The Stretched Blog Visits Deuceology
Today, I have the honor of guest posting over at Deuceology. Deuceology is a blog by my friend Larry “The Deuce” Carter. Larry is a Christian, blogger, husband, dad, and a huge Tennessee Vols fan. Everyday, Larry posts his thoughts and struggles as he seeks to spur others and himself closer to God. I love his honesty and openness which leaves me challenged on a daily basis. Please check out his blog and my guest post which is titled I’m Dreaming of A Stretched Christmas. Then do me a favor and leave a comment. Thanks!
Larry "The Deuce" Carter from Deuceology
Regarding guest posting, I love opportunities to guest post as it provides another opportunity to “stretch” me, so contact me through the comments if this is something that interests you. And I love to share others stretch stories and guest posts, so let me know if that’s something that interests you as well.)
Surprise!!!
My wife did it! She surprised me for my 40th birthday with a party at our house on Saturday night. And yes, I was surprised. She sent out invitations, contacted friends, went food shopping, and coordinated the surprise plan with our neighbors, our family, and other friends. Nobody dropped a clue. I showed up at our house Saturday night after a day of making Korv (a Swedish Christmas sausage) expecting to take a shower and head out with Leanne and a couple of friends to celebrate over dinner. When I walked in the house, I was greeted with a house full of friends. It was such a wonderful opportunity to touch base with some people who mean a lot to me.
There were many highlights to this evening, but I wanted to share a particular detail with The Stretched Community. One of our good friends, Amy Sullens, made a cake for the party. Amy did an incredible job representing me on the cake. On top of the cake was a running shoe (that looked quite realistic). The shoe obviously represents my running interest. The Happy 40 Birthday sign on the front of the cake looked just like a runner’s race bib. On the left side of the cake was a tent and a campfire which represents my love for camping and a couple of camping traditions that go with me each year. There were two chickens on the back of the cake. Yep, I still have a couple of chickens. And finally, the right side of the cake boasted a laptop computer with Stretched by Jon Stolpe on the screen. My blog made my cake!
All this, and the cake was delicious!
What four things would go on your cake to represent you? They can be fun things, or you can choose to go deeper.
(If you’re interested in cakes like this, you should check out the Cake Art by Amy Facebook Page.)
The Stretched Blog Visits The Handwritten
Today, I have the honor of guest posting over at The Handwritten. The Handwritten is a blog by my friend Michael Perkins. Michael is a creative pastor, blogger, husband, and dad. Everyday, Michael posts a handwritten thought. I love his creativity and honesty, and I consistently am challenged by these thoughts. Please check out his blog and my guest post which is titled Stop & Start. Then do me a favor and leave a comment. Thanks!
Michael Perkins from The Handwritten
(Regarding guest posting, I love opportunities to guest post as it provides another opportunity to “stretch” me, so contact me through the comments if this is something that interests you. And I love to share others stretch stories and guest posts, so let me know if that’s something that interests you as well.)
December 10th, 2011 Week In Review…
These weeks keep blowing by at a rapid pace. This week was a milestone week. I turned 40 on Thursday, and the Stretched blog is having one of the best weeks ever. Here’s a recap of the week.
Monday, I kicked off the week with a post about my reading list for 2012. Thanks to all of you who gave me ideas to add to my list of consideration. If you missed it, please stop by and add your recommendations. On Tuesday, I shared about our families Christmas ornament tradition. I really appreciated hearing about your favorite family ornaments and Christmas tree traditions. Wednesday’s post paid tribute to my Grandpa and his legacy. Thursday was my birthday. I appreciated all the birthday greetings through the comments and on Facebook. Finally, we finished the week off on Friday with another holiday Ice Breaker where we learned about everyone’s favorite Christmas songs and carols. As always, I’m thankful for all of you who stopped by and left a comment or just checked things out.
I am so thankful for your 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. Thanks!
A few of my favorite posts from the rest of the blogging community this week:
- 15 Christmas Ideas for Your Small Group by Ben Reed on Life & Theology
- Distinctives of the Three Types of Small Group Connecting Events by Mark Howell on Mark Howell Live
- What to Do When You’re Drowning in a Sea of a Million Blogs by Don McAllister on Jeff Goins Writer
- A How to for a Great Interview by Brad Lomenick on Brad Lomenick On The Journey
I’m really excited about this upcoming week as I’ll be guest posting on a couple of blogs. It should be a blast!
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!
Leaders Are Readers – Creating My Reading List For 2012
“Leaders are readers.”
I’ve heard Tim Sanders quote this in several interviews on the radio and on podcasts.
It seems to me that there is a lot of truth to this statement. When we feed our minds (with good stuff), we fill it up with tools that are useful for leading and for life. With this in mind, I am beginning to assemble a list of potential books to consider reading in 2012. I should let you know that I’m generally a slow and very deliberate reader, so I’m planning to narrow the list down to twelve with a couple of alternates. Here are some of the books that I’m considering so far:
The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
Today We Are Rich by Tim Sanders
The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon
Community: Taking Your Small Group Off Life Support by Brad House
Creating Community: Five Keys To Building A Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley
So these are a few of my ideas. I will most likely throw in a fiction book or two (or three).
Now I’d like to hear your thoughts. What would you add to the list? What’s on your “To Read List”? What have you read recently that you think I should consider? I can’t wait to see what you’ve got!
December 3rd, 2011 Week In Review…
We’ve come to another weekend, and I have to say that this week didn’t let me down. It was busy, it was challenging, and it was fun! I hope you had a great week as well. As I look forward to what is sure to be a great weekend, I just wanted to recap the week.
After a slower week last week due to the holidays, it appears that people came back to the Stretched blog as they’ve returned to their regular blog reading routines. It also looks like we may have picked up a new reader or two. As always, I’m thankful for all of you who stopped by and left a comment or just checked things out. Monday’s post was a recap of my Thanksgiving Marathon experience. I really appreciated the encouragement of so many of you who cheered me on despite being miles away. On Tuesday, I shared my thoughts about our recent visit to the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. Wednesday featured my thoughts about seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway. Thursday, I shared my monthly recap post on what went down in November. Friday finished things off with another fun Ice Breaker about Christmas movies. This week we learned that It’s A Wonderful Christmas Story when you go on Vacation with an Elf and The Muppets. Check these posts out if you missed something this week.
Thanks a million for your contribution to the blog through comments. I’m hoping to catch up on returning comments this weekend. I love what you all contribute to this Stretched Community! I just wanted to remind you all to take the take 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. Thanks!
A couple of my favorite posts from the rest of the blogging community this week:
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!
November 2011 Top Posts
We’ve reached the end of another month. November was another good month at Jon Stolpe Stretched. Traffic on the blog increased slightly since October! Comments continued to roll-in. And new people joined in the conversation and community. The blog added a four new subscribers, and the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Page attracted several new followers in its third month. Here are the top 10 posts and top 3 commentors for the month:
Top 10 Posts
1. Paterno and Grace: Is There Any Chance They Go Together?
2. Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know (#3 from last month)
3. Me and Grace: Is There Any Chance They Go Together?
4. Jimmy Buffett, Taffy, and Church Searches – Stretching Through Blogging Blunders by Larry Carter
6. Thanksgiving Marathon Recap
10. Ice Breaker – Encounters with Famous People
Top 3 Commentors (We blew by the 1,000th comment mark this month!)
1. Larry Carter
2. Arny Sanchez
3. Leah Adams
I now have 24 regular subscribers. If you’d like to become a subscriber, see the “Follow Blog” 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.
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.
Finally, if you’re a blogger, how did your blog to this month? What was your top post? What was your favorite post?
Thanksgiving Saturday! Week In Review…
Another week went by with a blur. I worked on Monday, but I was off the rest of the week. My family visited NYC where we had a chance to see Ground Zero, Times Square, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, F.A.O. Schwartz, Mary Poppins, and The Hard Rock Cafe. I also ran a marathon on Thanksgiving Day. We’re back home now, and we’re getting ready to eat our turkey dinner.
It was a somewhat slower week on the blog which I’m attributing to the holiday week. Nonetheless, I’m thankful for all of you who stopped by and left a comment or just checked things out. Monday’s post was a tribute to our daughter, Hannah, who celebrated her 14th birthday last weekend. Tuesday was a quick post indicating that I needed a break. Wednesday’s post paralleled my upcoming marathon with life’s journey. Thursday, I shared our family’s Thanksgiving tradition of being thankful, and I gave a quick update on the marathon. Friday finished things off with a fun Ice Breaker about Black Friday. Check these posts out if you missed something this week.
Again, I just wanted to thank each of you for your contribution to the blog through comments. It’s a real blessing to get your ideas and thoughts through this Stretched Community! I just wanted to remind you all to take the take 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. Thanks!
A few of my favorite posts from the rest of the blogging community this week:
- Top 9 Books of 2011 by Michael Perkins on The Handwritten
- Getting the perfect gift for the blogger you love by Ben Reed on Life & Theology
- Harvest Your Budget by Alex Humphrey on Entreprelife
As I look forward to this week, I’m sure I’ll be sharing some reflections on our recent trip to NYC. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. Until then, I’m enjoying time with my family. Happy Thanksgiving!
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!
A Quick Marathon Update
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ll provide a more detailed update when I get home, but I thought you might enjoy hearing that I did receive the 12 inch fork finisher’s medal for finishing today’s Thanksgiving Marathon! I finished the very hilly trail course in a time of 4 hours 1 minute. I can’t complain.
Hope you’re doing well today. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
(My 1st post from my Blackberry.)
My Little Girl Turned 14 Yesterday
Hannah many years ago during the backyard Easter egg hunt
If you want to talk about a “stretching” moment, my “little girl” turned 14 yesterday. How did that happen?
Hannah hanging with her brother this summer
We had a great weekend celebrating! Hannah is turning into quite the young lady. She’s smart. She’s kind. She’s beautiful. She’s caring. She’s compassionate. She is laser focused. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
What’s your family celebrating these days?