This morning I was reading from the book of Psalms and and the book of Acts. I was struck by the passion of Paul and of the psalm writer. See what I mean below:

10 While we were staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came to us and took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, “This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 21:10-13

1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? Psalms 42:1,2

It seems to me that both of these passages demonstrate the passion that we should have for following Christ and for living our lives for him. Paul was willing to die because of his belief, and the Psalm writer pours out his desire to know and be with God. I’m challenged. Do you and I share this same passion?

Until the next post…

Blessed

Sunday morning before I even made it into the auditorium of our church, I had been asked more than six times how I was feeling. This continued the rest of the day as I ran into other people. I am amazed at how many people care about me. This is the kind of community that I want to be involved in. The response to my brief illness reminds me how it must have been for the earlier church pioneers. Read Acts 2:42-47 below:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I am so thankful to be a part of a group of Christ followers who are trying to figure this out and live it out.

Until the next post…

I’m Still Here

I’m still here. It seems like it’s been more of a challenge to keep up with the blogging thing recently. I think it’s primarily due to overall busyness which for some reason seems to have increased dramatically recently. Some of it is weather related…I would much rather be outside in 70 degree sunny weather than in the study typing away. Sometimes it also feels like I don’t always have anything “earth shattering” to post. I like my blog posts to document the “stretch marks” of my life. When life gets busy and when we get fatigued, it’s easy to forget that God is still working all around us in our daily lives. For this I’m thankful – God is still here (and always will be)!

Until the next post…

6 Words…

There’s a little game that I love to play, and it’s call “Hot Seat.” The basic idea behind this game is a follows: Get together with a small group of friends. Choose one person to be in the “hot seat.” Now, take turns amongst everyone else asking questions to the person on the hot seat. My rule is that no question is off limits; however, the person in the hot seat can decide to plead the fifth on any question that they just can’t answer.

This morning on my way into work, I was listening to the 95.7 Ben FM morning show, and I picked up a new question for my hot seat quiver. “What six words would you use to describe yourself?” This is a great question. Some of us would answer with adjectives (like tall, corny, etc.), and some might use nouns (like hoopster, runner, etc.). Here’s how I would answer the question with explanations as necessary:

1. Disciple – I want to be known as a disciple or follower of Christ.
2. Husband – I am so blessed to be married to a wonderful woman, and I want to be the best husband that I can be for her.
3. Dad – With two great kids, this goes without saying. I hope that I can live up to the examples set by my father, father-in-law, and grandfathers.
4. Friend – Finding true friendship can be more challenging as an adult. I hope that I am considered to be a friend in deed.
5. Leader – I’m thankful for the gifts of leadership that God has given me.
6. Stolpe – I’m so thankful for the legacy that comes to me by being a Stolpe family member. Friends of mine often comment that I have the Stolpe humor. And like all other Stolpe men, I stick out my tongue when I’m really concentrating.

So what words would you use to describe yourself?

Until the next post, think of those six words…

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

The past few weeks, I have been wrestling with a work related opportunity. Without going into tremendous detail, I know I’ve been a little excited and anxious over the possibilities of a new challenge. Several verses have come to mind recently that have helped to set my mind at ease:

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 (recently memorized as part of my evangelism verse pack – thanks Bob Lewis)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” Luke 12:22-23

Sometimes it sounds easier than it really feels. I’m thankful that God has given us His Word to guide us, comfort us, and to share.

Until the next post, don’t worry… be happy…

Praying for Success

Yesterday, I was reading from Genesis 24 which recounts the story of when Abraham’s servant traveled to the city of Nahor to find a wife for Isaac (Abraham’s son). I’ve read this story many times before, but there was one small detail from verse 12 that popped out at me this time. The verse reads: And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. (NRSV) Specifically, I was struck by this part of the verse – “please grant me success today.” When I pray, I ask God for the healing of those around me, I ask God for a “good” day, I ask God to help me make the most of opportunities around me, and I thank Him for all the blessings I’ve been given. Besides asking for a “good” day, I’m not sure how often I’m specific about asking God to grant me success.

I’m convinced that God cares about the daily happenings of Jon Stolpe, and I’m sure He wants what is best for me; however, I’m not sure that I always give God the okay to help me succeed. It is clear in this passage that God does answer these types of prayers. My guess though is that Abraham’s servant was clearly following God. In other words, he was asking for something that lined up with God’s will. When we put God first in our lives, I believe we will ask Him for success in the areas that truly matter. So where do I specifically want God to help me succeed? Here’s a brief list:

1. I want to succeed at being the best husband that I can be for my wife.
2. I want to succeed at raising my kids in a way that honors God.
3. I want to succeed in my workplace through advancement and through leading with integrity.
4. I want to succeed in making a difference in my community.
5. I want to succeed in helping others to know Christ.

I’m sure there’s more, but these are some of the majors.

Until the next post, may our prayers for success be answered…

Gimme A Break

Life can get so busy at times. I just came home from an extremely busy week at work, and I’m exhausted. Work has been going well; in fact, it’s pretty exciting right now, but it also seems to have zapped my energy. I started the week out on fire – working out Monday and Tuesday. Then Wednesday hit along with the beginnings of a minor chest cold. Hopefully, it will go away quickly, but it temporarily derailed my workout routine and depleted my energy.

The minor cold has actually forced me to take a brief step back. Every once in a while, I think this is important. The Bible tells us that God rested on the seventh day of creation. I believe this is a reminder to us all that it is important to take it easy from time to time. Actually, I think it’s important to regularly take time to rest and recoup.

This is part of the reason that I’m looking forward to the holidays. I’ll be off for almost a week and a half. The break will be wonderful!

Until the next post, take it easy…

18th Anniversary of 18

Today, I am celebrating the 18th anniversary of my 18th birthday. Okay, actually I turned 36 today. I am now closer to 70 than I am to birth. That sounds a little gloomy when you put it that way, so that’s why I like thinking of it as the 18th anniversary of my 18th birthday.

At any rate, I really have had a great day today. I woke up to breakfast in bed provided by my two great kids. I hung-up the Christmas ornaments which is a separate post in itself. I attended Isaac’s second basketball game at the YMCA this afternoon. And tomorrow Leanne is taking me to see Jim Brickman in concert. I have truly been blessed.

All this birthday stuff always leaves me a little contemplative. This is the first year that I am not celebrating my birthday with my Grandpa Stolpe who passed away in February. I have accomplished a lot and grown quite a bit over the past year, and I look forward to an exciting year ahead.

It’s easy to wish time away as we look forward to the next weekend, the next holiday, or the next big vacation. What I have learned is that it’s important to live in the present while we celebrate the past and look forward with hope to the future. Last night, Leanne and I literally clicked back and forth between CBS’s Movies Rock and a showing of one of my favorite movies Click starring Adam Sandler. The clip of the movie below is a touching reminder of the importance of loving our families and keeping our priorities straight. Enjoy!

Until the next post, I’ll be enjoying what is going on now…

Words of Wisdom

This past Friday was the last day for a gentleman at my office. He had worked for the company for over 37 years. He passed along a letter for us all to read and I thought I’d share the end of his words with you:

…And thank you so much for the many kind thought that so many friends shared with me last week. When we were in the lunchroom on Friday, Christian asked me if I had any advice before I left and I said I would send him an email. Please permit me to share a few things I have learned:

1. Start every day with a TO-DO List and do the most important things first.
2. Eat three good meals every day.
3. Get regular exercise.
4. A bird in the hand is truly worth two in the bush, and an existing customer is worth four or five prospects.
5. Money is not everything, and few, if any, of us would be here if we weren’t being paid.
6. You will only occasionally realize the effect you have on those around you, but remember that everything you do counts.
7. Free will, and the ability to reason, are what separate us from the animals. Evolution didn’t get us here.
8. The third most important thing in life is to work, and to do your job well.
9. The second most important thing is to love your family, your friends and your neighbors.
10. The most important thing in life is to love the Lord with all of your heart, with all of your mind and with all of your soul.

Best wished for the future.

God bless you all.

Dave

Wow, I hope I’m able to share words of wisdom like this both at my retirement and throughout my career. Dave’s words are inspiring.

Until the next post, I’ll be working on my to-do list…

Fresh Coat

Yesterday, I spent the day painting our family room with three of the best helpers in the world. Even the kids did a great job helping as we transformed the walls from a construction grade off-white paint to a “beigeish” color. This morning, we woke up to a light snow covering outside. Despite the fact that I’m not as crazy about snow as I used to be, there is something refreshing about a fresh coat of snow. Whether it’s a fresh coat of snow or paint, it’s wonderful to see things covered up and new. This reminds me of a verse from the Bible: