Erma Bombeck Quote

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.”
Erma Bombeck

Ice Breaker – Halloween Costumes

Each week on The Stretched Blog, we 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.

As Halloween rapidly approaches, it’s time to think about costumes.

Question (actually two):  What have you dressed up as for Halloween in the past?  If you are going to dress up this year, what is your costume?

My Answer:  My parents were pretty creative when it came to Halloween costumes.  One year, I was a box of corn flakes (seems more appropriate now with my corny humor).  One year, I was a Mexican (I guess that wouldn’t be politically correct these days).  And one year I was a ghost.  But the costume I will always remember (and I’m not proud of it) is the flower-pot costume.  That’s right.  One year, I was a flower-pot.  The pot was made of cardboard that we painted brown.  I wore a green turtle neck shirt, and we fastened white petals around my face.  I’m sure my parents thought it was cute, but I think it may have left some scars.  After all, what fourth grade boy ever wants to be a flower-pot for Halloween?

I don’t think that I’ll be dressing up this year, but if I were I could go two ways.  I would either throw a Walter Payton Bears jersey on and go as a Chicago Bears fan, or I would go all out and dress up as a construction worker.  I have the hard hat, the tool belt and tools, and the rest of the garb to make this an easy costume to throw together.

There you have it – my answer.  Now, it’s your turn.  Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment.  I look forward to reading your response!

 

I Remember When…Urbana ’90

I remember when I went to Urbana ’90.

What’s Urbana?  I can hear you asking.

Urbana is a missions conference sponsored by Intervarsity.  The conference takes place every three years between Christmas and New Years on the campus of the University of Illionois in Urbana/Champagne, Illinois.  The conference is specifically geared towards college students, and the conference is designed to challenge students to consider missions.

I actually had the opportunity to go to this conference twice – once in 1990 during my freshmen year in college and once in 1993 during my senior year in college.  I have great memories of both times.  In a way, Urbana ’93 came at a more critical time in my life as I was processing what to do after graduation.  Maybe I’ll share more about that in another post.

Urbana ’90 was an eye-opening experience.  In a way, it felt like I was being thrust into a more adult existence during this conference as I faced big issues and wrestled through challenging topics with other students.  My dad was there, but I didn’t seem him often as he stayed in a different dorm and participated in different activities geared towards pastors.  At Urbana ’90, I stayed with three other friends from my home town in Mt. Holly, NJ – Andy Travis, Paul Braun, and James Harton (pictured above).

Together, the four of us spent the conference listening to great speakers, worshiping with 20,000 other college students, talking to missionaries in the exhibit hall, and debriefing in a small group in the dorm (with the guy standing behind us in the picture).  In between all these activities, we walked around the snowy University of Illinois campus.

One of my favorite speakers from Urbana ’90 was Isaac Canales (funny that my son is named Isaac).  His message was hilarious, but it was also powerful in challenging my heart.  I can’t find a video feed of the message, but I found another video of Pastor Canales that features some of the same elements of his message at Urbana.  If you have a few minutes, you’ll enjoy listening to Isaac Canales:

It’s kind of interesting that none of us became full-time missionaries.  Andy is a scientist, Paul is a professor at the University of Illinois, James is a musician, and I’m an engineer/manager.  I think the term missionary carries a certain expectation that can miss the mark.  When we hear the word missionary, we expect to hear about someone who has gone overseas and who works full-time for a missions organization serving others and spreading the Word of God.  God can still use us right where we are.  We can be missionaries in our neighborhoods, in our places of employment, and in our other activities.  I think this must be one of the messages that I came away with when I left Urbana.

As I remember this conference which took place over 20 years ago, I’m thankful for the springboard towards missions that took place.  I still have an interest in missions overseas, but I’ve also realized that God calls us to be missionaries right where we live and work.  You can read some of my thoughts on this in my post:  Where Is Your Xenacoj?  Missions has definitely become a focus in our family, and I’m looking forward to seeing where God takes us as we continue to serve Him.

If you are a college student, I would highly recommend that you check out Urbana.  The next one is coming up this year – Urbana 12!  For more information, click here.  (I just discovered that the conference is now held in St. Louis, Missouri – still worth the drive!)

Have you ever been to a conference that changed your world?  Tell us about it.

How Crazy Are Your Dreams?

How crazy are your dreams?

Over the weekend, Felix Baumgartner skydived from over 128,000 feet above the earth.  I don’t know the full story, but the video above captures the highlights.  This daredevil obviously had a crazy dream.  Who would every dream of jumping out of a weather balloon at the edge of the atmosphere with nothing more than a parachute and a space suit?

Our dreams don’t have to be that crazy, but how big are our dreams?

We were talking about this the other night at dinner as we discussed the parable of the talents.  Did you ever stop to realize that God has given us gifts to use and dreams to pursue?  Sometimes I think that we dream way too small.  As we were talking about it at our dinner table, we asked the question – what dreams has God-given us?

I commented that I have a dream to write a book someday.  My wife quickly responded that this dream seems rather small as that dream isn’t all that far off considering the amount of writing I do these days.  She challenged me to think bigger – to dream a crazier dream.

Okay, here goes.  I want to write a library of books – at least 10.  I want to build a village – not just one house in Guatemala.  I dream of being 100% debt free – including the mortgage.  I dream of making over two million dollars and giving most of it away.  I dream of leaving a legacy that goes way beyond my life time.  I dream of standing on top of Mt. Everest – of visiting Sweden – of showing people God’s love by the way I live everyday.

So often, I limit my dreams.  I become content with having three meals a day, living a comfortable life, and going through the motions and routines of everyday living.  I think life can be so much more than this.

I don’t think I’ll every jump out of a weather balloon over 20 miles from the earth’s surface, but I want to do things in my life that matter – that go beyond my hopes and wildest dreams – that leave a dent in this world.

God has not given us a spirit of fear. But he has given us a spirit of power and love and self-control.  2 Timothy 1:7

How about you?  How crazy are your dreams?

What are you doing to pursue your dreams?

Appearing Elsewhere

Last week, I featured a list of guest bloggers who have contributed here on The Stretched Blog.  Today, I want to spotlight the places where I’ve guest posted over the past couple of years.

I really appreciate the opportunity to guest post around the blog world.  These are opportunities that STRETCH me.  If you’d be interested in having me visit your blog, drop me a comment.  We’ll see what we can do.

Stop by and check out my guest posts, and check out what else is happening on these great blogs.

Where have you guest posted?  Leave a link, so I can check it out!

To Bee Or Not To Bee – Thoughts From An Encounter With Bees

Over the weekend, I was doing some odds and ends around the house when I had an encounter with a nest of ground bees.

I had just put up some fall decorations on our front porch when I noticed some weeds in the landscape in front of the porch.  Naturally, I knelt down and start pulling weeds.  As I started to get a large hand full of weeds, I felt something sharp and almost thorny at my wrist.  At first, I kept going, but I quickly stopped when I realized that this pinching feeling wasn’t going away.  Suddenly, I realized that I was being stung by a bee and there were tons of other bees swarming around me.  I quickly dropped my handful of weeds and ran into the front yard trying to get away from the swarm of bees.  Remarkably, I was only stung once.

Two days later, my wrist still hurts and itches.

The bee sting got me thinking some key “Be” verses from the Bible that merit some extra reflection.

  • 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
  • Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.  Mark 13:33
  • Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  I Corinthians 16:13
  • Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  I Peter 5:8-9
  • Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32
  • Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:12

I’m sure this is just a start.  What other “Be” verses can you add to the list above?  When was the last time you were stung by a bee?

Looking After Widows And Orphans

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 

James 1:27

How are you and I living this out today?

this world?

Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community.  Hop on over here to see what I’m talking about.

 

Book Review: Kingdom Journeys by Seth Barnes

I’ve promoted Kingdom Journeys on my blog the past few weeks as part of the Launch Team for this new book by Seth Barnes.  I have finally finished reading the book, and I thought I should share some of my thoughts.

Kingdom Journeys is a call to action.  It’s about encouraging Christians to follow the example laid out in Luke 10 where disciples were sent out on kingdom journeys with little more than the clothes on their back and the shoes on their feet.  In Kingdom Journeys, Seth Barnes provides evidence that kingdom journeys are actually a lost spiritual discipline that Christians need to rediscover.

Throughout the book, Barnes weaves in teaching with stories from his own experiences and from the experiences of those who have embarked on their own kingdom journeys through his missions organization, Adventures in Missions.  The stories restlessness, abandonment, brokenness, and dependence stir the reader to consider how they are living and where they are serving.  The book will inspire you to think again about the importance of going out on your own kingdom journey.

In a way, I felt like I was being spoken to from two angles.  The book is clearly written to young adults who are at a crossroads of education and career.  In some parts of the book, I wondered if I was too old to be reading the book.  Having just come back from an Adventures in Missions trip to Guatemala this summer, I realized that Seth Barnes was speaking to me.  I’m still young!  From the other angle, I realized that I have an important role as an apparent and “older” adult.  It’s my responsibility to release by kids and to help other young people as they follow their own kingdom journeys.

Kingdom Journeys definitely stretched me.  It came at a great time in my own processing as I continue to process my journey to Guatemala and as I consider future kingdom journeys.  It also came as a great follow-up to Wrecked by Jeff Goins and Love Does by Bob Goff.

I would give Kingdom Journeys five stretch marks out of five.  And I would definitely recommend this book to young adults and grown-ups alike.

When was your last kingdom journey?  What’s holding you back from taking a kingdom journey of your own?

Note:  Kingdom Journeys was given to me as part of the launch team for this new book.  I was not required to write a positive review for the book or to give it a glowing recommendation.

(Please note:  There are affiliate links in this post.  Should you purchase Kingdom Journeys (or Wrecked or Love Does) by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase.  These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala.  Thank you!)

Ice Breaker – Halloween Candy

Each week on The Stretched Blog, we 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.

As Halloween rapidly approaches, it’s time to think about something important – Halloween candy!

Question:  What is your favorite Halloween candy?  What will you be handing out at your house on October 31st?

My Answer:  Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are by far my favorite Halloween candy.  How can you top chocolate and peanut butter.  We don’t get any visitors on Halloween, but if we did…Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!

There you have it – my answer.  Now, it’s your turn.  Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment.  I look forward to reading your response!

I Remember When…My First Kiss

I remember when I kissed a girl for the first time.

No, I won’t go into all the details here.  That’s between her and me.

Yesterday was the 19th anniversary of my first kiss.  If you do the math that’s not long after I met my wife, Leanne.  Yep!  I’ve only kissed one girl, and it’s my wife.

19 years ago, we stopped at Subway in Grove City, PA after church and picked up lunch for a picnic at McConnell’s Mills.  After parking our car at the park, we walked down toward the river and found a nice spot on a rock right on the river.  It was here that we spent some time eating lunch and talking.  And eventually, it happened – the first kiss.

Like I said earlier, the details are for Leanne and me.  But let me just say, it was great!  And yes, it was worth the wait.  I’ll leave it at that.

I recall coming back to campus at Grove City College after dropping Leanne off at her dorm.  I felt like I was floating.  I came back to my dorm room which was filled with guys from my hall watching Sunday afternoon football.  One of my buddies figured it out – must have been the smile on my face.  Later that night, I was in the Hicks Dining Hall for dinner, and I was still floating.  At one point, I was obviously not paying attention to what I was doing.  I dropped my tray as I was interacting with one of Leanne’s friends.  Embarrassing, but it didn’t matter.  I had still had one of the best days of my life.

And that’s how I remember when I had my first kiss.

Do you remember your first kiss?  Who did you kiss?  Where did you share your first kiss?

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