Stretching Beyond My Comfort Zone

I am so excited to share guest blogger Eileen Knowles.  Eileen guest posted here back in July 2012 while I was in Guatemala (Living the Lessons).  Today, she shares about a recent STRETCHING experience in which she references a recent blog post – Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone…My First Vlog.  Please read her post, answer the questions, and stop by Eileen’s blog for more great writing.

(I’d love to share your STRETCHED story with The Stretched Community.  Let me know if you’re interested in becoming a guest blogger here by leaving a comment.)

Last week, I tried something new and scary on my blog. I stretched out of my comfort zone. I came out from behind my computer screen and recorded a video post. And, not only that, the Lord was prompting me to share a portion of my journey in recovery and freedom from addiction.

I’ve shared my story before on my blog, but never in front of a camera. I sometimes find it amusing how God decides to work when He prompts us to move beyond the familiar. He didn’t call me to simply show my face and talk about something lighthearted and safe.

If God had left it completely up to me, I would have LOVED to talk about coffee.  I love coffee.  Other people I know love coffee.  Wouldn’t being in front of a camera talking about something like this be a nice place to start when we choose to follow God out into unknown territory?

But, God had a different plan for me last week. And, His plan didn’t involve a small timid step. His plan involved a bigger leap of faith.

Eileen…share what I’ve done in your life. Encourage people to not give up. Remind them that they are not alone in their struggles. Tell them about freedom!

I was reminded last week that God never calls us out in order for us to play it safe. There will always be risk involved when He invites us to take a leap of faith. Yet, if we choose not to trust Him or to follow His lead, we risk something far greater.

As I stretched beyond my comfort zone last week, it was this beautiful what-if question that carried me forward.

What if by taking this risk God uses me to help just one person move from captivity to freedom?

God desires to use each of us in a unique way…and, most likely, the journey will involve some scary stretching!  [Click to Tweet]

Take a moment a think back on your most recent trip out of your comfort zone.
What was the result?
What did you learn?

Eileen Knowles is a small town Arizona girl who studied English at The University of Arizona a long, long time ago. She now lives in small town North Carolina with her husband, Roger, their nine-year old son, and one quirky dog named Bisbee. When she is not working part-time as a Virtual Assistant for eaHelp, she thoroughly enjoys drinking coffee, running, playing Scrabble, and writing about how cool it is to journey through life with Jesus holding her hand.

Eileen is passionate about leaving a legacy for her son and encouraging others along the way who might need a dose of hope poured into their weary lives.

You can find her taking at The Scenic Route

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cupojoegirl
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eileen.knowles.9

Guest Post: Living the Lessons by Eileen Knowles

One of the most beautiful and scary things about writing is the power it has to transform us.

I’m learning over and over that when we choose to share our stories, the main goal isn’t to see how many pairs eyes view what we’ve written, the main goal is for us (the writer) to learn and grow in the process.

Our stats mean nothing to God…our souls mean everything.

It never fails, I’ll write about something that is on my heart and it becomes the learning portal for the day. The books and blogs I read, the conversations I hear, the sights I see, and the people I encounter seem to offer one more important piece in the learning puzzle. Every experience sheds more light on the lessons I am intended to learn.

Writing, if I allow it to, will:

convict me
challenge me
correct me

As I was writing this post, I realized that this not only goes for writing down our stories but for living out our stories as well.  When we choose to share our stories and our lives with others, when we choose to live fully engaged, when we choose to live with our eyes wide open…we are shaped and changed in the process. Our lives become the books we write and the legacy we leave.

Life, like writing, is one big lesson for us to learn. Each day is a new day to understand that lesson just little bit more.

Here are some areas where the Lord is currently stretching me:

It’s fine and dandy to write and read about grace…
but are you living it out in your life? Is grace the air you breathe? Do you inhale grace in order to exhale it on the lives around you?

It’s fine and dandy to write and read about loving and serving others…
but are you putting others first in your life? Do you treat loving others as the most important thing in your life or is it sometimes an interruption or an inconvenience?

It’s fine and dandy to write and read about the power of prayer…
but are you praying without ceasing? Is prayer your first resort or your last resort? Does your prayer life really reflect that you believe in the power of prayer?

What about you?  How is God currently stretching you as you try to live out your stories?

About the Author

Eileen Knowles is a small town Arizona girl who studied English at The University of Arizona a long, long time ago. She now lives in small town North Carolina with her husband, Roger, their eight-year old son, and one quirky dog named Bisbee. When she is not working part-time loving on animals at the local animal hospital, she thoroughly enjoys drinking coffee, running, playing Scrabble, leading Women’s Bible Study at her church, and writing about how cool it is to journey through life with Jesus holding her hand.

Eileen is passionate about leaving a legacy for her son and encouraging others along the way who might need a dose of hope poured into their weary lives.

You can find her taking The Scenic Route at www.eileenknowles.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cupojoegirl
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eileen.knowles.9

Answers To Your Stretching Questions

On Friday, I asked you to ask me any questions.  Today, I’ll do my best to answer the questions.  This is one of my longer posts, but I hope you’ll find in interesting and perhaps a little humorous.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on my responses to your questions.  Thanks so much to each of you for some wonderful and challenging questions (I may just have to do this again some time).

What would you go back and tell 16 year old you if you could time travel? from Larry Carter at Deuceology

Great question, Larry.  I’d tell myself to buy stock in Apple.  I’d tell 16 year-old Jon Stolpe to be confident in who God made him.  I’d tell me that I am a writer.  I’d tell me not to sweat the girlfriend thing, because God has an unbelievable wife in store for me for the future.  I’d remind me that I am a leader.

Who is your favorite blogger? from Rob Shepherd at robshep.com

This is really a tough one as I follow so many great bloggers.  Perhaps, my favorite is my dad, Norman Stolpe.  My dad is a writer’s writer.  He has been writing for years.  He doesn’t blog regularly though he keeps a blog.  But his weekly sermons have to be considered as some type of blogging.  My dad has inspired me on many different levels when it comes to my writing.  I don’t ever expect to hold a candle to his writing skill, but I hope that my dad will be proud that I’ve followed in his writing footsteps in some small way.

What motivated you to start blogging? from Rob Shepherd at robshep.com

I have a friend, Frank Chiapperino, who was my biggest encouragement to start blogging.  Frank was our adult ministries pastor at the time, and he now pastors his own church in Minnesota.  Frank still blogs fairly regularly about leadership, technology, and small groups.

What verse in the Bible challenges you the most? from Rob Shepherd at robshep.com

Colossians 4:2-6 is one of my favorite verses and probably one of the verses that challenges me the most.  Making the most of every opportunity means so much to me.  I need to make the most in sharing my faith with others.  I need to make the most of the time I have with my friends, family, and co-workers.  I don’t want my time here on earth to be a waste.  I want to hear God say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Would you rather have spam for hands or mayo for a tongue? from Rob Shepherd at robshep.com

This ones easy for me.  I hate (I strongly dislike) mayo, so I’ve got to go with Spam for hands.  If I had a mayo tongue, I’d be throwing up all the time.

It’s a question I asked on my blog yesterday. If you wrote a cardboard testimony what would it say? from Eileen Knowles at The Scenic Route

“God love me – broken and bruised, impatient and imperfect, STRETCHED!”

Where do you see yourself in 15 years? from Joe Lalonde at jmlalonde.com

In 15 years, I will be 55.  I’ll have two kids in their later twenties, and I will have been married for over 30 years.  I hope to be 100% debt free including the house.  I hope to be giving way more than I’m getting.  I’d love to have written at least one book by that time – though I’m still figuring all that out.  If I stay at my current job (which is definitely a possibility), I will have been there for over 31 years.  I’d like to continue to grow in respect.  I’d like to be known for investing in others like no other leader before me.  I’m not sure if blogging will still exist in 15 years, but I’d like to use my writing as a tool to expand the Kingdom.

As a man of strong religious beliefs, what do you think is in general the greatest challenge today to people who seek to maintain their religious faith? And what is the greatest challenge to maintaining your faith personally?  For example, is it that science has called into question many fundamental beliefs in the Bible? Is it rampant materialism in our society? Is it pressure from the mass media to adopt more secular values? When people who are hypocritical in their religious practice are exposed to the public, is that the greatest challenge to believers? Or is personal hardship and suffering a greater challenge to faith than all of these?  from Michael Shaw at I Love Skippack

Wow, this is a pretty deep question which I may need to explore in more depth in a future post.  My short answer is this: The greatest challenge today to people who seek to maintain their religious faith is the same challenge that has plagued people since the beginning of time.  We are so bent on being in control.  We’re self-centered, sinful creatures.  We all struggle with ME, ME, ME.  And we live in a culture where this pull towards ME is so strong.  It’s so easy to be distracted by the things of this world that call to us saying “I can help you get ahead by doing this or doing that.”  For me personally, it’s not much different.  I get distracted by thoughts of trying to get ahead, trying to make a name for myself, and trying to keep up with the Joneses.  The Bible talks about “seeking first the Kingdom of God” in Matthew 6.  This can be a real challenge and can be nearly impossible without the support of family and friends of faith who spur me on.  This is part of the reason I love this blogging community.  While I hope my writing will spur other on, it’s often the Stretched Community that pushes me to keep the faith.  For that, I’m grateful beyond words.

How much are you ready to stretch yourself in order to see your God-given dreams come to pass?  from Joe Abraham at joeandancy.com

Appropriately, this question is rather stretching for me.  I’m fairly certain that I’ve shared this here before – I hate change.  I like things to be the same.  I would eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day given the choice.  So it’s no surprise that “stretching” to achieve my God-given dreams is not always easy for me.  Honestly, there have been a few setbacks along life’s journey that have dampened some of my dreaming, but I’m relearning some of the skill related to dreaming big again.  I shared some of this in a guest post over at Expect the Exceptional a few weeks ago, and I’ve been sharing some of these thoughts especially related to my leap of faith decision to go to Guatemala.  I think I struggle most in this area in trusting God financially to provide should I decide to leave my career and pursue something else.  I’m not convinced that this is where God’s calling me, but I think it would be the biggest challenge for now.  I’m not sure this fully addresses your question, but I hope it’s a start.  Thanks!

Wow!  This was more challenging than I expected.  Thank you to everyone who answered the call to question me.  What’s your answer to one of these questions?  Or better yet, what’s the one question you’re most afraid to answer?

3 Thumbs Up! May 19, 2012

Time for another fun episode of 3 Thumbs Up!  Each weekend, I present three things that deserve a thumbs up (in my opinion).  This weekend provides a fun look at a blog, an iPad application, and something a little different from normal.  Here goes!

Thumbs Up! Number 1:  Jazz Music.  What?  This is way too general!  I hear you, but I couldn’t help but add this to my thumbs up after a community jazz concert last night that featured my son’s jazz band from Perkiomen Valley Middle School West along with the jazz band from Perkiomen Valley High School.  I spent a lot of time playing jazz music through junior high and high school.  Hearing the bands and seeing the fun they have together reminded me of my days of playing the saxophone in the band.  There’s something so wonderful and expressive about jazz music.  If you get a chance this weekend, find some jazz music.  Sit back, and enjoy!

Thumbs Up Number 2:  Stitcher.  Stitcher is a radio application for the iPad, iPhone, and Android.  I downloaded this FREE app from the Apple AppStore, and I haven’t been disappointed so far.  I’m currently listening to a jazz station from Pittsburgh.  Through the Sticher application you can listen to hundreds of live radio stations, or you can listen to all kinds of on demand shows.  I haven’t hooked up with any friends yet through the application, but apparently it can be used as a social media connection point as well.  Check out Stitcher to see what I’m talking about.

Thumbs Up Number 3:  The Scenic Route.  This is a great blog by Eileen Knowles.  According to Eileen, “The Scenic Route is one girl’s journey from bondage to freedom, from despair to hope, from fear to faith. It is my desire that those who come across this blog will be encouraged to take the scenic route too.”  Eileen writes about everyday thoughts, pains, and struggles, and she ultimately shares the hope that carries her through life’s roller coaster.  Her blog posts often remind me to stop and enjoy the journey.  Consider adding The Scenic Route to your regular reading routine.  Stop by, leave a comment, and tell Eileen that I sent you!

Now it’s your turn!  What else deserves a thumbs up this week?