Honor Older People

Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your God. I am the Lord.  Leviticus 19:32

Look around you.  I’m guessing you’re not the oldest person on your street.  There’s probably someone on your block who would be considered elderly.  If not, look around again.  I’m sure you don’t have to go all that far from your house to find an elderly person.

I’m not sure what the age requirements are to be considered elderly, but to be safe I have an idea:  Anyone who is older than you is your elder.  According to Leviticus, they are to be honored and respected.

This week, I learned that an elderly man on my street passed away last month.  If you’ve been hanging around the blog for a long time, you may remember the story of George.  In the fall of 2007, a friend of mine and I had an opportunity to Pay It Forward for George when we built a ramp at his house to make it easier for him to get in and out of his house with his electronic wheel chair.  (Click here to read the post.)

Leanne and I have checked in on George a few times over the years.  We’ve brought him cookies for Christmas.  And we’ve stopped by just to sit and chat with George on his deck.  Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen him less and less as he’s stayed inside more.

We’ve also become busier with the activities of our family.   What a poor excuse!

The Bible talks about respecting the elderly, and it commands Christ followers to look after widows and orphans.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27

Here’s the problem:  we let life’s busyness get in the way of following through on God’s direction for our lives.

Maybe a pause from our busyness is just what we need to see the people right down our street who need a helping hand.

God, Open my eyes to those around me who need Your hope, Your truth, and Your love.

Do you have any elderly people in your neighborhood?  When was the last time you stopped by just to say hello?

My Stretch Speech

I have the opportunity to give my first speech today as part of Toastmasters.  The speech assignment is called Ice Breaker.  The speech requires me to introduce myself to the local Toastmasters chapter in four to six minutes.  My speech is called Stretch.  Here it is:

Stretch

That’s my nickname, and it’s the theme of my life.

I was born six weeks early at the DuPage County Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. I weighed in at a “hefty” six pounds thirteen ounces. Before I left the hospital, I was less than six pounds. From this point on, my life has been all about stretching.

When I was eight years old, our family moved across the country to Mount Holly, New Jersey where my Dad took a job as a pastor at a Presbyterian Church in town. The move to New Jersey was life changing. I stretched into a new neighborhood, a new school environment, and into a deeper awareness of life.

When I entered high school at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, I was an average kid. I wasn’t short, and I wasn’t all that tall. I wasn’t super athletic, and I wasn’t completely clumsy. In my high school years, I excelled in band where I was the lead saxophone in various bands starting with my freshman year. I also excelled academically where math and science became a clear passion.

At the beginning of my junior year of high school, I stood at five feet six inches. I weighed one hundred and twenty pounds. I wondered if I would ever grow. And then it started. I stretched. And I stretched. And I stretched some more. When I finished high school, I was six feet one inch.

And my stretching continued into my college years. I traveled across Pennsylvania to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Grove City College. The academics stretched me, and the social aspects of college stretched me as well. I jumped into many campus activities and groups, and I eventually took on many leadership roles in these groups. Towards the end of my time at Grove City, I also met a beautiful young lady who captured my heart.

I graduated from Grove City and eventually asked this young lady to be my wife. I recall our first year of marriage with great fondness, but I also remember this time as a period of stretching as we both adjusted to married life while living in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.

A year and a half after our wedding, we welcomed our first child, a daughter. Hannah’s arrival stretched me to become less self-focused and more focused on others. She stretched me to make sure family and faith remained a top priority in my life.

Two and a half years later, Isaac joined our family. He brought lots of laughter into the house, but his arrival also brought challenges that shook my world. A few months after his arrival, my wife became ill resulting in an extended hospital stay, a prolonged recovery, and an added weight to my shoulders that I had not expected. This time of my life caused all kinds of stretching. I learned to lean on friends and family. I learned to let go of things I once viewed as important. And I grew in my faith.

Life has brought other stretching experiences along the way. Earning my professional engineers license was a stretching experience. Completing my MBA degree was a stretching experience. Going to Guatemala the past two summers provided multiple stretching experiences. And writing and releasing my first book last month was another stretching experience.

Along life’s journey, I’ve learned some things about stretching worth sharing with you today:

1. Stretching happens. We can’t always control the circumstances around us, but we can be certain that life will send us things that stretch us. Accept stretch. Embrace stretch.

2. Stretching can be painful. I have a bulging disc in my lower back. It flares up from time to time. When it flares up, I have stretches to do which help the bulging disc pain to go away. When I do the stretches though, it hurts. In life, we will face many stretching things in our lives. Many of these things will be painful. This is just how it is.

3. Stretching is helpful. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Stretching improves strength and flexibility. Stretching helps us grow. It helps us achieve new things and reach new heights.

4. Stretching is worth sharing. Over the past seven years, I have been blogging about life’s stretch marks at my blog called Jon Stolpe Stretched. I write on the blog to reflect on stretching experiences in my life. And I also write to encourage others to stretch.

You too have a stretch story worth sharing. I’m certain you’ve faced challenges in your life that have caused you to stretch like a rubber band. Your story matters. You have something worth sharing with others. Your story of stretch could be a catalyst for something great in someone else’s life.

As I wrap things up, I’m thankful for my nickname. Stretch seems like such an appropriate name for someone who has grown from a six pound baby to a six-foot six-inch man. I’m excited to see where my life of stretching takes me, and I look forward to sharing parts of it with you as I step into membership in Toastmasters.

Thank you!

When was the last time you gave a speech?  If you were going to give an Ice Breaker speech for the Stretched Community, what is something you’d share in the speech?

Breaking Bad (Habits) – 5 Essentials For Breaking Bad Habits

Breaking Bad (Habits)

I have two confessions to make.

First, I’ve never seen an episode of Breaking Bad.  From what I understand, this is a pretty popular show that ended a couple of months ago.  Maybe, I’ll catch it on Netflix.

Second, I have bad habits.  I know this is shocking, but it’s true.  One of my bad habits is nail-biting.  That’s right, I clip my finger nails with my teeth.  To many, this habit is disgusting.  I’ve been chewing on my finger nails as long as I can remember.  To steal a line from Chicago, it’s a hard habit to break.

Part of stretching myself and making myself a better person is working to remove bad habits.  This even means conquering my nail-biting habit.

Do I think it’s possible?  I guess so, but I know it’s going to be extremely challenging.

As I thought about overcoming this habit, I started thinking about what it requires to overcome this kind of habit.  I have some ideas, but I would appreciate your feedback as to how I can overcome this bad habit.

5 Essentials For Breaking Bad Habits

1. Recognize the bad habit.  If you’re going to overcome a bad habit, you’ve got to realize you have a problem.  I’ve been biting my nails for so long, it happens without me realizing it.  The first step in overcoming this bad habit is to recognize the problem.
2. Commit to removing the bad habit.  You have to be serious about breaking the bad habit in order to address the problem.  I want to break this habit before the summer.  I’m going to do it!
3. Create a plan to remove the bad habit.  What can you do when you feel tempted to fall back into the poor pattern.  I’m still working on this plan for myself, but I make start wearing gloves more often or putting something nasty on my fingers to discourage this habit.    For me, my plan is intended to make sure I’m aware of the problem.
4. Find someone who will hold you accountable to overcoming the bad habit.  I’m going to ask my wife, my kids, and a close friend to hold me to this commitment to break this bad habit.  By writing about it here, I’m giving you permission to hold me accountable to breaking this bad habit.
5. Reward yourself along the way.  Start small.  Did I make it through one day without chewing my nails?  If so, let’s celebrate with a small reward – maybe a coffee at Starbucks.  As the time gets longer, use a larger reward.

Some have said it takes 21 days to break a bad habit.  I think it’s worth a try!

What is one bad habit you’d like to break?  What tips do you have for breaking bad habits?

8 Ways To Survive And Thrive When Things Get Busy

“Busy is a drug that a lot of people are addicted to.”  Rob Bell

Our family is in the middle of a very busy week.  We have activities every night this week.  And work is just as busy.  We’re closing out the month of January this week, so I’m chasing down invoices, time sheets, and project close out activities.  It’s weeks like this that cause my head to spin.

If you’re anything like me, you have weeks like this too.

What do you do when the weeks get crazy busy?

I’ve found several things that help me survive and thrive when the weeks get crazy busy.  Here are my suggestions.

8 Ways To Survive And Thrive When Things Get Busy

1. Start each day with prayer and time with God.  This is where it has to start.  Even if you can spend 15 to 30 minutes of quiet time at the start of your day, it will be worth it.  This is the time to focus your day in the right place.  When I jump right out of bed and into the fray without spending time to pray, read God’s word, and reflect, it often feels like I’m wheel spinning out of balance.
2. Find ways to exercise regularly throughout the week.  For me, this is the next part of my day.  Even when I’m busy, I try to exercise 5 or 6 days a week.  Raising your heart rate for 20-30 minutes through running, hiking, biking, swimming, or brisk walking can make a huge difference.  I’ve found that regular exercise helps to get my metabolism off and running, and it helps me stay alert through meetings and conversations when I really need to pay attention.
3. Make the most of the small moments in between.  It can seem really hectic when you’re running from one meeting to the next or one activity to the next.  Being intentional in the in between is important to getting things done.  Last night when I arrived home from work, I had a few minutes before dinner.  I used this time to replace a flood light above our garage.  It took me a few minutes to get the extension ladder, and I another minute to climb up the ladder to replace the bulb.  This is a task that needed to be accomplished.  Those precious minutes before dinner were provided just enough time to check this off my list of things to do.
4. Connect with your family.  This probably should be number 2 on the list.  If you’re married, pray with your spouse at the beginning and at the end of the day.  Connect when you both get home from work for a few minutes.  I don’t always get this right, but it’s important to remove distractions for a few minutes to give your spouse or kids your undivided attention.  For your kids, it might mean playing a game of ping-pong before you leave for an activity or before they start the next part of their homework.  Connecting with your family is a huge part of finding balance in the midst of a crazy busy week.
5. Don’t be afraid to say no.  I realize we’ve all made commitments to be part of one meeting or an activity.  There may be times where we have to cancel something or postpone it, so we can take time to catch our breath.  It will be okay.  Really!
6. Remember why you are involved with the activities or meetings in the first place.  When things get busy, it’s easy to lose sight of why we do what we do.  This can happen at work, but it can also happen at the evening game or meeting.
7. Learn from your scheduling mistakes.  Sometimes a busy week is impossible to avoid, but there are also times when we simply don’t schedule ourselves very well.  Build gaps into your schedule.  You need breaks.  You need opportunities to catch up on the little things.
8. Practice sabbath.  Take a one minute break every hour.  Take an hour break every day.  Take a day break every week.  You need time to rest, to connect, and to be restored.

It’s only Tuesday, I’m not sure exactly how the rest of my week will go.  But I do know that following these simple tips will help me though my crazy busy week.

What kind of week are you having?  What helps your survive when the days and weeks get crazy busy?

5 Tips For Handling Life Stopping Experiences

As we wrap up the year, I’m taking some time to reflect on the top posts written this year.  Today’s post is great to review.  As the weather has turned colder again, I’ve been logging more mileage on the treadmill.  I hope today’s post will STRETCH you again.  (This post was originally posted in February 2013.)

When The Treadmill Stops Suddenly – 5 Tips For Handling Life Stopping Experiences

I’ve been logging running mileage again, and it feels great.  Most of my miles these days are happening on the treadmill at the gym thanks to the cold weather and early morning darkness that blankets our area at this time of the year.

The other day, I was up early running a quick 4.5 miles at our local YMCA.  I had the treadmill ramped up to 7.8 miles per hour (which for me is a pretty decent pace).  While I’m on the treadmill, I listen to podcasts and glance up at the televisions to see the latest sports highlights and news updates.  About a mile into my run as I was lost in my own world, the treadmill suddenly stopped.

Imagine driving your car at 65 miles an hour and it suddenly stops completely.  Or imagine riding your bicycle at 15 miles an hour when someone jams a stick in your spokes.

This is how it felt when the treadmill stopped for me.  I somehow managed to catch myself before a complete catastrophe occurred.  The guy running next to me commented, “Wow!  Nice catch.”  I tried to get the treadmill back up and running, but it wouldn’t power up and restart.  I switched treadmills and continued my workout.

Sometimes life is like this.  We are coasting along when something happens in our lives that brings things to a screeching halt.  It’s happened in my life a few times – like the time I crashed my car two weeks before my wedding, like when my wife was rushed to the hospital shortly after our son was born, and like the moment I learned that my grandfather had passed away six years ago.

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I’ve learned a few things through life events like these.

5 Tips For Handling Life Stopping Experiences

1. Hang on.  Sometimes this is all we can do.  When we don’t understand, when we don’t know the plan, we can trust God and hang on to His hand.  I remember asking during these times, “Why?”  Even in the toughest moments, we must remember that He will never leave us.
   

   “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Joshua 1:5

2. Trust God.  In times like this, I’ve gone back to Proverbs 3:5-6 as a promise that God will make my paths straight even when life doesn’t make sense.
   

   Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

3. Lean into family and friends.  I can’t tell you how much family and friends have meant to our family when life’s train seems to have derailed.  It helps to know that someone is praying for me, is willing to talk or listen as I wrestle through the challenges of life, and is willing to be there when I can’t fully focus on my daily needs.  If you’re missing this in your own life, I’d encourage and challenge you to seek out this kind of friendship.  Our church small group experience has provided many of these types of friendships.
4. Consider a change.  Sometimes a life stopping experience can be the catalyst to positive change in our lives.  This week, I switched treadmills.  Maybe these experiences are a call to change direction.
   

   “See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”  Isaiah 43:19

5. Learn and grow.  Life halting experiences can be life altering experiences if we take time to learn and grow.  This is why I recommend a journal or even a blog as a way to record life’s happenings.  I have learned so much through the major speed bumps of life and the blog and my journal have become great places to record and process these experiences.

I returned to the gym this morning to run more on the treadmill.  I’m sure I was a bit more cautious, but I’m ready to keep going.  I’m thankful for the reminder that a simple treadmill experience can provide.  I have no idea what the rest of the day holds, but I look ahead with confidence knowing that it will be okay no matter what transpires.

What have you learned from a life stopping experience?  What other tips do you have for handling these kinds of times?

8 Ways To Protect Your Teenagers

Parenting is an important focus for my wife and me.  We want to raise our kids well.  We want to protect them, and we want to give them their independence as they get older.  Today, we look back at the third most popular post written in 2013.  If you are a parent or plan to be a parent, I think this post will STRETCH you.  Check it out, and let me know what you think….

8 Ways To Build A Hedge Of Protection Around Our Teenagers

We’re approaching a parenting milestone later this year.  Our daughter, Hannah, will be able to get her driver’s permit towards the end of the calendar year.  It’s a bit scary to imagine our little girl behind the wheel of a car.

Over the Easter weekend, I had a chance to talk with my Grandpa who lives in the Midwest.  Our conversation was filled with updates on our family and the activities that keep us running from one thing to the next.  At the end of our conversation as always, my Grandpa prayed for our family.  He inquired about things in our family that could use prayer.  The subject of Hannah’s driver’s permit came up, and Grandpa specifically prayed that God would put His hedge of protection around Hannah and our family as we navigate these times.  He recalled a verse from Job 1 indicating that God put a hedge of protection around Job and his family:

“Have you [God] not put a hedge around him [Job] and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.”  Job 1:10

The teenage years can be pretty challenging.  Kids in the age group are faced with pressures from peers like never before.  They are faced with a world full of media that points people away from God and toward themselves and stars who are undeserving of such adoration.

As parents, we play a huge role in creating a hedge for our children.  It can be such a tough thing to do – to create realistic and appropriate boundaries while fostering independence and responsible decision-making.  We want the best for our kids.  We want them to experience things that we never experienced, and we want them to have the things we never had.  In the pursuit of providing the best for our kids, we can overlook the ultimate purpose in our parenting – to point our kids towards God, His Son, and His Word.

8 Ways To Protect Your Teenagers

1. Keep God first in your own life.  We must lead by example.  If we expect our kids to follow God, we must seek Him first.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33
2. Place God’s Word at the foundation of your family.  There are tons of great parenting resources today, but the Bible has to be primary resource for everything in life.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:6-9
3. Pray like you mean it – like it depends on God.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  James 5:16
4. Learn that ‘no’ doesn’t have to be a negative word.  Parents these days are bent on becoming their kid’s best friend.  We are scared that saying no to our kids will somehow damage them.  Saying no is part of creating a hedge.
5. Lean into the tough conversations.  I learned this week that the best conversations can sometimes be the toughest conversations.  Talking about tough things provides an opportunity to help your teenager process and establish their world view.  These conversations help our kids navigate and discover the truth.
6. Find the strategic opportunities to demonstrate trust.  At some point, our kids will be on their own.  We will release our kids like an arrow leaving a bow-string.  If we aim them towards the Target, we need to trust that the arrow will fly straight.  Spreading their wings doesn’t have to be an all at once thing.  It works best as baby steps.
7. Be a constant student of parenting.  Find parents who have gone on before you.  Learn from their experiences.  Seek out resources that will teach you how to be a parent who honors God.
8. Balance truth and grace.  Our kids will make plenty of mistakes (just like we did).  We must teach them truth, and show them grace.  We must show them love.  Love speaks truth, and love shows grace.

Are you a parent?  How do you protect your kids?  What did your parents do to point you towards God, His Son, and His Word?

Xenacoj – A Stretching Experience

Guatemala was life changing.

Trying to find the right words to capture my experience is challenging and perhaps even impossible.

I will continue to reflect on this trip for a while.  I was up in the early hours of the morning thinking about it.  I think about it when I’m driving in the car.  I think about Xenacoj when I’m eating my meals, when I’m talking to people, and when I’m running.  This experience is on my mind all the time.

The people of Xenacoj have left a permanent mark on me.

I was stretched in making the decision to go in the first place.  It took a lot of faith and trust for me to take my whole family there.  Would they be safe?  Would they stay healthy?  How would they respond to the poverty, the language, and the living conditions?  How would we pay for a trip of this magnitude?  Would people really support us after what we went through three years ago?  All kinds of questions went through my mind when we initially decided to pursue a trip to Guatemala.

I was stretched during the trip.  Three of our family members experienced illness while we were there.  I had to sleep on a bed that was about a foot shorter than me.  Sleep in general was tough for me most of the trip (the rest of my family seemed to sleep fairly well).  We slept right in the village where we heard fireworks, roosters, dogs, music, talking, snoring, and church at all hours of the night and morning.  The language barrier was initially a challenge.  It took a couple of days until we actually felt like we were serving.  Once we started serving, we saw some pretty deplorable conditions and desperate poverty.  We couldn’t fix everything.

And I obviously continue to be stretched following the trip.  How do I respond?  I don’t want this trip to simply be a “nice” experience.  What is next for our family?  When can we go back to Xenacoj?  How should we live our lives differently now that we are home in the States?  How can we continue to help GO! Ministries and the people of Xenacoj and Guatemala?  How can we inspire others to stretch outside their comfort zone and consider missions?  Questions, thoughts, and ideas permeate my mind constantly.

And yet, it’s difficult to fully capture what we experienced.  Perhaps the easiest way to show you is through a video that Dave Sgro (founder of GO! Ministries) put together using our pictures.  There are a few inside jokes and stories in the video, but the video does a pretty good job touching on many of the things we did on the trip.

How have you been stretched by a missions experience?  What questions do you have for me (or my family) about our experience in Guatemala?

The Sting of Stretching (@JosephLalonde)

I’m thankful today for Joe Lalonde.  Joe is guest blogging today about a recent stretching experience in his life.  His post is featured as part of The Network.  Joe writes an excellent leadership blog.  You can find more information about Joe along with the links to his blog in his bio which follows this post.

I’ve always been a fan of stretching. It’s helped me grow and reach my potential.

However, the last couple of weeks have tested my stretching limit.

Image by Mike Baird via Flickr

I’ve experienced so much stretching I don’t know how I’m coping with it.

Last month we had to make a tough choice and put one of our beloved dogs down.  My dad was hospitalized after three visits to the emergency room.

It feels like life has been stretching and stretching me. And it’s been painful.

Tears seem to continuously stream from my eyes. Sleep comes but it is not restoring. And there’s such a heaviness on my heart.

There are times that stretching stings. It creates a pain that is almost unbearable.

And yet there can be awesome results from the stretching.

I’m becoming more attuned to feeling the pain of others: I try my best to understand how others are feeling but I can fall flat in this area. The stretching I experienced with my dog has opened up a new avenue of feelings that focuses on the loss others are feeling.

There’s now a connection that I’m able to share with those grieving over a major loss. It’s a blessing a curse.

I’ve become more open with my feelings: Realizing how fleeting our time on this earth can be, I’m stretched to share my feelings more. Especially with my wife.

Nightly I weep and nightly I try to pour out my feelings to my wife. I’m feeling more broken than ever but there’s also the feeling of openness.

I’m learning what’s really important: Losing my dog and almost losing my dad has given me a sense of urgency with how I should live my life. It needs to be lived with unction. With a passion that’s unrivaled.

It’s also showing me that I need to spend time with those that I love. And to show them that I love them and value their lives.

Don’t neglect this fact.

The stretching has been painful. Honestly, I don’t like it so much right now.

Yet it’s helping me to become a better man. A better son. A better husband.

I’m not sure if you’ve experienced stretching like this in the past. It’s so difficult I pray you don’t have to experience it as well.

The truth is, we will all have to experience loss and the threat of loss.

Still, I know you can survive the stretching and come out better. Don’t let the pain destroy you. Let it grow you.

Question: What have you learned from the sting of the stretch? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

This is a guest post by Joseph Lalonde. He is a youth leader at Oak Crest Church of God and leadership blogger at JMLalonde.com. Joseph shares leadership tools and encourages you to become a better leader. Connect with him on Twitter or at his blog.

Stretching To The Finish

During our vacation to the Midwest, we had an opportunity to visit my Grandma (I’ve written about her before – click here.)

It wasn’t a very long visit.  I think we were at the nursing home where she lives for a little more than two hours.  When we came into her room, she immediately knew who we were.  She mentioned my name and our kids names, and she had to ask for a little help with Leanne’s name (although it was clear that she knew who she was).

If you remember, Grandma is 93 years old.  Physically, she’s been struggling for many years thanks to the pain of arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and a broken arm.  Only in the last few years has she started to fail mentally.  Grandma was always the sharpest person in the family.  She could remember details better than anyone else in the family about people, places, and things from the past.  She skipped two grades in school.  Needless to say, this has been the hardest part of the aging process for her and for the rest of the family.  She simply can’t keep all the details of life straight in her head any longer.

All in all, it was a pretty good visit with Grandma.  While the staff at the nursing home indicated that she wasn’t having the greatest day, she seemed to be doing pretty well compared to my visit with Grandma a month ago.

There is the moment during our visit that I will always remember.

Grandma and Grandpa always had a strong faith.  I remember doing a morning devotion with them and praying for missionaries and people groups from around the world.  As we were getting ready to leave, Leanne suggested that we pray.  I prayed first and somewhat expected that to be it, but Grandma picked up right where I left off.  Her prayer was powerful.  Despite her physical and mental ailments, she clearly is in great shape spiritually.

Grandma’s prayer and our visit was a great reminder that God isn’t through with us.  While Grandma would prefer to be in heaven with Grandpa and God, she continues to demonstrate a growing faith.  It’s easy to think that we’ve arrived – that we’ve grown as much as we possibly can physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Grandma reminded me that spiritual growth is a journey that continues throughout our lives.

I don’t have any idea how long I will live.  I could live until 50, until 75, or even until 100.  I want to be remembered as someone who continues to STRETCH and grow.  I want to grow physically (not in size), and I want to continue to grow mentally.  But most of all I want to STRETCH and grow spiritually.

May our journeys through life be marked by spiritual STRETCHING!  May our faith be a testament to those around us and to those who come behind us.  Thank you, Grandma, for your STRETCHING example!

Who in your life has reminded you to keep on STRETCHING?  Who in your life has faith that moves mountains?

Call Me Gumby (Carol Peterson)

Today, Carol Peterson shares her STRETCH thoughts while I’m on vacation.  Carol is guest blogging as part of The Network.  For more information about Carol, check out her bio at the end of the post.  After you read her post and add your comment, I hope you’ll go check out her blog!

CALL ME GUMBY

Toward the end of June I dropped Jon a line and told him I’d write something “stretchy” for this site. Instantly, a big green Gumby with my face on it appeared in my head.

Gumby—that guy from the 60s made of green rubber. Pull his leg and it bounces back in place. He’s flexible. He stretches to the fullest and then springs into shape even if things get a little too stretchy. Because Gumby teaches us that we can stretch. And even if life gets twisted, we’ll still be alright in the end.

But Gumby is not like Mr. Fantastic of Marvel comic book fame. No, Gumby, is the nerdy, folksy guy we loved before we knew about super heroes. He’s a regular guy. A t-shirt sold online has Gumby’s picture on it saying: The original Mr. Nice Guy.

Because, have you ever seen Gumby when he’s not smiling? And waving?

Gumby makes me want to be a nice guy, too. I can’t be the original Mr. Nice Guy because Jesus claimed that role before the beginning of time. But I can try to be Christ-like. And sometimes that means—like Gumby—I smile and wave at people to give them a cheery hello and a “have a nice day.” Really—have a NICE day. And is there anything I can do to help make it nicer?

It also means being green. Not green as in environmentally responsible, although that’s good, too. But green, as in fresh and full of life. Living life to the fullest and keeping the smile on my face while doing it. Having a childlike freshness to my faith. And sharing that faith with others.

So today as I think about what it means to be stretched, I have decided I want to live like Gumby—flexible, friendly and green. I hope next time you see me; you’ll smile, wave and call me Gumby. I’d like to call you Gumby, too.

In what way do you need to be more like Gumby today?

BIO

Carol Peterson’s mission in writing is to educate, entertain, and inspire. Her published books provide busy teachers with creative ways to help assure compliance with curriculum standards. Her first self-published book helps folks study the Bible, because the Bible is even better when you know what it says. Her blog From Carol’s Quill (http://carolpetersonauthor.com/) encourages faith in Jesus.