3 Thumbs Up! April 14th, 2012

I’m back in Pennsylvania, and it’s time for the third installment of 3 Thumbs Up!  Without further delay, here are my three thumbs up for this week:

Thumbs Up Number 1:  Caine’s Arcade.  I just learned about this today thanks to the wonderful blog world and tylerstanton.com, and I think if you watch this video all the way through you’ll agree that this deserves a huge thumbs up.

Thumbs Up Number 2:  Life Of A Steward Podcast.  By now, you know that I’m a huge podcast fan.  A new podcast that has caught my attention and deserves a thumbs up is the Life Of A Steward Podcast.  In each episode, Loren Pinilis shares insights into how to make the most of our time.  So far, Loren has released six episodes.  I’m looking forward to the next one already!

Thumbs Up Number 3:  Big B.  Big B is a blog written by my friend Brandon Gilliland.  Brandon is a medical student with a heart for amplifying God’s kingdom.  He has a huge heart for sharing and encouraging.  He has recently written a couple of blog posts about blogging and quality content that have struck a chord with me.  I’m excited to see how God will use Brandon and his Big B blog in the days, weeks, and years to come.

What have you come across this week that deserves a thumbs up?  Let us know in the comments.

Ice Breaker – My Hometown

Stretched Ice Breaker Friday has arrived!  For those of you who are new around here, each Friday, I ask an “ice breaker” question.  These questions are designed to help us get to know each other.  Typically, I answer the question first in the post (below), and you answer the question by leaving a comment with your answer.  So here goes….

Question:  When people say the name of your hometown or area, what comes to mind?  In other words, what’s the big deal about your town, city, community?

My answer:  I live in a small suburb on the north-west side of Philadelphia, PA.  My town hosts the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival.  The “Folk Fest” has played host to many famous folk “stars” like Arlo Guthrie.  The festival takes place at the Old Poole Farm which is located right off the Perkiomen Trail.  I’ve run and biked by the festival several times, but I’ve never attended myself.  The festival runs for a few days every August.  You can stop by for the day, or you can camp out for the entire weekend.  Apparently, it’s kind of like Woodstock on a smaller level.  One of these years, I’ll have to check it out!

There you have it.  That was pretty simple.  Now, it’s your turn.  Leave your answer to this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker question in the comments.  I’m looking forward to hearing about your hometown.

Top 10 Things NOT To Do On An Airplane

With the terrorism on airplanes over the past several years and the heightened security, air travel has become less enjoyable.  Following our recent trip to Dallas, TX, I was thinking of a more humorous list of things NOT to do on an airplane.  Here’s what I came up with:

1.  Get up to go to the bathroom as soon as the plane takes off.  (Don’t you know that the fasten seat belt light is still on?)

2.  Ring the call button every ten minutes.

3.  When the flight attendant comes to check on you point to someone else in your row.  (“I didn’t press the button.”)

4.  Yell “Quiet” or “Shut Up” whenever you hear a baby crying.

5.  Aisle bowling.  (Wouldn’t this be fun though?)

6.  Stand up and shout, “Chinese Fire Drill!”

7.  Clog the toilet in the airplane bathroom.

8.  Move your seat back and forth over and over again.

9.  Order a drink that is not in the list of available beverages.  (“Can I have a decaf caramel latte?”)

10.  Pretend you’re Alec Baldwin and refuse to stop playing Words with Friends after the warning to put away all electronic devices.  (This is a fast way to be removed from the plane.)

I’m sure you have some more items that could be added to the list.  Share them here!

Sleepwalking

Last night, I had a strange thing happen to me.  I walked in my sleep.  I haven’t done this since I was a kid (as far as I know).  It’s an odd feeling to wake up in front of a window.  I must have been struggling to open the window in my sleep.  When I woke up, I had just opened the window.  I don’t remember walking over to the window.  I’m not even sure how I got over there.  I just know I was standing there when I woke up.  The whole thing was kind of weird!

Did you know that sleepwalking is mentioned in the Bible?

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul talks about sleepwalking:

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. I Thessalonians 5:5-6 (NIV)

But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.  I Thessalonians 5:4-8 (The Message)

What’s Paul saying here?  He’s encouraging Christ followers to be awake – to be alert.  He’s teaching us not to coast through life asleep or even drunk.  It can be easy to go with the flow.  We need to live with intention.  We need to live like it makes a difference.  We need to stop walking in our sleep.

I’m not sure why I walked in my sleep last night (other than I was pretty tired), but I know it was good to be reminded of Paul’s teaching.  It’s time to wake up!

Have you ever walked in your sleep?  Share your sleepwalking story with the rest of us.

Thanksgiving in April

Yesterday, our family took the DART train to the West End Historic District in Dallas, TX to take in the sites and sounds.  We saw the Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza where John F. Kennedy was shot.  We saw the Old Red Museum.  We also saw the John F. Kennedy Memorial, the log cabin in Founders Plaza, and Rosa Parks Plaza.  It was exciting to visit each of these places as we walked through this area, but the highlight for each of us was the visit to Thanksgiving Square.

Thanksgiving Square was built in 1977 as a place to remind everyone to be thankful.  In the square, there are several water fountains, a Norman Rockwell mosaic, a bell tower, and a few structures designed to focus your attention on gratitude.  As I walked through the Golden Ring of Thanksgiving, I gave thanks for my family, my kids, and my wonderful wife.  I thanked God for restored health for Leanne and for a return to normalcy.

After we ate lunch in the square, we entered Thanksgiving Hall where we were greeted by friends of my dad.  My dad had served on an interfaith council that met in this location.  Several of the council members were there following a regular meeting.  They each greeted my dad so warmly.  As we chatted with our new friends, we learned a bit about the council and about Thanksgiving Square.  Did you know that seven countries around the world celebrate a Thanksgiving Day?  Did you know that the first Thanksgiving in Texas occurred in May of 1541?  We learned these facts and more as we walked through the hall.

Finally, we ended our visit by walking up the spiral sidewalk to the entrance of Thanksgiving Square Chapel.  The chapel includes a spiral display of stained glass designed to focus your attention upward.  Since we were by ourselves, we all laid down on the floor and looked straight up at the spiral ceiling.  What a wonderful way to end our vacation in Texas – with Thanksgiving in April!

What are you thankful for today?

Book Review: Raising A Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

Two months ago, I picked up a copy of Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father’s Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis at the Weekend to Remember FamilyLife marriage conference that Leanne and I attended in Hershey, PA.  During my vacation to Texas, I had a chance to finish reading the book, so I thought I would share my thoughts.

If you are a dad, you need to read this book!

How’s that for a statement?  The book is written as a guide and encouragement for fathers to help guide their son’s and son-in-law’s into authentic manhood.  In today’s world of gender equality, the title and subject matter of this book may seem old-fashioned and out of touch with the culture.  But when you open up the pages of this book and begin to uncover the teachings and truths developed by Lewis, you’ll discover a father who takes his role as a father seriously.

In Raising A Modern-Day Knight, Lewis shares his own journey of defining manhood with two other fathers.  He describes the method they used to ceremonially transform their boys to men.  Lewis gives practical tips and shows how dads like you and me can do the same thing for our boys.  He also gives hope and encouragement to fathers who may feel like it’s too late for them.

I finished reading this book encouraged, inspired, and motivated to take my role as a father more seriously.  I’m excited to return home this week where I can begin to develop my own strategy for being more intentional in working with other fathers to transform our boys into modern-day knights.

I highly recommend this book!  (This book gets 5 Stretch Marks out of 5.)

How are you being intentional in your parenting these days?  How were your parents intentional in raising you?  Give us some examples in the comments.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from The Stretched Blogger!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.  But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.  Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.  Luke 24:1-12

3 Thumbs Up! Dallas Edition

This week, I’m visiting my parents in Dallas, TX.  There are many things about being here that make you feel like you’re in another country – the culture, the people, the sports teams, etc.  All in all, Dallas is a good place to visit.  The people are friendly.  And the weather is great this time of year.

Last week, I tried something new with the first ever 3 Thumbs Up! post.  I’m going to try it again this weekend with a little Texas flair.  Here goes:

Thumbs Up Number 1:  Dave’s Ghost Pepper Jolokia Sauce.  My youngest brother is apparently following in the footsteps of my middle brother.  They both love hot sauce.  Upon our arrival in Dallas, my Mom and my brother combined to make some delicious pizza.  My brother, Erik, thought it would be a good idea to bring out the Ghost Pepper Sauce for his brother and his nephew to try out on their pizza.  Wow!  This stuff is good, but you only need a drop or two.  Don’t overdo it!

Thumbs Up Number 2:  Fiesta Mart.  We took a field trip yesterday afternoon to the local Fiesta to take in the grocery shopping experience from a Hispanic perspective.  Where else can you buy edible cactus, 25 pound tubs of lard, pig stomach, and an endless supply of tortillas?  The people in the store were extremely friendly as we walked through the store obviously out-of-place.  It’s hard to get the whole experience without actually being there to hear the music that plays over the PA system.  Our daughter who has a developing love of the Spanish language especially enjoyed the experience.

Thumbs Up Number 3:  Arny Sanchez. Arny is a blogger from the great state of Texas, and he has become a great friend through the blog world.  He has been writing for a while on The Analogous Truth blog where he uses pop-culture to point people to Christ.  I highly recommend heading over to his blog to see what’s new.  Arny has also been working on a new creative writing project called The Storied Soul.  Each week, Arny adds a new chapter to his story – a story which may leave you on the edge of your seat.  Go check out Arny’s stuff.  You won’t be disappointed.

What’s going on in your world that deserves a thumbs up?  Drop it in the comments, so we can all enjoy!

The Stretched Blog Pays Another Visit to FaithVillage

FaithVillage picked up another one of my blog posts.  Stop by the post.  Like it.  Share it.  Leave a comment.  This is a re-post of my blog post from a few weeks ago titled Multiplying Small Group Ministry.

Ice Breaker – Good Friday

Time for a quick Stretched Ice Breaker question to get your Friday going.  This is when I ask a question, and we all answer it.  I’ll leave my answer here in the post, and you can leave your answer in the comments.  Check back at the end of the day to see how everyone else answered the question.

Ready?

Question:  What’s good for you today?

Answer:  So today’s question is a bit more wide open than normal.  But today is Good Friday.  I couldn’t resist.  What’s good for me today?  I’m thankful to have a few days off.  I’m actually on vacation visiting my parents and my brother.  It’s been good to be away from the hustle and bustle of life as we know it in PA.  And it’s been good to visit with my folks.  Yesterday, we did some geocaching by White Rock Lake, and we went to my folks’ church for Maundy Thursday.  Today, we’re heading into my brother’s restaurant to see where he works, and we’ll be heading back to church tonight for Good Friday service.  All this is good!

So there, you have it.  My answer is simple.  Now, it’s your turn.  Share your answer in the comments.