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?

Announcing June Giveaway Winners

Last week, I announced that I would be giving away two prizes to lucky winners.  The winners were selected randomly, but their chances increased based on interaction on the blog and other social media platforms.  This was the first time, I’ve tried something quite like this, and I’m happy to say that the results were promising.  I added several new subscribers to the blog and new fans of the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Fan Page.  There were also new commenters on the blog this week, and The Stretched Blog received several plugs this week via Twitter.  Overall, the blog experienced the third highest week of traffic since the beginning of the year.  I will definitely be trying this type of giveaway again.

Okay, I’ve delayed long enough.  Here are the winners of this month’s giveaway:

Winner of Platform by Michael Hyatt:  Mark Sullens

(Mark entered by being a fan of the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Fan Page.)

Winner of Love Does by Bob Goff:  Tim McNatt

(Tim entered by being a subscriber of The Stretched Blog.)

I’ll be reaching out to the winners this week via e-mail to confirm mailing addresses.  Thanks to everyone for entering this month’s giveaway!

 What would you like to see me giveaway next month?  What other giveaways should The Stretched Community check out?

Random Stretch Thoughts

Life continues to provide plenty of stretching opportunities. Today’s post is simply some of the things that are stretching me these days.

1. Headaches. Since the month of February, I’ve been dealing with lots of headaches. I haven’t had a migraine for a few weeks, but I’m still wrestling a bit with the day-to-day nuisance headaches. I started seeing someone who is helping with deep tissue message. This seems to be helping, but it seems like I still have a way to go until my back, shoulders, and neck loosen up.
2. Running. Yesterday, I shared about the 2nd Annual Race to Remember. Between blogging, headaches, and the other busyness of life, it can be a challenge to find a regular routine for running. I’m hoping that a date on the calendar will inspire me to be more consistent in my running.
3. Gardening. I don’t talk about gardening a whole lot here, but it is still one of my passions. Admittedly, this hobby has taken a backseat to my family, my job, my writing, and other activities. I did manage to get my garden planted a few weeks ago. Now, I need to figure out how to keep the deer and groundhogs out of the garden. And I need to find time to weed.
4. Blogging. I love the blog, and I intend on keeping it going. My main struggle is landing on my next path forward – What is the next step for the Stretched Blog?  Should I write and eBook? If so, where should I focus? I know for certain that I want to use my writing and blogging for something way bigger than myself. The Guatemala trip and the Stretched house is confirmation that anything is possible.
5. Guatemala. I really need to work on my Spanish. In nearly a month and a half, I’ll be making this life changing trip. I pray that I will be alert to the impact of this trip. We’re less than $2,700 away from paying for the house! Feel free to hop on board.
6. Family and marriage. This is a huge priority for me. Many times I feel like my attention and energy isn’t always where it should be. I don’t want to look back with any regrets. In a week, my daughter will be graduating from middle school. I know she’s ready for high school, but this milestone is a reminder that time isn’t slowing down. I need to make the most of the opportunities.
7. Faith. To put it plainly, my relationship with God has to be the most important thing in my life. I’m constantly filling my mind with good things, but I’m realizing more and more that I need to be still. This stretches me to the core.

I’m sure there are many other things that are stretching me, but this list provides a glimpse into the ones that keep coming back to me. I’m thankful that God is patient with us while we stretch. I’m thankful that he desires a relationship that is new, exciting, and stretching.

What’s stretching you see days?

(Don’t forget to get in on the giveaway that’s going on this week on the Stretched blog. Click here for more details.  There’s still time to win Platform by Michael Hyatt or Love Does by Bob Goff.)

Giveaway: Platform & Love Does

This month, I’m trying something new – a giveaway!  I’ll give away Platform by Michael Hyatt to one lucky winner, and I’ll give away Love Does by Bob Goff to a second lucky winner.  Both of these books were recently released and are on my “to-read” list.  You can increase your chances of winning by taking the following actions:

(1) Subscribe to the Stretched blog.  On the right side of the main page, there’s an easy place for you to enter your e-mail, so you get Stretched delivered to your e-mail everyday.  I’ll give you 5 points for this task.  (If you’re already a subscriber, you’ll automatically get 5 points!)  I won’t share your e-mail with anyone else.

(2) ‘Like’ the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Fan Page.  I’ll give you 3 points for this task.  (If you already like Jon Stolpe Stretched, you’ll automatically get 3 points!)

(3)  Post a link to this blog on Twitter.  In order to get credit for this task, you must include my twitter handle in your tweet – @jonstolpe.  I’ll give you 2 points for this task.  I’ll throw in 2 points each day that you tweet this between now and the end of the contest.

(4)  Leave a comment on this post.  Finally, I’ll give you 2 more points if you leave a comment on this post.  The best comments will answer one of these questions.  What is something that you have won in the past?  What do you think I should give away next month?  What is on your “to-read” list?

You have one week to enter this contest.  I will announce the winners next week.