Ice Breaker – Lights Out
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
We lost power for 85 hours at our house this week. Power was just restored before lunch time. With this in mind, I’m hoping you can help out with this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker.
Question: (Keeping it clean of course) What’s a fun family activity for times when the lights go out?
My Answer: Reading. I actually did a bit more reading with the power out. There was no temptation to turn on the television or to be on the computer. I finished reading Bryan Allain‘s new eBook, Community Wins, and I almost finished reading Love Works by Joel Manby. These are two books that I would definitely recommend – even if you never lost power. Maybe having the power out isn’t such a bad thing.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Dale Carnegie Quote
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. “
Dale Carnegie
Faith With Feet
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:17
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22
It seems that lately, I’ve been hit with the same general message of putting feet to my faith. These two verses recently came to the front of my mind as I’ve been processing the balancing act of serving others with humility and of spurring others on to serve as well. I wrote about some of these thoughts in a post about walking on a tightrope. Earlier this week, I read a great post by Michael D. Perkins about Humble Bragging. And I continued to wrestle with the subject as I posted about Help for the Homeless on Monday of this week.
Our faith isn’t about having all the book knowledge in the world. If I know the entire Bible front to back and back to front, it means nothing – if I don’t put it into action. I can go to church every Sunday for my entire life, and it means nothing – if I don’t go out into the world to lovingly serve others and to bring the message of Christ to a world that is broken and lost.
We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We are called to serve others, and we have a responsibility to bring the message of hope, truth, and love – of Jesus – to a world that doesn’t have hope, doesn’t know truth, and doesn’t know the love of Christ.
How can we do this? How do we have faith with feet?
Here’s a place to start:
- Open your eyes today. Find a way to serve those around you today. It could be as simple as picking up after someone when they drop something, holding a door for a co-worker, or letting the person behind you go ahead of you. What opportunities do you see around you to help others?
- Inconvenience yourself. Putting feet on your faith can be inconvenient. Maybe you have plans that need to be interrupted so you can help someone else. Helping others isn’t about convenience. The Bible never says “serve others when it’s convenient or when it works with your schedule.” Prepare to be uncomfortable. Nobody said it would be easy. What do you need to give up today or this week, so you can serve others?
- Find a couple other people to serve with you. Serving with others provides a unique opportunity to have fellowship and accountability. When we serve with other people, we can process the “adventure” of helping others together. Also, it can sometimes be helpful to have another set of eyes with you to recognize areas of need that you may have overlooked. Who can you team up with this month to help someone?
- Be intentional. Seek and plan for opportunities to serve. Plan to go on a missions trip. Plan to serve in a soup kitchen. Plan to visit a nursing home. Seek out opportunities to serve in you area and around the world. There may be some fundraising that you need to do to make certain opportunities possible. Use your mind to map out ways that you will intentionally serve others over the course of this next year. How have you blocked of time on your calendar to serve others? Where are you planning to serve this year?
- Be flexible. I learned in Guatemala and I’ve learned through other service opportunities that things don’t always go the way you plan. You have to learn to flex. Sometimes God has great things in store – things that will have a greater impact on those we serve and things that will have a greater impact on us. Sometimes we have to go with the flow. Are you a spontaneous person or a person who likes to have more rigidity to their schedule? What changes do you need to make to become more flexible?
- Trust God. Perhaps, this sounds too simple. It’s meant to be a reminder. God doesn’t promise a path of ease, peace, and comfort, but He does promise to be with us, to make our paths straight, and to work together for good if we trust Him and follow His Word. (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 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. Romans 8:28) Where do you need to trust God this week?
I want to have a faith that is active. I want to have a faith that is living and breathing. I want to have a faith with feet.
How about you? What other ideas do you have about putting your faith into action? How are you putting your feet on your faith these days?
Role Models
When I was a little kid, everyone looked up to sports figures as their role models. I remember looking up to Walter Payton, Mike Schmidt, and Julius Erving. I had a life-size poster of Julius Erving in my bedroom growing up that said, “How do you measure up to a classic?” These guys weren’t perfect. In fact, they all made mistakes, but as far as I can tell, they realized and accepted that they were role models. They knew that thousands of kids were looking up to them as examples.
More recently, many sports figures reject the notion that they are role models. Charles Barkley was known for his statements rejecting the role model tag. Many professional sports players today are in the news for breaking the rules and breaking the law, instead of breaking records and breaking down barriers. I realize that this isn’t true of every sports figure today, but it saddens me that kids don’t have the same role models that they used to have in the professional sports world.
So where else should we be looking for role models?
Hopefully, kids are looking at their teachers, their parents, and leaders in their communities and churches. Adults need role models too! We need bosses and business leaders we can look up to. We need men and women who can set an example worth following. We need couples in our lives who demonstrate commitment and love. And we need Christians around us who will point us towards Christ.
I’ve been blessed over the years to have many role models. To list all of them would be impossible, but there are a few that come to mind:
- Ray and Joann Rivera – They were youth leaders in my high school youth group. They set a great example in their marriage and in their individuals spiritual journeys.
- Wes Kennedy – Wes was an elder at our church and a community business man who consistently demonstrated the values of working hard and looking out for others.
- Jeff and Glynis Murphy – We met the Murphy family during our first year of marriage. They were role models in the way they lived out their marriage. They taught us and showed us the importance of regular date nights and times away. They also introduced us to the Family Life Weekend to Remember marriage conferences. (See my post from a couple of weeks ago for more about this.)
- Craig Fischer – Craig has been my boss for many of the 16+ years I’ve worked for Siemens. He is another example of someone who works hard, who values employees, and knows the importance of family.
- Frank Chiapperino – Frank was the small group pastor at the church I attend. He showed me the value of reading, of writing, and of leading with excellence.
- My parents – Faith and family were lived out in my home growing up. Believe me, it wasn’t perfect, but I saw how God could still use us despite our imperfections. I learned the importance of church community participation as it was clearly modeled by my folks.
It’s so important to have people like this in our lives. We need role models who are worth following. We need to learn from people like this, so we in turn can be role models for those coming behind us.
While sports figures and celebrities shy away from the label of role model. This is a title I want in my life and a label I want to earn.
Who is your role model? Are you a role model worth following?
Pint Size Dreams Or Ocean Size Dreams
Over the course of this year, God has definitely been working on my understanding of faith. Back in the spring, I posted about taking a leap of faith. That message is still working on me. This weekend, we had the honor and pleasure of hosting Dave Sgro and his son, Luke, at our house on Saturday night and to our church on Sunday morning. Dave and his family are missionaries in the town of Xenacoj in Guatemala. Our team worked with his organization (Guatemala Outreach (Go!) Ministries) while we were in Guatemala this summer.
Dave and Luke arrived at our house late around 10PM on Saturday night. I’m sure he was tired from driving and we were tired from a busy day, but we stayed up for a couple of hours to hear more about Dave’s ministry. It’s exciting to hear how God is providing ideas and resources for things that are having a huge impact on the town of Xenacoj. Dave also shared his families’ story about their decision to sell everything they owned in North Carolina including their home and business and to move their entire family to Guatemala two years ago.
As we talked, Dave talked about our expectations for God. He says that we often limit God through our expectations and dreams. We expect God to fill our pint size hopes and dreams when God is actually capable of filling ocean size hopes and dreams. It was a reminder that we need to dream big. I wrote about this earlier when I talked about building a house in Guatemala. This gave me a taste of this. I could have just sought out enough money to go on the trip, but I decided to see if we could build a house through The Stretched Community. I wonder even in that thought if I my expectations were too limited.
What would happen if we really dreamed bigger – if we realized that God is able to do far more than we could ever imagine?
Here are some of the ideas that come to mind for me:
- A family missions trip this summer to Xenacoj with other families. No, a lifetime of Kingdom Journeys that change families both here in America and around the world.
- Another house built by and through the Stretched Community. No, a real Stretched Community built by and through The Stretched Blog and The Stretched Community.
- A book. No, ten books!
It’s my prayer that you and I would wake up to the vast love and power of a God who is able to do far more that we could imagine. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 makes more sense to me now than ever:
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(Ephesians 3:14-21)
Seriously, how are you putting limits on your dreams? How can you enlarge your dreams? What is one area where you need to grasp how wide and long and high and deep God’s love is for you? What’s your dream – is it pint-sized or ocean-sized?
Ice Breaker – Are You Ready For Some Football?
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
With fall comes football – high school football, college football, and professional football. It can be a fun time of year especially if your team is doing well. This week’s ice breaker is all about football. If you’re not a football fan, it’s okay. Give us your best answer anyway
My college intramural football team after a muddy game and an amazing victory!
Question: What is your favorite football team – college or professional or both?
My Answer: I’ve lived in the Philadelphia area since the summer of 1980. The year we moved here the Eagles went to the Superbowl. It was hard not for me to become a fan of my local team. It’s been a tough roller coaster ride since then. One of these years, we’ll not only make it back to the Superbowl, but we’ll win it! My backup professional team has always been the Chicago Bears. My family lived in the Chicago area before we moved to the Philadelphia area. Walter Payton was my favorite player then, and he’s still my favorite all-time player.
As for college football, this won’t win be many points outside of Pennsylvania, but I’m a Penn State fan. I graduated from Penn State with my MBA in 2006. It hasn’t been a fun year for our fans, but I’m hopeful for the future. If it’s division three, I’ll be cheering for Grove City College. They don’t make the news for the football program very often, but they’re my team. If you look up college football rushing records, you’ll find that R.J. Bowers set several all-division rushing records at Grove City College several years ago.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Take Time To Reflect
Last night, our Guatemala missions team got together at our house for a reunion. It was fun to have “Guatemalan” cuisine, to watch some of the video footage from our trip, and to hang out with these teenagers who changed my life just over a month ago.
I think it was appropriate for our team to have five or six weeks to gain perspective on our trip. And I think it was important that we reunited for an opportunity to reflect and reminisce on the nine days we spent together in a foreign land this summer.
Since returning home, I have definitely fallen back into the rat race of “normal” life at home with a job, two active kids, two dogs, and a generally non-stop schedule. I get to reflect a little each day through my blog – which is certainly a place to start. Yet it often feels like I have little time to stop and think. It’s so important that we take time to reflect.
Eastern University professor and notes sociologist, Tony Campolo, did a study several years ago. The study asked several elderly people a question like this: If you could live your life differently knowing what you know now, what would it look like? Nearly all of them responded the same way. They would risk more, and they would reflect more.
This is something I want to learn from. I’m certainly not a big risk taker. I’m very methodical in how I approach most of my life. Maybe the first risky move for me is to learn to take a risk. Taking a leap of faith is part of this, and my trip to Guatemala was certainly a leap of faith for me.
The other part of this answer involves reflection. Part of me posting over and over again about my trip to Guatemala is an exercise in reflection. I don’t want to forget the things God showed me through this experience. I certainly don’t want to stop living, but I think it’s a good practice to stop long enough to reflect.
So where does one start? I think there are a few places to begin the process of reflection.
- Keep a journal. Keep it by your bed at night and with you during the day. Write down thoughts that come to mind as you go throughout your day or as you struggle to sleep.
- Start a blog. Blogging provides another platform for sharing your reflections. For me, I get to share my stretch marks right here for e world to read.
- Schedule time to get away from the busyness of life. This could be an afternoon in the park or a weekend camping. Make it a point to remove distractions.
- Get away from the electronic toys and gadgets. I’ll admit that this can be a struggle for me at times, but I have found freedom and refreshment from times of detox from the digital world.
- Meet up with a friend or two on a regular basis. Share with each other. Expressing in words the life going on around us can be a major part of processing – of reflection. This morning, I’m excited to meet up with two friends of mine for breakfast. This will give us a great opportunity to reflect on how God has blessed us with great friendships and on life since we last met together.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
What would you add to this list? How do you foster reflection in your own life?
Another Family Milestone – Our Daughter Heads to High School
Today marks a huge milestone in our family. Hannah, our daughter and oldest child, starts high school. How did that happen?
Are we as parents ready for this? I’m not sure.
Is Hannah ready? That’s another story. She’s definitely ready!
She’s been practicing with the cross-country team for several weeks. And she ran her first couple of scrimmage meets this past week.
She had already moved up to the high school youth group at church. This move-up made her eligible to participate in the missions trip to Guatemala a month ago. It was in Guatemala where it was made clear that she is ready for this transition. She mixed in with the rest of the upperclassmen. She knew as much or more Spanish than anyone else on the trip, and she was able to stand on the same level spiritually with the other kids on the trip.
There was a moment on the trip that will forever be etched in my memory. In this moment, Hannah stood on her own as a caring, compassionate young woman. When we finished building the house, our group held a dedication service with the family. At this service, we gave the family the keys to the house. We gave them a Bible signed by our team. And we prayed with them. At one point, Hannah pulled out her notebook. I didn’t know this was coming (and I’m not sure if anyone else knew either). Hannah had written out several words to share with the family. I’m not sure what these words were since my Spanish is pretty weak, but I could tell the family was impressed and touched by what Hannah shared with them.
Photo by Kaleigh Rank: The moment that will be etched in my memory forever.
And so, we arrive at today – her first day of high school. I have such confidence and hope in Hannah’s future. I know she’ll have her ups and downs. But I’m a proud parent. I’m thankful for this day! I can’t wait to see what happens in Hannah’s next four years.
Do you remember your first year in high school? How about your first day? What do you remember about being a freshman?