Ice Breaker – Highs and Lows
It’s been a few weeks since our last Friday Stretched Ice Breaker. Did you miss it?
For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the scoop. Each week here on the Stretched blog, I ask an ice breaker question. Ice breaker questions are designed to help us get to know each other a little better. Over the past year, it’s been fun to learn about others in The Stretched Community through this weekly tradition. As part of the tradition, I answer the question in the blog post, and the readers answer the question by leaving a comment. Let’s give it a try!
This week’s Ice Breaker comes from my experience in Guatemala. Each day our AIM (Adventures In Missions) team leaders led us in a morning devotion and an evening thought that related to sound. One day early in the trip, we talked about sound waves. They reminded us that waves have high points and low points. And they taught us that remembering the high points and low points was a healthy exercise that helps us see how God shows up and speaks into our lives. Each day on the trip, we asked each other to recall our high point and our low point for the day. With this in mind, here is this week’s Ice Breaker:
Question: What was your high this week? What was your low this week? How do you think God is speaking to you through your high and low?
My answer: My high and low both deal with work. It was definitely a high for me this week to be able to return to work and to tell my story. Some people at my office don’t know that I went to Guatemala last week, but many do know and they want to hear about the trip. It’s been fun to share! My low was also returning to work. For one, my body is still adjusting to the return to my normal life. I’ve definitely felt more tired this week. I also miss the people I hung out with in the town of Xenacoj, Guatemala and the work we were able to do in Xenacoj. The high reminds me that I have a story to tell. God’s placed me right where I’m at to give people a glimpse into the joy of serving and the satisfaction in sacrificially sharing the message of hope. The low reminds me that my trip overseas to serve shouldn’t be a one time activity. I should make serving at home and overseas a regular part of my routine. The low also reminds me that I’m not invincible. I need sleep and exercise to sustain me.
That’s my simple answer. Now, it’s your turn. Share your answer in the comments. I look forward to reading your response!
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:
Ice Breaker – Vacation Destination
This week has been a bit confusing with the holiday stuck right in the middle of the work week. Yesterday felt like a Monday despite the fact that it was really Thursday. Just to be clear, today is Friday. And you know what that means? It’s time for the weekly Stretched Ice Breaker. Ice breakers are questions designed to help us get to know each other. I ask a question and give you my answer. Then you answer the question by leaving a comment.
Since I’m heading out for a week of family vacation, this week’s question is related to vacation. Here goes!
Question:. Thinking back on your past vacations, what is one of your most favorite vacation destinations?
My Answer:. Hawaii was pretty incredible, but that was several years ago. One of my more recent favorites was Vermont. A couple of years ago, my family had the privilege of staying at Smugglers Notch. I’m assuming that this must be a pretty happening place during ski season. But we went during the summer, and we had a blast. We swam in the four or five different swimming pools, we hiked to the top of two of the three mountain peaks, and we road our bikes to Stowe. We also enjoyed factory tours of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory and Cabot cheese factory. Summer is a great time to visit Vermont!
Now, it’s your turn. Let’s hear your answer to this week’s ice breaker question. Leave your answer in the comments, so we can all enjoy!
Ice Breaker – Cars Of Our Childhood
Happy Friday!
Friday means Ice Breaker here on The Stretched Blog. Each week, I ask a question that helps to break the ice so to speak. I answer the question in the post, and you answer the question in the comments. The weekly Ice Breaker has become a fun way to get to know the Stretched Community. Feel free to read the other comments and leave comments on the other answers that readers provide. This week’s Ice Breaker should be fun!
Question: What car(s) did your parents drive when you were a kid?
My Answer: I don’t remember all the years of the cars, but I remember a few of the cars. My folks had a Yellow Chevy Vega and a Brown Chevy Nova when I first came along. Then they transitioned to a Brown ’72 Chevy Impala. They kept that car for a long time. When they finally sold it (or gave it away – I’m not sure), it had over 212,000 miles. The Impala was replaced by a Diesel Chevy Chevette and a 12 passenger Ford Econoline van. It’s funny how these cars became integral parts of our family. I wonder if our kids will have the same memories of the cars that we’ve had.
Okay! Now, it’s your turn. Let’s hear your answer in the comments. Thanks for sharing!
Ice Breaker – 6 Words
This week’s ice breaker moved to Saturday thanks to a great guest blogging opportunity at Some Wise Guy. If you haven’t done so already, please go over to K.C. Procter‘s blog and read my post titled, Don’t Blink!.
Today, I’ll ask this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker Question. It’s simple, but it should require some thought. As usual, I’ll answer the question in the post below, and you can answer the question in the comments. Ready? Here goes!
Question: Describe yourself in 6 words (no more, no less).
My Answer: Christian, Husband, Father, Friend, Leader, Son
That’s it! No more than six words. Now, it’s your turn. Let’s see your six words in the comments!
Ice Breaker – Cheese
This has to be one of the craziest ice breaker questions that I have ever asked here. The question is inspired by my son, Isaac. He often jokes around about how he introduces himself to others. He says, “Hi, I’m Isaac, and I like cheese.” I occasionally ask my family for ice breaker question ideas. So this question came directly from Isaac. Here goes:
Question: What is your favorite kind of cheese? (I told you this was goofy!)
My Answer: I’ve been to several places where cheese is a major food group. A couple of years ago, our family vacationed in northern Vermont. During our vacation, we visited the Cabot cheese factory. I had no idea that there were that many cheeses. I’ve also had the privilege of visiting France where there are so many different kinds of cheese. I like different kinds of cheese depending on what else I’m eating. For example, there is nothing like provolone cheese on an Italian hoagie or a corn beef sandwich. I like Colby jack cheese with Lebanon bologna. And I like cheddar cheese on my tacos. One of my favorite kinds of cheese to eat by itself is cooper sharp.
How’s that for a cheesy post? Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker by leaving your answer in the comments. I look forward to reading your cheesy answer.
(If you have an idea for an ice breaker question for our weekly post, let me know your idea. If your question is chosen, I’ll answer the question, and I’ll give you the credit for the question.)
Ice Breaker – Picnic
Happy Friday!
Friday means Ice Breaker here on the Stretched blog. Each week, I ask a question designed to help us learn a little bit about the Stretched Community. I answer the question in the post, and you answer the question in the comments. This is also a great opportunity to interact with other readers by commenting on their answers. Since we’re heading into the summer season, I thought it would be fun to pick a question that relates to a fun summertime activity. Here goes!
Question: What is your favorite picnic food or activity?
Answer: I love picnics and potlucks. I love picnic foods like watermelon, hamburgers, and pasta salad. But my favorite picnic food is probably homemade guacamole. I realize you can have quack mole any time of the year, but our recipe came to us during a picnic in the early years of our marriage. The recipe calls for avocados, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, salt, and lime juice. Dipping nacho chips in this guacamole is so delicious.
As for picnic activities, I love sitting around and relaxing with friends, but I also love picnic games – especially lawn games like horseshoes, bocce ball, and croquet. I have great memories of playing all three of these games at past picnics.
Okay, now it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question in the comments.
(It’s not to late to get in on the giveaway that I announced on Monday!)
Ice Breaker – Walk-Up Music
It’s not Friday, so don’t get too excited. I decided to move up this week’s Ice Breaker one day to make room for tomorrow’s May 2012 Review post. This week’s question was inspired by my three camping buddies with whom I spent my Memorial Day weekend. If you watch major league baseball these days, most players have a walk-up song that is used as they approach home plate for their at-bat. Since I’m a Philadelphia Phillies fan, my examples come from the Phils. Carlos Ruiz walks out to In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins. Chase Utley walks out to Kashmir by Led Zepplin. And Hunter Pence walks out to A Warrior’s Call by Volbeat.
I’d like to tie this into this week’s ice breaker question. For those who are new around here, an ice breaker is a question that helps us get to know one another. Each week, I ask a question which I answer in my post. Then, it’s your turn to answer the question in the comments of the post. Here is this week’s ice breaker:
Question: What would you chose for your walk-up song or music?
My Answer: The Theme from Chariots of Fire. This way I could run from the on deck circle to the batter’s box in slow motion. I know it’s not your typical rocking song, but this music by Vangelis is inspiring to me. Then after I hit my home run, I could run around the bases in slow motion as the music comes back on over the public address system.
Okay, now it’s your turn. Let’s hear your answer to the question. Leave your answer in the comments below, so we can all enjoy.
Ice Breaker – Relax
Today, I head out for my annual camping pilgrimage to the Poconos. I have been making this trip for the past twenty-one years (with only one miss) with the same group of guys who are originally from my home town in New Jersey. For me this is the perfect opportunity to relax. On this trip, I’ll go fishing, catch up with some great long-time friends, and I’ll slow down compared to my normally busy pace of life.
For today’s Stretched Ice Breaker question, we’ll continue this theme.
Question: What is your favorite way to relax?
(For those of you who are new here, an Ice Breaker is a question designed to help us get to know each other. Each week, I ask a question which I’ll answer in the post. Then I turn it to the readers to answer the question in the comments.)
I can’t wait to read your answer to this week’s question!
Ice Breaker – Questions For A Stretched Blogger
It’s Friday again, and that means that it is time for this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker Question. Each week on Friday, I ask a question and open it up to the Stretched Community for a response. Typically, I answer the question first; however, I’m taking a different approach this week. I totally value your response to this question.
Question: What question do you have for me, The Stretched Blogger?
I’m serious. I want to hear your questions for me. I’ll do my best to answer them in the comments, but I may also use one (or more) of the questions for a future post. I look forward to hearing what you’ve got for me!