The Gift of Camping
This past weekend, we celebrated the 1oth anniversary of a great family camping tradition. We’ve been camping with the same four families since the beginning. It’s been amazing to watch our kids grow up together. Isaac was two and potty training on our first rainy camping trip to Locust Lake State Park. Now, Isaac’s eleven, and he’s becoming a wonderful young man. The story is similar for all the other kids as well. It’s truly been a gift to experience the richness of these friendships year after year. I look forward to many, many more family camping trips to come.
Nine out of the ten years, we have camped in a Pennsylvania State Park. Pennsylvania is the only state that has an established chaplaincy program in its state parks. Most years, we have worshiped together at the camp’s Sunday worship service. This year was no different as we walked down to the outdoor amphitheater following a delicious camp breakfast. I love my church, but there is something refreshing about getting outdoors and stripping away the music and lights and air conditioning.
At the service, Chaplain Jason shared from the passage in Romans. Jason’s message provided some great reminders:
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 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.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:1-8
1. I have gifts. I should be sharing these gifts.
2. My gifts are different from other people’s gifts. We all have different gifts.
3. Everyone’s gifts are important to completing the work of the body.
4. I’m not gifted in everything. Saying no sometimes is okay.
I’m sure there were some other great points, but these are the ones that struck me.
What fun family traditions do you have?
How are you using the gifts that God has given you?
Finding Community On-Line
I’m a big connection and community guy. I love to see people connected in meaningful relationships. I’m passionate about being in community with others. Over the years, I have been amazed to see where community can be found. I have found it at work in the office and on construction sites. I have found community through sports – on the basketball court and on the run. I have even found community around the poker table. I appreciate the community I’ve experienced through my kids – scouts, music, and school. I have enjoyed many years of community through camping. And I’ve experienced community through small groups of various kinds and sizes.
I’ve been most surprised by the community I’ve discovered on-line. For me, it all started a few years ago when Frank Chiapperino and a few other leaders from my church started blogging and then encouraged me to blog. Initially, I discovered a lot of amazing bloggers out there who had things to share about things that interested me like small groups and leadership. I followed at a distance and carried on with my own blogging without any ideas of potential connection or community.
A couple of years later, Frank introduced me to Facebook. I was immediately sucked into the whole social media thing. I’m not sure if that was a complete blessing or a partial curse. I’m thankful for so many renewed connections and several new ones that have come as a result of Facebook. It’s been eye-opening, enlightening, and sometimes enriching to keep up with friends on Facebook. It’s also been a bit addicting, and I admittedly struggle at times with staying balanced.
Somewhere along the line, I picked up Twitter and a few other tools. Twitter has definitely been an interesting tool for discovering new information about people and topics that interest me. I’ve especially enjoyed the “listed” option on Twitter where users can assemble lists of Twitter users with similar interests. I have discovered many small group gurus, leadership junkies, and several blogging buddies.
Next, I picked up Skype and Tokbox which allow for free live web video chatting. I’ve enjoyed using Skype with my family – especially my parents who live in far away Dallas, TX. A year or two ago, I decided to try an experiment with Tokbox. Tokbox was easier to use for multiple participants than Skype was at the time, so I decided to lead an on-line small group using Mark Batterson‘s recently released book – Primal. I was impressed by the depth of conversation that took place as this experiment launched. And I see a lot of potential for fostering community through this type of technology.
Most recently, I have discovered incredible community through interactive blogging. By actively participating in the dialogue that transpires in the comments that follow a post (on my own blog or on other people’s blogs), blogging becomes interactive. My life is enriched by these comments – by this community. I have discovered many new friends like Michael Shaw who blogs about the local town of Skippack, Jason Fountain who blogs about being intentional with life, and Beck Gambill who blogs about the ups and downs of life.
If you’re reading, you’re probably part of this community. I would encourage you to take the next step – either start your own blog or become active in the comment conversations that take place on your favorite blogs. (If you start you’re own blog, let me know so I can follow along.)
On a final note, while I strongly encourage finding community on-line, there’s nothing like face-to-face community. Find a group of people you can plug into your life. Lift each other up. Hold each other accountable. Meet regularly. Grow together!
How have you experienced community on-line and face-to-face?
My Good Versus God’s Good
I have the privilege today of presenting guest blogger, Jeff Whitebread. Jeff (or Pumpernickel as I like to call him) is a good friend and sincere brother. Jeff is just starting his own blog (see the link below), and he has so generously volunteered to share his current STRETCHING story here.
(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment. I’d love to connect with you.)
It certainly is a pleasure to be a guest contributor on my good friend’s blog. In sticking with the theme of being stretched, it is always helpful when I consider God’s purpose in stretching my life. For when I focus on life’s circumstances, I can often feel overwhelmed and find myself being swept away in moments of despair. For in the midst of life’s turmoil, I can feel as if I am being pulled apart from the inside, as if a part of me is dying. I am left with these nagging thoughts. Why does God make life so hard? If life is this hard, am I doing something wrong?
Romans 8:28-29 says,
(28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (29) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
As I read this passage, an obvious truth jumps out from V28. God works all things for the good of those who love him, not some things or most things. God is working every single thing in my life out for my good. If I love God, then I can take this truth to the bank. I can believe this truth and live according to this truth. But wait, not everything that happens to me appears to be good, and here my story of being stretched begins.
When I was told, I was losing my job several weeks ago my first reaction was not, “thank you God this is so good.” It was a shock. I had to pick my jaw up off the table. Now, you must understand, I knew my job was going to end. I have been working for an insurance company that has been going out of business since 2001. When I started working for this company, it had 6,000 employees, and now it has only 150. During this 11 year process, I have seen God reawaken my heart and set a desire to serve him in the full-time ministry. I have viewed these last several years as a time of transition, as a time of preparation to leave the IT field and serve God where He calls.
As God began to open and close doors in my life, I developed a plan for how things were going to work out. I began thinking about how I was going to transition from working as an IT geek to being a missionary to our elected officials in Harrisburg. It was a smooth transition, it was neat and clean and in truth it required little risk and even less faith. After all, I will be serving the Lord; He would certainly bless such pure intentions. What I failed to see and what God is teaching me and stretching me to understand is this truth. God has a different purpose in mind. While I am focused on the destination, God’s laser beam focus is on me as an individual.
Let’s take a step back and ask ourselves, how does God define the word “good” in v28? We quickly realize through life’s circumstances that God is not working in our lives the way we might desire Him to work. He is doing something strange to us; He is taking us places we have no interest going. Our hearts cry out as we try to make sense of the situations we face. You see V29 tells us the goal, the good thing God is doing in our lives. What God desires for us, what He is working to accomplish through every situation and circumstance we face is to become like Jesus. This is what He wants; this is what He is doing. When we face the hard times in life we can hold onto this truth – this difficult and challenging situation is in my life because God is doing something good. His purpose for me is to be conformed to the image of His Son. He is working in my life and taking me through the hard time because his desire is that Christ may be formed in my life.
As I face the realities of my life and think of how God is at work, my plan no longer makes sense. I cannot connect the dots. I did not expect to be out of a job for another 2-3 years, I thought I would be one of the last people employed in my company. Obviously, God had a different plan from mine. Now I face the fact of raising my support, of trusting God with opening people’s hearts toward this ministry. As I look for God to validate my call through the financial commitment of others, it is humbling, it is scary, and yet it is where God has placed me in my journey to follow Him. I can say through the eyes of faith it is good. Whether I end up in this ministry or serve God in some other area, no matter what happens to my family and the things we place our security on, God is working to create in me the image of His Son.
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death (Heb 2:9). The path our Lord went down was one of sacrifice and suffering, if this was required of our Lord, should we expect that to become like Him would require anything less for our lives. The worldly part of our heart cries out, “No! Please give us another way.” Yet the cross stands and proclaims that there is no other way in which we can serve our great and glorious King, Jesus the Christ. Is it easy? Never! Is it worth it? Every single moment, for God is actively working for the “good” of our lives.
Through the encouragement of Jon, I am being stretched in another area, I have decided to start blogging about this journey. If you would like to read my attempt to write about this journey, please check out On The Narrow Road.
All for the glory of God!
Jeff
Where do you see Christ being formed in your life? How have you seen hard times actually used for good?
Red Light, Green Light – Give Thanks In Everything
This Sunday, our family was running late for church. As we drove together, we came to two traffic lights where we normally have to stop at one of the lights. This time both lights stayed green. As we drove through the second life, I said, “Thank you God for green lights.” As I said this, I smiled thinking about my mom. When I was young, I could hear her saying these very words in our car perhaps as we were also running late for church. I think my mom has always been a great example of being thankful for the simple things.
Getting back to my ride to church this past Sunday, the next traffic light we came to was red. “Ahhh! Come on! We were on a roll!” My wife said to me, “Do you thank God for the red lights too?” Wow, what a question.
On a much bigger scale, do I thank God for the ups AND downs?
The Bible talks about “giving thanks in all circumstances.” I guess that seems easier said than done.
Am I thankful when I face a challenging situation at work?
Am I thankful when I’m hungry?
Am I thankful when I’m sick?
Am I thankful when my wife or my kids face a challenge that I can’t fix?
Am I thankful in all circumstances?
It’s amazing that a few simple traffic lights can speak so loudly to what I need to hear.
What are you thankful for today?
Transformation Reminders – Looking Back Brings Perspective
Leanne and I on our Fat Tire Bike Tour while in Paris in 2006
Yesterday morning, I enjoyed an eight mile bike ride on the Perkiomen Trail with my wonderful wife. We rode on a section of the trail that I haven’t been on for a while. I used to come here often. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this out and back section between Spring Mountain and Green Lane Park. I like it, because it’s shaded most of the way, it’s fairly flat, and it’s right alongside the Perkiomen Creek.
As I consider the possibility of ramping up training to run the upcoming Amish Country Bird In Hand Half Marathon on September 10, 2011, I realize that I’ll probably return to this area to log some of my longer runs. Several years ago, I logged a lot of miles on this section as I trained for full and half marathons.
On Sunday, I returned to New Jersey with our family to enjoy a picnic/party with some friends. It was a huge blessing to see these friends and their families again. I lived in this area for almost 17 years of my life. In many way, this is my home (although I don’t have family there any longer). I grew up here around these people. Sure it was somewhat embarrassing to be reminded of some of the crazier things of my youth, but it was also gratifying to hear how my generation of teenagers made an impact on our youth leaders.
Returning to a forgotten section of trail and returning to my hometown area – how do these relate? I think it can be healthy to get back to our roots – to go back to the past.
Sometimes, this can be painful as it reveals broken relationships and failures that we’d rather forget. I get that, and I know it can hurt. But I think looking back can also show us how far we’ve come. It also gives us a chance to renew our appreciation for where we’ve come from in life.
As I look back on the last four years of my blog and the last two months of my journal, I can see God’s faithfulness. I can see areas of challenge and growth in my life. And I can see how God is chipping away at this rockhead – how God is molding me like clay – to be continually transformed into a new creation. Going back reminds me of this fact.
When you look back at your past, how can you see that God is transforming you? Where do you go to be reminded of your past?
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Still Stretching – Looking Back and Looking Forward
Four years ago on this Wednesday, I started this blog. So far it’s been quite a ride. Here’s how it started 416 posts ago…
Well, this is the start of it all… I’ve been contemplating doing the blog thing for some time. You might be wondering where the“Stretched” thing comes from. For starters, when I was in high school at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, I was short – 5’6″ to start my junior year. Since then, I’ve grown to almost 6’6″. Many of my friends started calling me Stretch. On a more recent basis, I often feel “stretched” by all the things going on around me – career, marriage, parenting, church, running, reading, friendships, extended family, relationship with God, etc. (in no particular order). My hope is that this blog will provide an opportunity to express some of my “stretch marks” and to possibly hear your thoughts as well. So here we go….
When I look back at all the posts and comments since the start, I believe the blog has served this purpose. Here are some of the highlights: family vacations, Supernanny parenting group, Kids Camp and Stretch, the Perelman building, several movies, Elizabeth’s adoption, blog spotlights, book reviews, small group thoughts, and personal wrestlings. Recently, I’ve also started guest posts which I think will add a lot to my blog experience.
From my tallies, I’ve had over 6600 visits to the blog since I changed to WordPress a couple of years ago, and I’ve had over 300 comments. It’s all pretty amazing.
So where do I go from here? Great question. I think it just continues. I’m quite confident that I will continue to be stretched in the coming year. So get ready, I’m sure I’ll have more stretch marks to share.
Until the next post, I’ll be stretching…
How long have you been blogging? Why do you blog? Please feel free to include a link to your blog so others can enjoy.
ReGroup
Last night was a big deal for me.
I’ve been a “small group” junkie for a long time since John Mulpas asked me to lead a “Gel Group” many years ago. I’ve been inspired by many “group life” champions like Frank Chiapperino, Alyssa Dourte, Bill Search, Bill Donahue, Greg Bowman, Randy Frazee, Heather Zempel, Will Johnston, Dave Treat, and many others. I truly believe in the power of connection and accountability that comes through living life together with a small group of people.
For many years, I was very active in our church‘s small group ministry. I led several groups. I helped to coach small group leaders. I even led a group of coaches. I attended several conferences designed to motivate, inspire, and equip small group leaders. In many ways, I was all small groups – all the time. But a lot of that changed a couple of years ago. For reasons I don’t need to get into here, I walked away from active small group leadership. I have continued to keep up with a lot of front line small group thought and information thanks to the wonders of the internet. I have even taken a more active role as a participant in a couple of groups over the past several months, but I have shied away from taking a leadership role in anything related to small group ministry.
I thought that was going to change last fall when Leanne and I helped to set up a family based service-focused small group, but this changed in September when we were forced to focus on our family as we were faced with some unplanned health obstacles. Last night, Leanne and I finally had the opportunity to host and lead this group in our home. We shared a meal of tacos in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We gathered the kids and adults to discuss what it is like to serve and to be served. We talked about what it means to be great in the eyes of the world versus great in the eyes of God. I was invigorated as I had the chance to lead this discussion where kids and adults were able to share. We finished up our evening with a craft for hospice patients.
We had three new families last night. It was so exhilarating to see everyone talking together and sharing ideas about how they could serve others together. At the end of the evening, Leanne and I were so grateful for this opportunity. We can’t wait for our next meeting – June 7th at our house. We’ll have a BBQ/picnic, we’ll talk more about what it means to be a servant, and we’ll put our words into action. Then on the June 21st, we’ll serve our community at the Colonnade in Schwenksville.
For me this was a big deal – worth sharing!
Let me know if you’re interested in joining us.
My Psalm
God, You are my God.
I come to You with all that I am.
I bring my pride. I bring my apprehension.
I bring my anxiety. I bring my desperation.
I lay all these and more at Your feet.
Take these things that weigh me down.
Take these things that cause butterflies to circle endlessly in my stomach.
Take these thoughts and cares and worries.
I come to You for relief.
Thanks!
Thanks for caring for me.
Thanks for uplifting my soul.
Thanks for giving me strength.
Thanks for giving me courage.
Thanks for giving me peace.
These things could only come from You.
God, You are my God.
I come to You with all I am.
Make me what You want me to be.
Metal Toes
I took this picture inside the pedestal museum at the base of the Statue of Liberty when our family visited there for President’s Day last month.
Sometimes I wish I had metal toes. This seems like a crazy wish, but let me explain.
I like to run. Or maybe I should say, I like to eat, so I need to run to keep my net calories in check.
For whatever reason, God gave me soft feet and fragile toes. My second toe on each foot is a little longer than my big toes, so these toes tend to take a beating as I ramp up my mileage. Inevitably, my toe nails turn black and blue and then my toe nail falls off. It’s quite a “fun” process.
So I’m thinking that if I had metal toes like the ones shown above, I wouldn’t have to deal with the whole black and blue/nail loss thing.
How about you? If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14
Remember 2010
2010 was a pretty tough year for me. I’m just being honest. There were many unexpected bumps, bruises, and blockades. Despite all the downs, disappointments, and detours, I can also honestly say that I’m thankful for 2010. Here are some of my highlights from this past year (in no particular order):
– We now have a teenager as our daughter turned 13 in November.
– We had a wonderful unexpected vacation with our immediate family to the green state of Vermont. This will clearly sit as one of the best memories of our year.
– We had a visit from my folks all the way from Texas. I so much appreciated their visit, and I know now that the timing couldn’t have been better.
– My job has been great. I love what I’m doing at Siemens (most days), and I’m extremely thankful for the people I get to rub shoulders with everyday. It has truly been a blessing to have a job that I love. (This week, I will be celebrating my 15th anniversary with the company – hard to believe.)
– I am blessed with such a wonderful wife. This year has brought us more than our fair share of challenges, but I’m convinced that we have grown tremendously despite the struggles of this past year.
– I am blessed with fabulous kids. Our daughter is such a wonderful example of kindness and thoughtfulness. She is super smart. And she has a great group of friends. Our son is so talented. He loves music. He enjoys hoops and scouts, and he is so caring. Both our kids made a huge step this summer when they made the decision to follow Christ and be baptized. There is no greater joy for a dad then to see your kids make this decision. (I’m grinning from ear to ear as I type this.)
– I have been blown away by the support that we have experienced from our church family, friends, and family in the wake of our challenges this year. My words cannot fully describe my gratitude and awe for the support we have received.
– I have experienced growth especially in my faith this year. I never would have wished for some of the things that happened in our family this year, but I can honestly say that I’m thankful for how these events and challenges have cemented my faith.
I’m happy to see 2010 in the rear view mirror, but I’m also thankful for a year that brought so many blessings. Having said this, I am looking forward to a new start as we enter 2011 (I’ll share more thoughts on the upcoming year in a future post).
Happy New Year!