Tired Of Running Away? Come Home!

Running away will never make you free.

I really don’t remember what sparked this feeling one summer day, but I remember somehow feeling like I was being treated unfairly by my parents.  (This seems pretty crazy to me now that I’m a parent to two teenagers, and I have incredible respect for my parents today.)  Instead of working it out with my parents, I decided to run away.

I didn’t pack up my belongings or say good-bye.  I didn’t leave a letter explaining my departure.  I simply walked (or ran) out of the yard and down the street.  I walked out of the neighborhood and turned towards the busy road at the edge of town.  I kept walking and walking and walking.  Eventually, I found myself walking the long way back home.

I wish I could remember all the crazy thoughts that went through my head during my two or three hours as a runaway.  I wish I could remember my homecoming.  I can only assume my parents knew I would come back home.

We run away from home for many reasons and through a variety of methods.  We run away from a painful past.  We run away from conflict.  We run away from fear.  We run away by filling our schedules with all kinds of activities in hopes to keep us distracted from the reality we don’t want to face.  We run away through escapes of drugs, alcohol, television, food, and pornography.  And we run away severing ties with family and friends – the people we need the most.

Despite the tendency to run away, we are called back home.

Home is where we are welcomed back just as we are with open arms.

Is it time for you to come home?

What have you run from in your life?  What are you running away from now?

Guatemala Photo of the Day – So Good To Be Back

Standing outside our home for the week, Leanne and Isaac are glad to be back in Xenacoj for their second visit. They can only partially anticipate what is yet to come in the week ahead based on last year’s visit. It feels more like home this time around, but it will be different. There’s no place like home; there’s no place like Xenacoj!

Guatemala Photo of the Day – New Friends

When we arrived in Xenacoj, we had the privilege of teaming up with these three from Chicago. Natalia Shull, Therese Jaggard, and Ken Shull welcomed us as we entered our home for the week. Our trips overlapped. They arrived earlier in the week and would depart before us, but we became friends. The girls immediately embraced Hannah, and Ken and I bonded as fellow fathers, engineers, husbands, and Brothers in Christ. The introduction in the street outside our home was the beginning of several fun and life-changing days together.

Guatemala Photo of the Day – Home

This was our humble home during our last visit to Xenacoj this summer. It was more than many had in the village. A roof (with one small leak), a shower (hot water once in a while), beds to sleep on, a floor, walls, and the best company you could ask for. We define home in a materialist bent here in the United States. In Guatemala, I was reminded once again that home is where your heart is, and a good portion of my heart is in and among the village of Xenacoj.

Ice Breaker – Jelly Beans

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question:  What is your favorite flavor/color jelly bean?

My Answer:  Black.  I like the flavor of black licorice.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

Guatemala Photo of the Day – A Gateway to Hope

Search And Rescue

After dinner, we all scattered to work on school work and projects around the house.  As I was cleaning the carpets in our living room, it started to pour.  Hannah noticed our screen door was open, and she cleaned up the wet floor in our kitchen after she closed the door.

A few minutes later, Isaac started looking for Iso.  We all looked at each other as we simultaneously realized our furry friend was outside in the downpour.  Isaac quickly made his way outside where he found a soaking wet black lab patiently waiting to be rescued.

We all face storms in our lives.

We all need to be rescued.

The good thing is God has not forgotten us.  He desires to rescue us and bring us to safety.  We simply have to reach out and grab His hand.

Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.  Psalm 44:26

Have you ever hit a point of desperation?  Have you ever been rescued?  Tell us about it in the comments.

March 2015 – Top Posts and Top Commenters

Here are the highlights from March 2015.  I’m changing it up and simplifying this month in review post.  Depending on the feedback, I may do away with this type of post in the months to come.  Thanks to everyone who read along and commented.  Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community.  Thank you!

Overall, traffic was down from February and down compared to a year ago.  Instead of going into all the particulars, I’ll leave you with the top posts and top commenters for the month.

If I’m being honest (which I always try to be), I’m a little disappointed to see the numbers dropping off.  However, I am reminded of the reasons for developing this blog in the first place.  It is a place for me to stretch first and foremost, and I hope it will stretch others in the process.  For this reason, I will keep writing here.  I feel a sense of inner and outer purpose through my daily posts.  As a numbers addict, I need to make sure I keep things in perspective.  If I strive for honest and quality, stretching content, the rest will take care of itself.  I’d love to hear from any of you have experienced similar ups and downs in your traffic.  In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy taking a look back at March 2015.

Top 10 Posts:

1. 7 Habits That Build A Lasting Marriage
2. Video Blog:  Table Topics – Spring and St. Patrick’s Day
3. When Is It Time To Switch Jobs? (@WashburnWriter)
4. 10 Benefits Of Taking Cold Showers
5. 5 Ways To Improve Communications With Your Spouse
6. Forced To Slow Down And Stretch
7. Confessions Of A Leader Who Struggles With Delegation
8. Ice Breaker – Snow Day
9. 7 Ways To Live An Inspired Life
10. 7 Delegations Posts To Stretch Your Leadership – Delegation Recap

Top 10 Commenters:

• David Stolpe
• Larry Carter
• Lulu
  
• Shawn Washburn
• Jon Stallings
• Norman Stolpe
• Steve Y
  
• Katina Vaselopulos
  
• Steve Young
• D’Anne Hotchkiss

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top commenters list to receive a copy of  On Track: Life Lessons from the Track & Field by ME!  The winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Lulu.  Congrats to Lulu!  (For the time being, I am putting the monthly book giveaway on hold.  If you’d like a copy of my book, please head to Amazon and purchase a copy.  Much appreciated!)

How was your month?  If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments?  What was your favorite Stretched post this month?  How were you STRETCHED in March?

Thrust Into Greatness

I’ve been coming to Toastmasters for nearly a year, and I’ve been moving along at a decent pace as I progress towards the first major milestones – Competent Communicator (CC) and Competent Leader (CL).

I was a little apprehensive about taking on this role considering my lack of experience in the club and in the overall organization, but no one else seemed ready or excited about stepping into the role.  During the selection process, someone even voiced their concern about my lack of Toastmasters experience.

Sometimes we have to step up.  If we wait for others to take action, we may be waiting a long time.

I don’t know exactly what the year ahead looks like as I take on the responsibilities of this position.  I want to see our club continue.  I truly believe it is having a positive impact on those who are active.  I know it has had an impact on me.  It’s time for me to step up, to lead, and to pursue greatness.

One thing is sure, I’m sure I will STRETCH as a result of this opportunity.

Have you ever had a position of responsibility thrust upon you?  Tell us about your experience in the comments.

[Note:  If you are interested in being part of Aetna Articulators, we meet the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from Noon until 1PM at Aetna in Blue Bell, PA.  For more information, click here.  If our club doesn’t work out for you, check out the Toastmasters International site for details about other clubs.]

Photo credit: JillWillRun on Flickr CC

When Is It Time To Switch Jobs? (@WashburnWriter)

Photo credit: Kool Cats Photography on Flickr CC

“It’s time for a change.”

That’s the phrase I often hear around our house, usually referring to the need for me to have a special meeting with our diaper-wearing two-year-old.

It’s also the message I was feeling a few years ago when I made a big decision in my life – the decision to switch jobs.

Have you been there?

It hasn’t been something that I’ve done very often and I’ve never taken it lightly.

For me, in fact, this was only the third time, at least in the “real world”.

(I won’t count when I left Arby’s for McDonalds or moved on from cleaning up after dogs to mowing lawns)

My example

Long before I had even thought about my first real job, my ideas of what it meant to be a hard worker were being shaped by the example of my parents.

My dad, especially, when he wasn’t making memories with me, was helping lay out in my mind what an employee should look like.

He eventually retired after working 45 years at the same company. So I always held up his example as my ideal.

To me, that exemplified commitment and loyalty, things that I wanted to show to my future employers.

Getting Started

My first job out of college was at a great organization that I loved, and I thought I would be there long-term.

However, I left after four years in order for my wife and I to move closer to family. At that point, I already found myself having to put to death the ideal that I had set-up and accept that maybe my path would be different than my dad’s.

Years into my second job, I had to make a similar decision when faced with the prospect of massive layoffs coming down the line.

Third Times a Charm?

Soon, I found myself starting over again with a new employer.

It took time to settle in and find my groove, but I was able to do that and, within several years, I was pretty comfortable there. Maybe too comfortable.

Then a funny thing happened. I started to get stretched.

I was learning a lot about leadership and company culture from books, podcasts, and friends. I began looking at my employer and my role there in a new light.

As I was growing, I began to wonder if my company would grow with me in those areas or not and I even met with company leaders to discuss my thoughts.

At the same time, I had a “chance” conversation with a good friend about where he worked, the way they did business and what they stood for.

So much of what he said resonated with what I was feeling inside, but I didn’t know what to make of it just yet.

Time for a change?

In the weeks that followed, I continued to pursue change at my job while at the same time praying about the possibility that maybe God had been moving in me to prepare me for something else.

How do we know for sure in these situations? There’s usually no big billboard or writing in the sky telling us what to do.

I believe we have to pray, listen, look around us at how God’s working, and trust our gut.

Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t an accident that I had that conversation with my friend or that I’d been learning and growing. God had been preparing me for something else and it was time for a change.

It still wasn’t easy to walk into the office of my friend and boss and tell him, but I felt it was the right move.

It’s been two years since I made that decision and I’m so glad I did.

I had never even heard of my current employer before that conversation with my friend, but I couldn’t imagine a place that more closely matches who I am, what I believe, and what God is molding me into.

What about you? How do you know when it’s time for a change?

Answer in the comments below…

This is a guest post by my friend, Shawn Washburn.  Shawn is a Christ-follower, husband, father, friend, son, and brother. He has a beautiful wife, three growing boys, and a sweet baby girl.  He spent his whole career in mechanical engineering, doing mostly product design but he’s now involved in manufacturing engineering at a great company.  His other passions are coaching, basketball, reading, learning, laughing, playing and resting.  I had the privilege of hanging out with Shawn at Grove City College where we lived on the same floor for two years.  He recently started his own blog, Washburn Writer.  Trust me, you have to go check it out, subscribe, and leave him a comment.  Don’t forget to tell him I sent you.

If you are interesting in sharing your stretch marks with The Stretched Community, let me know.  I’d love to feature you here as a guest blogger.