Thank You – #30
Thank You No. 30
Today, I’m thankful for advent.
Our family kicks off our celebration of advent today. We’ll be taking our kids into Philadelphia today for dinner and a Christmas show at the Walnut Street Theater. This is a fun way to get our hearts and brains in gear this holiday season. Each day from now until Christmas, our family will be doing something to celebrate advent.
Why are you thankful today?
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The Expectation That Comes With Darkness, Silence, and Uncertainty
The Expectation That Comes With Darkness, Silence, and Uncertainty
Yesterday, I posted 5 Ways To Handle Darkness, Silence, and Uncertainty in Our Lives. I hope you’ll go back and read this post. It is one of my favorites. I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of darkness, silence, and uncertainty lately. I can’t say I like this feeling in general. As I alluded to yesterday, it can feel so lonely and isolating when we are in this state of uncertainty.
We are not alone in this feeling of isolation.
At least two times in Biblical history, God seemed to disappear from the scene. The first time came when the Israelites moved to Egypt to escape the famine. If you remember, Jacob moved his entire family to Egypt to live with his son, Joseph, who had gone down to Egypt when his brothers sold him into slavery. The Israelites (Jacob’s descendents) ended up living in Egypt for 400 years. I’m not a Biblical scholar, but there seems to be very little record of God speaking to His people during this period of time. It wasn’t until God spoke to Moses through the burning bush that we begin to see God breaking the silence. A short time later, he led his people out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land.
Fast forward several hundred years. The Bible is full of stories and prophesies in the Old Testament which give a record of God’s voice and interaction with His people. We hear from prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Daniel. We see God speaking to King David and King Solomon. There are many clear examples of God speaking.
But then it happened again. God was quiet. About 400 years before the time of Christ, there seems to be another period of silence. The prophesies stop. And the stories of God’s interaction come to a halt. For 400 years, the people of Israel are in a place of darkness, silence, and uncertainty.
And then it happens!
God breaks through kind of like the Apollo 13 clip we saw yesterday. He shines brightly through the darkness as He sends His Son to earth on a rescue mission like none other. He speaks to His people like never before – through His one and only Son. I think there was an expectation on the part of the Israelites. They expected to see God. They expected to hear God speak. And they waited.
We are approaching a time of year when we celebrate Christmas. This season means many things to many people. It means family. It means food. It means presents. It means traditions. It means Christmas movies and Christmas carols. It means holiday parties and ugly sweaters.
But there is something more.
Christmas is a time to remember God’s unmistakable voice breaking through the silence, darkness, and uncertainty. Christmas represents God’s rescue mission for us – His people. It represents the coming salvation for those who believe and put their trust in Him.
As we head into advent next week (the time before Christmas), I invite you to listen for God’s voice. Watch for the ways God is breaking through the darkness and uncertainty in your own life. And celebrate the new thing He is doing in you.
Maybe it seems like God hasn’t spoken to you for a very long time. Maybe it seems like 400 years. As we talked about yesterday, maybe we just need to stop, wait, and listen.
May God speak to you in new ways this holiday season! May He provide an epiphany directly to you and to me.
How is God speaking to you these days? What are you doing about it?
Christmas For Thousands
What do you want for Christmas?
A new laptop? A book? A new outfit? Jewelry?
Seriously, what do you want for Christmas?
In the United States, Christmas is so focused on materialism. Stores are already playing Christmas music. Christmas displays were setup in most stores the day after Halloween. I’m sure the commercials on television are advertising the things you MUST have.
What if you decided to make Christmas more about giving than receiving? What would happen if you found ways to make Christmas really special for those who have nothing?
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35
Here’s one suggestion for making this happen. For $5, you can make Christmas super special for a young child in Xenacoj (in Guatemala) or in one of the nearby villages. $5 goes a long way in Guatemala. Based on our experience, you can be sure that $5 will be stretched as far as possible to provide the best Christmas for these kids. Without your generosity, most of these children will not have a gift to open for Christmas.
While we were in Guatemala this summer, we worked directly with GO! Ministries. Each year, GO! Ministries collects gifts and purchases gifts with donations, so they can distribute gifts to the children of Xenacoj. Over the past several years, Christmas for Thousands has grown. It has provided for the orphans and poor children in the area. And it has opened the door for GO! Ministries to share the gospel with families in these communities throughout the year.
Check out this video to get a little glimpse into Christmas For Thousands. Then consider how you might be able to help out. For more information click here.
How do you make Christmas more about giving than receiving?
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas from The Stolpe Family!
May you know hope, love, joy, and peace like never before this holiday season.
Third Sunday of Advent: Joy
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.Psalm 5:11
This is a picture of JOY. Not what you expected? Let me explain.
This is a picture of our Seeing Eye dog, Irwin. We are fostering him until he goes to school in another month or two. This picture was taken after we first got him about a year ago when he was seven weeks old. Everyone is pretty happy and joyful when Irwin arrived. But there was another type of “joy” we experienced as he became part of family.
Whenever I came home from work for the first few months, Irwin would run to the door to greet me. He was always so excited that he would lose control and pee on the floor and sometimes on me. I’m not sure if animals experience true “joy”, but it seems to me our puppy was experiencing uncontrollable happiness whenever I returned. I don’t know that we’ll pee ourselves, but I have to believe we will experience an uncontrollable joy when Christ returns.
If you come from a more traditional church background, you probably will be lighting the third candle on the church’s advent wreath. Today is the third Sunday of Advent. Many people around the world will be talking about joy. Today’s verse above talks about an everlasting joy that comes to those who take refuge in God. When we sing Joy To The World at Christmas time, it’s not about the joy of a new puppy or a new baby. Christmas is about a joy that can only come through a Savior. May you know joy this season in a new way as we anticipate Christ’s return.
How have you experienced joy this week?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and Fresh Brewed Sundays. Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.
(To set your mind at ease, Irwin doesn’t pee on me anymore. We think he’s going to be a great Seeing Eye Guide Dog.)
The Advent Box
Our family is trying something new this year in preparation for Christmas. We are celebrating advent with an advent box. Each day leading up to Christmas starting with December 1st, the kids open the box which reveals a clue for something special.
Sometimes the special is simple and sometimes it’s elaborate. Sometimes it’s short and sometimes it takes a longer period of time.
The main focus of the advent box and the daily advent clue is to help us be more intentional in our family time as we go through this season. Generally, our family is on the go all the time with different activities and responsibilities. In some ways, the Christmas season can make it worse as we add holiday concerts, parties, and other responsibilities to our already hectic schedule.
The advent box has forced us to slow down. There are times when ten intentional minutes in the evening can make all the difference in the day. So what are some of the things we’ve been doing as part of the advent box? Here’s a list of what we’ve done so far:
- December 1st – Evening in Philadelphia (dinner at Marrakesh and The Music Man at the Walnut Street Theater)
- December 2nd – Hot Cocoa and Tea with Christmas Memories
- December 3rd – Just Dance
- December 4th – Candy Canes
- December 5th – Dinner with Jim Brickman
- December 6th – Dessert following Isaac’s Winter Concert
- December 7th – A Christmas Movie – It’s A Wonderful Life
- December 8th – A visit to the Christmas Tree farm to pick out a tree
- December 9th – Putting ornaments up on the tree
- December 10th – Setting up our family’s nativity
(I can’t tell you the other items yet as I don’t want to give they away to my daughter who has become a regular reader of The Stretched Blog.)
The Advent Box is a chance to be intentional. It’s an opportunity to help put our holiday into perspective. And it’s a time to spend with family. May you find time to be intentional, to gain perspective, and to be with family through this Christmas season.
How are you preparing for Christmas? Do you have any fun and intentional family traditions that help bring perspective and meaning to the Christmas season? Share them with The Stretched Community by leaving a comment.
The First Sunday of Advent: Hope
We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 33:20
If you come from a more traditional church background, you probably will be lighting the first candle on the church’s advent wreath. Today, is the first Sunday of Advent. Many people around the world will be talking about hope. We can have amazing hope because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We have hope in His second coming. We have hope of spending eternity with Him in heaven.
As we go through this time of preparing for Christmas, may we be hopeful for what is to come. May we share the hope we have with a broken world.
What are you hoping for today?
Today, I’m hooking up with The Sunday Community and Fresh Brewed Sundays. Hop on over here and here to see what I’m talking about.
Ice Breaker – Top 5 Christmas Movies
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.
This week’s question is designed to get you in the holiday spirit. The Christmas movies are starting to show up on television. It’s time to schedule time to watch your favorite movies. Today’s Ice Breaker will get you thinking, so you can properly prepare. Have fun!
Question: Name your top 5 Christmas movies.
My Answer: I’m sure I could come up with more than 5, but I have to start somewhere. Here you go:
(1) It’s A Wonderful Life – What can I say? This is my favorite Christmas movie by far. I’ve always enjoyed watching this movie on Christmas Eve. There’s something about being reminded every year that I have a wonderful life.
(2) A Christmas Story – Many of us could probably recite the lines from this movie. Believe it or not, I looked like Ralphie from that movie when I was a young kid.
(3) Christmas Vacation – If you need a good laugh during the holidays, this is a great place to turn.
(4) Polar Express – The animation, the music, and the story make this one of my favorites. You gotta’ believe!
(5) Christmas With The Kranks – This is one of our families favorites based on Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. (If you get a chance, read the book. It’s a great book!) I love the ending of this movie when the community unites together to help the Kranks.
Honorable Mention: Elf, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and The Muppets Christmas Carol
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!
Ice Breaker – Top 5 Christmas Songs
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.
This week’s question is designed to get you in the holiday spirit. While malls, shopping centers, and television commercials begin playing Christmas music right after Halloween, our family typically doesn’t start listening to Christmas music until right after Thanksgiving. Since today’s Ice Breaker falls one day after Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a good idea to start thinking about Christmas songs that you like.
Question: Name your top 5 Christmas songs.
My Answer: My list will include a mix of Christian and secular songs. (For my Jewish friends, you are welcome to chime in with any songs that may be part of your traditions.)
(1) In A Bleak Midwinter – This isn’t a real popular song, but I love the words. “What shall I give Him? Give my heart.”
(2) Go Tell It On The Mountain – A fun song about spreading the Good News. I especially when we sing this one on our neighborhood caroling adventures.
(3) I’ll Be Home For Christmas – I had a saxophone solo in this song when I was in the junior high jazz band. As a result, this song has always had a special place in my heart.
(4) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen version) – I didn’t grow up with the Santa tradition, but I’ve always enjoyed hearing this song when it comes on the radio – especially the saxophone solo part. I dream of playing that part someday with a live band.
(5) The Gift – I first heard this song when someone gave Leanne the Jim Brickman Christmas album by the same title. I’ve had the privilege of hearing it live twice at Brickman concerts. It’s a great song to put you in the right mindset for Christmas.
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!
December 2011 Top Posts
We’ve reached the end of another month. December was the BEST month so far at Jon Stolpe Stretched. Traffic on the blog increased slightly by over 500 page views since November and by almost 300 page views since the previous record month (September 2011)! Comments continued to roll-in. And new people joined in the conversation and community. The blog added TWELVE new subscribers, and the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Page attracted a couple of new followers in its fourth month. Here are the top 10 posts and top 3 commentors for the month:
Top 10 Posts
1. On Fire
2. Ice Breaker – Christmas Movies (the new #1 Ice Breaker question)
3. Ice Breaker – Christmas Songs and Carols
4. Surprise!!!
5. Our Christmas Ornament Tradition
6. Ice Breaker – On The 13th Day Of Christmas What Gift Are You Hoping to Get
7. Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know (originally posted on October 24, 2011)
9. Leaders Are Readers – Creating My Reading List For 2012
10. It’s 40!
Top 3 Commentors (We blew by the 1,500th comment mark this month!)
1. Larry Carter (for the 2nd month in a row!)
3. Bill Grandi
I now have 32 regular subscribers. If you’d like to become a subscriber, see the “Join the Stretched Community” window on your right. It’s great to see this starting to take off.
Thank you to all of you for reading and contributing to the blog and to the reader community. I continue to grow a lot through this experience. *** This month, the top commentor will receive a copy of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Get your comments in for an opportunity to win!!! ***
As always, I love to share your “stretching” stories on my blog, so leave me a comment if you’re interested in being a guest blogger on Jon Stolpe Stretched. As a side note, I’d love to see guest bloggers in the monthly top 10 list!
Finally, if you’re a blogger, how did your blog to this month? What was your top post? What was your favorite post?