The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

As this semester has come to an end and we are now looking at the end of 2012, I have done a lot of reflection the last week or so on 2012.
This year has been a year of so many fulfilled dreams: I got to go to India (again), Haiti, be in a wedding, make new friends, got a house off campus, the list goes on and on.
This may seem more like a New Year's post than a Christmas post.  But, as I'll be out of the country at New Year's, I decided to combine these posts.
Christmas is all about fulfilled dreams.  It's the expression of God fulfilling His dream of redemption!  His dream of making a way for Him to have fellowship with mankind.
At this time of year, people tend to begin to make a list of goals for the upcoming year or "resolutions".  I challenge you to make dreams for 2013--and dream BIG!!! And then, don't just put them on a shelf and forget about them.  Act on those dreams-begin to put them into action.  The sooner you begin to act on your dreams, the sooner you achieve those dreams, the sooner you achieve your dreams, the sooner you get to dream bigger ones.
That's my goal: to dream bigger for 2013 than I did in 2012.  As I mentioned, I have seen so many dreams fulfilled this year--I can't wait to dream even bigger for 2013.  I've seen what can happen in a year.  Now that these dreams are achieved, they are the fuel for my bigger dreams.

Long Overdue Video Update

I literally recorded this months ago but it would never post to Youtube.  I finally got it posted so I wanted to share it with you!

If I had an Unlimited Amount of Money...

As I was walking around a store today, I thought to myself, "If only I had an unlimited amount of money..." My intention was to finish the sentence with "...I could spend a fortune in here!"  However, I started actually thinking about what I would do with an unlimited amount of money.

I decided that I would open orphanages.  I would take the Gospel where it's never been.  I would cover the bills of ministries and organizations already out there rescuing kids the way I want to.  Then, I realized if the money was truly unlimited, I'd never reach the end.  So my list went on: I'd buy a huge house with so much character it would blow my mind.  I'd have tons of land, with a pond.  I would have multiple vehicles (a Jeep Wrangler, Nisan Xterra, and Mustang to name a few) and I could buy everything I saw in stores that I wanted and never have to wait for sales.  How exciting life would be!

Unfortunately, I do not have an unlimited amount of money.  I have to budget money, and plan.  I have to keep myself from buying things so I can go on trips that I want to go on.  I left the store empty handed today.  I began to think about upcoming opportunities that I have.  I thought about how much more exciting it is to go change lives than it would be to have another decoration sitting around my house.  See, I wasn't born to have a fancy house; I was born to change the world.  To reach that goal, I have to not buy some things in order to get other things.  In short: I have to make sacrifices.  By keeping my goals and dream in mind, the sacrifices are very much worth it.  You don't have an unlimited amount of money either; so I ask you: What are you sacrificing for?

P.S. If you do have an unlimited supply of money, make checks payable to Jeremy Vestal and email me for my mailing address!!! :)

When it all Goes Wrong..

Hey everyone!

I have several excuses for the time lapsed since my last post.  They include: sickness, the stresses of school, the loss of a friend, a computer virus that has rendered my laptop useless and others I don't want to take the time to enumerate.  Hence the name of this post...

I feel it necessary to mention that there have been several wonderful, awesome, thrilling, amazing moments throughout these unfortunate ones.  Sometimes though, it seems that we focus on all the negatives.  Through the past few weeks I have found that I am not always going to have an answer for all the bad things that happen in the course of my life.  When faced with adverse situations though, we have two options: become bitter and stressed or keep on keeping on.  I have had some moments where I have had to simply dig down deep and choose to have faith.  I have had to force myself to de-stress and take some time to relax.

I love to focus on the positives and the exciting moments in life; but sometimes, situations like these come up and need addressed.  With out further rambling, I encourage you: look on the bright side, find those people, situations, etc. around you that fill you with hope.  You'll find that it isn't really ALL going wrong.  Most of all; look to the Mountain...that's where your help will come from.  His name is Jesus and He is waiting to teach you how to lean; through the good and the bad.

Another Year at Lee

Well I guess this is a little overdue, but better late than never?  I finally have internet up and running in the townhouse and now that everything is settled, I have enough time to breathe/sit down long enough to write a blog.

It’s been so fun moving into the townhouse.  House Hunters is one of my favorite shows (all about real estate and finding the perfect house to make yours) so I’ve felt like I was living in that show for the last few months.

In addition to finding a townhouse, I managed to get both Freshman and Sophomore classes completed so I am now a Junior at Lee.  

Throughout this past year I have met people who are more amazing than I ever could have imagined and am so excited to see this community I run with literally change the world!  It’s been amazing to see doors open to me here in Cleveland and it’s been an honor to get in with this radical group.  I also had the opportunity to go to India and Haiti.  So needless to say, this past year has been crazy.

Towards the end of the summer, in one of the (long) drives between home and Cleveland I was thinking about how different my life looks right now that I would have ever imagined.  And I love it!  I was thinking about how sad it would be to be miserable in life, or to not enjoy life: I’m so glad I’m living a life I love!

My Psychology degree is moving right along, and I have added a minor in Business Administration.  (Two worlds/classes/people that are quite different).  I feel that both of these areas will be very important for my future and I am excited to be getting equipped in these areas.

I'm so excited to see all the ways we get to Learn to Lean in the upcoming year!

Dare to Dream

Hello Everyone!

My appologies for going so long without posting anything.  The last month of my life has been crazy.  I hope you all are having a wonderful summer and getting to relax at some point this season!

I've been thinking a lot recently about dreaming and goal setting (lots of these thoughts have been stirred by reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson--definitely a recommended read).  I am so often reminded of one particular moment I had while in India this past March.  (I am reminded of many moments often, but this one particularly relates to this blog post).  On my last day in country I had the privilege of praying over some of the boys in the orphanage.  Being surrounded by these boys who will grow up to be mighty men of God in such a dark nation was amazing.  To know some of their stories and see where they have come from is nothing short of a miracle.  When I see them, I see the Faithfulness of God.  In that moment, on my knees, surrounded by these boys I had an overwhelming revelation of being fully alive.  I don't know that I have every felt as alive as I did in that moment.  There was something about being on the concrete ground with those boys in the midst of India that stirred something in me: This is what I was born for.

Maybe you can't relate to sitting with the poor in other countries.  Maybe all of the inconveniences of such a trip doesn't even sound appealing to you (no running water, no solid electiricty, 100+ degree weather all the time, the spicy food...etc).  But there is something that you dream about.  There is something that you would love to do.  What is holding you back?  This question was posed by a wonderful friend of mine Sunday night when she was teaching about daring to do things with boldness.  What were you created to do?  Maybe it's sports, maybe it's being hospitable to people, maybe it's researching and developing new medicines, maybe it's something you've never even seen anyone else do...

Whatever "it" is in you that makes you feel alive I think you should go for it!  Don't let fear hold you back.  Don't let unanswered questions or doubts keep you from pursuing your dreams with everything inside of you.  Who knows; on the other side of all of that uncertainty you may just find yourself in a moment you were born for.  I think it's worth the risk...don't you?

What Now?--Part 2

I just realized yesterday that I owe you guys an update.  If you remember in "What Now?" I had shared a story about getting my heart set on a house that we didn't get and how crushed I was.  I shared how the Lord had corrected me to trust Him.  He is Faithful. (This post is available here: http://www.jeremyvestal.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-now.html).

Part 2 of the story: we got a town house that is exceedingly abundantly more than I could have asked for or even dreamed we would end up with!  From the style of house being more what I need at this season in life, to having hardwood floors I wanted, to coming with a washer a dryer and it's only .3 miles from campus!  (I can't wait to move in and share pictures! And ofcourse..do videoblogs!)  The part that blows my mind?  The townhouse was not for sale.  My Realtor knew the owners and called them and told them she had a prospective buyer and they agreed to let us look at it and when we were interested, it happened to be listed cheaper than the last house, right in our target price range.  Can God?  God can!

The point of the story?  It's not to brag (because believe me, there are so many awesome details I am leaving out).  It's to demonstrate what I talked about in part one of this blog.  Jesus is trust worthy!  We should always believe He has something better for us when we do not get what we set our hearts on.  He does not say no to be mean or because He is unreasonable.  He says no so He can give us exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  He says no because His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9) and He knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11) if we will just be patient.

It's not always easy to wait on the Lord.  But trust Him.  He's always worth the wait!
Who knows, in the waiting you may just learn how to lean on Him a little bit more...in fact, maybe that's the whole reason for the wait.  Don't miss your opportunity to lean more on Him and trust Him more just because everything doesn't turn out as you plan.

Haiti Report

Hey Everyone!

I am back from Haiti and so appreciative to you guys for making this trip possible.  We were able to affect so many lives together!  Despite the way this video may make it look: this was not a vacation.  We did SO much work. This trip was different from others I have done in that we did lots of manual labor.  Love always looks like something.  And, right now, in Haiti, love looks like rebuilding.  Love looks like cleaning up.  Love looks like restoring.

I felt a little guilty about being at beach a couple of afternoons during the trip. I am used to being in some rough places that could in no way be mistaken as a vacation.  However, one morning I read in Mark 6 how Jesus made his disciples rest after working hard in ministry. Sometimes, it's ok to rest!  Sometimes, you'll never make it through tomorrow's work if you do not take some time to relax after today's work.  I wanted to do the blog from the beach to show you a side of Haiti that doesn't really get covered on our news.  Port au Prince is not what all of Haiti looks like: this is another, beautiful side of Haiti.

Report letters and pictures will be available soon!

I can't thank you enough for partnering with me...ya'll are an amazing team!

NOTES: a. Matthew 24 talks about Earthquakes is diverse places (I say Matthew 26 in the video)
               b. Isaiah 61:4 references Rebuilding, Restoring and Renewing

Haiti Send Off

Hey everyone!

I can't believe it's already time for me to leave the country again! It seems like I was just getting back from India (well really I was.) the semester came to a hectic end but I survived: with this trip steadily approaching. I was able to go home for 4 days which was nice but so filled with many things do to prepare for Haiti.
I wanted to let you know that we were able to purchase a netbook (small laptop) to take and leave in Haiti. I will be spending time with kids in a community center in Haiti. We're going to be teaching them to use computers in order to have skills that can help them get jobs in the future. The team I am going with is taking 15 laptops to leave with the community center. Your support provided one of those! Thank you for that! We will be impacting and affecting lives long after I am gone from Haiti.
Please be praying for me and my team! I believe Jesus is going to do awesome things. He loves Haiti and I am so honored to get to take His love to some people in this hurting country. You will be on my mind while I'm in Haiti as people who made this trip possible. I will update you when I get back!
Jesus awaken Haiti!
-Jeremy 

What Now?

There are times when you ask for things in prayer and don't get them.  Even when they're good things.  Even when they seem to make so much sense to you.  Sometimes you ask for things and understand why you don't receive them.  Sometimes, you don't understand why the answer wasn't the "yes!" you were expecting.

This happened to me yesterday.  We are in the process of getting a place for me to live while I'm here in Cleveland.  I got my heart quite set on a property that was a great deal and made so much sense to me.  As I went to bed Monday night I asked the Lord to let me know which property(ies) we were or were not to continue pursuing.  I had a dream that my favorite house sold.  I ignored the dream but later Tuesday got a text from my realtor letting me know that that particular house had just sold.  I was crushed.  Instead of rejoicing that the Lord had so kindly revealed that outcome to me, I threw a pity party because I got a "No" answer to a prayer.  I listed all of the reasons to the Lord my current situation of on campus living was simply not endurable for another year (and believe me, it's a longggg list).

After I had finished my list, I simply felt Him ask "So, are you going to trust me or not?"  Wow.  It's so easy to say we trust the Lord when everything in our lives makes sense.  But how do we handle disappointment?  We have a choice, a "What Now" decision to make.  There are two options: become bitter and have a pity party, or believe that He is Faithful and will take care of every detail of our lives, like He's promised.

I choose to trust Him!
I will continue to learn to lean on His timing and His plans...

Happy Easter!

Hey Everybody!

I hope you are having a wonderful day, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus!  Truly, the best news in all of history was the announcement that Jesus was no longer in the grave, but He is alive!  ..And He lives forevermore!  He beat death and now, He sits at the right hand of the Father and holds the keys!

This day is a celebration of the fact that when the devil tried to block me, and tried to stop me, Jesus made a way for me to get away!  He made me a new creation and set me free from sin.  I'm alive because He is alive!

Happy Easter!

Takin' it Back

Thank you guys so much for your support the whole time I was on my trip and all of your interest since I got back.  Sorry for the lack of posting I have done since returning.  There have been lots for me to do and it's been a bit overwhelming at times, but Jesus is helping me!

I wanted to share something with you that has been stirring in me through this time of stress:

In the midst of stress and spiritual attack, it is easy to begin to give up on promises and dreams that you have.  It's easy to get overwhelmed by life and simply put goals and passions on the back burner.  After setting those dreams and callings aside, time will pass and suddenly you will begin to call those things dead.  Vision that is not attended to will die.  That's why Jairus had to keep faith that his daughter would be made well.  Even though she had been attacked, and everyone around Jairus told him to give up and say she was dead; he refused.  He listened to Jesus and kept the vision of healing in his mind and kept faith.

I challenge you today, don't you dare call something dead before it is.  Don't you dare give up on the vision, promise, destiny or calling you feel or once felt on your life.  Don't settle to keep habits or addictions, just because you haven't been able to break through in the past.

I believe it is time to stand up and fight for those things.  Casey Doss, from The Ramp, recently made a comment saying, "It doesn't matter how you lost it, God will restore it".  I believe that is the moment we are in right now.  If there was ever a time to stir up faith and pursue your dreams, it's right now.  Your enemy has no power, I just read today in Numbers 14:9 that our enemies are only helpless prey to us!  They have no protection, but the Lord is with us!  If our God is with us then who can stand against us?  We have allowed the enemy to plunder our dreams for too long.  We have the authority to take back everything he stole from us.  I encourage you to stand up and pursue your dreams, do not set them aside any longer.  I for one, am going to take back everything the enemy thinks he has stolen from me.

Here is a video that carries the message of this blog.  It's Takin' it Back (the namesake of this blog post actually) by Mrs. Karen Wheaton.  This recording is several years old, but it's the only video recording I could find online.  It's a powerful song!

Another Video Blog Update..From In Country

Here is the second and final video blog I made while in country.  This was towards the end of my time.

Thank you for the part you played in making this trip possible!

In Country Video Blog!

Here is a video I made for ya'll while in country!

India Send Off Blog

Hello!

I wanted to come to you briefly before I leave and thank you one more time!  I seriously cannot thank you enough and am so humbled by your support.  God is going to do great things: and you are a part of all of it!
Here's a little video I made while my room was all moved around after packing.

The goal is to make some videos in India to post when I get back.  There will certainly be pictures and many stories; I can guarantee you that!  Thanks for your prayers..God is hearing and answering them.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!

Hey Everyone!

I am so excited for this video blog!! It was quite a fiasco to upload..it's taken over 4 hours to get this up to you--but that's how much I appreciate you!  I seriously cannot thank each of you enough, simply for caring enough to follow what the Lord is doing through me.  Much less to pray for me and then support me financially.  I would not be able to do this with out you!

This is officially announcing that my trips to India and Haiti for March and May (respectively) have been paid in full!! Thank you to every person who has been a part of that!

Enjoy!

P.S. Through this whole process, I have had to create a youtube account to get videos onto the internet and then onto the blog site.  If you are interested in checking out the youtube version of this (it's the exact same video..I think it's just a little larger) you can go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRqMr9lbdXQ&feature=youtu.be

What are you Dreaming?

Hello! I am so full of excitement and anticipation for this year that we are beginning. So much is already happening, and this is only day 17.

I was able to book my plane ticket for India last night!! That was awesome.  I am so appreciative to everyone who has sown into the trips so far and am expecting more people to also come along side of me for other expenses the trips will incur.

I wanted to take a moment and encourage you about dreaming.  I believe there is a dream of Heaven on your life.  God has a plan that He wants you to follow--there is greatness that only you can reach.  But, we must listen for His voice.  If He is calling me to take a trip to India, and I am only willing to go to Africa, what may I be missing?  Who in India is waiting for me to accept the dream of Heaven and go there?

What is in your heart to do?  Who is dying, waiting for you to act on the dreams of Heaven, to come to them, to reach out to them, to send aide to them?  What burns within you?  What makes you really come alive?  Pray into that! That very well could be what you are called to do.

Let's run with everything inside of us this year!  Let's pursue the dreams we have.  Even if it's scary.  Even if it doesn't make sense.  Even if you don't have all the answers.  Even if it requires a ton of faith.  Step out!  I believe there is going to be a great grace for walking out dreams, realizing them and achieving them this year!  With my upcoming trips I am beginning to see evidence of this in my own life.  While walking it out requires effort and isn't always comfortable--it's so worth it! Pressing into His plans in this way will definitely teach you to learn to lean in a whole new way!

Welcome to 2012

Hello Friends, and welcome to the new year!

I am so excited to usher in this year.  It is going to be an extremely busy one for me, especially as I begin a new semester in just a few short days.  I will be taking a full load of classes, working in the Library, helping launch a new project at church (which I'm super psyched about) and going to 2 nations.  My mind sort of spins when I think of all of the things on my to-do list, but I am so excited to do each of them!  I know Jesus will give me strength and I am honored to get so many opportunities to bring Him glory!

I brought in the new year with a little over 5,000 radical people at the Winter Ramp Georgia conference.  It was an amazing 2 and a half days of glory and many lives were touched and changed.  Powerful words went forth and a huge vision was cast for 2012.  There are going to be great things happen, and great opportunities for the Kingdom of God, but we are going to have to take advantage of them.  So don't be afraid to say, "yes!" to new doors that open to you this year!

Let's press in like never before into His mission and call on our lives.  This process will certainly enable us to Learn to Lean on a whole new level.