Ice Breaker – Lunch With A Bible Hero
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
Question: If you could have lunch with someone from the Bible (besides Jesus), who would it be? Why?
My Answer: I think my answer would probably change from time to time, but for right now I think it would be pretty amazing to have lunch with David. David was known as a man after God’s own heart. He made plenty of mistakes, but he seemed to always come back to God. As a writer, I think it would be interesting to talk to him about his own writing. In a way, the Psalms are kind of like a blog from ancient days, and David is responsible for writing many of these poems. I would ask him about his faith. I would listen as he described God. After lunch, I’d see if we could head down to the local rock quarry, so he could teach me a thing or two about slinging stones.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – What’s For Dinner?
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
Sometimes the best ice breaker questions deal with the mundane, everyday occurrences of life. Today’s question is pretty simple, and it will be fun to see how everyone answers.
Question: What did you have for dinner last night?
My Answer: We are in the time of our lives when dinner is so important. Often it is the only time that our family has to connect as we transition from busy days at work and school to homework and evening meetings and extra curricular activities. Last night after dinner, we were running to Isaac’s Meet the Teacher Night.
For dinner, we had chicken crescent squares. This has become one of our family’s favorites. The recipe is made with chicken mixed with cream cheese, onion, and some other things wrapped in crescent rolls. I’m not giving it justice in my description, but you’ll have to trust me. It’s good! We also had strawberry salad, and cauliflower with cheese. Finally, we had watermelon to even things out. All in all, I a great meal at home!
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Are You Ready For Some Football?
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
With fall comes football – high school football, college football, and professional football. It can be a fun time of year especially if your team is doing well. This week’s ice breaker is all about football. If you’re not a football fan, it’s okay. Give us your best answer anyway
My college intramural football team after a muddy game and an amazing victory!
Question: What is your favorite football team – college or professional or both?
My Answer: I’ve lived in the Philadelphia area since the summer of 1980. The year we moved here the Eagles went to the Superbowl. It was hard not for me to become a fan of my local team. It’s been a tough roller coaster ride since then. One of these years, we’ll not only make it back to the Superbowl, but we’ll win it! My backup professional team has always been the Chicago Bears. My family lived in the Chicago area before we moved to the Philadelphia area. Walter Payton was my favorite player then, and he’s still my favorite all-time player.
As for college football, this won’t win be many points outside of Pennsylvania, but I’m a Penn State fan. I graduated from Penn State with my MBA in 2006. It hasn’t been a fun year for our fans, but I’m hopeful for the future. If it’s division three, I’ll be cheering for Grove City College. They don’t make the news for the football program very often, but they’re my team. If you look up college football rushing records, you’ll find that R.J. Bowers set several all-division rushing records at Grove City College several years ago.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – The Last Time I Cried
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
This week’s question is an oldie but a goodie. My answer has changed since I originally posted this Ice Breaker question back on October 19, 2011. This is one of my favorite Ice Breaker questions to ask. Depending on the answers, the level of community can go real deep with a question like this.
Question: When was the last time you cried? And why?
A family changed forever in Guatemala (Photo by Kaleigh Rank)
My Answer: Earlier this week, I shared my Wrecked Creative Expressions. This was created the same day I last cried. On July 29, 2012, our team finished the house in Guatemala. For me, this was the culmination of a lot of hard work, prayer, and team effort. As I’ve shared here before, it took 2 1/2 days and the hard work of our team of 31 to build the house. It took over 3 months and a generous blogging community to raise the money to pay for the materials required to build the house. The dedication service for the family was a moving experience (as I shared before).
After the dedication service, we headed to the center where we ate lunch every day. As I walked into the center, missionary Dave Sgro asked me how I was doing. I could barely get my answer out. I explained the feeling of being “wrecked” over this experience. I was transformed by the whole experience. I know we forever changed the lives of the family who received this house. But my life had been changed as well. As I grabbed my lunch, I sat off to the side. The tears were uncontrollable as I tried to collect my thoughts and eat my lunch. The tears were tears of joy for a feeling of accomplishment. They were tears of sadness as I didn’t want this part of the experience to be over. And they were tears of uncertainty not knowing when I would be able to do something like this again. And that is the last time I cried.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Back To School
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
This week’s question is inspired by the return to school.
Ready for the first day of school! (Photo by Leanne Stolpe)
Question: What was your favorite school subject?
My Answer: Okay, I’ll be a bit of a geek here. I loved math, and I still do. From the time they taught us how to add to one digit numbers all the way up to learning differential equations during my engineering studies at Grove City College, I have enjoyed math. Now, most of my math involves punching numbers into spreadsheets, balancing the checkbook, and analyzing financial data for my department. It’s still fun when there are numbers involved. While I don’t perform integrations and derivations any longer, the skills I learned in my math courses especially through high school and college prepared me for where I am today. (As for my second favorite subject, it’s probably gym or science.)
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Jobs
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
This week’s question is inspired by the upcoming Labor Day holiday. Whether you earn money or not, we all have a “job”. Maybe it’s keeping the house in order, caring for the kids, or going to school. This week’s question is all about your job.
Question: What’s your job? (Pretty simple.)
My Answer: I’m an operations manager for Siemens Industry, Inc. Our company designs and installs building automation systems in buildings around the Greater Philadelphia area. I’ve worked for Siemens for 16 1/2 years. My past positions have included project engineer and project manager. I’ve been an operations manager for ~5 years. I love what I get to do on a daily basis. My primary responsibility is to manage and lead a team of engineers, technicians, installers, and support staff in an effort to satisfy and blow away the expectations of our customers and to be profitable for our shareholders. I especially pride myself on leading with integrity and helping my team members succeed in their projects and careers. I’m so thankful for my job.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
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!