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One Word 2014 – Finish

For the past couple of years, I’ve chosen one word to represent my year.

Two years ago (2012), my one word was TRANSFORMED.

Last year (2013), my one word was EPIPHANY.

And this year, my one word is FINISH.

Photo by Laurie Johnson Armstrong

I want this to be a year where I finish a few things that have been on the burner for a little while. I want to finish my first book. I want to finish a couple of projects around the house. I want to finish things I’ve started.

It seems like I have a lot of irons in the fire between my job, my family, my house, my writing, and my other interests. It’s easy to start things and to take them so far before something else comes up. Maybe I’m too distracted at times, and maybe I need to learn how to prioritize and prune things from my list of action items. I want this to be a year in which I follow-up on things to completion. I want this to be a year in which I cross the finish line on some new and exciting things.

As I head into this year of FINISH, I’m taking a verse with me:

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

This verse written by Paul is a great reminder to keep my priorities and trust on Jesus Christ. As I’ve written recently related to my goals for 2014, I want my priorities to be God’s priorities for my life. And so this is my prayer:

God, Thank you for using me for good things. Thank you for the promise of finishing what you started. In this year of FINISH, make my priorities yours. Help me to have vision, self-control, wisdom, and persistence to finish what I’ve started.

What’s your One Word for 2014? What is something you want to FINISH in 2014?

Epiphany Revisited

In January of this year (2013), I jumped on board the One Word 365 campaign when I selected the word EPIPHANY as my one word. Here were my thoughts in selecting epiphany as my word for 2013:

Epiphany is about revealing Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in my life. I want to experience epiphany on a daily basis. I want to know Christ better today than yesterday. I want my life to be marked as revealing Christ to other people. I’m sure this will come through some words, but I especially want my actions to be marked as one who is following Christ. I suppose I could have selected reveal as my word, but epiphany seems to provide some new and interesting angles that I’d like to pursue. [To read more from this post click here.]

As I look back on the year, it’s been interesting to see how God has been revealed to me and to those around me in new and exciting ways this year. With today’s post, I want to look back at some of the highlights of this year of epiphany.

In January, our family dealt with the aftermath of an auto accident. Accidents have a way of jolting you. In the midst of figuring out the logistics that came up after the accident, we saw God working in amazing ways through this whole experience. My post titled CRASH! Accidents Happen – And God Still Shows Up provides a glimpse into the epiphanies we experienced through the car crash. [To read this post click here.]

In February, I explored the topic of scars and stretch marks. My post titled Scars And Stretch Marks Revealed explored five epiphanies or thoughts about why it’s healthy to expose our scars. [To read this post click here.]

In March, I processed the topic of purpose. Our previous Seeing Eye puppy, Irwin, was dropped out of the training program due to a health issue. As a result, instead of guiding a blind person, Irwin became a pet for a family. His “career change” was a reminder that God has plans and purposes for us that we don’t always see right away. In my post titled RePurposed, I explored 5 ways to discover your purpose. [To read this post click here.]

In April, I was reminded of the importance of being present in the here and now. I often look get caught up in looking to far down the road into the future. When Leanne and I were visiting Philadelphia for a theater date, I nearly collided with another car at an intersection when I missed a traffic light. My post titled Hit The Brakes – Pay Attention To The Here And Now reflects on the importance of paying attention to today. [To read this post click here.]

In May, another experience with one of our dogs was the catalyst for an epiphany worth remembering. If you recall, our “forever dog”, Iso, ate one of my dress shirts. Unlike previous experiences in which he had large pieces of fabric, he was not able to pass my shirt. He required surgery, and he had to wear an Elizabethan Collar for a few weeks when he came home from the vet. In my post titled The Cone Of Shame, I reflect on the power of grace and forgiveness in our lives which removes the cones of shame in our own lives. [To read this post click here.]

In June, I posted about the importance of having boundaries in our lives. This isn’t necessarily a new topic for me, but there were some new thoughts or epiphanies which were worth exploring in this post titled 3 Ways To Set Appropriate Boundaries In Our Lives. [To read this post click here.]

In July, our family visited the Midwest to see family in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. It was really great to see everyone, and there were many personal epiphanies I’ll treasure from the different interactions of this trip. The one which clearly stands out to me though came during my visit with my 93-year-old Grandma in Illinois. She is clearly ready to hang up her track spikes for the last time, but God is still using her. My post titled Stretching To The Finish reflects on our time together. I’m so thankful for this visit with Grandma. [To read this post click here.]

In August, our family went to Guatemala. It would be difficult to go through a recap on the year without mentioning Guatemala. Our trip in early August continues to provide epiphanies and inspiration. In fact, our family is in the early stages of planning a return trip to Guatemala in August 2014. Our trip generated a lot of positive encouragement from friends and family. I’m hoping we will inspire others to consider taking their own leaps of faith through a short-term missions trip (maybe even with us to Guatemala!). But I also received some negative comments along the way as we prepared for this trip and when we returned. My post titled Xenacoj – Responding to Naysayers, Doubters, and Inquisitors provided a place for me to process and respond to these comments. [To read this post click here.]

In September, Leanne and I went to see A Strange Brand Of Happy for one of our date nights. The movie pushed me to think about the subject of happiness. We often think about what will make us happy. What if we looked at happiness from a different angle? My post titled A Different Twist On Happiness explores this question. The comments from this post are especially worth looking at again. [To read this post and comments click here.]

In October, we spent a lot of time at Hannah’s cross-country meets. Towards the end of the month, she won the JV Girls Conference Meet. She was hoping to run in the Varsity race during this meet after moving up the team ranks as the season went along. Her attitude during this experience was something worth remembering. My post titled The Power Of A Positive Attitude explains this experience in more detail. [To read this post click here.]

In November, I continued to think about our trip to Guatemala, and I continued to process a book idea which has been spinning around in my head. (Hint: The book idea has to do with short-term missions.) In my post titled, 5 Reasons The Church Should Engage In Short-Term Missions, I explore more thoughts related to the Guatemala theme and the book theme. This will continue to be a focus as I head into making this idea a reality in 2014. [To read this post click here.]

December is almost over, I’m still processing the epiphanies from the month. I’d like to encourage you to start the new year off with intentional gratitude. Sign up for the 90 Day Thank You Note Challenge. Click here, to find out how you can join the challenge and become part of the Thank You Revolution.

I hope this gives you a little perspective on my epiphanies in 2013. Now, it’s time for me to process a new word for 2014!

How were you challenged by The Stretched Blog in 2013? What was your favorite post? How has God been revealed to you in 2013? Share your thoughts and answers in the comments.

One Word 2013 – Epiphany

I’ve wrestled with coming up with just one word to define my year ahead. Last year, I jumped into theOne Word 365 Community when I selected the word transformed to define my 2012. (You can click here to read my introductory post from last year.) As you may recall from my December posts (click here and here), I can definitely point to several things in 2012 that transformed me.

This year, I’ve been slow to select a new word. I thought about consistent. As I want to stay the course that was put in place last year. As I want to be more consistent in certain areas of my life. I thought about focused. I think I’m a pretty focused person, but I can see how focus in certain areas of my life could have amazing impact.

Then I wrote a simple post this past Sunday titled Epiphany. And it dawned on me, epiphany is the perfect word for me for 2013. Epiphany is about revealing Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in my life. I want to experience epiphany on a daily basis. I want to know Christ better today than yesterday. I want my life to be marked as revealing Christ to other people. I’m sure this will come through some words, but I especially want my actions to be marked as one who is following Christ. I suppose I could have selected reveal as my word, but epiphany seems to provide some new and interesting angles that I’d like to pursue.

Thank you to Melanie at Only A Breath for the cool button. To request a button of your own, please read this post: http://www.onlyabreath.com/2012/12/theyre-here-free-one-word-blog-buttons/

And so, I start 2013 with a new word. Epiphany. I pray that I would be open to daily epiphanies in my life. I pray that I would help people to have their own epiphanies. And I look forward to what the new year brings.

Did you select one word for 2013? What word did you select? And why?

One Word For 2012: Transformed – Part 2

At the beginning of the year, I selected a word to represent my year. The word I chose as part of the One Word 365 Community was transformed. Back in that post, I stated, “I want my life to be transformed by my relationship with God.” I also explained that I expected transformation or growth in other areas of my life as well.

As I reflect on the past year, it’s interesting to see how I experienced transformation. Yesterday, I posted highlights from the first half of 2012. Here are some of the highlights from the second half of 2012:

At the end of June, I gave up caffeine. After five months of nearly constant migraine headaches (Migraine Madness from February through June), one of my doctors suggested giving up caffeine. After depending on it for so long as part of my morning ritual, I wasn’t sure how that would go over. But I tried it anyhow. To my amazement, the frequency of my migraines significantly decreased. Since June, I’ve only had a few migraines compared to the countless migraines I had experienced up until that point. Believe it or not, giving up caffeine was transformational for me this year.

In July, I found myself on the launch team for a new book by Jeff Goins. Jeff’s book, Wrecked, was about what happens when a broken world slams into your comfortable life. Being part of the launch team was a huge learning experience as I consider the possibility of one day writing and launching my own book. And the book came at a perfect time as I prepared for my trip to Guatemala. Wrecked helped to transform my mind as I prepared for my own wrecked experience.

At the end of July into August, I traveled to Guatemala with the high school youth group from our church. I learned so many things through this experience. And I posted so many thoughts and emotions as I processed this trip and as I returned to my realities at home. I was reminded by this trip that I Am A Missionary. And I was reassured that Community Can Change The World. Since returning home on August 3rd, my heart still beats for the people of Xenacoj. When I hear news of volcanoes and earthquakes in the country of Guatemala, my ears perk up. I want to know how our friends are doing. And I long to return to the town that is permanently etched on my heart. With that in mind, my family is planning a return visit to Xenacoj, Guatemala this coming summer. Details are still coming together, but I would covet your prayers and potentially your support as we pursue further transformation and STRETCHING in Xenacoj.

September brought further transformation to my life as I saw my oldest child start high school. I’m not sure how that happened so fast, but I’m thankful for the transition Hannah has made. She has taught us many things and allowed us to experience many new adventures through her advancement to this level. In particular, her involvement with the cross-country team and the high school youth group have been transformational in my life. Her cross-country experience renewed my love for running. After a challenging year with migraines and general busyness, my running consistency had dropped off significantly. Seeing Hannah run and enjoy the experience reminded me of the importance of running in my own life. I’m not sure what the new year brings, but I’m going in with several weeks of consistency and an excitement for what is ahead. The high school youth group (RIOT) is also a place where I’ve experienced transformation this year. Since returning from Guatemala, I’ve missed very few Sunday nights of RIOT. These students continue to STRETCH me. Youth ministry has provided an opportunity for me to Pay It Forward.

In late October, I experienced a transformational week when my family helped to clean out a woman’s home in our area. The woman would be considered a hoarder, and cleaning out her home was no small task. Working at her home four out of seven days including the first and last day gave me a much clearer picture of what transformation looks like. We started with a house that was literally filled with stuff – two to four feet high across the entire floor – and a woman who was obviously broken. At the end of the week, we had the entire main floor clean, we put a significant dent in her front yard which had been unkept for years, and we began to see a new person emerging. Now, this woman has become part of our H.O.P.E. group that meets twice a month. She has a new excitement for living, and she’s even been inviting people into her home for coffee. While this week was clearly life changing for this woman, it was also transformational for every person who stepped foot in and around her home that week. Through this week of Servefest, I was reminded to Store Up Things That Matter.

November and December have brought smaller transformational experiences for which I am thankful. And as we head into the last two weeks of the year, I am aware of continued opportunities to be transformed. TRANSFORMED was a good word for this year. I don’t know what 2013 brings, but I’m sure transformation will continue.

How have you been transformed by 2012? Did you have a word for 2012? If you had to choose a word for 2013, what would it be? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. Thanks!

One Word For 2012: Tranformed – Reflection Part 1

As I reflect on the past year, it’s interesting to see how I experienced transformation. Here are some of the highlights:

In January, I had the blessing of going out to Buffalo Grove, IL for a company meeting. This meeting and trip was transformational for a couple of reasons. For one, it was the first long distance, multiple-night trip I had taken alone since my wife’s illness in 2010. This was a big step of faith that led to other bigger leaps of faith later in the year. The trip also gave me an opportunity to see my Grandma. My post, Say What You Need To Say, captures the transformation thoughts of this visit.

In February, Leanne and I attended a FamilyLife Weekend To Remember Marriage Conference in Hershey, PA. This conference was a great opportunity to recharge, refocus, and reconnect our marriage. I think we both experienced transformation through this time together. My post, Ten Reasons To Attend FamilyLife Weekend To Remember, provides additional thoughts on this wonderful growth experience. If you’re interested in going to one of these conferences this coming year, you can get a special discount through The Stretched Blog. Click here for details.

In March, I was transformed through a big decision that required a leap of faith. The decision was whether or not to go to Guatemala or not. I wrestled a lot with fear as I made this decision. I’m so thankful for family, friends, and God’s Word that encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone to later experience a life on a whole different level.

The Guatemala trip was a huge part of my transformation in 2012. In April, I was transformed by the generosity of The Stretched Community and the amazing provision of a God who loves us and wants the best for us. Early in April, I made a Big Ask as I asked The Stretched Community to join me in helping to raise funds for the trip and to Build Something Bigger as a blogging community. Within hours, I found out part of the answer to this question: How Big Is Your God? God provided for my trip and much of the money for a house we build in Guatemala within six hours of asking the question. (Later, the blogging community closed the gap and completely paid for a new house in Guatemala!)

In May and June, I started teaching my first Foundations Class at our church. This class stretched and transformed me as I led a group of people through the Five Gs. We talked about Grace, Growth, Groups, Gifts, and Giving. While the experience was meant to help the students, I think it also played a big role in my own growth this year. I just finished up teaching my second round of this class. While the class and the experience was different this time, I can still say that I was transformed through the experience to facilitate.

This was just some of the transformation I experienced during the first six months of 2012. Come back tomorrow as I recap the growth I experienced in the second half of 2012.

How have you been transformed by 2012? Did you have a word for 2012? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. Thanks!

January 7, 2012 Week In Review…

It’s time for The Stretched Blog Week in Review – the first for 2012! The traffic to the Stretched Blog is at an all-time high this week. In fact, blog traffic on Wednesday was the highest ever on the blog (and Thursday’s traffic was right behind). Thank you!

Here’s the rundown on the posts for the week:

Monday: December 2011 Top Posts

Tuesday: Meet Irwin

Wednesday: One Word For 2012: Transformed

Thursday: The Stretched Blog Visits The Analogous Truth

Friday (this actually posted Saturday do to a visit to me by the stomach flu): Ice Breaker – My First Car

Your continued contribution to the blog through comments is greatly appreciated. Your comments are what makes this Stretched Community! Please remember to take the time to Subscribe to the blog, so you can have Stretched delivered daily to your e-mail inbox. Also, don’t forget to stop by the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook fan page. Become a fan to keep up with some additional Stretched stuff. I have started to share more blog highlights from other blogs that I read regularly. I think you’ll find some great stuff here. Thanks!

Here are a few of my favorites from around the blog world this week:

It should be a fun week upcoming. Brandon Gilliland will be guest posting on Wednesday. We’ll have another fun Ice Breaker on Friday. And there’s sure to be more Stretching the rest of the week. Please stop back so you can see what’s going on here!

How about you? How was your week? If you’re a blogger what happened over your way this week? Did you read any great blog posts this week? Share with the rest of us!

One Word For 2012: Transformed

If you had to pick one word to focus on in 2012, what would it be?

For me, I’m choosing the word transformed.

Transformed means to be changed. You might even say that transformed means to be stretched.

I want my life to be transformed by my relationship with God.

A lot of great things happened in 2011, but I felt like it was a year for recovery (not that this is a bad thing). I want 2012 to be about moving forward and being transformed. When I think of transformation, I think of growth. I think of metamorphosis. I want to grow closer to God in 2012. I want to pray bigger and bolder prayers.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

So there you have it – my word for 2012. You can check out what words other people are choosing as part of the One Word 365 Community. What’s your word?