Am I Expecting Great Things?

This morning, I woke up to make pancakes for our family before we headed off to church at Christ’s Church of the Valley.  As I moved closer to finishing up the pancakes, I for some reason decided to grab a CD from my past and let it play as everyone else was waking up and enjoying breakfast.  The CD I chose was Speechless by a favorite from my past Steven Curtis Chapman.  For some reason, I was moved by track 4 – Great Expectations.

In this song, Chapman sings about believing the unbelievable and receiving the inconceivable – about having Great Expectations.  It hit me that I often don’t expect great things when I go to church or when I have my quiet time.  Why?  Perhaps, I’m too comfortable with the structure, pattern, and repetition of these “times with God.”  Maybe, I’m lazy in my approach to God.  Or maybe the wounds of the past have tainted my level of anticipation for God to work.

Whatever the case, I was challenged this morning.  I was challenged to approach my time with God (privately and corporately) with a renewed expectation that God has something great in store – for my church, for my family, for my neighbors, for my job, and for me.  I believe this in my head, but I want to believe it in my heart and live it out.

Matthew 7:7-11 reminds us that God has so much in store for each of us.  This is a reason to be excited about living, about working, and about spending time with God.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Thankful for a new day!  Thankful for renewal!  Thankful for the promise of great things!  Thankful for an incredible, awesome, unbelievable, inconceivable God!

Fallen Angels at the Walnut Street Theater

This weekend, Leanne and I journeyed down to Philadelphia to see Fallen Angels at the Walnut Street Theater.  This comedy written by Noel Coward was just the recipe we needed to escape from the hectic pace of life for a couple of hours.  The set, which brought you into the living area of a plush English flat, was incredible as is always the case at the Walnut.  The play was just the right length – about two hours including two intermissions.  And the cast did a remarkable job as always in entertaining the audience.

Fallen Angels is the story of two women who share friendship and a long lost lover.  While their husbands are out golfing together, they together find out that their lover from the past is coming to town for a visit.  As they anticipate his arrival, they share conversation about their own so-so marriages, about their past romantic rendezvous with Maurice, and about what it will be like to see him again.  Meanwhile, while waiting for his arrival, they get hammered, and they eventually end the evening at odds.

I won’t give away the ending, but I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts.  In a way, the play is a sad commentary on most marriage relationships today.  Multiple times throughout the show, there is a discussion about “loving each other” versus “being in love with each other.”  The couples in the  play love each other (at least that’s what they said), but they admit to not being in love with each other.  In other words, they respect and admire each other, but they aren’t passionately, romantically head over heels for each other.

Being married for almost fourteen years, I guess I can somewhat understand this, but it makes me sad that so many couples are content to stay at the respect/admire place and they won’t put the work into keeping things passionate and romantic in their marriage.  I know from experience that there are ups and downs along the way, but I am so thankful for a partner who wants to work together to have the best marriage possible.  Getting out for a show at the Walnut is one of the ways we keep things on track.

I’m looking forward to more adventures with the love of my life.

Thanks, Leanne, for a great night out!

(Looking forward to seeing Fiddler on the Roof next!)

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years – by Donald Miller

I just finished reading Donald Miller‘s latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and let me share that it was a great book!

Let me explain.

The book is about Donald Miller, but I think it’s also about me – and it’s about you also.

Million Miles tells the story of what happens when two movie producers approach Miller about making a movie based on Blue Like Jazz (Miller’s first book).  As their discussion unfolds, they determine that they need to do some rewriting to make the story more interesting and more appealing to the average movie goer.  Blue Like Jazz is also a book about Donald Miller.  So Donald Miller (along with the movie producers) begins rewriting his own story.  As this process starts, Donald Miller is depressed and unhappy with his unexciting life.  Through the process, he discovers that he has some say in how his story – his life – is written.  So while writing the screenplay, Miller begins to branch out into adventure, into relationship, and into a life that has meaning.

As Million Miles unfolds, the reader is challenged to consider his/her own story and to decide to move forward in creating an interesting, worthwhile, adventurous, meaningful story.

I definitely recommend this book!  Get it!  Read it!  Decide today to write a great story for yourself!

Life is a Roller Coaster not a Merry-Go-Round

I love amusement parks.  As I’ve gotten older, I’m not so crazy about the rides that spin you round and round and make you dizzy, but I still love a good roller coaster.

In life though, I think I’m more inclined to want the Merry-Go-Round.  Consistent.  Not much change.  Dependable.  No butterflies in the stomach.

But I continue to learn that life is so much more like a roller coaster.  Changes.  Ups and downs.  Thrills and spills.  Not always knowing what’s around the next corner.  Butterflies in the stomach.  Sometimes even making you throw up.

Life recently has reminded me of the roller coaster.  I think life was made to be this way intentionally by God.  Life of the roller coaster requires more trust.  It’s certainly not boring.  And it can be as exhilarating as anything you can possibly imagine.

So during crazy times like this, I’m learning to be thankful, I’m learning to trust, and I’m learning to rejoice.

“This is the day the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

The Eclectic Society

Last night, Leanne and I enjoyed the 3rd of 5 shows in this year’s Walnut Street Theater season.  We’ve already seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Oliver – both musicals.  WST is now running a new play called The Eclectic Society.

The play is set in the fraternity house of an east coast all male school in the fall of 1963 as the fraternity is going through the pledge process of accepting new freshmen into the house.  The school (and fraternity) is traditionally an all white school.  However, this was changed a couple of years ago when both the school and fraternity accepted its first black student who earns his place by excelling in sports.  The Eclectic Society which prides itself on the well rounded students that are represented in the house is split when the fraternity is faced with accepting its second black member who doesn’t carry the traditional traits of an Eclectic Society member – he’s from the ghettos of Cleveland, he isn’t paying his own way to the school, and he needs extra financial support to survive the day-to-day expenses of campus living.

Without giving away the play, The Eclectic Society raises questions related to racial harmony during this time in the history of our country, but it also forces one to ask if things have changed much since.  Sure, we have our first African-American president.  Sure, there is more diversity across many aspects of our American culture.  But you have to ask if everything has been done to carry out the dream voiced by Martin Luther King.  Do we look at people as equals?  Do we look at all people as being created in God’s image?  Do we rejoice and acknowledge how God made us all special with something to give?

These are some of the thoughts that were raised last night.

To finish out my review, the set and costumes and WST were fantastic as always.  The actors did a fabulous job.  I would not recommend this play to children due to language, a couple of fight scenes, subject, and one “mooning” scene.  But I would recommend the play to anyone else who wants to be challenged and entertained at the same time.

I’m looking forward to our next two shows as we finish out the season at WST – Fallen Angels and Fiddler on the Roof.  Should be a great finish.

Sunny Side Up Breakfast Benefit for Haiti Disaster Relief

Today was a great day!

I had the opportunity to put together a breakfast along with several of my co-workers to raise money for Disaster Relief in Haiti.

Here’s what our company’s website had to say about it:

Jon Stolpe, Max Schindler and Eric Vander Hyde gather for a good breakfast and an even better cause.

Wednesday, February 3, the Blue Bell Branch Solutions group in Penn., headed by Jon Stolpe and Eric Vander Hyde, got up extra early to host a breakfast to benefit the people of Haiti.

Jon, Eric and Max Schindler cooked and served up egg and cheese bagel breakfast sandwiches and sausage and bacon to the branch. All the food was donated by employees, and the eggs were provided by Jon and Eric, who raise their own chickens.

Almost $900 was raised for the American Red Cross to aid in the disaster relief efforts. Siemens Caring Hands will be matching the donation.

After popping the circuit breaker in the kitchen, we were forced to be creative.  Here’s Max and I cooking up the bacon and sausage.

Here’s the “Sunny Side Up” Breakfast Team serving up bagel, egg, cheese, bacon/sausage sandwiches to the employees at Siemens Industry, Inc. in Blue Bell, PA.  After waking up early and getting to the office at 5:30AM, it was nice to grab a cup of coffee.  Max demonstrated his culinary skills on the eggs.  And Eric helped to coordinate the assembly line – while he shows off the eggs from his farm.  (Yes, Eric has been one of my consultant’s in my own chicken raising.)  Together with other employees from our office, we gathered 14 dozen eggs, 7 dozen bagels, 100 slices of cheese, 6 gallons of orange juice, 2 pounds of coffee, 6 pounds of bacon, 6 pounds of sausage, and many cooking and serving items.

With Siemens matching the donations of our employees, our efforts contributed towards over $1700 towards American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.  This was truly one of the best days I’ve experienced in my 14+ years at Siemens.

The Longest Trip Home (John Grogan)

Today, I finished reading John Grogan’s second book, The Longest Trip Home.  This book made me laugh, it made me smile, it made me think, and it even made me cry.  More than anything, this book made me appreciate my family and it reminded me how important it is to share my love with my family – especially my parents.  As soon as I finished reading The Longest Trip Home, I called my parents to tell them how much I appreciate and love them.

Grogan does an unbelievable job weaving the story of how he took the long journey from his Catholic childhood through rebellious adolescence to independent adulthood where he eventually finds his way back home to thank and appreciate his parents.

I had originally given the book to my mom for her birthday or mother’s day this past May.  My parents have enjoyed reading books together especially as they become empty nesters.  They enjoyed Grogan’s first book, Marley & Me, so I figured they would also like his second book.  My mom was quick to open the book and find a page where Grogan used the “F-word” two or three times, and she was quick to ask if I had read anything about the book before I picked it out.  Despite her initial findings, she and my dad kept up and finished the book.  When they were done reading, they sent the book back to me, so I could see what I had given her.

I’m so thankful they sent it back to me.  It was so worth reading through the candid stories of Grogan’s adolescent rebellion to understand and appreciate his return home.  I was touched and definitely inspired.  Thanks John Grogan for sharing your story.

I love you Mom and Dad!  

The Gift of Giving

I thought I’d share something written by our daughter.  As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, she has really blown us away by her thoughtfulness and generosity.

The Gift of Giving

      A little bit ago I started a small earring business called B-Jeweled.  It started as a regular business, me getting all of the money from it.  About the same time I was reading an awesome book by a 14 year old, Austin Gutwin.  The book was called Take Your Best Shot and quickly inspired me to do something “bigger than myself”.

      About 2 weeks before the beginning of B-Jeweled, my parents went to a meeting.  This meeting was about a mission trip to one of the oldest and poorest slums in the world, Nairobi, Kenya.  In Kenya my parents were going to see our sponsor child, Jonathan (see Sponsor Spotlight), teach the teachers at the schools there, put light in their huts, and help out in the medical clinics.  They soon decided that they would go and started collecting money (the trip is about 4,000 each).

      As I said before, I was inspired to do something and I found the answer in my parent’s trip to Kenya.  Instead of giving   B-Jeweled earnings to myself, I decided to give prophets to my parent’s trip to Kenya.

      Before I knew it, it was 2 weeks before Christmas and I had $26.30. Wow! Who knew I could raise so much money with a small earring business!

Kenya – More Signs That This Is Actually Happening

The reality of our trip to Kenya is starting to sink in.  Here are a few of the recent sign posts:

1)  So far, we’ve received $1,343.45 in donations (or committed donations) towards our trip!  Wow, what a blessing!  It has been absolutely overwhelming to experience the generosity of others.

2)  We submitted our 2nd deposit ($1,600) for the trip right before Christmas bringing our total deposit value to $2,000.  Only $6,000 more to go.   This was definitely a sign that this thing is for real!  Our third deposit ($1,000) is due at the end of this month.

3)  We received confirmations this week on our flight times.  Actually knowing when you will be flying and for how long makes the trip seem much more like a reality.  I’m still trying to figure out how my 6′ 6″ frame will like being on a plane for 15 hours – pray that I can get a bulkhead or some extra leg room some how.

4)  Our family is starting to learn a few Swahili words – Jambo means “hello”.  English is spoken over there, but it will be helpful to know some of the native language.

More signs to follow, I’m sure!

Up In The Air – Depressing, Unresolved, Unfulfilled, Why Did I See This Movie?

Last night, I took advantage of a great opportunity to have a date with my wife, my sister-in-law, and my brother-in-law.  Thanks to a broken heating system at the movie theater earlier in the day (when the girls went out to see The Princess and The Frog), we had free movie passes.  Of all the movies we could have seen, we chose Up In The Air starring George Clooney.  The movie had received four stars compared to two and a half stars for Did You Hear About The Morgans? which probably would have been my first choice – until I heard the “star ratings” for each movie.

In Up In The Air, George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a traveling businessman, who has the responsibility of laying off or firing employees at companies around the country.  He lives out of a carry-on suitcase, and he rarely makes it home to his undecorated one bedroom studio apartment in Omaha, Nebraska.  During his travels for work, he also speaks publicly about reducing everything in your life to what can be carried in a single backpack.  While at first this simplification sounds quite tempting, the reality is that Clooney’s character throws away not only every worldly possession but also most every relationship in order to live out his philosophy on life.  In fact is one goal in life is to earn Ten Million Frequent Flyer Miles with American Airlines.  Sad!

The movie is especially sad, because I’m guessing it actually hits closer to home for many Americans than we’d like to admit.  We live in closed communities where we hardly every see our neighbors.  Our business relationships are mostly impersonal.  And even our relationships at church and in our own families are artificial and superficial as we run from one activity to another – all so that we can say “we did it!”  Where is the intimacy?  Where is the transparency?  Where is the depth in our interactions and in our relationships?

So many of us seem to run away from deep relationships.  Perhaps it’s because we’re afraid of being exposed.  Maybe we don’t want people to know the real me.  I for one, do not want to live an unfulfilled, unresolved, depressing, “up in the air” life.  I want to go deeper.  I want to be fulfilled.  I want to be uplifted and encouraged.  I want resolution.

So where do we find it?  How do we go after this?  I think it takes initiative.  I think it takes faith.  I think it takes trust.  I think it takes getting out of your/my comfort zone.  One way that I have found this over and over again is by seeking out relationships through small groups of people.  This winter I’ll be starting up two new groups.  The first with my wife is a parenting group based on a curriculum by Kevin Leman.  The second group is an experimental on-line group that will center discussion around Mark Batterson’s new book, Primal: A Quest For The Lost Soul of Christianity.  If you are interested in one (or both) of these two groups let me know?

If you have an idea or a comment about how you find depth and fulfillment in your life and in your relationships, I’d love to hear them.

Until then, I’ll be working on living a “down to earth” life.