Jon Stolpe
Author Archives: Jon Stolpe

I Don’t Want to be a Pharisee

I don’t want to be a Pharisee!

In Matthew, Jesus speaks out warning against the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.  He calls them hypocrites and snakes.  He calls them out for saying one thing but doing another thing.  He scolds them for falsely teaching others – for taking the law out of context and missing the point of the law.

We don’t have Pharisees today, but we do have preachers, teachers, and lay people who do the very things for which Jesus accused the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.  I don’t want to be like that.

As a father, I find that this is the biggest area where I struggle with this.  I want to be the best example for my kids.  I want to teach them in words, and I want to lead by my actions.  Unfortunately, I don’t always get this right.  I fail.  I don’t follow through.  I lack consistency at times.  I tell them to watch what they eat while I grab a bowl of ice cream for myself.  I tell them to get a good nights sleep while I burn the candle at both ends.

God, may the thoughts in my heart and mind, the words of my mouth, and my actions please and honor you!

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19:14

Are you a hypocrite?  Come clean.  What action can you take today to end your hypocrisy?

The Kid Stretches Me – Guest Post by Tom Tarver

Today, A Curious Band Of Others visits The Stretched Blog.  I’m honored to present guest blogger Tom Tarver.  Tom writes about the daily struggles to hear and to do—the building on the rock foundation process—to those who dream bigger dreams about being the church, the body of Christ in motion.  After you read his post below, swing over to his blog and check things out.  Add A Curious Band Of Others to your regular reading.

(If you have a STRETCHED story to share, drop me a comment so we can connect.)

My young friend Richard looked like he’d finished an Ironman Triathlon—face buried in his arms, legs like jelly. There would be no more basketball for him today.

“The first day is always the hardest,” I said. “You’ll feel better after a few days.” I hoped he’d show up again but had my doubts.

Between gasps, he said, “I haven’t played basketball in three years.”

I headed back out to the court for the next game and figured I’d had my last conversation with Richard for the day, perhaps even for the week. Shoot, maybe even the year.

I was wrong on all accounts. Richard trotted out for the morning’s last game. In the final moments, he lunged to save an escaping basketball and tipped it in my direction. I turned and swooshed the game winner.

Richard surpassed all my expectations because I underestimated him in a big way. I shouldn’t by now; because he made a number of exceptional plays on the football team I coached and hustled his heart out on our softball team.

He doesn’t look the part of an athlete—he’s whippet thin but tortoise slow. When players ran routes in full pads, I could distinguish Richard from the other skinny receivers by his foot speed. Forget a stopwatch. You need to clock Richard with a calendar.

But here’s the thing about Richard. He sticks to it (whatever it is—football, softball, basketball, etc.). And I admire him for his resolve. He just doesn’t quit. I’ve seen better, more talented athletes who would be exceptional if they had Richard’s heart.

Richard’s friendship serves to remind me of the prophet Samuel’s visit to Jesse’s home. He came looking to anoint a king and based his initial judgment on appearances. God had another standard.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Jesus also spoke about appearances. In John 5, we read about Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath. In John 7, He’s confronted by the Jewish religious leaders. He knows they want to kill Him, have wanted to ever since the Sabbath-day healing, and will kill Him in due time. In that context, Jesus says, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24 NIV).

So here are a few takeaway thoughts that stretch me.

1) Value people. Jesus valued people above rules and regulations. He knew the Law was important. In truth, the Law flowed out of God’s character. But why? Because God loves and values people.

2) Go deeper. You know the saying. “Beauty is only skin deep.” I can see skin deep with my physical eyes, but I can’t see any further than that. Everything I take in visually—what he wears, how she fixes her hair, his height, her complexion, etc.—is mere appearance. Hollywood has built a successful industry primarily on eye appeal. But for us, living in obedience to the Lord, we must go deeper than the skin.

3) Gaze upon the heart. How many times have you assigned a motive to another person because he angered you? How many times have you stopped a conversation with “That’s stupid” or something worse? Whether I’ve said it or not, I’ve certainly thought it. To get to the heart of a person or a matter, I have to slow down and think. For me, that means gaze instead of glimpse.

What’s true for me in relation to Richard remains true for me in my relationship with God. I must go deeper than my circumstances, whether good or bad, to know God’s heart. I must gaze upon Him in Scripture, in worship, and in life to understand the depth of His love for me. Even then, I may only get a glimpse of His glory. But, with God, a glimpse is more than I deserve and more than enough.

Questions: What kind of person does God use to stretch you?

You Are Here

 

I took this picture last year while on a Cub Scout field trip to the Franklin Institute.  This sign was located in a stairwell between exhibits.  I just thought it was funny.  What can I say?  This is my humor, and you’re stuck with it if you’re still reading my blog.

As I think about the sign, “You Are Here,” I think it’s a good reminder for me.  Sometimes, it can be easy to get stuck in our past –  where we dwell on either our victories or defeats.  Let’s face it, we often like the way things were just because that’s what we’re used to.  Does that make sense?

On the other hand, sometimes, it can be easy to get caught up in the worries (and hopes) of the future.  I think it’s good to have hopes and dreams and to go after them.  But sometimes, we deal with anxiety because we’re so focused on what might happen in the future.  We are crippled by questions which have answers that are out of our control.

As I think about this, two passages come to mind:

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46:10

“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 than food, and the body more than clothes?  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?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  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?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:25-34

These offer great reminders to rejoice in today – this moment in time when the past is in the past, and God holds the future in His hands.

I am here.  Where are you?

Unplugged

I took the weekend off.

I basically unplugged from the blog world.

There was not a regular Stretched Week in Review post this weekend.

I didn’t read any blogs.  And I didn’t even work on my own blog.

Hard to believe?  For me, yes is hard to believe.

There was too much living to do this weekend.  This is what occupied my time this weekend:  Jazz Festival on Friday night, running on Saturday morning (along with a few errands), Groundhog Day party on Saturday afternoon, basketball game late Saturday afternoon, The Mousetrap at The Walnut Street Theater on Saturday night, church, and a surprise 40th birthday party for one of my good friends.

There really wasn’t a lot of time for much else.

It was good to unplug for a couple of days.  As bloggers, we (or I) can get so consumed by what comes next on our (my) blog posts.  We’re always looking for ways to tie real life into our (my) blogs.  Sometimes, we need to put our (my) blogs aside, so we (I) can just live.

I had fun doing that this weekend.

What did you do this weekend?  Have you “unplugged” recently?

Ice Breaker – Verse of the Day

Today’s question is simple.  For those of you who are new or who forgot, ice breaker questions are used to help people get to know each other – to “break the ice” so to speak.  I love hearing what other people have to say and how they think.  So for today, I’m excited to throw out another simple ice breaker question.  I’ll answer it first, then it’s your turn.  Answer the question by leaving a comment for us all to enjoy.  Thanks!

Question:  What is your favorite Bible verse?  Or what verse have you been hanging onto lately?

Simple question; simple answer.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Colossians 4:2-6

So there you have it, my answer to the question.  Now it’s your turn….I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got to say!

Stretched Perspective

I don’t like change.

I’m a man of routine and discipline.  I get up at 4:40AM.  I spend time in God’s Word.  I read.  I blog.  I exercise.  I eat a bowl of cereal.  I shower and get ready for work.  I drive the same way to the office.  And my day continues.

It drives me crazy when things get switched around with the patterns that exist in my life.

I came home from work last night excited to see my family and hungry for dinner.  We were having leftovers which doesn’t bother me at all.  In fact, I like to eat the same things we ate earlier in the week.  (I usually eat the same exact thing for lunch every day – yogurt, cheese stick, granola bar, and two pieces of fruit.)

When we sat down for dinner, I was “directed” away from MY normal seat at the dinner table to a new seat.  My wife said I needed a change in perspective.  I’ll admit that I was reluctant to sit anywhere besides MY normal spot at the table.  But I have also come to realize that a change in perspective can STRETCH me to experience new things, to see things that I would normally miss, and to walk in other people’s shoes.

My “new” spot at the dinner table wasn’t all that bad – except for the glass of water my son spilled on me.  We joked that my new perspective was a wet perspective.

How can you change your perspective today?  How could a change in perspective change things for you?  How could this change STRETCH you?

Stretching To A New Focus – Guest Post by Leah Adams

Today, The Stretched Blog features guest blogger, Leah Adams.  Leah blogs over at The Point.  I’m grateful to share Leah’s story about how she feels STRETCHED these days.  As always, stop over to her blog after you read her post.  Become one of her regular readers.  Leah’s bio and contact information are at the bottom of this post.

(If you are feeling that STRETCHING feeling these days, I’d love to share your STRETCHING experience here.  Drop me a line if you’re interested in becoming a guest blogger.)

I think God is the originator of the concept of stretching. He never lets us be comfortable for very long before He sends us a challenge designed to stretch our faith in Him.

So it is with me and the ministry He called me to several years ago. My passion is speaking. Specifically, my passion is teaching the Word of God. The focus of that passion has been speaking to women about the love and grace of Jesus. That is what God has allowed me to do for the past four years.

Now, it seems that He has decided it is time for Leah to S-T-R-E-E-E-E-T-C-H. In the past year the Lord has sparked a fire in my heart for young men and women in the 16 to 29 age range. Why this group? Probably, because this is a hugely unreached group with regard to the church. It all started when I read David Kinnaman’s book entitled unchristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters. Peeps, we are losing this generation of young people from the church and it is primarily because we, in the church, often do not act like Christ would have acted. We don’t love like Christ. We don’t care like Christ. Because of that, WE are driving young people away from the church by the thousands.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to become involved with a couple who do ministry to international students studying in the US. Oh my word! My eyes were opened to a huge, wide open mission field. There are thousands of students from other countries studying in the United States and over 90% of them are never inside an American home. What a missed opportunity to share Jesus’ love!

These students are eager to learn about American culture and engage with American people, yet, we never take the time to get to know them, show them we care, be there for them if they have a problem. We could so easily be surrogate family to these students who are thousands of miles away from home, yet the church of Jesus is often oblivious to them.

There is a small, four year college very near my home in rural northern Georgia. I called over to the admissions office one day in the fall of 2011 and asked if they had any international students. I figured I was wasting my time, but felt the urging of the Lord to call, so I did. I was stunned when they told me they had 38 international students. Thirty eight international students right on my doorstep! My heart did back-flips.

My Tuesday morning Bible study ladies and I have begun to engage with these students. We took them goodies bags during fall semester final exams. We did a meet and greet with them. In late February we plan to do a bonfire and marshmallow roast for them. A bowling trip. Provide rides to the grocery for them. Movie night. Anything we can do to show them friendship and love is what we plan to do.

Last week I sat with one young man—and when I say young man, I mean probably 18 years old at the most—who had been at the local college for only 2 weeks. He was a soft-spoken runner from Kenya. We talked about how he likes America, his scholarship to run, and when he would go back home to visit. He told me he would not go back for 5 years. FIVE STINKING YEARS without seeing his family! I nearly bawled right in front of him. He is just a baby and he will be in a strange foreign country where he knows no one for 5 years. He held back tears as we spoke, too.

Ya’ll, this is low hanging fruit as far as I am concerned. These young men and women are so hungry for love and family. To show the love of Jesus to these students is my new passion and it is how God is S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G me.

How have you been STRETCHED in your focus recently?

BIO

Leah describes herself as the “prodigal son’s sister” after spending several years walking far from the Lord in her twenties. Helping others understand the grace that is offered by Jesus to anyone who will accept it is the passion of Leah’s heart. In a works-based and failure-prone society, grace is a concept that many people have difficulty grasping and Leah’s speaking and writing ministry, called The Point Ministries, seeks to point others straight to Jesus and his amazing grace.

An anointed speaker and communicator, Leah lives in northern Georgia with her husband, Greg, who is also her dentist. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Mercer University School of Pharmacy. Leah is a CLASS certified speaker and is the author of a Bible study for ladies entitled, From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy. She writes for Internet Café Devotions, CBN.com and Christianparenting.org. Visit Leah at her ministry website at www.leahadams.org. Find Leah on Facebook at Leah Colwell Adams and on Twitter (@PointMinistries).

Who’s [on] First?

I love the Abbott and Costello skit where the comedy pair go back and forth about the names of baseball players on a team.  The skit starts and ends with “Who’s on first!”

The skit is very funny, and it’s what initially comes to mind when I think of Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 19 and 20…

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.  Matthew 19:30

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.  Matthew 20:16

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.  Matthew 20:26-27

Clearly, Jesus is calling His followers to serve others.  Three times in a short period, Jesus tells His followers to pursue being last.  This is so contrary to our society where everyone is driven to outdo and out-position each other.  Jesus tells us to serve others and we will naturally (or supernaturally) gain the first position.

I’m an extremely competitive person, I strive to win.  I strive to be number one.  I strive to be first.  Reading these words in Matthew a few days ago provided a great reminder for me personally.  I’m sure I’ve written about it in the past, but it’s so easy to put myself first.  When people ask the question, “Who’s first?”  I admittedly want the answer to be Jon Stolpe.

Selfish.  Prideful.  Short-sighted.

Interestingly, the things we (I) strive for first place in are often shallow.  They are things that fade away – things that don’t last.  Jesus’ words point towards things that matter – things that are eternal – things that don’t make sense to the “Me First” generation.  Great reminders for me today.

Getting back to Abbott and Costello, who’s [on] first in your life today?


Stolpe Superbowl Scavenger Hunt

Our 1st Photo Stop of our Scavenger Hunt - PV Middle School West

On Saturday morning, our family was trying to pick a movie that we could all see together that night.  We couldn’t agree.  Leanne and I wanted to see Warhorse.  Hannah and Isaac didn’t want to see Warhorse.  Isaac wanted to see anything 3D.  Hannah didn’t offer any suggestions.  At the end of the discussion, I wasn’t real keen on spending a fair amount of money going to the theaters to see a movie that we didn’t all want to see.  So my brain started spinning…

Leanne and I wanted to make sure we had some quality family time.  How could we make this happen without breaking the bank?  For some reason, an idea popped in my head.  Why don’t we host a family scavenger hunt?  We could create a list that we could search for in our area.  We could invite other families to join in our fun.  And we could end the hunt with ice cream back at our house.  (Leanne says that my idea was just a plot to get ice cream.)

The idea seemed to interest everyone in the family, so we started calling around to some friends.  We even posted an invitation on Facebook.  A couple of families expressed interest initially, but the short notice was definitely a deterrent.  So…it was just us – The Stolpe Family.

The kids kept asking if we should just cancel the event.  Isaac was actually pretty grumpy as we piled in the car to start our scavenger hunt, but as the night went on our family began to have a fun time together.  We drove around within a 5-10 mile radius of our home gathering different items and taking family pictures at different locations.  We ended up at our local Dairy Queen where we enjoyed ice cream together (Leanne didn’t seem to mind the ice cream ending).  It was a fun night!  Next time, we’ll provide more notice, so other families can join in the fun.

Here are some of the items that were on our scavenger hunt list:

  • Moccia’s Train Stop takeout menu
  • 1971 penny
  • Family Picture at Perkiomen Valley Middle School West
  • Ortino’s takeout menu
  • chopsticks
  • Family Picture at Schwenksville Post Office
  • Chinese restaurant takeout menu
  • ketchup packet
  • Family Picture at Schwenksville Elementary School
  • Perkiomen Trail map

Did you do something fun this Superbowl weekend?  What creative family activities/ideas can you share to help the rest of the Stretched Community?

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