Blog Moved to Wordpress

After a couple of years at blogspot, I decided to give wordpress a try. See my latest updates at:

http://jonstolpe.wordpress.com/

Thanks!!!

Brian Jones - The Official Website Blog Tony Campolo To Speak This Sunday At CCV!

Brian Jones - The Official Website Blog Tony Campolo To Speak This Sunday At CCV!

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Chicken Photo Update

Name That Chicken Contest

You may have heard...

We got our chickens today! Six hens (at least that's what we're planning). We need your help though with what we should name them. So here's your chance to chime in. Send me your name idea as a comment to this post. We'll choose the top 10-15 names and put it to a vote.

Slow Down, You're Moving Too Fast

Do you ever feel like you're too busy? I have felt that way more recently. With three weekends in a row where I am away from home and with a busy schedule during the week while I'm home, I am certainly feeling like life may be too busy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most of the stuff that I've been doing - trip to Texas to see my brother graduate from University of North Texas, trip to the Poconos to go camping with some of the best friends a guy could ever have, trip to Elk Neck State Park to camp with the Cub Scouts, piano lessons, Cub Scout meetings, picnics with friends, etc. I just wonder if life sometimes gets in the way of living the way we were meant to live.

Getting away from everything allows you to put things into perspective. At my recent camping trip up in the Poconos, we were each asked the question: "What are three things that you want to do in the next year - until we meet again?" So how did I answer this question?

1. I want to figure out where I fit into leading and serving at my church. This past year has been a bit challenging for me related to my involvement with the small group ministry at my church. Many aspects of what I've been through have caused me pain and perhaps disillusionment (if that's a word) that I could not imagine. Despite this, I'm convinced that it's important to be involved in our local church.

2. I want to be more intentional in my time at home between 5:30PM and bedtime. This does not need a huge explanation other than I do not want to waste the time I have with my wife and kids. They mean way too much to me!

3. I want to get back into some kind of regular exercise routine. I've used the excuse of my new position at work long enough (I've been in the position for a year and two months). For one, I want to lose a few pounds (5-10 would be just fine). Secondly, I want to be in decent shape, so I can enjoy many years with my wife, my kids, and hopefully someday my grand kids (whoa, did I just say that). Finally, I want to set a good example for my kids for their own fitness and health. It's not that I haven't been exercising - I still run. It's just more sporadic now than it used to be - one week I run five days - the next week I'm lucky if I get in one run. I think having a goal race or event will help me to achieve this goal.

So getting back to my initial paragraph, I'm not sure what the answer is to my busy life. It's hard to make decisions that will carve away things I like to do. I certainly do not want the three things above to add more busyness to my busyness. I guess I just want my priorities to be in the right order. I want to live a fulfilled life and not a filled life.

More wrestling to do...

The Chickens and The Bees

Life as a Dad can sure be challenging at times, hilarious at times, and sometimes a mix of both. I experience this all the time, and recently was no exception. For those of you who don't know, I'm getting ready to raise chickens. I've been trying to put the finishing touches on a cool chicken coop. And the family is starting to get ready to receive the baby chicks next week.

Okay, maybe this idea is a little crazy, but don't try to change my mind now.

At any rate, I few months ago when we were first talking this over as a family, I had a couple of hilarious/challenging conversations with my son, Isaac. Here's how it went:

Saturday morning on my way to my saxophone lesson with both kids in the car...

Isaac: "Dad, what happens if we crack an egg and there's a chicken inside?"

Hannah: Snicker...

Me: "Well, we won't have to worry about that, because we aren't getting any roosters."

Isaac: "What do roosters have to do with it?"

Hannah: Snicker, snicker...

Me: "Well, you can't have baby chickens without roosters."

Isaac: "Oh..."

Me: "Maybe, we should talk about this later."

That evening while I was washing the dishes, Isaac is hanging around me...

Me: "You remember that conversation we had this morning about the chickens and the roosters?"

Isaac: "Yes."

Me: "Well, maybe we should talk about that some more."

Isaac: "I think that will be an uncomfortable conversation."

Me: "No kidding."

A few weeks later, Isaac and I were alone in the car on the way to the mall, and we had a chance to discuss the 30,000 foot view of the fact that roosters and chickens were needed to have baby chickens just like dads and moms were necessary to have babies. We didn't get into all the details, but I'm hoping this laid the foundation for more conversations.

As I think about this topic, I'm extremely grateful for the model my own dad gave me for talking openly and frankly about an "Uncomfortable" topic.

Topper

Did you ever meet someone like this? A topper? This is the guy who has done things more extreme, more difficult, more challenging, more horrific, more hilarious, more..., more..., more....

I have a confession to make. I'm one of those guys. This is a tough one to overcome. Any advice? I don't really want to be like that.

Just keepin' it real!

We're All Terminally Ill. Do We Live Like It?

This was my Facebook status a few days ago. Seems kind of morbid at first, but let me explain.

I was actually sitting in a meeting with some other managers when someone mentioned that the wife of one of our technical personnel was terminally ill. It got me thinking, I wonder how knowing this impacts his family? I wonder how they are living their lives knowing this important detail. Then it suddenly hit me. In a way, we're all terminal. Our days on earth are but a blink. We're really only here on earth for a short period of time.

I Peter 1:24,25 says "For 'All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you."

Isaiah 40:6-8 says "A voice says, 'Cry out.' And I said, 'What shall I cry?' 'All people are like grass, and all human faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.'"

I don't think these verses were meant to throw us into a state of depression. I do however think they were meant to remind us that there is one God, and we're not the one. We will all face death at some point in our lives (and I'm guessing it will come on us sooner than we expected). What kind of legacy will we leave? What in our lives needs to take more of a priority? What relationships do we need to work on with more energy? How should we spend our time? How will we share the reason for our faith? How will we let others know about Christ and about our hope for eternity? These are some of the questions that really matter.

In getting to know people, I like to ask some crazy questions - some call it the famous "Stolpe Hot Seat" questions. One of the questions that I often ask is this, "If you knew that you only had 30 days left to live, what would you do? How would you live your life differently? Would you change anything?"

You see, we're all terminally ill. Do we live like it?

Who is God?

Recently, I shared with some friends that I think heaven is going to be way, way, way more than we can ever imagine - and that our natural response when we get there will be worship.  Revelation 4-5 vaguelly describes this scene.

 

At any rate, as I've been processing some of these thoughts, I realized that our understanding of God is limited as well.  To help me in this processing, I have been reading the Psalms over the past few days and jotting down a list of words that describe God.  I'm looking forward to continuing this exercise in the days to come, but I thought I'd share what I've got so far:

 

Deliverer

Protector

Savior

Satisfier

Ever Present

The Answer

Rescuer

Refuge

Commander of angels

Most High

Faithful

Shield

Rampart

Almighty

Fortress

Lord

Love

Great

Profound

Exalted

Forever

Upright

Rock

King

Majestic

Strong

Mighty

Holy

Eternal

Avenger

Judge

Teacher

Discipliner

Creator

All Knowing

Destoyer

 

Feel free to comment or add to the list.

Psalm 84

What I read this morning just resonated with me...

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

8 Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.

9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

12 LORD Almighty,
blessed are those who trust in you.