imagined?
Shawn Smucker is the author of How to Use a Runaway Truck Ramp and Building a Life Out of Words. He lives in Lancaster County, PA with his wife Maile and their four children. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook, and he blogs (almost) daily at shawnsmucker.com Maile blogs at mailesmucker.blogspot.com
Book Review: Love Works by Joel Manby
“Love isn’t a feeling but an action, an action by which leaders and entire organizations can experience almost unimaginable success and personal fulfillment.”
Joel Manby – Love Works
Love Works by Joel Manby is a must read for leaders.
In Love Works, Manby offers “seven timeless principles for effective leaders.” These tips are primarily based on I Corinthians 13 and are the same principles Manby uses to lead Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) where he is the President and CEO. Last year, Joel and HFE were featured on Undercover Boss. That week, it was the second most watched show in America (led only by American Idol), and the response was amazing. Americans wanted to be a part of a company with the type of culture and leadership that was represented at HFE – a culture and leadership based on love. Based on the response of the show, Manby decided to write Love Works as a way to get these principles in the hands of leaders around the country.
In Love Works, Manby explains that agape love is the key to leading effectively. Throughout the book, he interweaves in stories from his own experience at HFE, at Saab, at Saturn, and at home with seven lessons designed to help leaders. Each story builds on one another to give the reader a picture of a leadership based on love – a leadership that is patient, kind, trusting, unselfish, truthful, forgiving, and dedicated.
I found myself underlining words, phrases, and sentences on most pages as I digested what Manby shared. I will keep a copy of Love Works on my desk as a reference and reminder, and I will definitely recommend Love Works to aspiring leaders. If you are a leader at work, in church, at home or in other arenas of life, consider picking up a copy of Love Works for yourself!
How have you experienced love at work? How would things be different for you if your leadership was based on love or if you were led out of love?
eBook Review: Community Wins by Bryan Allain
Stop over TODAY at Amazon to pick up a FREE copy of Bryan Allain‘s latest eBook, Community Wins. After today, it will no longer be FREE.
If you’re a blogger, a writer, a product developer, or someone who is simply interested in building an on-line community, I would recommend you check out Allain’s eBook. Community Wins is a short yet power-packed workbook full of wisdom and activities designed to get you thinking of building and strengthening your community.
This is a resource that I will go back to again for my own community building efforts and projects. The book is broken up into 21 short chapters which each include an action step for readers to follow. Some of the actions are quick and easy, but many of the actions will require more time, energy, and effort.
I appreciate the way Allain put Community Wins together. He seems to understand the world we live in with shorter attention spans and big dreams. It’s my honor to recommend Community Wins to The Stretched Community. Go out and get it today!
Book Review: Kingdom Journeys by Seth Barnes
I’ve promoted Kingdom Journeys
Kingdom Journeys
Throughout the book, Barnes weaves in teaching with stories from his own experiences and from the experiences of those who have embarked on their own kingdom journeys through his missions organization, Adventures in Missions. The stories restlessness, abandonment, brokenness, and dependence stir the reader to consider how they are living and where they are serving. The book will inspire you to think again about the importance of going out on your own kingdom journey.
In a way, I felt like I was being spoken to from two angles. The book is clearly written to young adults who are at a crossroads of education and career. In some parts of the book, I wondered if I was too old to be reading the book. Having just come back from an Adventures in Missions trip to Guatemala this summer, I realized that Seth Barnes was speaking to me. I’m still young! From the other angle, I realized that I have an important role as an apparent and “older” adult. It’s my responsibility to release by kids and to help other young people as they follow their own kingdom journeys.
Kingdom Journeys
I would give Kingdom Journeys
When was your last kingdom journey? What’s holding you back from taking a kingdom journey of your own?
Note: Kingdom Journeys
(Please note: There are affiliate links in this post. Should you purchase Kingdom Journeys (or Wrecked or Love Does) by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase. These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala. Thank you!)
WIN a New Book: Kingdom Journeys by Seth Barnes
I have the privilege of being part of the launch team for a brand new book by Seth Barnes. Kingdom Journeys is all about encountering God through the spiritual discipline of journeys. As the president of Adventures in Missions, Barnes is obviously coming from a perspective that encourages missions, but Barnes also implies that kingdom journeys could simply be about going to places we need to, but don’t want to go.
Please go check out this book. Buy a copy of the book today. Discover what it means to take kingdom journeys.
Today, I’m excited to announce that I will be giving away a copy of Kingdom Journeys to one lucky winner. In order to win, you must do the following:
1. Share the following on Twitter and/or Facebook: Win a copy of Kingdom Journey by @SethBarnes! Stop by Jon Stolpe Stretched to learn more – http://ow.ly/dZZts
2. Leave a comment here indicating you did step 1 and answering the following question: What journey have you most recently taken?
Unstoppable: The Incredible Power of Faith in Action by Nick Vujicic
If you’re looking for an inspiring read, you might want to check out Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic. You can pick up a copy of the first chapter by clicking here. In the meantime, check out this video about the book.
Have you ever felt like you’ve fallen and you couldn’t get up?
Book Review: Love Does by Bob Goff
A couple of months ago, I gave away Love Does to a lucky reader on my blog. I hadn’t read the book at that point, but I had heard some good things. Now that I finished the book for myself, I can see why Love Does deserves all the attention.
Love Does is a collection of stories from the ordinary life of author, lawyer, and big thinker, Bob Goff. In Love Does, Bob takes readers into an extraordinary world by matching up things that we might consider ordinary with thoughts and actions that go beyond normal. I love this! It’s part of my goal for my own blog – to see God’s love through the ins and outs and ups and downs of daily life. I think Bob does a wonderful job seeing God’s love in the things that happen in and around is life.
Love Does inspires readers to quit studying and talking about love. It inspires readers to put love into action. Love becomes an action word – a verb – when we open our eyes to see love lived out in every opportunity and moment. Bob challenges readers to put down the books about love and to stop all the theoretical talk about what love means. He challenges readers to go out an put love into action.
Bob’s stories are meant to be shared, are meant to inspire, are meant to encourage action. Love Does is a book that I will come back to from time to time for reminders and inspiration. And I recommend Love Does to anyone who desires to discover an incredible life in an ordinary world.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Book Review: Wrecked by Jeff Goins
I find it incredible that I would be selected to be part of a launch team for this new book by Jeff Goins right before I head to Guatemala where I’ll be working with a team in conjunction with Adventures in Missions, the organization that Jeff works for when he’s not writing books and blog posts.
Wrecked will disturb you.
Wrecked will give you the splash of cold water on your face or the slug to the shoulder necessary to wake you up.
Wrecked will challenge you to consider how God might be calling you to a new, wrecked adventure. It will challenge you to process experiences differently. And the book will challenge you to bring others along with you to help them become wrecked along with you.
I really appreciated Jeff’s new book. Throughout Wrecked, he weaves stories from his own wrecked past in with truths he has learned along the way. He writes in a style that draws you in from the first page all the way to his personal story on the last pages of the book.
Jeff makes you think differently about your own experiences. I have had several stories of wreckage from my past floating through my head as I’ve read through Wrecked. I’ve also been praying that God will wake me up and wreck me – as I head to Guatemala later this week, as I return home from the trip, and as I go on with my life. I’m also praying that God will use the Guatemala trip to wreck the lives of those going on the trip (32 including 25 teenagers). And I’m praying that you’d consider picking up a copy of Wrecked and that it would be catalyst for wrecking your life as well.
Here’s the deal: You can get the first part of the book for FREE. Just hit this link. At the bottom of the page, there are directions for getting the first part absolutely free. Secondly, I want you to buy the book, BUT WAIT! Don’t buy it until, you read some information on the book’s website. If you wait until the first week it comes out (which is supposed to be next week), Jeff will send you over $150 worth of additional Wrecked related items at no charge. Please go to the website for the book. Plan to buy Wrecked. And get ready to discover what happens when a broken world slams into your comfortable life.
Do you plan to read Wrecked? What’s a good book that you’ve read recently? How have you been challenged in your reading lately?
Ice Breaker – Wrecked
It’s Friday which means it’s time for an ice breaker question here on The Stretched Blog. As you read below and recall my post from yesterday, you may see a common word used in both posts. The word WRECKED is bringing new meeting into my life these days as I read through Jeff Goins‘ soon to be released book, WRECKED. I’ll share a teaser video at the end of today’s post and a review post in the coming days. In the meantime, it’s time for today’s ice breaker question.
(For those of you who are new around here, each week I ask a question – an ice breaker – designed to help us get to know a little bit about each other. I answer the question in the post, and you get to answer the question by leaving a comment.)
Question: Describe a time when you wrecked a car (or bicycle…or something else).
My answer: If memory serves me correctly, I’ve had two car accidents in my life. Neither of them were fun, but the first one was an especially memorable crash. Two weeks before my wedding day, I was traveling into Philadelphia to meet up with my soon-to-be bride (Leanne). I had just spent the night with my college roommate (and best man) at my new apartment, and I was traveling down a busy stretch of highway known in our area as The Roosevelt Boulevard. I was driving my mint green Ford Taurus which I had recently purchased in an effort to get out of a lease situation on my previous vehicle. Even though I purchased the car used, I think it only had 5 or 6 thousand miles on it at the time of the accident.
I noticed that traffic coming the other way was stopped as I approached a hill. You think I would have slowed down, but I didn’t. As I came up over the crest of the hill, there was a car parked in the left lane. I tried to stop, but there wasn’t enough time to slow my car. I was probably doing 50-60 miles an hour when I plowed into the back of this parked car. My airbags went off, my hood flew open, my car immediately stopped, and I went into shock. Through the smell of the airbags and the floating smoke that lingered in my car, I emerged from my smashed up Taurus only to discover that the car I had hit was gone. Yes, it someone drove away and left the scene of the accident.
The police, ambulance, and tow truck showed up. There weren’t many cell phones at the time, so I had no way of contacting my fiance to explain why I was late. Eventually, I showed up at our rendezvous location in the front seat of the tow truck. It was an interesting ride home and an interesting introduction into the two-week period that led up to our wedding. My car ended up being fixed despite over $11,000 worth of damage. I’m still not sure why they didn’t total the car. It was never the same again. It was WRECKED!
Now, it’s your turn to answer today’s question. But before you leave your answer in the comments, check out this video about a new book that I’m very excited to share with The Stretched Community:
Book Review: By Faith, Not By Sight by Scott MacIntyre
Over the weekend, I finished reading By Faith, Not By Sight
As an American Idol fan, it was interesting to get the inside scoop from one of the contestants I followed a few years ago. I also appreciated learning the back story of how much Scott has overcome to achieve his dreams and to share his gift with the world.
Whether you follow American Idol or not, I recommend By Faith, Not By Sight as an inspiring story of how God works in amazing ways despite the struggles we all face. The book was also a great follow-up to my recent thoughts on taking Leaps of Faith. Stories like this confirm the importance of learning to live by faith.
Who has inspired you recently? Do you watch American Idol?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
(Please note: There are affiliate links in this post. Should you purchase The By Faith, Not By Sight by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase. These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala. Thank you!)