Ice Breaker – Love Songs

Most weeks on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question on Fridays. 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.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

With Valentine’s Day coming up on Sunday, this week’s question seems appropriate.

Question:  What is your favorite love song?

My Answer:  Songs have a way of connecting us to a past memory.  For this reason, I have several favorite love songs:

1. Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton is one of my favorites.  My wife and I shared our first dance to this song.
2. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel is another favorite.  My college friends who were there will remember the dance floor clearing, so Leanne and I could dance to this song.
3. It Must Be Love by Rickie Lee Jones from the Thirtysomething soundtrack takes up one of my spots.  I listened to this track over and over again the summer after Leanne and I first met as I was traveling to Connecticut and Massachusetts for my summer job with ServiceMaster.
4. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers is another favorite.  This song is a little more energetic than your traditional love song, but it reminds me that love is fun and it often means going the distance for the one you love.
5. I Will Be Here by Stephen Curtis Chapman has a spot on my list.  This song was performed at our wedding, but I don’t think the words of this song fully resonated with me until Leanne and I went through some of the challenges of life.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

Don’t forget to sign up for the 7 Week Stretch Challenge.  You can sign up right here:

Ice Breaker – Christmas Carols

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I 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.

Ice Breaker – Christmas Carols

By now, you are either sick of listening to the Christmas songs and carols on your local radio station, or you are just getting primed to go Christmas caroling with your friends and neighbors.  Either way, this is the time of year to listen to Christmas music.  We only have a few days left before the big day.  Before you know it, we’ll be thinking about the New Year and singing Groundhog Day songs.  This week’s Stretched Ice Breaker is inspired by the songs we sing and hear this month.

Question:  What is your favorite Christmas song or carol?

My Answer:  I’ve shared this before.  My favorite Christmas carol is In A Bleak Midwinter.  There’s just something about this song I’ll always love.  Our local high school marching band used this song in their marching program this year.  I was a little surprised, and it brought a smile to my face whenever I listened to their program – even when they played before Halloween.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

Also don’t forget to sign up for the Stretched newsletter.  Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

Ice Breaker – 5 Songs On Your Playlist

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I 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, I revisit an Ice Breaker from the archives.  The cool thing about some of the ice breaker questions is that sometimes the answers will change based on your life experience.  My answers this time are a little different this time around.

Question:  Name 5 songs that you would put on your playlist right now.

My Answer: Check out this video below…

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

Also don’t forget to sign up for the weekly Stretched newsletter.  Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

(And here are the links to my songs:  Oceans, 10,000 Reasons, Where The Streets Have No Name, Home, and All The Poor And Powerless)

Ice Breaker – Songs On Your Playlist

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be inserting some of the top posts from the Stretched blog.  The post today (Ice Breaker – Songs On Your Playlist) originally appeared on the blog on March 23, 2012 and was the fourth most popular post of the year.  This post was one of many that confirmed by understanding that Jon Stolpe Stretched was not just a blog.  This post reminded me that Jon Stolpe Stretched is about The Stretched Community.  Ice Breakers have become a regular weekly part of The Stretched Blog.  I’m excited to repost this and get new feedback from you – The Stretched Community.  (Typically, the Ice Breaker posts appear on Friday – hence the introduction to this post.)

It’s Friday!  How did it come around again so quickly?

Friday means Ice Breaker time here on The Stretched Blog.  In case you’re new here or you forgot, ice breakers are questions used to help us get to know each other a little bit better.  Each week, I ask a question which I answer first.  After that everyone else answers the question by posting their answer in the comments.

Without further delay, here’s this week’s question:  If you could make a playlist of your favorite songs, what five songs would make the list?

My answer:

1. Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
2. Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas
3. Where The Streets Have No Name by U2
4. Love Is The Seventh Wave by Sting
5. The Best Thing by Big Tent Revival

Each of these songs carries a memory of a time or place.  Leanne and I shared our first dance to Wonderful Tonight.  I remember listening to Sting’s song and playing hacky sack with my brother, Brian Willem, and Shane D’Entremont on the beach during a high school youth group camping trip.  And the Big Tent Revival song reminds me of Creation 97.  Leanne and I went to the music festival that year while she was five months pregnant with our daughter, Hannah.

Now it’s your turn.  What’s on your playlist?  I can’t wait to hear your answers!  Leave a comment by clicking here.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMuBX4aMmw]

Ice Breaker – Top 5 Christmas Songs

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 designed to get you in the holiday spirit.  While malls, shopping centers, and television commercials begin playing Christmas music right after Halloween, our family typically doesn’t start listening to Christmas music until right after Thanksgiving.  Since today’s Ice Breaker falls one day after Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a good idea to start thinking about Christmas songs that you like.

Question:  Name your top 5 Christmas songs.

My Answer:  My list will include a mix of Christian and secular songs.  (For my Jewish friends, you are welcome to chime in with any songs that may be part of your traditions.)

(1) In A Bleak Midwinter – This isn’t a real popular song, but I love the words.  “What shall I give Him? Give my heart.”

(2) Go Tell It On The Mountain – A fun song about spreading the Good News.  I especially when we sing this one on our neighborhood caroling adventures.

(3) I’ll Be Home For Christmas – I had a saxophone solo in this song when I was in the junior high jazz band.  As a result, this song has always had a special place in my heart.

(4) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen version) – I didn’t grow up with the Santa tradition, but I’ve always enjoyed hearing this song when it comes on the radio – especially the saxophone solo part.  I dream of playing that part someday with a live band.

(5) The Gift – I first heard this song when someone gave Leanne the Jim Brickman Christmas album by the same title.  I’ve had the privilege of hearing it live twice at Brickman concerts.  It’s a great song to put you in the right mindset for Christmas.

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 – Memory Moment Songs

Happy Friday!

Friday’s mean it’s time for the Stretched Ice Breaker.  Each week, I ask a question that is meant to “break the ice” and help The Stretched Community get to know one another just a little bit better.  Once the question is on the table so to speak, I’ll answer it in the post.  Then it’s your turn to answer the question in the comments.  Ready or not, here it comes!

Question (it’s not actually in question form this week):  Share a song that takes you back to a memory moment.  While you’re at it, share a little bit about the memory.

My Answer:  Lot’s of songs take me back to memories of getting to know my wife.  For example, Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton will always take me back to our first dance.  In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel brings me back to the same evening when everyone cleared the dance floor to watch Leanne and I dance together.  And The Best Thing In Life by Big Tent Revival takes me back to the first band we saw together at Creation 1997.

Recently, I was introduced to a new band who is apparently popular – Mumford & Sons.  Roll Away Your Stone off their Sigh No More album takes me back to the streets of Xenacoj, Guatemala.  Our Casas por Cristo team leader, Josh Crabbs, drove around in a beat up Mazda pick-up truck.  I had the privilege of driving with him to and from the job site everyday during our house build project.  At the end of the day, Josh would plug his iPod into the car radio and introduce me to new songs and artists as he relaxed after a hard days work.  Once of the songs he played was Roll Away Your Stone.  I remember riding through Xenacoj with the windows down, the music blaring, and the emotions riding high.  Thanks Josh and students for opening me up to a whole new brand of music!

There you have it.  Now it’s your turn.  Share your answers in the comments.  I can’t wait to read your responses!

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 – Songs On Your Playlist

It’s Friday!  How did it come around again so quickly?

Friday means Ice Breaker time here on The Stretched Blog.  In case you’re new here or you forgot, ice breakers are questions used to help us get to know each other a little bit better.  Each week, I ask a question which I answer first.  After that everyone else answers the question by posting their answer in the comments.

Without further delay, here’s this week’s question:  If you could make a playlist of your favorite songs, what five songs would make the list?

My answer:

1)  Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton

2)  Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas

3)  Where The Streets Have No Name by U2

4)  Love Is The Seventh Wave by Sting

5)  The Best Thing by Big Tent Revival

Each of these songs carries a memory of a time or place.  Leanne and I shared our first dance to Wonderful Tonight.  I remember listening to Sting’s song and playing hacky sack with my brother, Brian Willem, and Shane D’Entremont on the beach during a high school youth group camping trip.  And the Big Tent Revival song reminds me of Creation 97.  Leanne and I went to the music festival that year while she was five months pregnant with our daughter, Hannah.

Now it’s your turn.  What’s on your playlist?  I can’t wait to hear your answers!