Perkiomen Valley Blogger’s Society

I have had the privilege to connect with many people across the country and even around the world through the wonders of the Stretched blog.  I have had many on-line conversations with many bloggers who I may never meet in person.  I’m so thankful for these friendships.  It’s interesting to think of what it might be like to sit down face to face with these friends I’ve made over the web.  Last week, I had the chance to experience this type of meeting.

On Wednesday morning, I had the honor of being part of the inaugural meeting of the Perkiomen Valley Blogger’s Society.  The meeting took place at Mal’s American Diner in Skippack, PA where the “blogger’s society” met for breakfast.  The meeting was setup by local community blogger, Michael Shaw, who I met over a year ago through the blogging world.  Michael’s blog, I Love Skippack, tells the story of his love for his hometown.  Through his story, he has the opportunity to support local businesses and community groups in the town of Skippack.  Also in attendance was Brad DeForest.  This was my first opportunity to meet up with Brad  He is an architect and web designer who happens to call Skippack his home.  And then finally, I was invited to join this group.

Our meeting consisted of breakfast from Mal’s great breakfast menu.  We small talked for a while as we got to know each other a little bit better.  And then we got down to business – although I struggle to call it business.  Our conversation about blogging and social media was fun and thought-provoking.  All three of us are trying to figure out different aspects of our blogs, and it was fun to think out loud about the next steps in our blogging journeys.  I especially enjoyed the conversation about the visions we each have for our place on the web.  For a more detailed and humorous take on our inaugural meeting, you should check out Michael’s blog post about the Perkiomen Valley Blogger’s Society.

So where do we go from here?  That’s a good question that we’re trying to figure out.  I’m hoping we can meet on a regular (monthly) basis for more breakfast and great conversation.  Perhaps, we will bring in guest speakers who can teach us some new tips and tricks to enhance our blogs.  I know we have many directions and topics that we can cover, and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.

Have you ever met face to face with other bloggers?  Describe your meeting.

Solitude

Webster’s Online Dictionary defines solitude as “the quality or state of being alone or remote from society.”

Why would anyone want to “practice” solitude?

Limited amounts of solitude can give us a chance to get away from the distractions of regular life and routine.  We live in a day and age when we are bombarded with noise, activity, and motion.  These things can crowd out the voice of God.

So for today, I’m going to keep my post short.  I’m going to get away in solitude even if it’s for a short time this morning.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

When was the last time you practiced solitude?  How has God been speaking to you lately?

Out Of Bounds

When I was a kid, I can specifically remember riding my red bike with a black banana seat way outside of the boundaries that my parents had set for me.  My bike was notorious for eating up the pant legs of my favorite Toughskins® jeans.  Needless to say, one time when I was out of bounds, my pant legs jammed up in my bike chain and I couldn’t get them out.  A friendly stranger took the time to cut my pant leg out of the chain, load up my bike in her car, and drive me home.  My parents were obviously disappointed and I was in big trouble.  I was grounded for a whole week.  I wasn’t permitted to play outside with my friends or to watch television for the whole week.  As a first or second grader, it felt like I had been sent to maximum security prison.

Stories like these remind us that we were not perfect children.  We didn’t always make the right choices.  It’s helpful to remember this when we think about our own children.  They will make bad choices sometimes also.

Tell us about a time when you got in trouble as a kid and describe the consequences of your actions.  Leave your story in the comments.

My Dad’s Morning Routine

This morning, I woke up in another part of the country to green grass, fully leaved trees, and warmer temperatures.  As I walked to the back door to get a glimpse of the sunshine, I saw my dad lying down on the back porch.

He laid there wearing his “exercise” clothes doing his daily calisthenics and having his daily time for prayer and meditation.  My dad could give you all the details of his routine which has been part of his daily morning ritual for the past several years.  (Here’s a link to his blog where he shares the details of his prayer time.)  The general gist of it includes stretching, abdominal exercises, and push ups.  Then it moves to a time of prayer when he faces different directions and prayers for his family, his church, his community, and the world.  My dad uses the Psalms as he moves through his exercises.  He has a method for reciting all 150 Psalms.  He used to do this when he went swimming.  Now, he recites the Psalms as he warms up on his mini-trampoline.

As I watch him out there practicing his sermon for Sunday and going through the rest of the routine.  I’m inspired.  I’m amused.  I’m intrigued.

Many of you may know that I’m a guy who thrives on routine, patterns, discipline, and schedule.  I can see where it came from.  My dad is a man of discipline.  My grandparents were both very disciplined.  My guess is that there was some type of routine in their families before them.

Okay, now the routine has gone a bit far.  My dad is singing.  If you’ve ever sat next to my dad in church, you know this isn’t a good thing.  Actually, it’s pretty neat to hear…in the privacy of my parents’ backyard, my dad finds oneness with God.  I’m certain that his singing is sweet, sweet music to the Creator.

As we prepare to visit my parents’ church tonight for their Maundy Thursday service (we don’t have this at our home church), I’m looking forward to a day together.  What a great way to start the day!

What’s something quirky about your parents?  What quirkiness or trait do you have that you can see came from your parents?

End Of An Era – An End To Suburban Chicken Farming

I’ve begun the process of removing “suburban chicken farmer” from the list of words or phrases to describe me.  Over the past few weeks, my chicken farming experiment has come to a close (at least for now).

Many of you may remember previous posts about my journey into the world of backyard chickens.  Almost three years ago, I picked up eight baby chickens from a good friend, and I built my own chicken condominium in our backyard complete with a picture window, a side door, a basement deck, a nesting box, and a 10 foot high roof (what was I thinking?).

As the chicks grew, I anxiously awaited our first egg.  I still remember checking on the chickens every day after work to see if we there was a surprise.  Eventually that day came!  What excitement!  I remember saving up the first couple of eggs, so our family could enjoy an egg dish from our own chicken eggs.  We made “eggs in a basket” – you cut holes in the middle of slices of bread and fry an egg in the hole.

Since then, we’ve enjoyed hundreds of eggs.  And yes, these eggs are way better than the eggs you buy in the store.

But no one told us about the challenges of suburban chicken farming.  Do you know that a chicken poops every eight minutes on average?  Do you know that chickens need extra light in the winter if you expect them to lay eggs?  Do you know that egg production slows down after two or three years?  Do you know that chickens need heated water in the winter?  We learned all this and more through our journey.  We also sadly learned that chickens like heat, but not extreme heat.  We lost six of our chickens last summer when temperatures hit record highs – that’s a whole other story.

At any rate, a couple of weeks ago our last two chickens were “stolen” when friends came over and took the hens for a ride to a new backyard setting.  My wife and kids had enough of this crazy experiment.  And honestly, I was finished with this little hobby as well (at least for now).  This weekend, I took down the chicken coop.  It was a little bitter-sweet as I reflected on the enthusiasm that initially went into this hobby.

And now, I can concentrate on other adventures.  Leanne, what do you think about getting a cow?  Just kidding!

What hobbies or activities have you moved away from?  What new hobbies or activities have you recently stepped into?

You Are Here

I took this picture last year while on a Cub Scout field trip to the Franklin Institute.  This sign was located in a stairwell between exhibits.  I just thought it was funny.  What can I say?  This is my humor, and you’re stuck with it if you’re still reading my blog.

As I think about the sign, “You Are Here,” I think it’s a good reminder for me.  Sometimes, it can be easy to get stuck in our past –  where we dwell on either our victories or defeats.  Let’s face it, we often like the way things were just because that’s what we’re used to.  Does that make sense?

On the other hand, sometimes, it can be easy to get caught up in the worries (and hopes) of the future.  I think it’s good to have hopes and dreams and to go after them.  But sometimes, we deal with anxiety because we’re so focused on what might happen in the future.  We are crippled by questions which have answers that are out of our control.

As I think about this, two passages come to mind:

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46:10

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:25-34

These offer great reminders to rejoice in today – this moment in time when the past is in the past, and God holds the future in His hands.

I am here.  Where are you?

Stretched Perspective

I don’t like change.

I’m a man of routine and discipline.  I get up at 4:40AM.  I spend time in God’s Word.  I read.  I blog.  I exercise.  I eat a bowl of cereal.  I shower and get ready for work.  I drive the same way to the office.  And my day continues.

It drives me crazy when things get switched around with the patterns that exist in my life.

I came home from work last night excited to see my family and hungry for dinner.  We were having leftovers which doesn’t bother me at all.  In fact, I like to eat the same things we ate earlier in the week.  (I usually eat the same exact thing for lunch every day – yogurt, cheese stick, granola bar, and two pieces of fruit.)

When we sat down for dinner, I was “directed” away from MY normal seat at the dinner table to a new seat.  My wife said I needed a change in perspective.  I’ll admit that I was reluctant to sit anywhere besides MY normal spot at the table.  But I have also come to realize that a change in perspective can STRETCH me to experience new things, to see things that I would normally miss, and to walk in other people’s shoes.

My “new” spot at the dinner table wasn’t all that bad – except for the glass of water my son spilled on me.  We joked that my new perspective was a wet perspective.

How can you change your perspective today?  How could a change in perspective change things for you?  How could this change STRETCH you?

Say What You Need To Say

Last week, I was in the Chicago area for implementation training and brainstorming for a new company initiative.  I haven’t been out to our home office for a few years and to be honest I wasn’t crazy about leaving my wife and kids for the better part of a week.

The time at the Chicago area office went very well, but the highlight of the trip was my visit with my Grandma Stolpe.  Grandma will turn 92 in early April.  Recently, her health hasn’t been great.  Many in my family wondered if she would make it past the Christmas holidays.

It had been a few years since we last visited in person, so it was real special when I walked through the doors of the nursing home where she lives and I saw her waiting for me to arrive.  We ate dinner together in their cafeteria, and we visited for a while back in her room.  Though it had been three and a half years since or last face-to-face visit, it seemed like we just saw each other last week.

My Aunt Elaine and Uncle Max stopped by for the last hour of our visit.  We talked more and shared details about our families.  We also talked about memories and family traditions.

A few times, Grandma mentioned that she was ready for heaven whenever God decided it was time.  She expressed hope that it wouldn’t be much longer.  It was clear that she was content with the life she had lived and hopeful for the future in heaven.

I will remember a few details about this visit:  Grandma’s Bible on her nightstand, her family tree of pictures on the wall above her bed, her thoughts on the economy and politics, and her joy in spending time with me (her oldest grandson).

I don’t know when or if I will see Grandma again on this side of eternity.  As we said our goodbyes (which took a while), I hugged Grandma, and I told her I loved her.  She reciprocated as only a small 91-year-old women could with a broken arm.  She said, “I love you too, Jon.  Thank you so much for the visit.”

As I walked to my car, I sniffled a bit.  I’m not sure I’ll have that chance again.  The visit was great – and the goodbye was perfect whether it was the last or not.

Driving back to my hotel that night, I heard the song “Say What You Need to Say” by John Mayer.  The song talks about saying what needs to be said – not regretting holding back – making sure things are right with our loved ones and that we express our love, appreciation, and respect for each other.

I said what I needed to say.

Is everything good between you and your family and friends or is there something you need to say?

Ice Breaker – Leaving On A Jet Plane

It’s that time of the week again…time for an ice breaker question!  Last night, I flew home from the Chicago area where I was away on business most of the week.  Today’s question is about flying.  For those of you who are new or who forgot, ice breaker questions are used to help people get to know each other – to “break the ice” so to speak.  I love hearing what other people have to say and how they think.  So for today, I’m excited to throw out another simple ice breaker question.  I’ll answer it first, then it’s your turn.  Answer the question by leaving a comment for us all to enjoy.  Thanks!

Question:  Do you like to fly?  Why or why not?  When was the last time you took a plane to travel somewhere?  Where did you go?

My Answer:  Here you go….

I kind of answered part of this question already, but I’ll give you a little more detail.  Actually, I like to fly.  I am amazed at the brain power and inventive thought that goes into flying.  Think about it – several tons of metal, luggage, and people traveling 30,000 feet above the earth at amazing speeds.  It doesn’t sound possible when you think about it like this.

As I mentioned in the introduction, I flew this week to and from Chicago on a business trip.  The trip was good for learning about a new company initiative and helping to set the standard for applying this new initiative across our business.  But the trip was great for other reasons.  I was born in the Chicago area, and I lived there until I was eight.  I have family that still lives there.  I had the chance to spend an evening with my Grandma and my aunt and uncle.  I also spent and evening with my brother and his family.  What a blessing to merge business and family.

(By the way, thank you to Diane, Chad, and Kevin for filling in while I was away.  If you missed them, please go back the last three days and read their contributions to the Stretched community!)

So there you have it, my answer to the question.  Now it’s your turn….I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got to say!

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Don’t Hold A Press Conference

We all like to be noticed.  We all like to be recognized for doing something good.  We like to hear people say, “Good job.”  We want the praise of man.  I think this is a normal human desire.

The other day, I was reading in Matthew 6 which is part of the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus.  In part of this sermon, Jesus talks about how we should give to the needy, how we should pray, and how we should go about fasting.  Three times in this passage Christ says, “Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  When we give to the needy, when we pray, and when we fast, we should do these acts so no one knows but God.  We want the recognition.  We want to hold a press conference when we do these things.  But Christ tells us to keep it between God and us.  Surely, God’s reward is far greater than any recognition we get from man.

As a blogger this is a huge topic to ponder.  I often blog about the activities of my family including the activities related to serving others.  I hope that my main motivation in sharing these things is to encourage others to find ways to serve with their families, but I confess that there may be a part of my motivation that wants to hear others say, “Your family is so good.  You are a great parent.  You and Leanne do such a great job.”  These compliments do mean a lot, but my suspicion is that these praises of people pale in comparison to the reward that God promises.

Ultimately, I want to glorify God.  Whether it’s giving to the needy, praying, fasting, working, running, blogging, or whatever, I want my thoughts and actions to bring glory to God.

And so I stretch!  (In a year of being transformed, transformation of my motives is a great place to start.)

What do you think?  Do you struggle with seeking the praise of people?  How do you fight this?