This is Joel's Old Blog

May God Bless You

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

(A Franciscan Blessing)

Thanks to Darren Moore for this

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

(A Franciscan Blessing)

Thanks to Darren Moore for this

2007 Goal: Loving God's Most amazing creation

I am beginning to think about 2007 and the new year upon me and a year of much change. 

Augustine said it well, "We stand in awe of the ocean, the thunderstorm, the sunset, the mountains; But we pass by a human being without notice even though the person is God's most magnificant creation."

I have to confess that this quote is true for me at times -  The memory of places around the world that I have gazed upon have left me breathless and speechless --   I desire to see people with the beauty that God does -   We often view others through lenses of our previous experiences, hurts, and expectations of how they can "help me" --   I want 2007 to be a year that I  see all people around me.. the ones I know and others I do not know...as God's creation and expressing the image of Himself -- AND in getting to know them or just see them - I will thank God -

whisper of love

"The smallest whisper of love can restore confidence and sureness."  writes John O'donohue in his book The Invisible Embrace of Beauty - 

I am convinced that so many do not live with confidence that they are cared for and valued. I am not merely speaking of the developing world but here in the west as well.. in so many ways it is more isolated living.   There is an ever increasing isolation, cynicism, and fear that pervades so many.    Perhaps it is the hurts and bruises of one's past. Or the mistakes people have made and wrongs that have been done -  A whisper does not take much effort and that is what all of us need throughout each day we live.   I am not talking about confidence that leads to arrogance or pride but confidence that "I AM LOVED" / "SOMEONE CARES" -   

This holiday give the gift of a whisper to someone.  It may be a phone call, it may be an email. It may be a hug, conversation,  saying "HI" to a stranger,  being intentional by GIVING yourself to someone by giving them attention, concern, and love.      

An Advent Doxology

An Advent Doxology by Daniel Vestal (My father)

2006

You have come. Blessed and holy be your name

Babe in the manger

Only begotten of the Father. Wisdom and word of God

Visible image of the invisible

Life, light, love

You come. Blessed and holy be your name.

Crucified and risen

Spirit of truth, Paraclete, Comforter, Advocate

Given all authority in heaven and on earth

Life, light, love

You will come. Blessed and holy be your name

Lord of lords, King of kings

Judge of humankind, Maker of a new heaven and a new earth

Lamb enthroned, worthy of worship

Life, light, love

questioning out of fear

"A huge network of anxious questions surrounds us and begins to guide many, if not most of our daily decisions. Clearly, those who pose these fearful questions which bind us have true power over us. But fearful questions never lead to love-filled answers. A careful look at the gospels show that Jesus seldom accepted the questions posed to him. He exposed them as coming from the house of fear. They did not belong to the house of God." - Henri Nouwen 

Kingdom Prayer

"If we in fact pray for the arrival of the Kingdom,  then it behoves to look mostly intently at those corners of the globe where the Kingdom most poignantly lacks expression, where peoples remain fundamentally ignorant of the path to true enlightenment, where the opportunity to encounter that Kingdom is least evident.  If our prayer is "Thy Kingdom COME" then surely we must attach the focus of that coming Kingdom to REAL places, REAL locations, REAL peoples to whom this just and goodly rule is yet a distant longing, a shrouded, illusory dream. "     Steve Spaulding in his foreword People's of the Buddhist Word: A Christian Prayer Guide

YES! we got it to our house!

At only 5 feet tall, it is a BEAUTY!   (white pine in case you were wondering)

Images from Our Christmas Tree Hunting day

Movie of Cutting Down 06 Christmas Tree

WATCH MOVIE OF CUTTING DOWN OUR 2006 CHRISTMAS TREE!   What a blast we had!   All of our first Christmas tree that we found and cut down ourselves - Zayd wanted the first tree he saw off the tractor,  a 3 foot little tree with 1/2 of limbs missing -    

CLICK HERE Download cutting_down_tree_06.mpg

boot family

the entire fam sporting the boots...  (you can him out of texas but you can't take texas out of the boy..)