An outstretched hand...

It was strange.  Yesterday I was really cranky.  I admitted this to everyone.  I think it was a combination of being sick, with flu-like crap, and frustrations at work.  When I can’t figure something out technically, Im not at ease until I figure it out.  So I left work when it was not yet resolved and that hung over me.  Roxana, the beautiful Romanian was back in town and wanted to go to dinner.  I forewarned her about my spirits.  Within just a couple of minutes she helped lighten the load.  She is delightful girl with an infectious and positive personality.  God already speaks to her…she just doesn’t know His name yet.  Its only a matter of time, Im convinced til she figures out who He is.  She’s too dynamic for anything else.  She even offered to come to church with me.  Im not sure which church I’ll take her too just yet, since I don’t have a home church at the moment. 

OK speaking of churches.  When I first came over here, my boys wanted to accompany me, until their mom helped change their mind.  So Max has a heart for ministry.  He wanted to reach out to others.  I told him I was coming over to start a church.  I had no idea how that was going to happen, since I didn’t know a soul over here.  Its not like Im going to go to the mall and pass out fliers.  But it was something that God had laid upon my heart.  I figured as long as Im walking according to His will, I won’t have to do anything.  God will set everything up for me.  That’s the beauty sometimes of walking by faith, there is no pressure.  You just wait upon God and he’ll do the rest.  It says “do not fear” in the Bible 365 times more than any other teaching point.  Hmmmmm 365…I wonder if that has anything to do with days of the year?…with the subtext meaning everyday…you don’t need to fear.  Im living proof of this.  As I have bemoaned the fact that previously 3 out of the last 4 years have been very emotionally traumatic for me.  Yet through all the fire and crap I had to wade through, God was always telling me…not to fear.  In fact one time I was talking to God by looking in the mirror.(that’s one of the main ways I talk to God more on that in another blog)  I was really hurting this particular day.  And God spoke to me.  He said, put out your hand in front of you….So I did…while looking in the mirror.  He said, “I got you in the palm of my hand.”  Then He said put your other hand on top of your outstretched hand…which I did, cupping each hand together.  He said, “Im going to protect you in this storm.  I will shelter you and the wind will not destroy your flame.”  OK, sounds pretty poetic, like im talking to myself trying to encourage myself…power of positive thinking…yadda yadda yadda.  Three days later I fly to Houston to visit my kids.  I go to Lakewood and Joel Osteen in his message outstretches his hand from the pulpit and says “He’s got you in the palm of His hand.  Nothing will be able to destroy you.” There was my confirmation that God indeed was speaking to me.  Anytime that God does speak to you, he will confirm by 2 or 3 or more witnesses saying the same thing.  So for all you Anti-Osteeners out there, there’s some pretty amazing circumstantial coincidences that support that God speaks through him.  God has spoken to me like this more than 50 times while I was going through the crap.  Some amazingly specific words too that almost bordered on the miraculous or at least in the realm of incredibly amazingly coincidental.  You choose how to interpret and believe circumstances.  It seems the darker my life became, the more His words were guiding me out of the dark tunnel and into the brighter light where he wanted me to venture.  I’ve finally made it to the light…and coming out of the tunnel culminated with me coming over to Bahrain, im quite convinced.  I have become quite attuned to hearing God’s voice now.  He has always been speaking to me, but I rarely took the time to listen.  What God wants most from us is a relationship.  Any decent relationship has its share of both talking and listening.  Yet how many Christians, just talk, talk talk to God…and never take the time to hear things from God. 

So, I wasn’t sure how God was going to help me set up this church, but I figured if he wanted it, why worry about the details.  So I have a friend (I won’t say who, just yet) who is seriously considering moving out to join me in this venture.  This person is a strong Christian, he will be my roommate for awhile enshalla (God willing).  Armand, the good looking South African photographer is the son of a priest and I know he’s searching for meaning, The Romanian, wants to come to church and lastly, Reji, the IT guy from work.  Reji, was always happy and always smiling.  I like him and he’s very good with computers.  I took the Indians out to lunch today.  I’m taking all the employees out in several groups out and buying their favorite hometown foods.  I want to learn, respect and appreciate their culture.    First it was the first batch of Indians/Sri Lankans, Then the Filipinas, now the second batch of Indians.  They took me to this wonderful, yet pricey Indian restaurant.  I drove and Reji noticed my Bible and my book “Case for Christ.” In the back seat.  He mentioned that he read all of John Osteen’s books and listened to Joel Osteen on the Internet.  Are you kidding me?!?!?  I didn’t even tell him Lakewood was my home church yet.  He hasn’t found a church in Bahrain to go to yet, because he doesn’t have a car and its difficult for him to get around.  So im going to pick him up early on Friday (that’s when church services are) and we are going to go to a Church called…the Church of Philadelphia.  God is setting everything up and I don’t have to worry about a thing.