Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Figuring It Out

We depended on German to instruct us on putting up the house.

Here, German is giving us instruction on putting up the siding.  The back wall (our first wall) was an exercise in patience, persistence, and practice.  As you can see by the pieces of wood, they are not uniform.  As we soon learned, siding the houses was like putting together a puzzle.  Eventually, we would figure it out, but our initial efforts were challenging to say the least.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Proud To Call Him My Son

When I was a kid, I dreamed of building houses.  I built small houses out of Lego blocks.  I built small “dog houses” out of scrap wood.  I built houses out of Lincoln Logs.  And I built houses out of cushions and blankets in our family’s living room.  When I was Isaac’s age, I would have jumped at the opportunity to build houses in Guatemala.

I’m so thankful Isaac has had this experience.

I think he learned a lot as we put up the walls on Betty’s home.  His hammering skills improved, and his confidence in overall construction grew as well.

Hannah used to say, “Isaac is a quiet boy.”  He may be quiet, but his actions speak loudly.

I’m so proud to call him my son.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Let The Walls Begin!

Leanne gets into the construction action as she nails the first piece of wood to the back wall of the house.

I have to give Leanne a lot of credit.  Construction is not her first love.  I think she would much prefer interacting with the children throughout the village.  Nonetheless, she dove in with an open mind and a willingness to get dirty to help build two houses during our week in Xenacoj.  Her hammering technique may need some polishing, but her passion for making a difference in the community and the world is unbelievably inspiring.

I’m so thankful for such a wonderful partner.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Fast Friends

It didn’t take long.  Soon Betty’s youngest were fighting for the attention of Hannah, Isaac, and the other younger members of our team.  (I’m not sure they are too crazy about the guy behind the camera though.)

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Looking Up

It didn’t take long, but we began to see signs that Rosita was warming up to us.  She was the shortest one in the family, and she was considerable shorter than our family.  I wonder if Rosita had an ache in her neck after our visit.

Without a father, without a bed of her own, and without suitable housing, it’s easy to see how things would get you down.

With our visit, things started looking up for Rosita and her family.

From Regret To Redemption – Turning Missed Opportunities Into Found Fortune

If I think back on my past, I can remember missed opportunities – things that I regret.  There are times when I didn’t speak up when I should have said something.  There are times when I should have been there for someone.  There are times when I didn’t take risk or a step of faith.

Part of me kicks myself (figuratively of course) when I initially remember these times.

I don’t want to be a person who misses out on opportunities.  In fact, I want to make the most of the opportunities in my path.

But I must also remember that there is redemption even in the missed opportunities.  If we take an appropriate amount of time to reflect on our past regrets, we can actually learn to live life with more courage, with more action, and with greater confidence that God will work through our fears, our insecurities, and our laziness for something far better than we could ever imagine.

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

What is one thing you regret from your past?  How have you turned your regret into redemption?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Thirsty?

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”  Isaiah 55:1-2

Rosita is offering me a drink.

She must have known I was thirsty.

This picture represents so many thoughts about who we came to serve, and where we find fulfillment when we are thirsty.  Jesus said in Matthew 25-31-46:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

We are all thirsting for lasting refreshment and fulfillment.

This photo reminds me that this thirst is fulfilled when I serve others, because when I serve others I am serving Jesus, and He is the one who provides lasting refreshment and fulfillment from my thirst that needs to be quenched.

Why do you thirst?

Come find lasting water which will cause you to thirst no more.  Come find Jesus by serving others.

G

Embrace Your Story

I’ve seen It’s A Wonderful Life a hundred times, and there’s always something inside of me that wants to tell George Bailey and his friends not to go sledding onto the ice.

I’ve seen Back To The Future many, many times, and there’s always something inside of me that wants to throw some plutonium into the DeLorean before Marty McFly goes back in time.

Have you ever watched a movie that you’ve seen before?  Even though you know what will happen, do you ever wish you could change the outcome of the movie or of a scene from the movie?

What if you knew how to change the outcome of something in your life?  How would that change your life?

We all have a story.  We all have regrets.  We all have somethings in our lives that we’d like to alter.

But what if those things were meant to be?  What if we came to appreciate how our past shaped us for today?

We can’t change the past, but we can change the way we look at it.  We can also chose to use our past to push us ahead to the future.

After all, Dorothy may never have learned the lesson that “there’s no place like home” if she hadn’t endured the trials brought on by the Wicked Witch.  George Bailey may never have learned the true blessing of friendship if he never lost his hearing in the frozen pond water.  And Marty McFly may never have learned the value of family and the value of standing up for others if he went right back to 1985 instead of staying in 1955 for a while.

What part of your story do you need to learn to embrace?  How has your story impacted who you are today?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Do, Or Do Not. There Is No Try.

After discussing the situation, Ken and I sprung into action.  We could sit on the edge of the foundation wall and analyze, but it wouldn’t build a house.  As Yoda told Luke Skywalker, “Do, or do not.  There is no try.”

If you want to make things happen.  You have to spring into action.

We are called to be people of action, and this picture reminds me of the importance of moving from a place of planning to a place of actually doing.

The challenge of this picture is to get up and do something.  What are you waiting for?

Ask An Author With Jon Stolpe

This week, I have the privilege of answering questions for students at Fairview Christian School in Seattle, Washington.  A college friend is a teacher at Fairview, and she contacted me and another classmate (Cindy Starr Stewart) about being part of the schools Ask An Author program.  The kids from kindergarten through middle school sent me a list of questions for me to answer.  Since I couldn’t be there in person, I created this video to answer some of the kids’ questions.

Even though I wrote and published the book over a year ago, it was fun to look back on my journey to becoming an author.

After you watch the video, answer the questions I asked the kids by leaving your thoughts in the comments.

If you were going to write a book, what would your write about?  How do you think writing a book would change your life?