Jon Stolpe
Jon Stolpe
Meet Irwin
Our family has grown in the last couple of weeks. No, Leanne and I did not have another child. But we did add another dog to the mix right before Christmas. Irwin is a golden retriever and Labrador mix, and I believe he turns 9 weeks old today. He’s not your normal 9 week old family dog. Irwin has a purpose, and we only get to have him for a short period of time. You see, Irwin is a Seeing Eye puppy. He was bred to help a blind person. As puppy raisers, we will have Irwin until he is 12-18 months old. Our job is to get him house broken, teach him a couple of basic things (sit, come, etc.), and to get him exposed to public places as much as possible. From there, Irwin will return to The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ where he will go through 8 months of intense training. This is when he’ll learn the skills required to guide a blind person. At the end of his training, he will go through a final exam and health check to make sure he’s ready to go to work. Assuming he passes, he will be matched up with a blind person. They will work together for a month up at the school before they are sent home to live and work together.
The whole new dog thing has definitely added a chaos to our home, but it has also been fun. Hannah is the official puppy raiser, and she has been doing an unbelievable job. She takes him out to “park” whenever it’s time for him to go. She lets Irwin sleep by her bed at night. And she wakes up early to make sure he gets outside before any accidents. If Hannah does this twice before she graduates high school, she’ll be eligible for a scholarship from The Seeing Eye. So it’s likely that this won’t be the last new puppy we’ll see in our house.
Many people have asked, “how can you raise the puppy for a year and let it go?” That’s a great question. I’m sure it will be tough to say goodbye to Irwin when the time comes, but it will be easier to release him knowing that he has a purpose. As parents, we have a similar experience with our kids. Sure we get them for more than a year, and those 18 or so years can be filled with all kinds of ups and downs, but I think it’s important to realize that we have influence and responsibility over our children for a relatively short period time. In essence, they are on loan from God. There comes a time when we must release them for their greater, God-given purpose. And so, Irwin reminds me of this. I want to make the most of the time with my kids while they’re under my roof, and I want to release when the time comes them knowing full well that God has a purpose for them.
Have you ever had to release someone or something in order to pursue a higher calling or purpose? What made this transition easy or hard?
December 2011 Top Posts
We’ve reached the end of another month. December was the BEST month so far at Jon Stolpe Stretched. Traffic on the blog increased slightly by over 500 page views since November and by almost 300 page views since the previous record month (September 2011)! Comments continued to roll-in. And new people joined in the conversation and community. The blog added TWELVE new subscribers, and the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Page attracted a couple of new followers in its fourth month. Here are the top 10 posts and top 3 commentors for the month:
Top 10 Posts
1. On Fire
2. Ice Breaker – Christmas Movies (the new #1 Ice Breaker question)
3. Ice Breaker – Christmas Songs and Carols
4. Surprise!!!
5. Our Christmas Ornament Tradition
6. Ice Breaker – On The 13th Day Of Christmas What Gift Are You Hoping to Get
7. Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know (originally posted on October 24, 2011)
9. Leaders Are Readers – Creating My Reading List For 2012
10. It’s 40!
Top 3 Commentors (We blew by the 1,500th comment mark this month!)
1. Larry Carter (for the 2nd month in a row!)
3. Bill Grandi
I now have 32 regular subscribers. If you’d like to become a subscriber, see the “Join the Stretched Community” window on your right. It’s great to see this starting to take off.
Thank you to all of you for reading and contributing to the blog and to the reader community. I continue to grow a lot through this experience. *** This month, the top commentor will receive a copy of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Get your comments in for an opportunity to win!!! ***
As always, I love to share your “stretching” stories on my blog, so leave me a comment if you’re interested in being a guest blogger on Jon Stolpe Stretched. As a side note, I’d love to see guest bloggers in the monthly top 10 list!
Finally, if you’re a blogger, how did your blog to this month? What was your top post? What was your favorite post?
2011 in review (according to WordPress)
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,200 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Happy New Year!
Hello, Stretched Readers.
Welcome to 2012!
As I type this, it is 12:34 AM (EST), and I am getting ready to pick up the kids from a New Year’s Eve celebration at our church.
As I think about 2011, I am so thankful for many milestones…continued healing for my wife, 15 years of marriage, 15 years at Siemens, two growing kids, my 40th birthday, a marathon, and many happy memories with family and friends – including new friends made via the blogging community. I can honestly say that 2011 was a great year.
I don’t know what 2012 has in store. I believe it is promising! As I make my plans and goals for 2012, my prayer is that they would be God’s plans. I want to grow closer to God in 2012. I want to pray bigger and bolder prayers in 2012. And I want to honor God more in 2012.
That’s all, I’ve got! Happy New Year!
I can’t wait to see what happens this year!
New Year’s Eve 2011 Week In Review…
It’s been a different week here at the Stretched blog. The holidays have provided a great opportunity to catch up with family, to relax, and to regroup for 2012. The traffic to the Stretched Blog was a little lower than the past few weeks, but that was expected. On the positive, December 2011 has been the best month (by far) since the blog started! Thank you!
Here’s the rundown on the posts for the week:
Tuesday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 2 – Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
Wednesday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 1 – Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
Thursday: Book Review: Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson
Friday (this actually posted Saturday do to a visit to me by the stomach flu): Ice Breaker – Resolutions
I am so thankful for your continued contribution to the blog through comments. Your comments are what makes this Stretched Community! Please remember to take the time to Subscribe to the blog, so you can have Stretched delivered daily to your e-mail inbox. Also, don’t forget to stop by the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook fan page. Become a fan to keep up with some additional Stretched stuff. I have started to share more blog highlights from other blogs that I read regularly. I think you’ll find some great stuff here. Thanks!
I’m really excited about this upcoming week as we roll into 2012! I’ll be guest posting on a blog or two, and I’ll have more stuff right here. Please stop back so you can see what’s going on here!
How about you? How was your week? If you’re a blogger what happened over your way this week? Did you read any great blog posts this week? Share with the rest of us!
Ice Breaker – Resolutions
Okay, here it is! The last ice breaker question of 2011! I started these ice breaker questions a couple of months ago, and I’ve been amazed at the popularity and response. The Ice Breaker question a few weeks ago about Christmas movies is one of the top posts all-time on The Stretched Blog. 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 New Year’s themed 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: Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, what’s one of your New Year’s resolutions? If not, why?
My Answer: Here you go….
If you’ve been reading for a while, you may have noticed or you may have heard me share that I’m a goal oriented person. I love to set goals and to see where they take me. So…it shouldn’t be a surprise that I like the opportunity to set new goals for the year ahead. I usually set personal fitness goals, spiritual growth goals, leadership goals, church goals, marriage goals, family goals, financial goals, and personal growth goals. I’ll share a goal from my personal growth area. I’d like to read at least one book per month in 2012. For the avid readers out there, this doesn’t sound very challenging. But I’m not the average avid reader, I’m pretty slow and deliberate with my reading. So reading one book per month will be a decent challenge. I am currently reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, and I think I may finish this before the new year, so this doesn’t count. I’m looking to focus my reading in a few areas: small groups, leadership, and spiritual growth. I couple books that I’m looking forward to reading this year are: Community Is Messy (a soon to be released book by Heather Zempel), Community: Taking Your Small Group Off Of Life Support by Brad House, and EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey.
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!
Book Review: Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson
Several months ago, I received a free copy of Rumors of God from Brandon Gilliland (Thanks, Brandon!) as a prize for reading and commenting on his blog. I love this time of the year as it gives me a chance to catch up on some reading. I finally finished reading this book this week.
Rumors of God was written by two pastors from Australia – Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson (he even spells his name correctly). It seems that this book was written as a challenge to American churches and American Christians to live like God is real – to live like the rumors of God aren’t just rumors, God is real!.
“But what about us (America)? Are we simply content to watch the American church limp into eternity? Are you ready to drift through the rest of your life, lulled and softened by our comfort and ease? We believe that deep in your soul you long to see the fame and deeds of God renewed and known in our time. We believe that you were created for a radical pursuit of Jesus and his kingdom.”
The book does an excellent job reminding readers that faith is meant to be experienced. For many Americans, our faith is generally inactive, private, and stuck in our heads. In Rumors to God, Whitehead and Tyson share stories and stories from scripture that inspire readers to make their faith active, out-loud, and alive.
I really appreciated how the authors start at the personal side of faith by challenging readers on the topics of love, grace, generosity, and abundant life. And I love how they end with challenges related to community, justice, and hope. The book definitely provided encouragement and inspiration. I would recommend it.
Have you read Rumor of God? What did you think?
What steps are you taking to experience your faith?
What are you reading right now?
Top Posts of 2011 Number 1 – Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
We are down to the top Stretched post from 2011. Sharing these top posts provides an excellent opportunity for me to take a small break during the holidays, and it also provides an incredible opportunity for you to catch up on things you may have missed over the past year. I hope you’ll hop on over to the original post, so you can read the entire post and add your comments to the existing comments string. Thank you for letting me take this break and for letting me take this opportunity to share these posts. Your support for the Stretched Blog this year has been incredible!
And so, drum roll please,…the most popular Stretched post from 2011 was a fun look at my college experience shared right before Homecoming. The post is titled Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College. Here’s an excerpt to get you going:
Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
Leanne and I are getting ready to head out to Grove City College for homecoming and Leanne’s 15th reunion. I’m excited to go back to the place we first met. My four years at GCC were extremely memorable. Since I’m thinking about it, here’s my Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College:
1. Go to chapel (16 times a semester). As much as that may sound dull, we were blessed with some great speakers at GCC. I particularly remember John Guest, Tony Campolo, and R.C. Sproul.
2. Look to your left and look to your right. As Nancy Paxton would tell all freshman, your future mate may be in sight. As it turns out, I met Leanne at the end of my junior year. The rest is history, so they say.
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To read the rest of this post, head on over to the original Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College post.
Share one positive memory about your college or high school experience!
Top Posts of 2011 Number 2 – Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
We are down to the top two Stretched posts from 2011. Sharing these top posts provides an excellent opportunity for me to take a small break during the holidays, and it also provides an incredible opportunity for you to catch up on things you may have missed over the past year. I hope you’ll hop on over to the original post, so you can read the entire post and add your comments to the existing comments string.
The 2nd most popular Stretched post from 2011 was post written to help small group leaders. The post is titled Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know. Here’s an excerpt to get you going:
Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know
Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege of sharing my thoughts to a group of small group leaders at our church. I shared 5 of my ideas in an earlier post, but I thought you might enjoy hearing my complete list. So here are my notes:
I’m excited about this opportunity to share. If you don’t know me or if you haven’t figured it out, I’m extremely passionate about small groups. I truly believe they can provide a path for connection to others and to God. I also believe that small groups play an important role in accountability and discipleship. In no way is this list the Bible of small group leaders. It’s just my thoughts based on my involvement with small groups in various capacities for nearly 20 years. I’ve participated in groups. I’ve led groups. I’ve led group leaders. And I even had the privilege of leading a team of coaches. (I was also brought up in a home where small groups were important and modeled by my parents.) As I share my ideas, I’d encourage you to take a few notes. So here goes:
1. Small group leaders are important. They play a big part in helping people find community, find God, and find growth. If you are a small group leader, you need to know that what you do matters.
2. Small group leaders set the tone. Whether or not you consider yourself a Biblical scholar, your group members look to you as an example. For this reason, it’s important that small group leaders continue to model growth. They should be in the Word. They should develop disciplines that model growth. Small group leaders aren’t perfect, but they must find others who will hold them accountable to setting the tone.
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To read the rest of this post, head on over to the original Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know post.
Are you in a small group? Tell us about it!
Top Posts of 2011 Number 3 – Reflect More, Risk More, Leave A Legacy – Start Blogging (A Guest Post by Jason Fountain)
As I mentioned last week, my plan is to provide links to the top Stretched posts from 2011 over the next couple of weeks. This provides an excellent opportunity for me to take a small break during the holidays, and it also provides an incredible opportunity for you to catch up on things you may have missed over the past year. I hope you’ll hop on over to the original post, so you can read the entire post and add your comments to the existing comments string.
The 3rd most popular Stretched post from 2011 was a guest post by my friend Jason Fountain. The post is titled Reflect More, Risk More, Leave A Legacy – Start Blogging. Here’s an excerpt to get you going:
Reflect More, Risk More, Leave A Legacy – Start Blogging
John Maxwell relates a story shared by sociologist Anthony Campolo. Campolo tells about a group of 50 people over the age of 90 years old who were asked one question: If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?
The question was open-ended and the people’s answers were varied. However, three ideas consistently emerged.
1. If I had it to do over again, I would reflect more.
2. If I had it to do over again, I would risk more.
3. If I had it to do over again, I would do more things that would live on after I am dead.
I want to share with you an idea that can help you begin to accomplish all three of these goals TODAY.
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To read the rest of this post, head on over to the original Reflect More, Risk More, Leave A Legacy – Start Blogging post.
What would you change about 2011?
What is one thing that you’re looking forward to in 2012?