Book Review: Starting Over A Manifesto on Being Myself by Michael D. Perkins
Over the years, I’ve reviewed many books here on The Stretched Blog. Today, I’m reviewing my first eBook. Starting Over A Manifesto on Being Myself is a creative and challenging eBook by pastor and blogger, Michael D. Perkins. In Starting Over, Perkins challenges bloggers (and other creative persons) to break free of the formulas that govern traditional blogging (and other forms of creativity). Michael’s unique blogging style which usually appears on The Handwritten is taken to the next level in this handwritten work as he encourages readers to avoid copying others and to find ways to be ourselves.
From a personal perspective, I was challenged by every page of Starting Over. My engineering personality thrives on formulas and routines. So much of my blogging has been influenced by “big name” bloggers like Michael Hyatt, John Saddington, and Jon Acuff. I think it’s okay to be influenced, but it’s important to find our uniqueness in our on original styles and forms. Starting Over definitely STRETCHES me as I consider my Stretched Blog.
If you are a blogger, I definitely recommend downloading a copy of this FREE e-book. You can pick up a copy by clicking here. Let me know what you think!
How about you? Who had influenced you as a blogger? And how have you found your unique voice through your blog? What do you need to change in order to become yourself?
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:
- FedEx Guy Throws Computer Monitor Over Fence by Chris LoCurto at Chris LoCurto’s Blog
- The Brilliant Person You Ignore Every Day by Jon Acuff at JonAcuff.com
- Goals: Get A Bigger Frying Pan! by Chris Patton at Christian Faith at Work
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!
Ice Breaker – My First Car
It’s that time of the week again…time for an ice breaker question! Since it’s the first ice breaker of the year, I thought I would ask a question about firsts. For those of you who are new or who forgot, ice breaker questions are used to help people get to know each other – to “break the ice” so to speak. I love hearing what other people have to say and how they think. So for today, I’m excited to throw out another simple ice breaker question. I’ll answer it first, then it’s your turn. Answer the question by leaving a comment for us all to enjoy. Thanks!
Question: What was (or is) your first car?
My Answer: Here you go….
My answer will be pretty simple. My first car was a 1974 Chevy Nova. It was midnight blue with a white hard top. It had a straight six cylinder engine in it, and I could stand next to the engine if I lifted the hood. The Nova had four doors and a JVC stereo that I installed. The ceiling fabric was falling down, so I used push pins to hold it up. It had an Oakley sticker in the back window. The Nova felt like it was floating when I drove down the highway. I’ll always have fond memories of the Nova.
So there you have it, my answer to the question. Now it’s your turn….I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got to say!
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?
Meet Irwin
Our family has grown in the last couple of weeks. No, Leanne and I did not have another child. But we did add another dog to the mix right before Christmas. Irwin is a golden retriever and Labrador mix, and I believe he turns 9 weeks old today. He’s not your normal 9 week old family dog. Irwin has a purpose, and we only get to have him for a short period of time. You see, Irwin is a Seeing Eye puppy. He was bred to help a blind person. As puppy raisers, we will have Irwin until he is 12-18 months old. Our job is to get him house broken, teach him a couple of basic things (sit, come, etc.), and to get him exposed to public places as much as possible. From there, Irwin will return to The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ where he will go through 8 months of intense training. This is when he’ll learn the skills required to guide a blind person. At the end of his training, he will go through a final exam and health check to make sure he’s ready to go to work. Assuming he passes, he will be matched up with a blind person. They will work together for a month up at the school before they are sent home to live and work together.
The whole new dog thing has definitely added a chaos to our home, but it has also been fun. Hannah is the official puppy raiser, and she has been doing an unbelievable job. She takes him out to “park” whenever it’s time for him to go. She lets Irwin sleep by her bed at night. And she wakes up early to make sure he gets outside before any accidents. If Hannah does this twice before she graduates high school, she’ll be eligible for a scholarship from The Seeing Eye. So it’s likely that this won’t be the last new puppy we’ll see in our house.
Many people have asked, “how can you raise the puppy for a year and let it go?” That’s a great question. I’m sure it will be tough to say goodbye to Irwin when the time comes, but it will be easier to release him knowing that he has a purpose. As parents, we have a similar experience with our kids. Sure we get them for more than a year, and those 18 or so years can be filled with all kinds of ups and downs, but I think it’s important to realize that we have influence and responsibility over our children for a relatively short period time. In essence, they are on loan from God. There comes a time when we must release them for their greater, God-given purpose. And so, Irwin reminds me of this. I want to make the most of the time with my kids while they’re under my roof, and I want to release when the time comes them knowing full well that God has a purpose for them.
Have you ever had to release someone or something in order to pursue a higher calling or purpose? What made this transition easy or hard?
December 2011 Top Posts
We’ve reached the end of another month. December was the BEST month so far at Jon Stolpe Stretched. Traffic on the blog increased slightly by over 500 page views since November and by almost 300 page views since the previous record month (September 2011)! Comments continued to roll-in. And new people joined in the conversation and community. The blog added TWELVE new subscribers, and the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Page attracted a couple of new followers in its fourth month. Here are the top 10 posts and top 3 commentors for the month:
Top 10 Posts
1. On Fire
2. Ice Breaker – Christmas Movies (the new #1 Ice Breaker question)
3. Ice Breaker – Christmas Songs and Carols
4. Surprise!!!
5. Our Christmas Ornament Tradition
6. Ice Breaker – On The 13th Day Of Christmas What Gift Are You Hoping to Get
7. Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know (originally posted on October 24, 2011)
9. Leaders Are Readers – Creating My Reading List For 2012
10. It’s 40!
Top 3 Commentors (We blew by the 1,500th comment mark this month!)
1. Larry Carter (for the 2nd month in a row!)
3. Bill Grandi
I now have 32 regular subscribers. If you’d like to become a subscriber, see the “Join the Stretched Community” window on your right. It’s great to see this starting to take off.
Thank you to all of you for reading and contributing to the blog and to the reader community. I continue to grow a lot through this experience. *** This month, the top commentor will receive a copy of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Get your comments in for an opportunity to win!!! ***
As always, I love to share your “stretching” stories on my blog, so leave me a comment if you’re interested in being a guest blogger on Jon Stolpe Stretched. As a side note, I’d love to see guest bloggers in the monthly top 10 list!
Finally, if you’re a blogger, how did your blog to this month? What was your top post? What was your favorite post?
New Year’s Eve 2011 Week In Review…
It’s been a different week here at the Stretched blog. The holidays have provided a great opportunity to catch up with family, to relax, and to regroup for 2012. The traffic to the Stretched Blog was a little lower than the past few weeks, but that was expected. On the positive, December 2011 has been the best month (by far) since the blog started! Thank you!
Here’s the rundown on the posts for the week:
Tuesday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 2 – Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
Wednesday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 1 – Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
Thursday: Book Review: Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson
Friday (this actually posted Saturday do to a visit to me by the stomach flu): Ice Breaker – Resolutions
I am so thankful for your continued contribution to the blog through comments. 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!
I’m really excited about this upcoming week as we roll into 2012! I’ll be guest posting on a blog or two, and I’ll have more stuff right here. 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!
Ice Breaker – Resolutions
Okay, here it is! The last ice breaker question of 2011! I started these ice breaker questions a couple of months ago, and I’ve been amazed at the popularity and response. The Ice Breaker question a few weeks ago about Christmas movies is one of the top posts all-time on The Stretched Blog. For those of you who are new or who forgot, ice breaker questions are used to help people get to know each other – to “break the ice” so to speak. I love hearing what other people have to say and how they think. So for today, I’m excited to throw out another simple New Year’s themed ice breaker question. I’ll answer it first, then it’s your turn. Answer the question by leaving a comment for us all to enjoy. Thanks!
Question: Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, what’s one of your New Year’s resolutions? If not, why?
My Answer: Here you go….
If you’ve been reading for a while, you may have noticed or you may have heard me share that I’m a goal oriented person. I love to set goals and to see where they take me. So…it shouldn’t be a surprise that I like the opportunity to set new goals for the year ahead. I usually set personal fitness goals, spiritual growth goals, leadership goals, church goals, marriage goals, family goals, financial goals, and personal growth goals. I’ll share a goal from my personal growth area. I’d like to read at least one book per month in 2012. For the avid readers out there, this doesn’t sound very challenging. But I’m not the average avid reader, I’m pretty slow and deliberate with my reading. So reading one book per month will be a decent challenge. I am currently reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, and I think I may finish this before the new year, so this doesn’t count. I’m looking to focus my reading in a few areas: small groups, leadership, and spiritual growth. I couple books that I’m looking forward to reading this year are: Community Is Messy (a soon to be released book by Heather Zempel), Community: Taking Your Small Group Off Of Life Support by Brad House, and EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey.
So there you have it, my answer to the question. Now it’s your turn….I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got to say!
Top Posts of 2011 Number 1 – Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
We are down to the top Stretched post from 2011. Sharing these top posts provides an excellent opportunity for me to take a small break during the holidays, and it also provides an incredible opportunity for you to catch up on things you may have missed over the past year. I hope you’ll hop on over to the original post, so you can read the entire post and add your comments to the existing comments string. Thank you for letting me take this break and for letting me take this opportunity to share these posts. Your support for the Stretched Blog this year has been incredible!
And so, drum roll please,…the most popular Stretched post from 2011 was a fun look at my college experience shared right before Homecoming. The post is titled Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College. Here’s an excerpt to get you going:
Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
Leanne and I are getting ready to head out to Grove City College for homecoming and Leanne’s 15th reunion. I’m excited to go back to the place we first met. My four years at GCC were extremely memorable. Since I’m thinking about it, here’s my Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College:
1. Go to chapel (16 times a semester). As much as that may sound dull, we were blessed with some great speakers at GCC. I particularly remember John Guest, Tony Campolo, and R.C. Sproul.
2. Look to your left and look to your right. As Nancy Paxton would tell all freshman, your future mate may be in sight. As it turns out, I met Leanne at the end of my junior year. The rest is history, so they say.
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To read the rest of this post, head on over to the original Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College post.
Share one positive memory about your college or high school experience!
Top Posts of 2011 Number 2 – Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
We are down to the top two Stretched posts from 2011. Sharing these top posts provides an excellent opportunity for me to take a small break during the holidays, and it also provides an incredible opportunity for you to catch up on things you may have missed over the past year. I hope you’ll hop on over to the original post, so you can read the entire post and add your comments to the existing comments string.
The 2nd most popular Stretched post from 2011 was post written to help small group leaders. The post is titled Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know. Here’s an excerpt to get you going:
Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege of sharing my thoughts to a group of small group leaders at our church. I shared 5 of my ideas in an earlier post, but I thought you might enjoy hearing my complete list. So here are my notes:
I’m excited about this opportunity to share. If you don’t know me or if you haven’t figured it out, I’m extremely passionate about small groups. I truly believe they can provide a path for connection to others and to God. I also believe that small groups play an important role in accountability and discipleship. In no way is this list the Bible of small group leaders. It’s just my thoughts based on my involvement with small groups in various capacities for nearly 20 years. I’ve participated in groups. I’ve led groups. I’ve led group leaders. And I even had the privilege of leading a team of coaches. (I was also brought up in a home where small groups were important and modeled by my parents.) As I share my ideas, I’d encourage you to take a few notes. So here goes:
1. Small group leaders are important. They play a big part in helping people find community, find God, and find growth. If you are a small group leader, you need to know that what you do matters.
2. Small group leaders set the tone. Whether or not you consider yourself a Biblical scholar, your group members look to you as an example. For this reason, it’s important that small group leaders continue to model growth. They should be in the Word. They should develop disciplines that model growth. Small group leaders aren’t perfect, but they must find others who will hold them accountable to setting the tone.
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To read the rest of this post, head on over to the original Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know post.
Are you in a small group? Tell us about it!