tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-275563312024-03-06T21:24:31.677-08:00StumpTown BlogSo much to say, so little reason to say it.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-72011886197580891982009-08-10T10:07:00.000-07:002009-08-10T10:08:30.623-07:00FacebookI'm not abandoning this blog altogether, but I am officially placing it on ice for a while. If you would like to stay in touch, and I hope that you will, come find me on facebook, which I'm going to try for a while.<br /><br />Thanks.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-36778944301072845602009-05-11T13:50:00.001-07:002009-05-11T13:53:18.092-07:00Back from PepperdineJust back from Pepperdine and don't have time for a full download. Just wanted to say:<br /><br />1. It was fantastic. Great time with old friends and meeting some new ones as well.<br />2. Malibu is still really pretty.<br />3. Thank you so much to all the people who supported me by attending my class. Special thanks to Tara for gathering a fantastic praise team at the last minute and to the folks who sang. It meant a lot to me. Thank you.<br /><br />I really enjoyed teaching this year and hope to go back next year for more of the week. I felt like my class went well, though I wasn't one of those who had to listen to me, so I'm probably not the best judge. But I feel good about it.<br /><br />More soon. Thank you to everyone who was praying for me. Your prayers were heard and God was with me.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-64059349424644295702009-04-21T15:14:00.001-07:002009-04-21T15:39:42.192-07:00New sites<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLcFIU36RniF_gjKOg8Imx0RyuJUHo7Mk6yUfjDpV9vLOehEamRpOWsWW_ssgzjtR1IdpG61WkA33KX0l5AxEIF7DpNujlIJg8OBtEd0vsfTtoAkT6Z1ZCHGJhvf73Ohr2iHj/s1600-h/The+cornhole.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327277421112352114" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLcFIU36RniF_gjKOg8Imx0RyuJUHo7Mk6yUfjDpV9vLOehEamRpOWsWW_ssgzjtR1IdpG61WkA33KX0l5AxEIF7DpNujlIJg8OBtEd0vsfTtoAkT6Z1ZCHGJhvf73Ohr2iHj/s320/The+cornhole.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My lovely (or "mactastic" if you prefer) wife has recently pointed me to a couple of fun sites I have to share. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>First is my favorite: <a href="http://thingsiwanttopunchintheface.blogspot.com/">http://thingsiwanttopunchintheface.blogspot.com/</a> It is somewhat PG-13 with language, but it is darn (I try to keep it PG) funny. Plus, I think this person might secretly be reading my mind somehow. I would say, it just seems like that because these are things that annoy everyone, but then why are there so many people who continue to do/like these things? Enjoy.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Then there is this latest gem: <a href="http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/">http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/</a> The above mentioned punch blog links here to share her dislike for food mixtures and I need to follow up on that. Why do so many people believe that taking multiple things they like and putting them together will make something even better? Are these the same people who would drink gasoline because they figure, "hey it smells good, it probably tastes good." (Gasoline does smell good....oh it does so....stop arguing, when you know you love it). </div><div> </div><div>I mean, I love playing basketball, but I don't think it would be improved if I could play ball, eat a sandwhich and run through my yard in my bathrobe attacking shrubs with a samari sword and shouting "there can be only one" all at the same time.....wait, bad example because I do not, I repeate do NOT, like doing that last thing...ever...as far as you know.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The foods from the why you're fat blog also remind me of the Seinfeld episode where George tries to do all his favorite things at once which leads to crumbs in the sheets, the need for a portable TV and an angry girlfriend.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One thing at a time. I mean what is the American fascination with adding meat to other meat. I like meat. I like it as much as anyone I know, but I don't think one meat is better if I put more meat on it. Enjoy each meat for the goodness of that meat. Every meat is special and deserves to be eaten by itself. Unless you're talking about bacon of course, which goes on everything.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This discussion brings me to FOOD RULE 17 - It is not acceptable to simply combine the seperate food items of a complete meal in a large rectangular glass dish, cover it in cheese and bake it all together. You have not created a new food item, you have destroyed several perfectly good ones. The fact that we give this concept a name and serve it relentlessly at Church potlucks, does not make it right.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Basically we have taken what prisons do with their leftovers and said it is ok to serve that for dinner.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It's not.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Take a stand.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Don't get your recipes from prisons.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Ok, I'm done.....for now.</div>Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-8321439917392220372009-04-16T17:15:00.000-07:002009-04-16T17:16:15.089-07:00PepperdineGreetings all in blogland. I just got a last minute invitation to go down and speak at the Pepperdine Lectures. I now have one day to come up with a class title and about 2 weeks to come up with a class!!! Yikes. This much I know, it is going to center around our experience up here at Westside putting together our own worship CD and will seek to encourage others to try the whole thing themselves. Past that, I’m not sure yet. <br /><br />Since I started writing songs, I have had several powerful revelations. <br /><br />Perhaps the most significant is that writing songs is not as hard as you think. If you are a Christian, there is power and beauty in your faith. All you really have to do is find a way to articulate that power in your own words (it helps of some of them rhyme) and then set it to music. Still sound hard? I really don’t think it is. I don’t mean to diminish the talents of the great songwriters, just to debunk the notion that you couldn’t write a song yourself. With a little help from the truly gifted around us, you might even write something that your congregation would want to sing. From there, you just never know how God might use you or your song.<br />My class won’t be about how to write music, but more about one congregation’s journey writing music that respects our tradition and reflects what God is doing in us, with some thoughts on how you and your congregation might do the same. I’ll play some music from our CD and depending on who might be down there with me, we might even sing some.<br /><br />Anyway, I am honored to be invited and excited to attend (I haven’t been to the lectures in years) and I hope I see some of you there.<br /><br />Let me know in the comments if you plan to be there and maybe we can hook up down in Malibu.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-76743146580265619142009-03-25T15:18:00.001-07:002009-03-25T15:47:46.365-07:00My Trust Fund<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrN2i7yivfY5P1xuACbmfTVDH101MHjFGBn6q8k3KPfIkc4jJFiCJG5Wuk2AjYJhFbDaWmUPsJqhg6QacqMwxDnBGPUnBIymiORG7Cw_9-mFKw5bfLqyxfTtl3771k5JICBRQn/s1600-h/1111.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317260823965524962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrN2i7yivfY5P1xuACbmfTVDH101MHjFGBn6q8k3KPfIkc4jJFiCJG5Wuk2AjYJhFbDaWmUPsJqhg6QacqMwxDnBGPUnBIymiORG7Cw_9-mFKw5bfLqyxfTtl3771k5JICBRQn/s320/1111.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I don't usually write things out when I am going to speak in public. I make a few scratched out notes and then just go with what comes out. So far, it has worked for me well enough. But at my Dad's memorial a couple weeks ago, I knew I couldn't get away with that. I had some things that I really wanted to say about my Dad and knew that it would be among the hardest things I have ever done. So, this time, I wrote out my remarks in part so I could read them and not really have to think and in part so if it proved too hard for me to do, someone else could read it for me. Turns out I still went off script a bit, but this is close to the remarks that I made.<br /><br />By the grace of God, I somehow managed to get through it and am very glad I was able to. Many of you have been reading about and praying for my Dad through this blog, though many of you could not be at the memorial. So, I thought I would post what I wrote here. It is a small snippet of the things I could have said about my father, but I thought I would share this with you who have provided me such welcomed support in the last few months. Thank you.<br /><br />-------<br /><br />"Deck him Ron."<br /><br />The words were spit in a hushed whisper into my Dad’s ear. I nervously watched on as my Dad stared across at our red-faced landlord and even at 7 years old I could sense that violence was in the air.<br /><br />“C’mon. Just deck him. We’ve got your back.”<br /><br />Dale and Ronnie flanked my Dad on either side like two pitbulls tugging at their leashes. They were huge men who dwarfed my Dad, which was no easy task as you know. They were looking for a fight that would not have been their first to say the least. But my Dad was not interested and I watched as he put his hands out as if to say “calm down, there’s no need for this” and he said a few soft but firm words to our landlord who shook his head, got into his car and drove away, perhaps never knowing how close he came to the worst beating of his life.<br /><br />“What did Dale mean ‘deck him?’ I asked innocently sensing that I had just witnessed something potentially scary or maybe even kind of cool and very grown up.<br /><br />“He wanted me to hit him.”<br /><br />“What? Why”<br /><br />“He didn’t like the way he was speaking to me and thought I should hit him” my Dad said.<br /><br />“oh.” I said mostly because I was still unsure what to make of these events and this explanation. Fortunately, my Dad went on to explain.<br /><br />“But I didn’t want to hit him and did not want to fight. Most of the time you don’t have to hit to settle an argument and it is always better to settle things peacefully.”<br /><br />I was seven, so I don’t remember if those were exactly my Dad’s words to me that day, but it was something along those lines. That scene has stuck with me as if tattooed onto my consciousness and over the years it has helped save me from many fights that never were.<br />It is one of the earliest memories I have of my Dad and reminded me that being strong, (and my Dad was very strong), didn’t mean you had to fight.<br /><br />Many of you may be surprised to learn that my Dad was a very wealthy man. When I was born, he set up a trust fund for me and made regular deposits up until the days when his body had so totally failed him, he could no longer do it. When each of my brothers and sister were born, he did the same for them. When my brother Martin later became his fourth son, he did the same for him.<br /><br />By the time my father’s body died, (and I choose my words carefully there because my father is not dead. He was with God his whole life and has only moved that much closer to Him now), by the time my father’s body died, the trust funds he had established for me and his other children had grown to a staggering sum. In fact, I can honestly say, I do not know, nor will I ever know the true value of my account.<br /><br />When I would go to camp or a friend’s house to spend the night, my Dad would say, “remember who you are” to remind me that I was his son and one of God’s children and that I should act accordingly.<br /><br />When we had a spare room in our house, and often even when we didn’t, our home was open to those who needed a place to stay. When we had extra food at our Christmas table and often even when we didn’t, our family grew for that meal as friends and strangers alike were invited to join us. When someone in the Church was in crisis in the middle of the night, my Dad would go to help them. When I thought myself too good to socialize with the awkward kids at Church or at school (not realizing I was one myself) , my Dad “encouraged” me,…as only he could….to befriend them. And when I was being pushed by my peers to do something I shouldn’t I remembered Dale whispering “Deck him Ron” into my Dad’s ear and remembered that my Dad said, “no.”<br /><br />I grew up knowing that Jesus loved me and God made me in His own image and that all people were important to God and that meant they should be important to me.<br /><br />Each time, I saw my Mom and my Dad, invite someone into our home, or go to someone in the middle of the night or reach out to someone no one else wanted to reach out to, or to honor each other in their marriage, or saw my Dad repay anger with kindness, my Dad made a deposit into my trust fund. For you see my Dad was not putting money in an account to be held in trust for me and my siblings. My Dad was showing me how to be a Man and a child of God by teaching me to trust God above all else.<br /><br />In fact my parents have never had a lot of money. When I entered high school my Dad told me that he wanted me to go to college and would support me going wherever I wanted but he wanted me to know that he could not afford to give me any money to help with college and if I were to make it I would have to do it on my own. When my friends were getting cars for their 16th birthday, I got a Bible. That sounds like a nice story now, but at 16, not as much. I always had enough, but there was very rarely anything extra.<br /><br />When I was a little older, my Dad would joke that I needed to get a good job and work hard because there would be no inheritance when he died. He had no money and what he did have went to REI.<br /><br />Just a few months ago, my Dad and I took a trip to Victoria just to get away father and son for one last trip. We talked about the jobs he had and the places he had lived with my Mom. When I remarked at what a wild career path he had, he paused and mentioned that he wondered if he should have done more to provide for my Mom and us kids financially after his death. Maybe he should have taken different jobs and saved more money. Maybe he should have invested more wisely or even at all.<br /><br />He reminded me again, that there would be no inheritance from him. He had no fortune to leave me. No family business to provide for me and my brothers and sister or the woman that he loved so much and had loved for so long.<br /><br />In his old age, he had forgotten my trust fund. It is true, there was no money. No stocks or bonds or treasury bills. No gold coins or family heirlooms.<br /><br />But my Dad was wrong about my inheritance. To me he left things of greater value than money or stock. My Dad spent his whole life investing in people. He built relationships everywhere he went and spent a good deal of his life helping people do the same thing. He loved the people in his family and the church and spent countless hours investing in those people.<br /><br />Now, those people are his legacy. You are his legacy. We are the things he valued the most and now we have each other to lean on now that he has gone. My trust fund has paid for meals for my family and kitchen remodels and trips overseas and a newly cleaned up yard for my parents. It has bought happy marriages and mended relationships. It has paid for personal strength and support in my hours of greatest need. It pays to support my Mom and give her hundreds of people who love her and would give anything to help her. It has provided security and happiness of the sort that money could never buy.<br /><br />You are what my Dad has left behind. You are my inheritance and I am what he left you in his will. The things we do for each other are the return on his investment. With every kind word, every lesson, every insight into the nature and will of God, every nugget of wisdom, every hour spent in conversation, every teaching, every meal shared or shelter offered, my Dad was investing in us. Now we have each other and that is a gift more precious than anything else on earth.<br /><br />And above all, my father left me faith. By teaching me about Jesus and living a life that testified to the faithfulness of God, my Dad gave me eternal life for the future and peace for today.<br /><br />I will always feel closest to my Dad in the woods where he loved to be the most. In the hours I have spent staring up the trail at his backpack, he shared with me the heart of God. I like to say that my Dad was a prophet because he was gifted with a special insight into the nature of God. Maybe that is part of why he loved so much to be in God’s creation. And as he shared with me in snowbound tents and on forest trails the wisdom of God he left to me the gift of life itself. So now, even in the face of losing my father, my mentor and my closest friend and even in the midst of all my grief, I have peace in the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient for me today and that Jesus loves me. And that is a treasure no thief can steal and no element can destroy. That is who my father is to me.<br /><br />When I was in highschool, I went camping with my Dad and Mike Patterson and a few others up on Mount Hood. While we were on the mountain, conditions changed quickly and it became dark and windy and bitterly cold. In the midst of a hurried attempt to find a place to camp for the night, the news stories of a group of students from OES who were lost for days on the mountain flashed through my head. As Mike started digging out a snow cave and my Dad tried to get our tent set up in a terrifying wind, I panicked. I quite literally froze up. My Dad moved quickly, ruining his fingers with frostbite and got me in the tent and in my sleeping bag and safe for the night. He reassured me that we would not blow off the mountain even though I could tell he wasn’t as sure as his words suggested. And of course, he said, “Don’t tell your mother about this.”<br />He held me close and I felt sure I was safe.<br /><br />Now when life’s conditions turn on me quickly I will so greatly miss having my Dad to turn to. But as I think about going on without my Dad, I am very thankful that he chose to invest in all of you instead of the stock market. I am very grateful that my Dad left me faith in God rather than a money market account. Now my mom and my family are surrounded by the lives of people my Dad touched. I can think of no greater inheritance.<br /><br />I hope that I am half the father to my boys that my father was to me. I hope someday they will consider me a close friend like I did my father. Most of all though, I hope to have the good sense to invest in people, so that my boys may end up as wealthy as I am after I am gone.<br /><br />My Dad was a prophet in the wilderness, or at least Forrest Park. He was a lumberjack, a photographer, a journalist, a principal, a missionary, a teacher, a son, a brother, a husband, a father and my best friend.<br /><br />If he were here today he might say “don’t stick any beans up your nose.” But he would also say thank you for being a part of his life and if you really want to honor my Dad, love God and love each other, oh and of course, read the book of Job whenever possible.</div>Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-64930425579572914202009-03-12T19:09:00.000-07:002009-03-12T19:15:08.242-07:00Memorial Service for my Dad<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCns2HYUqxWSIwRG8e69L4pYqC48Ljdp9IaxCy1al2goRl4K8xkXCs3ZcoIkzaGRvmS_8THKXIFSvvKQNWmoFwALFr2BePTIJCQUIeDGWbfZOqgQLpLgwifhnwcIl68ik6u3M/s1600-h/Kay+and+I+April+13+08.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312490043316608674" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCns2HYUqxWSIwRG8e69L4pYqC48Ljdp9IaxCy1al2goRl4K8xkXCs3ZcoIkzaGRvmS_8THKXIFSvvKQNWmoFwALFr2BePTIJCQUIeDGWbfZOqgQLpLgwifhnwcIl68ik6u3M/s400/Kay+and+I+April+13+08.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Just a quick post to let you know that there will be a memorial service for my Dad on Sunday, March 15 at 4:00 pm at <a href="http://www.westsidecofc.net/">Westside Church of Christ</a>. All are welcome. We appreciate your prayers.</div>Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-85664586890700651452009-03-12T12:24:00.000-07:002009-03-12T12:26:58.132-07:00My DadToday at 11:10am, my father's body passed away. He lived his life with God and is closer to Him now than ever. <br /><br />Thank you all for your prayers, they have been answered with blessings during a most difficult time. My Dad was at home with my Mom and me and my sister and went in peace.<br /><br />May God be with us all.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-16556048149864620462009-02-19T11:28:00.001-08:002009-02-19T11:28:59.313-08:00From TanyaJosh is working too hard and doesn't have time to blog. I thought I would jump in and post an update about his Dad. Ron has just been to his oncologist and it appears his liver tumors have grown significantly since the last CT scan a month ago. They are too numerous to count with the largest being about 6 inches across. They all appear to be growing aggressively. <br /><br />There is good news in all of this and I am reaching here...so go with me. The tumors have not spread outside of the liver. The doctor felt that they were close to that spreading stage. But not yet. The liver, while compromised, IS still functioning. This is all good news. He is still able to have visitors, still able to laugh at the antics of his grandsons and still able to eat Boston Cream Pie. <br /><br />The most important thing here is that the doctor gave them additional resources for pain management which should significantly improve things. Kay has worked very hard to keep him comfortable and it takes all her energy to watch him in pain. Lastly, Ron has taken his last dosage of the Nexavar. It seems to have not had much impact on his liver tumors and caused some more unpleasant side effects to boot. There are not many other options to try at this point so now it is our prayer that God, who is so present in Ron's life, consider bringing us a miracle. <br />We appreciate your prayers. God is good to us all the time but this season of life is a difficult one to bear.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-12831690740011191792009-02-02T08:56:00.000-08:002009-02-02T09:10:11.019-08:00Know Anyone Remarkable?There are cards and letters and e-cards and email and online flourists and facebook tags and a trillion other (I counted) ways to send someone a note expressing some sentiment like Happy Birthday or "Good job getting out of bed this morning" or whatever. And there are another trillion (ok, I'm rounding up this time) ways to honor someone or mark some important event. But they are boring and stale. Fortunately for all of you, I come bearing fresh produce this morning just for you. My good friends Tony and Jennifer have launched a new web business that is a fantastic way to show someone you care or create lasting memories of a person, event or both.<br /><br />Check it out right now....seriously right now...I mean it.<br /><br /><a href="http://remarkabletributes.com/">http://remarkabletributes.com/</a><br /><br />I used this service to create a book for my parents to help them celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. We compiled notes and letters from friends to go along with pictures of the party we had and many of their closest friends. They can now safely use their mental memory banks for more mundane things since the memories of their party are safely stored in a beautiful hardbound album that was custom designed by my lovely wife with the help of Remarkable Tributes. It is awesome and I will definitely use this service again.<br /><br />Whether you want to create a celebratory website for someone or give them a gift that is 1000 times more meaningful (I did the calculation and it is exactly 1000 times more meaningful) than a simple card or even one of those photo calendars you can throw together at Kinkos, this site will hook you up.<br /><br />I don't get a discount for saying this stuff and Tony and Jennifer would still be my friends if I said nothing, but this is a really cool and easy to use product and just like with Viva papertowels, Arrested Development and my food rules, when I come across something brilliant that could be lifesaving (CAUTION: products not lifesaving), I feel I must share it.<br /><br />Have a good week and go tell someone they are remarkable.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-61928455394897885432009-01-27T14:45:00.000-08:002009-01-27T14:58:13.859-08:00Have you Seen the Gospel?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5bWpWKNPxh6LoBH1vzMYrY_cfDQTNMR1VStjVJ7Dg9XHRJII7HPog-InTgMYgXtTCUlFA8TWbxchY0wWtMj4ApWoVb4XBuB9U5CKOCOokZ-G0s-CdYvWalWwzFfUpLLeRq7M/s1600-h/IMG_0772.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296111325085753314" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5bWpWKNPxh6LoBH1vzMYrY_cfDQTNMR1VStjVJ7Dg9XHRJII7HPog-InTgMYgXtTCUlFA8TWbxchY0wWtMj4ApWoVb4XBuB9U5CKOCOokZ-G0s-CdYvWalWwzFfUpLLeRq7M/s400/IMG_0772.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Our new preacher Aaron, (who is a great guy and fantastic preacher, but don't tell him or he will become even harder to control...and I am all about control) stole my idea (even though I hadn't told anyone about it yet) and asked a number of people from my home congregation to share ways in which they have seen the good news of Jesus in their lives in 2008. Those who were willing are writing short essays to post on the <a href="http://www.westsidecofc.net/">website</a>. My wife just went through this exercise and I have printed her essay. In other words, good news - instead of me you get my mactastic wife as guest blogger today. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">WARNING</span></strong>: Reading this story may lead to eyes watering. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The song referenced is the one I wrote for Tanya and is on the new <a href="http://www.westsidepraise.org/">CD</a> if you want to listen.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>-----------</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Have you ever thought about what a child’s life must be like? Wandering in a forest of long legs. Smaller than everyone else. Bouncing like a pinball through a sea of kneecaps. At any moment, some “giant” grown-up may come along and swoop you up off the ground and suddenly you are suspended in mid-air, comfortably dependent on the strength of another.<br /><br />Is this what Jesus meant in Matthew when he said …”I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven…”?<br /><br />The idea of being carried is a welcome thought to a child. The idea of being comforted is too.<br /><br />My five year old son G2 (<span style="color:#33cc00;">pictured above</span>) goes to Southwest Preschool at his Grandmother and Grandpa Young’s church. His teacher tearfully announced several weeks ago that she was taking a leave of absence to be with her mother, who battled cancer for 11 years and was soon headed for her home in heaven.<br /><br />That was Show and Tell day and when G2’s turn came to show his treasure, he crawled over to sit knee to knee with his well loved but sad teacher, laid his hand on her knee and said “I brought this giant insect to show because it starts with an “I”, but that is not what I want to share. My Grandpa Stump is sick and that makes my Grandma sad just like you. This song makes her feel better so I am going to sing it to you and you will feel better.” At that point, he rose up on his knees and began singing “Oh Lord my God, please listen to me; hear my heart speak when words are lost. The path I’m on is rocky and steep and there’s a river of sin between us I need to cross. So carry me, to your peaceful shore…” He knelt there singing the entire first verse of “Carry Me” to his teacher.<br /><br />He didn’t stop to think that no one had ever done that for Show and Tell before. He didn’t stop to wonder if kids would laugh or if he would sing it well. He KNEW that his Mommy sings it to him when he gets scared, that it makes his Grandmother feel better when she is sad and that it would help his teacher feel better too.<br /><br />“Carry Me” is a worship song his Daddy wrote to sing at church and his Daddy often introduces his new songs to G2, and his brother G1, as “bed night” tunes before anyone else gets to hear them.<br /><br />Later, I had to explain to him why his song made his teacher cry. I had to explain why it made his own Mommy cry along with all the other parents standing in the doorway. I explained that Jesus was working through him to comfort his teacher. He liked the idea of helping Jesus do his job.<br /><br />It was one of the most beautiful and profound things I have ever seen; my wonderful boy, sharing how it feels to be carried like a child, suddenly suspended in mid-air, comfortably dependent on the strength of another.<br /><br />I am pretty sure that IS what Jesus meant. What a blessing to be reminded by a child barely taller than my knee. </div>Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-65820273253405002152009-01-26T13:34:00.000-08:002009-01-26T13:41:21.272-08:00Hodge-PodgeHello all. Sort of a hodge-podge of things today which is good since I like using the word hodge-podge whenever possible. I also enjoy donnybrook, hooligans and couscous which has the makings of a great short-story writing assignment. Find your 3 favorite words to say and make them the theme of a story. Who wouldn’t want to read a story about a donnybrook featuring some hooligans where couscous was prominently involved?<br /><br />Aaaak…I’ve already digressed and I hadn’t even gressed yet. Sorry.<br /><br />Even More Music – Check out <a href="http://www.preachermike.com/">Mike Cope’s blog</a> today and you will discover that Mr. Cope has excellent taste in music. Thanks to Tony and Jennifer for spreading the word on our <a href="http://www.westsidepraise.org/">music project</a>. If, you are reading this and going “what music project”, then welcome to my blog, it is good to have first time readers. The CD has been very well received. The amount of people who have said nice things about it to me and to others has really blown me away. Here I thought I was serving God by leading my Church in worship and by leading a music ministry and it turns out God was really using it to tell me He loves me. He is always doing that. About the time I think I am making some sacrifice for my faith, it turns out that I am the one being blessed. Weird.<br /><br />In Your Face(book) – So, a few months ago someone invited me to join facebook. I have had a love/hate relationship with this social networking site, but lately we are “on again.” It is an amazing tool for finding long lost friends. It is also too much. There are too many people I care about and want to know about and can not possibly keep up with. Oh the stress of virtual friends. I also have a few suggestions for ways to improve facebook….<br /><br />….I’ll give you a second to be done feigning surprise….Ok, and on we go....<br /><br />1. Enemies – I think, like in real life, you should have more categories for people than “friends.” I would love to get a message some time saying, “Bill has invited you to be his enemy on Facebook.” Or, “you may know Jim, you have 17 mutual ‘bitter rivals”.”<br />2. Face requirements – You should be required to have a picture of yourself on your provile somewhere. Otherwise, how can I know whether you are the “John Smith” or whoever that I’m looking for? And you should be able to see the pictures large enough to know whether it is of a person or a small carpet stain before you go through the friend thing. As you know by now I am much more into what makes things better for me than I am for other people’s personal freedoms.<br /><br />Ok, that’s enough for now.<br /><br />Rapid fire Movie Reviews:<br /><br />1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bank – Pretty good rental. Downey is great as always. Love the title<br />2. Love in the Time of Cholera (or something like that)…not so much. “Romantic lead” was an emotional infant stalker who “showed his love” for the “she’s just not that into you” female lead by sleeping with every woman in central America.<br />3. Mama Mia – I hear the live production is great, and I beleive it. In movies, people doing ordinary things and then suddenly bursting into song makes me embarrassed for them. When it happens on stage it is fun and when it happens in my living room, it is great, but in movies, it makes me feel like punching my television.<br />4. Across the Universe – Hypocrite warning – also a musical based on a pop band of yesteryear, but this one worked. Fun to watch especially if you have ever wondered what LSD would be like in a controlled environment.<br />5. The Dark Knight – Awesome. Seriously…awesome. “Why so serious?” (shiver)<br />6. Gran Torino – You know how you watched Office Space and just knew there were thousands of people trapped working for lame companies in a cubicle cheering? Well this was just like that except swap the trapped office drones for grumpy old men not ready to be put out to pasture. Good stuff.<br />7. The Tale of Despereaux – Decent, not great. Cool animation. Story went nowhere. My kids were bored.<br />8. Valkyrie – It worked. It was nothing special, but it was nice to see the more human side of the Germans for a change. I always respect movies that can keep the suspense up even when you know how it ends.<br />9. Quantum of Solace – Loved it. This new team making Bond movies should win some kind of medal for rescuing that franchise.<br />10. Burn After Reading – Worth seeing, but given what I hope for from the Cohens, pretty disappointing. Still, I don’t care what anyone says, Brad Pitt is one of the top 5 actors of his generation….at least.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-31069205225184583402009-01-19T02:46:00.001-08:002009-01-19T02:46:40.875-08:00More MusicYou can now hear snippets of every song at CD Baby. Check it out<br /><br /><a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/westsidepraise">http://cdbaby.com/cd/westsidepraise</a>Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-8850561575539443342009-01-08T11:25:00.000-08:002009-01-08T11:27:25.511-08:00Music anyone?If you look to the left of the screen, you will find something called a widget and on the widget, you will find that the much anticipated (by me) Westside PraiseTeam CD is now available for purchase. As you may know from reading this blog, this CD is the praise team I sing with at Westside Church of Christ singing 10 original a capella praise and worship songs written by me and my good friend Jennifer Davis. I enjoy listening to the CD, but the music is really intended to be sung. So, if you are involved with a Church wherever you live (and I hope you are), I would encourage you to check out the CD and see if any of these songs migh be appropriate to use in your own worship service. All sale proceeds go back to Westside CofC. Enjoy.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-53595141159456094502008-12-19T13:56:00.000-08:002008-12-19T14:01:18.478-08:00Buy BayerMerry Christmas everyone.<br /><br />A couple fun news items in StumpTown today.<br /><br />First, my Dad has his new medication. Praise God. No really, I’m not just saying that to indicate that I am praising God or that it is something praiseworthy but because I am hoping that you will actually praise God. I know many of you have been praying for this, so please take a minute and say thank you. The new medication will allow him to avoid having to travel out of state to a drug trial. In a truly amazing turn of events, when his insurance company would not pay for this drug, the drug company (Bayer…my new favorite) agreed to give him the drug for free. How often do you hear about that happening? It is true though. Now the important part. This drug needs to work. The others have not or have stopped and the tumors are growing rapidly. Please keep us in your prayers.<br /><br />Second, we had 4 snow days this week and it was awesome. I worked from home and mixed in a little sledding and snowball fighting with the boys. Lots of people around here are sick of the snow and the way it interferes with life, but for me, who has a hard time allowing life to interfere with my plans, the snow has been a welcome interruption. The work is still getting done, but now it is getting done along with great memories of sliding down our long steep driveway with my 8 year old screaming “yeah baby” as he grips ahold of me on the sled. Good times.<br /><br />Speaking of my 8 year old and the snow. G1 took a snowball to the face earlier this week. It probably stung and was really, really cold. In times past this would have led to a 5 minute crying timeout at least as he vented both his pain and anger in tears. This remains one of my least favorite aspects of parenting young children (yes, I know…I lack compassion). This time however, he just looked around at his stunned and braced for bawling parents and smiled a big toothy grin through his icy white mask of snow. No crying. No complaining. Just laughing and firing back. My little boy is growing up.<br /><br />Third, I am very pleased and excited to announce that our Praise Team has finished its latest CD. For those of you not familiar with this project, the Westside Church of Christ Praise Team leads worship at Westside every week generally led by yours truly. Before I came back to Westside, the previous praise teams have recorded albums and some who were here during that era had often requested that we do it again.<br /><br />This time, however, there was a new and fun (I hope) twist to the process. As some of you may know I have been writing praise and worship songs for the last three or four years and 9 of the 11 tracks on this cd are original songs I wrote with the help of my lovely wife, my “house band” (my wife, and our friends Tony and Jennifer), the Praise Team and some uber-talented musician types: Ike Graul, Kris Strobeck and Clarissa Cox. I am still writing and it has become one of the greatest blessings in my life.<br /><br />Anyway, Jennifer Davis who sings alto with us wrote one of the other tracks and then we also do the old hymn Holy Holy Holy just because we like it. Jennifer has written more and she and I are already at work creating music for next year’s cd.<br /><br />A couple months ago the PT got together with wunderkind Kris Strobeck who is a local musician and producer and personal friend. We recorded 11 tracks for this cd in a single day and evening. It was an immense amount of work. But thanks to the talented folks that sing on our PT and Kris’s excellent guidance, we made it happen. Then Kris and I have worked over the past few weeks (mostly Kris) to “clean up” and “produce” the songs to prepare them for the CD. That process is finally complete and thanks again to Kris and his amazing talent, I think they came out really good.<br /><br />Anyway, someday very soon, this CD will be available for purchase. At this point, it should be for sale at Amazon and iTunes in mid to late January, but possibly sooner. The cd artwork was done by a very talented young artist at Westside who is the son of one of our longtime PT singers and the collaboration of talent with some of my closest friends has really made this one of the most fun things I have ever worked on.<br /><br />So, I will announce and send a link to where you can buy it when it goes on sale if you would like one. If you attend Westside (or just want to come visit), you can purchase the CD at a discount once it is available. If you live in the Portland area and want to be invited to our CD release party (you thought with Jennifer and my wife involved there would not be a party? Come on!!), please let me know and we’ll get you on the list.<br /><br />I know I speak for the whole PT when I say that our only hope is that this CD and the music on it will glorify God. The process of worshiping God to create the CD has already blessed me more than I can say.<br /><br />May the God of peace and the peace of God be with you all.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-82999897435730161092008-12-05T16:24:00.000-08:002008-12-05T16:30:06.598-08:00Dad updateA bit of light in the storm today. My Dad has been trying to get in a drug study to get his hands on a Kidney cancer drug called Serafanib. Since my Dad doesn't have kidney cancer, it is very unlikely that his insurance will approve the hefty sum of money to purchase this drug. So, getting it through a drug trial has been the only option. <br /><br />If he can get in he would have to travel to Denver or maybe Chicago to get the drug and the expense and inconvenience factor, even if he could get in would be very high. Still, it has been the only options.<br /><br />Today came news though that it appears the drug company has approved my Dad to receive the drug free of charge if his insurance company declines to cover the cost.<br /><br />So, while it hasn't happened yet, it appears that my Dad may be able to get access to this drug without participating in a study. That would be very good news.<br /><br />Praise God.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-6947635780186240272008-12-04T14:32:00.000-08:002008-12-04T14:38:14.717-08:00Where are you from?You may know where you are, but do you know where you are from?<br /><br />Our good friend Connie inspired my wife to answer that question in the mold of a poem following the pattern of the more famous poem also called "Where I'm From" which I believe was written by George Ella Lyon.<br /><br />Ordinarily my lovely wife is more likely to spend her creative energy on the visual arts, but she has a gift for the written word as well and so I was thrilled that she decided to write her own "Where I'm From." It is a beautiful insight into my Wife and her beginnings and she was gracious enough to allow me to share it here. Though you likely won't enjoy it quite as much as I did (since I doubt that is possible), I hope it inspires some of you to give some thought to your own history. Anyway, enjoy<br /><br />Where I’m From<br /><br />I am from 172nd court<br />From sawdust and custom designed Barbie clothes<br />I am from a triangle tree house with a green corrugated roof<br />Sheltering my sleeping bag and books during a flood<br />until Daddy put on waders<br />Rescuing my precious things<br /><br />I am from Little House on the Prairie<br />Laura and Ma and Manly<br />Long braids and nightgowns at 8:00<br />Dancing to the opening credits<br />I am from Mrs. Smith’s awesome 5th grade<br />A brick in Pioneer Square to remember us, always together<br /><br />I am from Paradise Island<br />Wonder Woman on a bike<br />Racing with Rene’<br />Singing and saving the day<br />Swim meets and goggles and swim caps to cover our hip length hair<br />Proud to be matching cone head mermaids<br /><br />I am from the stage<br />Somewhere over the rainbow<br />Best friends in costumes<br />I am from the scent of Great songs of the church<br />My great grandmother’s scratchy crocheted cape,<br />Baptistery chlorine and 728B in my biggest voice<br /><br />I am from Lake Billie Chinook<br />Sunburns, water skis and our own private trailer<br />Camping and fishing<br />Losing a sombrero on the lake<br />A one man, two girl tent<br />A burnt orange backpack that was too heavy<br /><br />I am again from the end of the street<br />Still love sawdust and custom designed clothes<br />The tree house is a rectangle now<br />728B is a classic sung into a microphone<br />Singing and saving the day<br />Wonder Woman on a BikeJosh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-49149960613988345652008-12-02T11:46:00.000-08:002008-12-02T11:48:44.617-08:00Trials and TribulationsGreetings everyone from your long lost lawyer blogger friend.<br /><br />Things have been particularly busy of late. The month of November was taken up entirely preparing for and then doing the lawyering in a two week jury trial. I basically did nothing but work on that case for about a month. Now I am slowly recovering and trying to get to know my family again. Thankfully all that hard work ended with a win for my client. It was an especially gratifying win not only because of all the hard work that went into it but because my clients are genuinely good people and it would have been a grave injustice if they had lost. If it weren’t for all the darned confidentialities and professional etiquette involved in such a thing, I could fill this blog with good stories from this trial for months to come.<br /><br />Instead, I will just offer this bit of advice for any new or would-be litigators out there. When your entire case comes down to your own client’s memory and understanding of events, calling an expert witness in to say that your client has severe mental impairment that puts his memory in the .5 percentile is probably not your best move. The lawyer on the other side just might seize on that and remind the jury at every turn that 99.5% of the population remembers things better than your client.<br /><br />I’m just saying…<br /><br />We have all had “now you’ll find out who your friends are” moments in life. Maybe it is when your second rap album flopped and you had to sell your Maserati and most of your bling. The ones who stuck around when you were blingless are much more likely to be your friends (either that or they are just conservative investors and are hoping you swing back to your former playa status).<br /><br />Or, maybe it was when you had to take some big risk like when you decided to wear green and orange together for the first time. The ones that stuck with you and didn’t even make hurtful jokes about your sexual preferences behind your back are, again, much more likely to be your real friends. <br /><br />But those are just a couple universal examples. Maybe yours was a variation, but those friend testing moments are real and can be some of the more affirming or devastating moments of our lives.<br /><br />This trial was just such a moment for me. I basically dropped out of life for 3 weeks. I was at the office all the time. I doled out all of my duties at Church and all aspects of my personal or family life were simply put on hold. I didn’t return emails or phone calls. I didn’t show up for social gatherings even when they were at my own house. I only saw my wife and kids when they were sleeping. I was dialed into that trial, 100%. <br /><br />The people I thought were my closest friends all responded basically the same way. They covered for me at Church, they prayed for me, they never complained, they changed their schedules to accommodate mine and even came to court to watch me litigate. They sent me encouraging emails and on the rare times they saw me out of court they convincingly feigned interest in my ranting and raving about the latest boring trial detail. Then after hearing me wax on about things no one but a lawyer half brain dead with exhaustion and stress would care about, they would smile and tell me it was interesting and then tell me they thought I would be great.<br />Basically, the side effect of the whole draining experience was a big fat reminder that I have really good friends. They are the kind that stick with me when I’m blingless or when I make questionable fashion decisions. They even stick with me when I completely ignore them for nearly a month. But more than stick with me, they encourage me and try to help me when they are getting nothing from me but an earful about the “hearsay” rules or why western civilization may come to an end if parties are allowed to argue their case unfettered in voir dire. Those are true friends indeed and I have a whole bunch of them. I already believed that, but now I know and as my good friend the narrator from the GI Joes cartoon of the late ‘80s would say “you must fight the evil forces of C.O.B.R.A.” and also, “knowing is half the battle.”<br /><br />Well, when it comes to friendship, knowing who your friends are is more than half the battle, it is the victory itself.<br /><br />But, as great as my friends are and as thankful as I am for them, they all paled in comparison to the effort shown by my best friend. <br /><br />I have been married for more than 15 years now and have known my wife for all but the first 11 years of my life. During that time, she has never stopped amazing me with her talent and faith and grace and beauty. But even still there have been moments where she has elevated her game to match the circumstances. There was the LA earthquake and the impact it had on her job, the move to Virginia where she knew no one and still had to be the sole bread winner for the family while I was in law school. There was the house fire, the move to Eugene, the move to Portland, the first house remodel, the second house remodel, the parents house remodel and the miracle of strength of will and character that she displayed when giving birth to our boys. At each of these times a truly extraordinary woman stepped up to perform nearly super-human feats. <br /><br />So, when these moments come, they should no longer come as a surprise, but I have found that I have never “gotten used to” the spectacular. So, while it was in keeping with her character to respond the way she did when I was in trial, it still amazed me.<br /><br />Now maybe it wasn’t on the level of giving birth or dealing with a devastating fire, but to me my wife’s response to suddenly losing her husband and father of her children for 3 weeks was nothing short of spectacular. She never once complained. Never asked me for more of my time. Never tried to make me feel guilty for my absence. She always told me how nice I looked and how great she thought I would do and then simply took care of the house, the boys, and the myriad of other obligations. She listened and encouraged and gave me more support than I had a right to ask for. <br /><br />I had lots of help with this trial from other lawyers and the great staff at my office. But no one contributed more to my success in trial than my wife. As she has done so many times before, she not only placed my needs ahead of her own, but did it with a smile on her face.<br /><br />My trial could have been a very rocky time for our marriage. Instead, because of Tanya, it simply made me love her more. Apparently, I felt like you should know.<br /><br />Changing gears a bit, I also need to post an update about my Dad and his health. Basically, it is not very good I’m afraid. The cancer has been back and growing quickly in his liver since August. He has been trying a number of different medications to stop or slow it, but nothing has worked. Surgery is not an option. <br /><br />Recently we discovered that the liver is beginning to show significant damage and he has been generally feeling worse and worse. Though thankfully he still feels well enough to keep working and traveling to see the grandkids and the like. Right now we are trying to get our hands on newer still unproven drugs through clinical trials in hopes of finding something that will stop the cancer. The clinical trials are all over the country and can be difficult to get into, but they are what appears to be the last line of defense.<br /><br />Please continue praying for my Dad and my Mom and my family. I am praying that he can get into a trial soon that doesn’t require him to move to Boston or Chicago or Denver and that would allow access to the drug that will finally shut this cancer down. <br /><br />Thank you to all my friends who have contacted me even when I haven’t posted here. And to all of those who put up with my absence the last month. It has been a great encouragement.<br /><a name="_iDocIDField_1"></a>5420037.DOC;1Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-620705586570781702008-10-27T11:05:00.000-07:002008-10-27T11:11:36.555-07:00My DadMy Dad went to his doctor today. Sadly, the new drug he was taking has also failed. The tumors on his liver have continued to grow and multiply. It appears that surgery is not an option. He is going to meet with experts in this particular type of tumor that fortunately reside locally in hopes of finding additional treatment options.<br /><br />This news was not entirely unexpected, but was a heavy, heavy blow to my family. <br /><br />On the positive side, he is feeling pretty good and did not suffer any of the bad side effects of this last drug.<br /><br />Also, we know that God is in control and while I was hoping to be comforted by healing, I will take the comfort in trusting God.<br /><br />Nevertheless, it is sad news today.<br /><br />When I know more, I will post it here.<br /><br />Thank you to all of those who care about us for your prayers and your encouragement.<br /><br />God is good all the time.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-43723825294650780192008-10-27T10:08:00.003-07:002008-10-27T10:08:35.080-07:00Please prayMy Dad is meeting with his doctors right now. When I know something I will post it here. Please pray.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-32168456260415738802008-09-29T16:06:00.000-07:002008-09-29T16:38:57.140-07:00My Number 1 Fan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VddwBm68LrlereKVz8YNX0kdZ52nhN_n5Z-aCd3rsNTakIvjOSPY02Ihapjow9gEM8BfZB-KnG5FokQX7kkxd3ekzRiSoWkVhVcy2w5A6fA06JLIYcK8yb19E_Fu1M_zzY4D/s1600-h/Claire1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251591900498164354" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VddwBm68LrlereKVz8YNX0kdZ52nhN_n5Z-aCd3rsNTakIvjOSPY02Ihapjow9gEM8BfZB-KnG5FokQX7kkxd3ekzRiSoWkVhVcy2w5A6fA06JLIYcK8yb19E_Fu1M_zzY4D/s400/Claire1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I like being liked and so do you. Oh admit it, you do too. You know you do. Thankfully there are still a few people out there that like me. It is not a particularly large group of people, but my Mom says that is just because they are all jealous. That could be true I guess. After all I am not handsome or charming or fun at parties, but I am related to people who are all of those things and that surely counts for something.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Regardless of all that though, out of the modest group of people that like me, there is a new challenger to the title of my number 1 fan. That position is currently held by the regional sales manager for Pepsi Cola. I have no idea why.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Our good friends Tony and Jennifer have a little girl named Claire. She is about the cutest little girl you have ever seen no matter how many girls you've seen. Whenever she sees me she runs up to me and jumps up to be held and burries her head in my shoulder and holds on. She only knows a few words but says "Josh" very well and communicates well enough to show her displeasure if her parents get together with me without her. But all of this is really just build up to this video. Claire and mommy are singing a song I have recently written and created hand motions. Clearly knowing my love of football, Claire has sensitively incorporated the "touchdown" signal into the motions. Just thought it was too cute not to share. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Enjoy.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1036953249109">http://www.new.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1036953249109</a></div>Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-6004825960110705112008-09-23T14:31:00.000-07:002008-09-23T14:32:19.975-07:00SutentGood afternoon everyone.<br /><br />I have more news about my Dad and I am afraid it is not very good. The Gleevec that my Dad has been taking has failed. As you know, my Dad’s GIST returned to his liver and the hope was that an increased dose of Gleevec would knock it back. It did not. The tumors continue to grow at a startling pace. The next step is to switch to a different drug called Sutent. The hope is that Sutent would reduce the tumors where Gleevec could not and get them small enough that my Dad could have more surgery. We could know whether that is going to work in as little as a week. <br /><br />If the tumors continue to grow or fail to shrink, there are still some options, but they are less clear. As far as we know now, at that point surgery would not be an option. There may be a radioactive drug that could be used directly on the tumor. There may also be clinical trials for different drugs that my Dad could join which would likely require traveling to a place like Boston or North Carolina. And, of course, maybe there is something else we don’t know about yet.<br />All of that means, that we really want these tumors to shrink…right now.<br /><br />Thank you all again for your prayers. Please keep them coming.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-17151693997333326232008-09-17T08:46:00.000-07:002008-09-17T08:50:21.334-07:00From Dad<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1kYCCC6575vNlgxUT_aYnKzWRkCgkzntEs-J7QffBhqwF6Qyui6edrVCA6rb29xZ_hjZR0x2XH8yafuND87s1NoQrGpZUl2gtlnMlAjYChWhITiOLuuEJDCXy1fi3-ranniT/s1600-h/Img53031.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247018133797062642" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1kYCCC6575vNlgxUT_aYnKzWRkCgkzntEs-J7QffBhqwF6Qyui6edrVCA6rb29xZ_hjZR0x2XH8yafuND87s1NoQrGpZUl2gtlnMlAjYChWhITiOLuuEJDCXy1fi3-ranniT/s400/Img53031.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My Dad wanted to send his own thanks and update to our congregation here and asked that I also share this letter with those reading my blog since so many of you have been praying for him. So, below is that letter. Reading it was very comforting and inspiring for me.<br /><br />Dear Family…<br /><br />As you can imagine it has been an interesting week in the Stump household. I was more than a little bummed to get the news last week that I had gone from the always hoped for NED (No Evidence of Disease) on my August scan to multiple new tumors just four weeks later! And one of these is already over 2 inches long!!! These crummy things move faster than several cars I’ve owned over the years.<br /><br />It is not as if I don’t know what I’m up against with this cancer. I was told from the beginning that GIST is an aggressive cancer and that my particular version of it is especially aggressive; and that while there are treatments that might stabilize its progression there is no cure.<br /><br />I know all this, yet…for the past month I had been feeling really good again…minimal side-effects, no pain, good energy…and coupled with the excellent clear scan in August I convinced myself that I had a three month window of clear sailing until my next scan in November. When I started feeling badly again and those feelings were confirmed by an emergency scan, I reacted as if I was losing something that was rightfully mine.<br /><br />Foolishness! God makes us no such promises. We are not guaranteed the next moment, let alone the next three months. What we are guaranteed is His presence with us…and that makes all the difference.<br /><br />With the elders’ gracious blessings I took several days off last week. Kay and I enjoyed this incredible fall weather camping in Mt Rainier National Park. We’ve camped there a number of times and the Park has become special to me since my sons and I have backpacked together extensively in it.<br /><br />We used this time to talk through some of our ‘what then’ questions and to speak and listen to our loving Lord. So, here is what I think…<br /><br />If it should be that my cancer defeats our available treatments and I don’t have all that many days left, then I don’t want to spend my remaining time morose and lamenting my losses. Sadness and disappointment are inevitable, but I don’t have to live there…and I’m determined not to. On the other hand if treatment works—and it may—and I’m granted a longer time here, then I don’t want to look back at these days and see that I lost precious days of sunshine to the blues.<br /><br />Either way my response is the same: This is the day the Lord has made…I will rejoice and be glad in it! He may not make another one for me…but His grace is sufficient for today. I intend to let His grace lead me into the joy of each day’s gifts. Some days I’ll blow it and be morose anyway…it is, after all, in my nature. But far more often I’m going to celebrate the marvelous gift of life each day it comes.<br /><br />I have so much to be thankful for…not the least of which is you, my church family. I’m thankful for your prayers…your expressions of love and concern…your acted-on desires to be blessings to Kay and me. We feel truly and wonderfully cared for. Thank you. God willing and with the elders’ consent I will continue to serve you, my Family, however He enables me.<br /><br />To Life! And to God’s grace that makes joy possible each day!</div>Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-20822229089968338512008-09-16T17:46:00.000-07:002008-09-16T17:47:13.368-07:00Zero-Sum GameA quick rant:<br /><br />Happiness should never be a zero sum game. A “zero sum game” is an exercise where adding something means taking something else away so the sum of the exercise is always zero. It is a political/economic/game theory where one participant’s gain will result in another participant’s loss so that the aggregate gain and loss amounts to zero. Sadly, this concept seems to regularly apply to our relationships and it is something I think we should guard ourselves against.<br /><br />All of that may sound like nonsense, but I guarantee you have experienced this. Ever known someone who can not stomach someone else’s happiness or success because it makes them feel less happy and successful? Some people act like there is a fixed amount of happiness in the universe so they resent people who find it because it means less for them. This is, of course, not only wrong but destructive. There is nothing like greeting happiness with resentment to reduce the value of your friend’s happiness to zero. That way no on is happy. Is this better?<br /><br />So, here’s a suggestion for the day or week or whatever. Do your absolute best to wish for and revel in the happiness of others. Let’s say you are a young parent like me and my kid learned to walk at 8 months old (It was more like 20 for our boys), but your kid is almost two and still barely crawling. You might be inclined to be jealous and resentful (well not you, you’re great, but you know, someone), but try to pause and take a different approach. Does my kid’s success make it harder for your kid to walk? Why not just be happy for me and my kid? Or if you and your buddy are trying to lose weight and your buddy eats doughnuts and French fries all day and loses 20 pounds while you work out and eat raw dandelions and gain 5, try to be happy for your friend. After all, if they lose weight it doesn’t make it any harder for you.<br /><br />We are so competitive in this Country (me more than most), that jealousy and resentment have become first and second nature. We grind our teeth and wince at the success of others, even our friends, because it should be us and it is unfair and unjust….or so we believe. We shouldn’t. It makes us all less likeable when we do that. But it is easier to condemn than to avoid, especially for someone as competitive as me.<br /><br />That said, it is avoidable. So, this week instead of allowing someone else’s good fortune to remind you of your own failings and make you resentful, simply take the opportunity to celebrate someone else’s success. See someone do something great? Tell them how great you think it is and mean it. See a friend get something you want and don’t have? Tell them how great it is that they have it. Don’t do it through clinched jaw, do it because they are your friend and you should wish them the best.<br /><br />There is enough happiness to go around. It is not a zero sum game. If someone you know gets theres, just smile, pat them on the back and keep going for yours.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-10381749910203810012008-09-15T15:34:00.000-07:002008-09-15T15:35:47.437-07:00Dad UpdateJust a quick update…<br /><br />As many of you know, my Dad was able to see his Oncologist today. He confirmed that there were new tumors (or at least newly visible tumors) on the liver. There are 6-7 at least. Two of them have grown rather large rather quickly. My Dad doubled the dose of his medication with the hope that it will shrink these tumors. If that does not work, there is another drug he can take and we will again look into the procedure he had done in May that fried the last large liver tumor.<br /><br />He will have another CT on Friday with a follow up appointment next Wednesday. If the tumors are shrinking he will likely just keep the Gleevac at a high dose and monitor. That is the best case scenario. If the tumors are still growing, we will likely switch the drug and consult with the surgeon about the tumor blasting.<br /><br />So, there are still a variety of promising options. For now we are praising God that my Dad is actually feeling good again which we hope is a sign that the higher dose of medicine is working, but if not, it is at least good to feel good.<br /><br />Thank you all for your prayers, emails, blog comments. They have meant everything to me. Please keep it up.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27556331.post-67251968228787653982008-09-10T11:04:00.000-07:002008-09-10T11:05:58.957-07:00Please Pray With Me.Hello out there in blog land. I am sad to have to report today that we got some bad news regarding my father this week.<br /><br />If you read this blog or know my family, then you know that my Dad has been battling a rare form of aggressive cancer for several years. The first surgery removed a football sized tumor from his abdomen. In a matter of months the cancer returned, this time primarily in his liver. More surgery this past May killed the tumor in his liver. In early August of this year he had a CT which showed no new tumors or growth. The surgery was a success, he had finally recovered and then got a clean bill of health. It was a good month in that regard.<br /><br />Unfortunately, he began feeling discomfort in his liver a couple weeks ago. He went in for a CT this past Friday and then discovered this week what we had feared, but had not allowed ourselves to believe. The cancer had returned and was again in the form of tumors in the liver. In a month’s time one of the two new tumors was already larger than 2 inches. It is a very stubborn and aggressive disease.<br /><br />In a bit of very frustrating timing, my Dad’s oncologist is out of town this week and we will not know what all of this means until Monday (9/15) at the earliest. Obviously we are concerned that he may no longer be a candidate for surgery since the cancer returned within weeks of the liver healing from the last surgery. The return and rapid growth of the tumor means that the drug he has been taking is not working, at least not working as well as it needs to. There is one other drug he can try, but it does not have a fantastic track record and often comes with very unpleasant side effects.<br /><br />So, at this point, I only know that the cancer is back. I will update this blog when we know more which should be next week.<br /><br />In the past I have asked for prayers for specific revelations or decisions. I asked for prayers that the original tumor would not be attached to the colon. I asked for prayers for the original surgery. I asked for prayers that the cancer not return and when it did that it be operable and when it was for the more recent surgery and then for healing from that surgery.<br /><br />Today, I am going to ask for something a little different. I do not know what a best case and worst case scenario are right now. I don’t know if we might be near the end of my Dad’s life or only at another pot-hole in what will continue to be a long journey. So I can not pray or ask you to pray for some specific avenue to the best case scenario, because I do not know what that would be.<br /><br />Instead, for those of you who believe God can heal people and who are willing to speak to God on my Dad’s behalf, I simply pray that you ask God to heal my Dad. I don’t know how that might be possible, but I also do not believe God’s power is limited by my own ignorance or lack of imagination. I believe God is. I believe that He created us, that He loves us and that He is at times moved in some way by our plight in this world. All of that is too big to comprehend in detail, but it does not keep me from believing it. The reality is that God and my Dad are good friends. They love each other and have a close relationship and God will know exactly who you are talking about when you pray. <br /><br />If you believe the same, pray that God heals my Dad. Don’t hold back. Be bold. Be the woman reaching out just to touch the cloak of Jesus. Be the prophets angry with God for what you don’t understand. Be David expressing your love and your needs and your true emotion. Be a child asking your father for help. He will hear you. Thank you.Josh Stumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10172632315739605607noreply@blogger.com12