The Stretched Blog Visits The Daily ReTort

Today, I’m guest posting as part of The Network for Tor Constantino at his blog, The Daily ReTort.  In my post (5 Reasons To Go On A Missions Trip With Your Family), I share some thoughts about faith, family, and missions.  Here’s an excerpt to get you started.

5 Reasons To Go On A Missions Trip With Your Family

Early this month, our family traveled to Guatemala to serve the orphans and widows in and around the village of Santo Domingo Xenacoj.

Deciding to go in the first place was a pretty significant leap of faith.

• As a father and husband, did I think we would be safe in a strange land removed from many of the luxuries we currently enjoy? 
• Did I really want to spend my vacation time working instead of relaxing somewhere? 
• How were we going to come up with the money necessary to make this trip a reality?

These were just some of the questions that troubled me for weeks as we processed this decision last fall.

Having arrived at the other side of this mission trip, I can tell you that we made it.  We were safe.  The vacation time from work was well spent.  And God provided the funds for this trip in ways that far exceeded our greatest expectations.  (Click here to keep reading.)

If you’re visiting from Tor’s blog, I’m glad you stopped by.  I hope you’ll check things out and become a regular part of The Stretched Community.  You can sign up to receive daily blog updates by adding your e-mail on the main page (I promise not to send you spam).  To help you get a taste of my other writing, here are a few of my favorite posts:

• Leap of Faith
• Less Like Scars
• Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
• The Power of the Next Question
• How To Respond To The Election Results

You can also click here to link to more about my experiences in Guatemala.

Have you ever taken a mission trip with your family?  If so, how did it impact your family? What’s holding you back from going on a mission trip?

3 Thumbs Up! June 24th, 2012

This week’s 3 Thumbs Up! moved to Sunday thanks to a great guest blogging opportunity at Some Wise Guy.  If you haven’t done so already, please go over to K.C. Procter‘s blog and read my post titled, Don’t Blink!.  Meanwhile, here are my thumbs up for this week:

Thumbs Up Number 1:  Zoup!  No huge description here other than this place serves great soup and sandwiches.  Leanne and I stopped here after church today for lunch while our kids finished up practice at church.  Zoup! serves 12-15 different soups every day, and you are always welcome to try free soup samples before you make your decision.  Today, I enjoyed a shrimp and craw-fish soup with a four cheese melted sandwich.  Great stuff!  Check it out if you can find one in your area.

Thumbs Up Number 2:  The Mighty Macs.  I had heard about this movie before, but I hadn’t had an opportunity to see it until we sat down last night and found it on Netflix.  The Mighty Macs is a movie based on the true story of the Immaculata College girls basketball team from the early 1970s.  Immaculata isn’t far from where I live, so it was cool to hear about a team who played so close to home.  I’ve seen many other sports movies that probably have more grueling practice and game scenes, but the movie still provided enough drama and excitement to keep us all alert until the end.  The story represented in the movie depicts the power of perseverance and belief that anything is possible.  We could all use a little bit of that positivity from time to time.  If you’re looking for a movie that works for the entire family, you should consider checking out The Might Macs.

Thumbs Up Number 3:  The Daily Retort.  I discovered Tor Constantino‘s blog a couple of months ago after we crossed paths several times in the blog world over the past six months.  Tor is an ex-journalist, best-selling author, blogger, and speaker.  He is also a husband and father.  I appreciate how he intermixes his faith and his family with his regular blog posts.  Tor and his wife are expecting a child any day, so many of his recent posts have been related to the anticipation of their new arrival.  Go check out Tor’s blog, add The Daily Retort to your reading list, leave him a comment, and tell him I send you.

What else deserves a thumbs up this week?