This is Joel's Old Blog

ServLife Store - Combating trafficking

I am happy to give some attention to our ServLife store and hoping this effort can grow.  Click here to look at a few of our products.  We are finally getting a bit more organized and develop our web page.  This is our effort to help bring about economic development in the communities in the  world where we are invested and engaged.    We hope you can share with your friends and come to the store for alternative Christmas and birthday shopping.   Products in Nepal and Cambodia are helping former women trafficked in the sex trade earn a decent wage.  Products in Sudan are from widows who are raising their children alone.      

an excellent book on faith and finances

One of my key interests/desires is challenging the north American evangelical ethic of "upward mobility" for the sake of 'success, riches, and power."  It may not be spoken clearly but it is sure embraced by many in the church.    I have just been reading this book given to me. . It is EXCELLENT.  The foreword is by Sir John Templeton of Templeton funds.  Moore's web site is financialeminary (take a look at it) -  About the book

  "Faithful Finances 101 is a first-person narrative by an outspoken advocate of faith-based investing. A seninior vice president of investments at Paine Webber before founding his own investment firm as “counsel to ethical and spiritual investors,” Gary Moore warns that much of the economic advice emanating from some popular and influential evangelical authors and speakers is based on scare tactics and distortions of what the Bible has to say about finances. He draws on fifty years of studying the Bible, politics, and economics, and presents insights for those who want to be faithful in their finances—to use one hundred percent of the time, talent, and treasure with which they have been entrusted for the glory of God as well as for the benefit of others and themselves, and not just give ten percent of their incomes to the church."

Highlights

• Exposes the negative stronghold the media and the religious right have on so many investors
• Offers a guide to creating a more abundant life through simple, ethical, and prudent financial decisions
• May serve as a keystone for the church, ministry, college, or business wishing to form a spiritual investment club or spiritual business club

a cake for zayd

thank you for all of your emails and thoughts of celebrating the life of Daya Teresa with us!  We greatly appreciate it. The week has been longer than normal, as many of you know the reality of a new born at home.  It was great to have my parents in town for the week.  Daya is sleeping 3-4 hour stretches and loves to be awake during 3-5 am.   Please pray for Zayd as he is having a rough time not getting all the mommy lovin' he is use to.   He loves his little sister as he always wants to hold her and kiss her.  Something we did when we got home is to have a big PARTY for Zayd and gave him several gifts and a cake from his new little sister (Thank you Larry in Des Moines for this idea)   He loved it! 

Daya Teresa Vestal is BORN with NO C-section!

Click here to see photo album -  God heard your prayers and knew the desires of our hearts. To Him Alone we thank and give credit and acknowledgment for Daya's birth!  At  12:16 am, August 19, Daya Teresa came into the world as my brave, beautiful, and bold wife pushed Daya out with no fear or fatigue in a mere 10 minutes!   It was simply amazing. I am still in awe and without words.  She was 8 lbs 6 oz. The C-section was planned for today but on August 18 the contractions led us to the hospital just after lunch.   Zayd came with a C-section and we have been praying that God would allow Daya to come naturally and they would not have to cut Elise again.  As many of you are aware, Elise's first trimester of the pregnancy was in post-Tsunami, ravished southern Thailand and she got very ill and had to come back to the USA early.      The meaning of Daya Teresa: 

Daya:  A Nepali name meaning Compassion

Teresa:  In honor of the life of sacrifice, service, & compassion of Mother Teresa of India who has impacted both my wife and I in deep ways. 

Our hopes, dreams, and aspirations is that Daya Teresa will be filled with the compassion and love of Jesus, the graciousness of the Nepali people, and the compassion and sacrifice of Mother Teresa!   

I love you Daya Teresa! I cannot tell you where you will grow up or promise you all the toys of other children...but I do promise to protect, guide, teach, lead, and love you with all my heart and ability, through Christ who gives me strength. May you grow to love and know Jesus, the poor, the lonely, the orphaned, and forgotten. May compassion move you to act for the sake of God's Kingdom, wherever and whatever that may mean! Embrace diversity of all forms, learn to listen, think for yourself, read lots of books, Dream big dreams, travel the world, don't worry what others think of you, be creative, ask intriguing questions, don't be afraid to lead, don't be afraid to follow, love everyone you meet, and always never forget to laugh.  You are the most beautiful girl in the world! You are my Jewel.

I love you, Your Daddy  (written the day we looked into each others eyes for the first time)

Spirituality of Waiting

These days the whole notion of waiting has taken on a deeper meaning for me.  We wait for the birth of Daya Teresa and I am consumed with the spirituality of waiting.  .  most often we think of "waiting" only in the context of ourselves waiting for God.    waiting is all throughout the scripture:  Jesus told his disciples to "wait" for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4) We wait for the Lord Jesus to be revealed (1 Cor 1:7) We wait for the appearing of Jesus Chris (Titus 2:13) All through the Old Test, the writers use "waiting on God" We wait for God yet does God wait for us?  A key text is:  2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  ( always wondered how a 5 point calvinist handles this verse?..the one who embraces limited atonement?) Indeed, our Father waits for us...He waits and wants us to want him and love him and embrace him    Our waiting is the working out of hope, God's waiting is his goodness and grace when we don't turn to Him or acknowledge him daily as our creator and sustain er of all good things. 

"Daddy, talk to me..."

I was reading and Zayd was in the bath last night. He began to call my name as I was in the other room. When I entered the bathroom these words came out of his mouth for the first time, "Daddy, talk to me.."  What an ecstatic sense of joy within me.  My son finding happiness and contentment in just wanting to talk and be with me.    Immediately, I thought of our heavenly Father's heart and how He must be when we say to him, "Talk to me..I want to be with you!"  In Jeremiah 33:2-4 it says, "This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it--the LORD is his name: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Roots: My 3rd Cousin Elmo

A recent email from a 3rd cousin came to me recently that got me thinking about several things.  Elmo Vestal is around 79 years old and lives in York, PA. I have never met him, at least what I can remember. He is my grandfather's first cousin. They grew up together in north Texas in the 20s and 30s, although my grandfather was older.  He told me a story of my grandfather coming to speak at their school assembly and he would wear a suit and share the gospel and then end up taking his coat off and his tie - I can't believe he still remembers. It was a great email to connect with my roots.  It seems his grandchildren would be my 5th cousins, how I would love to see them.  I also learned my great-grandfather, Albert Vestal, owned a night club with Elmo's father, but they got out of the business.    I do remember stories of my grandfather, who died in 1980, and he led his whole family to Jesus and baptized them. When he wanted to be an evangelist (what his career was) his father, Albert, tried to persuade him out of it. It did not detour him. My grandfather influenced many to Christ and encouraged many to enter ministry, some still tell me to this day. I was in Amarillo, TX a few months back and an old gentlemen came up to me and told me that Papa (my granddad) led him to Christ and baptized him.

This got me thinking of the fruit of our lives and service to God.  As Jesus, we must believe that our lives will bear more fruit after we live rather than during the years we are on this earth.  The death of Jesus was seen as a failure by most, even the disciples.  But his faithfulness to the cross was more fruitful than anything. We must be faithful to love, give, go, serve, share and leave the rest to God.  God will make our sacrifice and faithfulness fruitful, even if we do not see it.   What is the most important is that we just LOVE. This is hard for us as we are people who like to see real results in our efforts towards God.   So many times our service to God does not have these real, tangible results. We should not loose heart or get discouraged.   

no baby yet

we are holding down the fort and waiting..no baby yet.. appreciate prayers for mother in these last few days   

What comes first? Community or Mission?

Thank you Kevin Rains for stimulating the question and thought that has been on the forefront of my mind these days.  Kevin pointed out that he heard Gordon Cosby say one time that he has NEVER seen community produce or lead to mission but that you should always rally/organize around mission and then community will follow.  I know Henri Nouwen writes more or less the opposite about the model of Jesus was"solitude, community, then mission/ministry" -  Perhaps it is not an "either/or" but "both/and" simultaneously - Always longing, searching, wanting more of each.  It is true indeed that when we rally solely on "community" we get introverted and isolated from culture and the those who do not know God. We want our 'Christian country club or elitist society' - We must always have people in our hearts and minds that are "the lost coin" -  Jesus came to bring them also and so should we.  The primary purpose of the church is both community and mission. It is 2 sides of the same coin...However I would say that if one were to error on one side, let us error on the side of making more of mission and moving out into our communities, work places, and the streets of the world to bring hope, peace, and love.    

Safety? Who cares...Take Risks!

Reading tonight in Acts 21:12-14, "When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."  Here Luke himself thought he knew what was best for Paul in pleading him not to go to Jerusalem. Paul had to make a choice and did not know what would lie before him.  We to have to make choices of where to go in the world to offer hope in Christ and stand for justice.   Paul did not fear death.. The myth of safety must be broken, especially for us in America.   We have crept into this notion that "God is concerned for our safety above all else."  This is not true- God is concerned mostly about being glorified and known.  Paul wanted to know the will of the father, as did Jesus himself while on earth.   Paul was the ultimate RISK TAKER for God. We need more risk takers. Many want to define risks solely on the basis of adrenaline that pumps through ones veins after jumping out of a plane but can we risk for something greater?   I am hungry to listen to the voice of God and instruct me and lead me, not knowing everything that is ahead of me BUT RISK for the sake of His name/fame in places of the world where few call him Lord.