Ice Breaker – Middle Name

This week’s Ice Breaker question is pretty basic.  Some people have several names.  Personally, I have one first name, one middle name, and a last name.  Someone told me recently that Dikembe Mutombo had nine different names.  According to Wikipedia, his full name is Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo.  I man at my office has two middle names which is apparently common for those with English heritage.  I’ve also heard of some people who don’t have a middle name.  And there many people today who have just one name like Prince, Cher, Bono, and Sinbad.  Today’s question is all about middle names.

(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 middle name?

My Answer:  Mark is my middle name.  I’m fairly certain my parents picked this name based on its Biblical connection.  Interestingly, there is a person mentioned several times in the book of Acts named John Mark.  And he is known as Mark the Evangelist.  I’ll have to talk to my parents a little more about this.  I wonder if they were anticipating I would be an evangelist like John Mark from the Bible.  Or maybe they just thought I’d leave a “mark” on the world.

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!

Also don’t forget to sign up for the Stretched newsletter.  Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

33 Reasons To Say Thank You

It’s Thank You Thursday, and we are coming to the end of the 2nd month of the 90 Day Thank You Note Challenge.  One more month to go!

Do you need some new ideas for writing a thank you note?  Today’s post should get you thinking.

33 Reasons To Say Thank You

Helped with your homework

Stayed late to complete a project on time

Encouraged you to take a leap of faith

Washed the dishes without being asked

Gave you a ride

Watched your dog while you were on vacation

Washed your car

Walked you through a computer problem

Proof read your English paper, book project, or blog post

Fixed a broken appliance

Prepared a delicious meal for you

Went grocery shopping for your family

Visited you in the hospital

Donated to your missions trip fundraising

Held the door open for you

Warned you about an oncoming obstacle

Babysat your children

Carried your groceries to your car

Listened to you when you were down

Responded with grace when you messed up

Paid for your coffee

Took your place, so you could do something else

Gave you a gift

Prayed for you

Commented on your blog

Introduced you to a new friend

Helped you get a new job

Shoveled the snow off your driveway

Assisted with a home improvement project

Brought you to a new place

Stretched you and helped you grow

Hung out with you when you just needed a friend

Just because

What other reasons can you think of to say thank you to someone?

5 Suggestions For Handling Disruptions To Your Routine (#2 Is My Favorite)

I’ve been challenged this week to keep up with my routines.  Coming back from a weekend away where sleep came at a premium, I have been somewhat slow in getting back to my exercise routine.  The past several weeks (since well before Christmas), I have run 30 miles per week.  This requires me to run 4-6 days per week.  So far, I haven’t made it to the gym or to the trail this week.  If all goes well, I’ll be back at the gym on the treadmill early this morning.  It will certainly be a challenge to meet my weekly mileage target this week.  And I’m okay with it.

Do you know why I’m okay with missing my mileage goal this week?

I need a break.

From time to time, we need to take a break.  Our goals cannot become our idols.  As a very disciplined, goal-oriented person, it’s easy for me to let my targets or resolutions become a god.  I want to accomplish the things I said I was going to accomplish.  I want to achieve – or even over achieve.  But sometimes, I need to stop.  I need to take time to rest, to re-evaluate, and to be restored.

So how do I get back on track with my reaching my targets?

Here are 5 suggestions for handling disruptions to your routine.

5 Suggestions For Handling Disruptions To Your Routine

1. Recognize the disruption to your routine.  In my case, a youth conference (PCTC) interrupted my routine.  This was an important event in my weekend plans.  I didn’t plan to have my routine disrupted, but it happened.  When the wheels come off of your routine, it’s important to understand why.  It could be any number of reasons – a family emergency, a surprise visit from a friend, a big project deadline.  Understanding the why of your routine disruption is critical to accepting the disruption.
2. Embrace the disruption to your routine.  I’ve been going strong for several weeks without a break.  I probably needed a break from my running routine.  A disruption in our routine can provide rest and a new outlook on things.  Learn to embrace the disruption and to enjoy the time away from your routine.
3. Reevaluate your routines.  I intend on getting back on track with my running routine next week.  I have running goals for the year.  Besides this, I believe my running helps provide balance for thriving and coping with the rest of my life.  If your routine has been disrupted, I recommend using the time of disruption to analyze your priorities.  Does this routine need to be altered somewhat to be more realistic?  Or does it need to be erased all together?  Why is this routine important to keep?  Should you be focusing on something else instead?  These are all questions worth considering when your routine is disrupted.
4. Get back on the horse as soon as possible.  For me a few days off from running has been healthy, but I’m ready to get going again.  The sooner I get back on track, the sooner the other parts of my life will feel balanced.  Honestly, I’ve missed running the past four or five days.  Running gives me an opportunity to think and to be active.  If you have healthy, balanced routines, it’s important to get back into the swing of things as soon as you can.  The longer you wait to get back into your routine, the harder it will be to get moving again.
5. Give yourself grace.  Sometimes it takes a little while to settle back into a routine.  Maybe you need to start slowly and add more things back into the routine as the days unfold.  There’s a tendency to want to get right back to where you left off.  For me, it would be easy for me to try to get 9 or 10 miles in this morning.  While this is possible, I must recognize the importance of returning to my routine gradually.  A gradual increase in mileage back up to my regular running regimen will prevent me from growing tired or getting injured.  It will also ensure I get back to my weekly target as quickly as possible.

How do you handle disruptions to your routines?  How are you doing with your New Year’s goals?

6 Things To Remember About PCTC 2014

I went to my very first PCTC this weekend in Harrisburg, PA.

PCTC stands for Pursue Christian Teen Conference.  It’s a conference held each year at the Harrisburg Hilton which is designed to help teenagers take the next step in pursuing Christ.  This year’s theme for PCTC was The Walking Dead.  Conference planners, speakers, and singers used zombies (walking dead people) to help the teenagers learn and have a blast.

The weekend left me exhausted and uplifted.  Hanging out with teenagers for an entire weekend is a stretching experience to say the least.  They have endless energy and unbelievable passion for life.  Students today are facing bigger issues than I ever realized.  They are coming from broken homes.  They are challenged in their faith by a world which seems to be pulling them away from Christianity.  They are in pain.  They even hurt themselves in order to relieve some of the pain inflicted by others.  These students need hope in their lives.

PCTC provides a place and opportunities to inject hope into the lives of these teenagers.

I have a lot to process as I recover from my first PCTC experience.  Here are six of the thoughts and memories running through my head:

6 Things To Remember About PCTC 2014

1. Next year, I need to take the day after PCTC off from work.  I did not realize how much energy PCTC would entail.  Teenagers apparently don’t require as much sleep as adults which is okay.  I just wasn’t quite ready for it.
2. Bert Crabbe did an amazing job teaching the high school students.  I will look at the story of the leper and the paralytic much differently thanks to Bert’s marvelous story telling.  We are all unclean like Steve the leper.  We need Christ to make us clean.  We need to be like Fred the paralytic’s four friends.  We need to bring our hurting friends to Christ.
3. Worship was amazing.  I know it took our students a little while to get used to the different music and style of the worship band.  Despite some technical glitches with the projector, I felt drawn to God through our times of worship together.  We don’t typically get extended periods of time to sing like this in our typical church services or youth group meetings.  PCTC provided the time and place for more focused times of worship.  I came home singing several songs.  More importantly, I came home with a deeper desire to connect with God.
4. We have great students.  Saturday night, our students gathered after the main session to debrief together.  During this time, students were given the opportunity to share how PCTC was impacting them.  I heard countless stories of renewed hope, of new passion for following Christ, and of connection with each other.
5. We have great adult leaders and a great youth pastor.  Trips like this do not happen without a lot of planning and prayer.  I am so honored to serve alongside other leaders who get it.  They are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and resources to help students grow closer to God.  I am so thankful for these people I call friends.
6. Cut the crap.  Rocky, the high school program host, shared a story about a man from Harrisburg who told him to “Cut the crap.”  I will always remember this story.  Here’s the basics of this story:  If we walk away from PCTC only remembering the great music, the great speakers, and the fun activities, we need to cut the crap.  PCTC is ultimately not about these things.  PCTC is about Christ.  That’s it.  And this is what our lives should be about also.  If it becomes focused on other things, we need to cut the crap.

I’m sure there are other things to remember.  And everyone who went will have a different take on their experience.  I had a blast.  And I’m already looking forward to going again in 2015.

If you went to PCTC, how would you describe your experience?  When was the last time, you went on a youth retreat or conference?  What do you remember about that experience?

Guatemala Fundraiser Recital

Preparing for a missions trip takes a lot of time, energy, and resources.  You have to lock in the date for the trip.  You have to coordinate details of the trip.  And you have to determine the resources required to make the trip possible.  Some of these resources include tools, supplies, and donations for those you are helping.  Finally, you have to consider the financial cost of going on a missions trip.  How will you pay for the trip?

Our family is heading back to Guatemala this summer to serve with GO! Ministries in and around Xenacoj (a small village an hour and a half outside of Guatemala City).  Our date recently made a minor modification.  We are now planning to go July 20th through July 27th.  We will be ministering to the orphans and widows of the village.  As we get closer, we will be able to share more about what we’ll be doing specifically and what we will need to bring.

We have intentionally put aside money to help pay for this trip, but we still need to do some fundraising to help cover the costs of this trip which will cost our family approximately $7,000.  (We need to raise approximately $3,000 to help close the gap.)  We are kicking off our fundraising efforts this year with a recital.  Isaac will be headlining the recital, and he will be joined by friends and relatives who have offered their musical talents to help us raise money for Guatemala.

You are invited!  Here are the details:

Ice Breaker – Winter Olympics

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.

The Winter Olympics are coming to a close this weekend.  I’ve enjoyed watching the competitions, seeing the athletic efforts, and hearing the stories of hard work and determination.  I’ll be sad to see them go.  This week’s Ice Breaker is inspired by the Winter Olympics.  Maybe your answer will lead to a new sport for future Olympics.

(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’s your favorite Winter Olympics sport?  What sport would you like to see added to the Winter Olympics?

My Answer:  I like most sports represented in the Winter Olympics which it makes it challenging to pick just one.  One of my favorites is short track speed skating.  I stink at ice skating, but there is something amazing about watching others who have the agility to stand on two thin blades of medal while whipping around an ice rink at high rates of speed.  It amazes me there aren’t more crashes as these speed skaters are practically on their sides going around the tight turns.

If I were going to recommend a sport for the Winter Olympics, I would pick something like basketball (isn’t that a winter sport?) or ice fishing.  In ice fishing, contestants would have four hours to drill their ice hole, build their ice house, and catch the biggest fish possible.  Contestants would be judged on the size of their fish, the quality of construction of their ice house, and technical skill level in drilling their ice hole.  It would kind of be like Grumpier Old Men meets the Olympics!

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!

Also don’t forget to sign up for the Stretched newsletter.  Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

Thank You Thursday – Isaac’s Example

The Thank You Revolution is for everyone.

My son, Isaac, is a great example for others to follow.  Last week, he had his braces removed.  It was a “fun” process for the whole family.  Isaac dealt with the pain and hassle of the braces.  Leanne and I dealt with financial pain of paying for this process.  And Leanne spent a fair amount of time carting Isaac to and from the orthodontist.

When Isaac had the braces removed and he saw the finished product, you could tell he was appreciative.  This past summer, he had the opportunity to go to Guatemala with our family.  While he was there, he saw kids and adults with all kinds of dental issues – missing teeth, crooked teeth, and decaying teeth.  I think this may have amplified his appreciation for his orthodontic opportunity.

The night the braces were removed, Leanne and I were greeted by a thank you note as we headed to bed.

The note read:

Thank You

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank You for providing the money to get my smile correct!  I know it was a lot of money and I’ll try my best with the retainers.  Thanks again!

Love,

Isaac

It was a simple note, and it left a big impression.

You are not too old or too young to write a thank you note.

Start today.  Express your gratitude to others.

A simple note can change the world.

How has a simple thank you note changed your world?  Why are you thankful today?

Secret

When you hear the word secret, what comes to mind?

I think of sneaking around without being caught.  I think of something hidden I don’t want revealed.

“Be sure your sins will find you out.”

This is a phrase which echoes in my head from time to time.  It’s a phrase my mom used to say to my brothers and me when we were kids.  My mom was always right.  When I did something wrong (something I wanted to keep secret), it would typically be brought into the light one way or the other.

I remember having the strong sense that God was watching me as a kid.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping.  He knows when you’re awake.”  These words are part of a popular Christmas song and are attributed to Santa Claus.  For me, these words went with God (and still do).

No one can keep a secret from God.  He’s all-knowing.  This is part of my theology.

God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!

Yesterday, Dallas police helped recover my brother’s bass guitar from a local pawn shop.  I don’t know many details yet.  If you read yesterday’s post (Violated), you know his guitar and laptop were stolen when burglars broke into my parents house.  I’m sure the Dallas police are working to find the thieves and to determine the whereabouts of my brother’s laptop.  I don’t know if they’ll find the perpetrators or not.  But I know this.  The burglars may think they have a secret, but God knows who did it.  We’ll see what happens!

What if secrets were good?

As I was thinking about secrets today, I kept coming back to this thought:  “I want to be in the secret place.”

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”  Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV)

I want to be in the secret place of the Most High.  This is where there is protection.  This is where there is comfort.  This is where there is relief from struggles and pains of life.

What’s your secret?  Where’s your secret place?

Violated

Burglars broke into my parents house this weekend in Dallas, Texas.  They pried open the locked front door in broad daylight while nobody was home.  The robbers grabbed my brother’s Apple Macbook Pro and one of his bass guitars.  They left without leaving a thank you note, without saying goodbye, and without locking the front door which they destroyed upon entry.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt (including the two dogs who were closed in the bathrooms in the house).  Nothing else was taken.

But I’m sure my parents and my brother felt violated.

The natural reaction to this kind of incident is anger, disappointment, and fear.  What would drive people to break into someone’s house and take what is not their property?  How do we prevent people from violating us like this?  Will they ever come back?  Will they be caught?  The list of questions and thoughts could go on for quite a while.

I was mad when I initially heard the news.

And then something hit me.  This verse came to my mind from the book of Romans:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Romans 12:14

I changed one word in the verse as I thought about the burglars – Bless those who violate you; bless and do not curse.

Really?  Bless those who broke into my parents house?  Bless those who stole my brothers stuff?  That’s easier said than done.  But it has to start somewhere.  And so, I prayed.  Here’s my prayer.

A Prayer For Those Who Violate Others

I pray the burglars would be caught.

I pray they would be rehabilitated.

I pray the robbers would recognize the error of their ways.

I pray they would feel remorse.

I pray for a transformation in their lives.

I pray for a bright future for them that differs greatly from the past which led them to robbing people’s homes.

I ultimately pray they would find God – that they would know the love of Christ and the power of His forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

This is my prayer for those who violated.

How have you responded when you’ve been violated?  What suggestions do you have for those who have been violated?

Book Review: It’s Possible – How To Thrive (Not Just Survive)

Do you ever feel like you are in survival mode?

Does it feel like it’s impossible to get out of the rut you’re in?

Sometimes, we need a simple reminder.  Sometimes, we need a little encouragement.

In Dave Arnold’s latest book, he challenges readers to renew their vision for what is possible. It’s Possible: How To Thrive, Not Just Survive is filled with stories from Dave’s personal experiences designed to help you imagine a life outside of survival mode – a life of thriving.

The book contains common sense lessons about recognizing your destiny deterrents, refusing to settle, and running your race.  (I especially liked the running analogies towards the end of the book.)

Is the book ground-breaking?  Probably not.  But I think it can be useful in giving a shot in the arm to anyone who needs a little encouragement to get over the mountain or speed bump they are facing.

The book officially releases today on Amazon.  Pick up a copy for yourself by clicking here.  If you order the book this week (Feb. 17 – 23), you are eligible for a few special bonuses.  The bonuses are: (1) a digital copy of Dave’s book, Pilgrims of the Alley: Living Out Faith in Displacement; (2) Dan Black’s book, The Leadership Mandate; and (3) a video Dave did in Detroit that ties into the book.  Email Dave your receipt at davejarnold16@gmail.com to get the bonus material.

(For more information about Dave Arnold, check out his blog and consider following him on Twitter.)

(Please note:  I received a copy of It’s Possible for free in exchange for a review.  I was not required to provide a favorable review.  I truly believe this book can be a great reminder to any reader in helping them move from survival mode to a position of thriving.  It’s my honor to be part of the launch team for Dave’s new book.

Also to note:  There are affiliate links in this post.  Should you purchase It’s Possible 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!)