Category Archives for "Joe Lalonde"

The Sting of Stretching (@JosephLalonde)

I’m thankful today for Joe Lalonde. Joe is guest blogging today about a recent stretching experience in his life. His post is featured as part of The Network. Joe writes an excellent leadership blog. You can find more information about Joe along with the links to his blog in his bio which follows this post.

I’ve always been a fan of stretching. It’s helped me grow and reach my potential.

However, the last couple of weeks have tested my stretching limit.

Image by Mike Baird via Flickr

I’ve experienced so much stretching I don’t know how I’m coping with it.

Last month we had to make a tough choice and put one of our beloved dogs down. My dad was hospitalized after three visits to the emergency room.

It feels like life has been stretching and stretching me. And it’s been painful.

Tears seem to continuously stream from my eyes. Sleep comes but it is not restoring. And there’s such a heaviness on my heart.

There are times that stretching stings. It creates a pain that is almost unbearable.

And yet there can be awesome results from the stretching.

I’m becoming more attuned to feeling the pain of others: I try my best to understand how others are feeling but I can fall flat in this area. The stretching I experienced with my dog has opened up a new avenue of feelings that focuses on the loss others are feeling.

There’s now a connection that I’m able to share with those grieving over a major loss. It’s a blessing a curse.

I’ve become more open with my feelings: Realizing how fleeting our time on this earth can be, I’m stretched to share my feelings more. Especially with my wife.

Nightly I weep and nightly I try to pour out my feelings to my wife. I’m feeling more broken than ever but there’s also the feeling of openness.

I’m learning what’s really important: Losing my dog and almost losing my dad has given me a sense of urgency with how I should live my life. It needs to be lived with unction. With a passion that’s unrivaled.

It’s also showing me that I need to spend time with those that I love. And to show them that I love them and value their lives.

Don’t neglect this fact.

The stretching has been painful. Honestly, I don’t like it so much right now.

Yet it’s helping me to become a better man. A better son. A better husband.

I’m not sure if you’ve experienced stretching like this in the past. It’s so difficult I pray you don’t have to experience it as well.

The truth is, we will all have to experience loss and the threat of loss.

Still, I know you can survive the stretching and come out better. Don’t let the pain destroy you. Let it grow you.

Question: What have you learned from the sting of the stretch? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

This is a guest post by Joseph Lalonde. He is a youth leader at Oak Crest Church of God and leadership blogger at JMLalonde.com. Joseph shares leadership tools and encourages you to become a better leader. Connect with him on Twitter or at his blog.

The Stretched Blog Visits Joseph Lalonde – Leading From Our Hands And Our Knees

Today, I’m guest posting as part of The Network for Joe Lalonde at his blog, Joseph Lalonde. In my post (Leading From Our Hands And Our Knees), I share some thoughts about servant-based leadership. Here’s an excerpt to get you started.

How are your hands and knees?

For so many, leadership is all about a position of authority. When most people think of leadership, they think of someone sitting in the plush corner office. They think of someone sitting on a throne. Or they think of someone who stands tall above everyone else.

Authority is an important aspect of leadership, but there is something else leaders should consider.

Leaders lead best when they lead from their hands and knees.

(Click here to read the rest of this post.)

If you’re visiting from Joe’s blog, I’m glad you stopped by. I hope you’ll check things out and become a regular part of The Stretched Community. You can sign up to receive daily blog updates by adding your e-mail on the main page (I promise not to send you spam). To help you get a taste of my other writing, here are a few of my favorite posts:

How could servant-based leadership impact your leadership effectiveness? What is one thing you can do this week to lead from your hands and knees?

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! April 22nd, 2012

It’s time for the next installment of 3 Thumbs Up! This is an opportunity for me to share 3 things that deserve a thumbs up. So here goes for this week:

Thumbs Up No. 1: Kiwi Yogurt. Located throughout the Philadelphia area, this new frozen yogurt dessert bar has become one of our favorite placed to visit for a quick date or a frozen treat that’s fairly healthy. I love ice cream! But I can honestly recommend Kiwi Yogurt as a great alternative to ice cream establishments in our area. Check out their website to learn more.

Thumbs Up No. 2: Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey Podcast. By now, you know that I’m passionate about marriage and family. Recently, I started listening to this daily podcast. Each episode is packed with encouragement, teaching, and inspiration for parents and married couples. If you’re looking for new ideas for your family or marriage, listen to a few of these podcasts. Click here to check it out.

Thumbs Up No. 3: Joseph Lalonde (Empowering You to Lead Better). This is an excellent blog by my friend, Joe Lalonde. Each week, Joe writes several posts that challenge readers to lead and live more intentionally. I’ve enjoyed Joe’s blog for the past several months, and I think you will also. Check it out here. Stop over and become part of his blogging community.

What new in your world that deserves a thumbs up?

March 2012 Top Posts and Top Commenters

March has come and gone.

As usual, I like to look back to see what happened on The Stretched Blog this month.

It was a pretty good month. Overall traffic, was just under last month’s traffic. And the comments were the highest so far. Here’s a review of the top 10 posts from this month:

1. Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know (March 7, 2012) * Re-Post

2. End Of An Era – An End To Suburban Chicken Farming (March 14, 2012)

3. Help Me Write My First Book (March 8, 2012)

4. Leap of Faith Continued (The Decision) (March 22, 2012 – highest traffic day this month)

5. Leap of Faith (March 21, 2012)

6. Migraine Madness (March 13, 2012)

7. Book Review: How Do You Kill 11 Million People? (March 5, 2012)

8. Ice Breaker – Songs On Your Playlist (March 23, 2012)

9. Continue To Learn (March 20, 2012)

10. Back To The Basics – Guest Post From Joe Lalonde (March 6, 2012)

And the top 3 commenters for this month:

1. Tom Neal (30)

2. Joe Lalonde (24)

3. Larry Carter (20)

One of the things that excited me most about the comments this month was the huge number of new commenters. Your comments make The Stretched Community so great! Please keep commenting.

Thank you!

So how was your month? What was your most popular post? What was your favorite post on your blog or here?

Back To The Basics – Guest Post From Joe Lalonde

Today, I’m honored to present guest blogger, Joe Lalonde. Joe blogs regularly about life and leadership. According to his blog, Joe has “always had a desire to grow and to see others grow and become more effective in their life.” Please check out his blog and become one of his regular readers.

(As always, I’m love guest blogging and guest bloggers. If you have a STRETCHED story to share here, drop me a comment. Or if you think I could help you on your blog, let me know in the comments.)

Back To The Basics

Sometimes the Christian faith seems so simple. You say a prayer asking Jesus to come into your heart, tell Him that you are sorry for your sins, and that you plan on following Him.

Creative Commons at Flickr by Chepe Lena

Simple, right?

Yes, it is simple but it is also complicated. And that is something that has been stretching me.

Questions have been floating around in my head.

When did this get so complicated? Is there more to Christianity than going to church and saying prayers? Does God even love me?

This line of thinking has made me long for the basics.

What basics you may ask? Well, let me give them to you as questions:

Whatever happened to the Lord’s Prayer?
Jesus took the time to describe how we should pray. Yet when is the last time you thought about it?My guess is that it has not been recently.I encourage you to dive into the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus gave us great wisdom and instruction when He prayed.He thought it was important enough to tell us how to pray. Why are we not teaching this to the congregations?
Are the 10 Commandments still applicable?
It is interesting studying how the 10 commandments came to be.Moses ascended Mount Sinai and stayed there for 40 days and 40 nights. During this time, God gave Moses the 10 commandments on two stone tablets.Finally, Moses descended the mountain and was ready to bring the tablets to the people. Except the people had rebelled while Moses was with God. They made idols and false gods. This angered Moses.

In his anger, Moses destroyed the tablets. The 10 commandments from God were gone, decimated.

But the story does not end there. God, in His everlasting mercy, told Moses to recreate the two tablets that were destroyed.

It appears the 10 commandments were important.

After studying the 10 commandments, it seems they all come down to loving God and loving each other.

Where has our love for them gone? How would our society look if we were to love the commandments and follow them once again?

Take time to re-read the 10 commandments. What do you see them saying to you?
Do we even know Jesus?
Everywhere you go, you can hear about Jesus and how He is love. He loves you and wants you to be happy. He wants you to enjoy your life. He wants peace. He does not want anything extra from you?Is that true?I see in John 14:15 Jesus says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”In Matthew 10:34-36 Jesus says “Do not think I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.”

It sounds like we have forgotten that Jesus also had demands for us and that things would be rocky. There would be division.

I am not saying that Jesus is not about love. He is. He came to save us when we were yet against him. He cared enough about us to die a horrible, miserable death.

What I am saying is that we forget the basics and give ourselves only the parts that make us happy.

This is where I am being stretched right now. I am being stretched to get back to the basics. To dig deep into the basics. To see our church leaders stand up and proclaim the full gospel, not just the feel good sayings of the Bible.

Are you ready and willing to be stretched back to the basics?

Question: Have you overlooked the basics of your faith? Are you being stretched to dig in and rediscover the truth of the Bible? How so? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.