Joel Vestal

Eric Bryant is an old friend who lived on the same hall our first year in college at Baylor University.    I was in Eric’s wedding and it has been wonderful watching God use him and Debbie all over the place in the lives of so many people.   he now is a pastor at Mosaic, a church in LA, and wrote this book. Peppermint-filled Pinatas

You must order this , as he gives great reflection and instruction on how to love and share life with others. (more…)

This $79 million price tag from India’s government just happened, an unmaned launch to explore India’s moon race with other Asia nations. full article

There still remains 820 million people who live under $2 per day within the nation of India.    Foreign Aid to India is BIG MONEY. read here.  The US aid to India is ranked the 6th largest.

While I fully understand the development and inspiration this creates to young Indians to aspire for their dreams and follow their desire to explore science/math, something Indians already excel in, I have a bit of an issue with this decision of the Indian government.  Yes, they have the right to choose what they do with tax money but how can they seem to look over the 85% of their nation that lives under poverty?    (more…)

I will be speaking at this conference in November here in Indy.  If you are in the area, all are welcome (geared for 20-30 somethings)    register here

Watch their well done Video

VISION: A two day conference aimed at giving University students and 20 somethings a vision, attitude, and a plan for redefining culture for the glory of Christ.BIRD’S EYE: What makes Engaging Culture unique is that it goes beyond simply gathering information. The weekend will revolve around 3 deliberate grids that dive into the core of culture. Each grid will have various subplots and a mixture of lecture, discussion, and hands-on development.

GRIDS:

Art Grid will be writing, fine arts, photography, (more…)

This story really moves me  - Gayle is the age of my wife and was serving the disabled -

 ”A BRITISH aid worker gunned down in Kabul yesterday was murdered because she was a Christian, the Taleban claim. Gayle Williams, 34, was shot at close range by two men on a motorbike, in a residential district of the Afghan capital popular with missionaries. Eyewitnesses said she collapsed in a pool of blood, after the men fired six shots from a pistol, hitADVERTISEMENT ting her in the chest and legs. Daolad Khan, who was working on a building site directly opposite the murder scene, said: “They raced up the street and stopped in front of the lady. They took out a gun and shot her on the spot. Then they rode off.” Security officials said it was the first time an international aid worker had been killed inside Kabul since 2001. The Taleban said they carried out the attack on the grounds that Ms Williams was trying to convert people to Christianity.

(more…)

You can ask my wife and/or kids and they will tell you that I like to sing around the house, car, shower, etc.  There is something about the experience of singing that lifts your spirits, allows you to forget about other worries.  I have often reflected on the use of music and singing in churches.  I get the chance to travel and be in many kinds of church traditions,  liturgical, traditional organs, rock bands, country bands,  still trying to figure out what they are bands, etc.    I love Edwards thoughts here…

Jonathan Edwards said, “We sing in worship to engage and express our affections. There is no other reason to sing.  If we aren’t dealing with our affections in worship, we might as well just read the lines of the songs dryly together in paragraph form without any music. (more…)

I am enjoying Yunus and his 2nd book on Grameen, his micro-enterprise group.    Yesterday, a woman from Ghana came to my office who is a loan officer in Ghana with Opportunity International. She looks over 350 clients managing about $320,000.  It was interesting talking to her.   We here at ServLife have started the ServLife Hope Fund in Nepal and have given out over 1 dozen loans for businesses in a remote village.

Micro-lending has numerous models and modes of operation and believe it works in providing basic ability for the absolute poor to stand on their own.  Some are critical but I have seen for myself that it works.  It is not the only solution, there are other ways to combat global poverty and hunger: (i.e. political reform, education, policy work, etc)

We all know the line, “Don’t give a person a fish but rather teach them to fish”    but perhaps we should add a 3rd thought to this :   “Don’t give a person a fish but rather teach them to fish is not completely true but the importance is determining who owns the lake they are fishing in” (more…)

This email came today from a Christian in Iraq of news that is not much in America media of the killing of Christians in Iraq.    Please pray

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord,    This email is a prayer request for Iraq, the people in general and especially the city of Mosul (known also as Nineveh) and the Christians there.   During the last 4-5 days around 25 Christians (some say 40) were killed in the streets in different parts of the city for religious and political causes, in the past people used to be kidnapped, threatened pay a ransom to be freed…well now they’re being killed without prior notice…the government haven’t done anything so far! Even the media didn’t cover it till the third day. many Christians fled to the near by villages and cities where they’re living under severe conditions (families are actually sleeping in their cars), fear and worries fill the place…We’re Praying an (S.O.S) prayer for the terrorists who think that they’re doing (more…)

 Have you ever started something?  A business, group, church, ministry, organization?     I found this to be pretty interesting.  It is by Cameron Herald - consultant, business entrepeneur -

Stage 1: The first stage of the concept is called “Uninformed Optimism”. At this stage on a rollercoaster, just getting to the top of the rollercoaster, you experience feelings of an adrenalin rush, characterized by excitement and nervous energy.

* Stage 2: The second stage is called “Informed Pessimism”. As you ride over the top of the curve you now have a bit more information. Feelings of fear, nervousness, and frustration begin to set in. Perhaps you even want to get off of it.

* Stage 3 - The third stage is called “Crisis of Meaning”. You’re past scared. You feel despair. It’s as if you’re standing on the edge of a cliff ready to jump, and you begin to think “Today the rollercoaster’s going off the bottom of the track for the very first time.” You feel helpless and you’re both terrified and frozen.

* At this point, you face a critical juncture. You can come off the bottom of the curve and crash and burn, which is when your business goes bankrupt, you lose your marriage, you start drinking, or you end up in a doctor’s office because of stress. Or you can come around the corner because you’re getting support at “Crisis of Meaning” and you can enter an upward swing call “Informed Optimism”.

* Stage 4 - Informed Optimism. You’re calm. You’re informed. You might even say you are cautiously optimistic (more…)

It has happened!  Sugar has been welcomed in our home!  She is 7 1/2 weeks old