Stream of Consciousness blogging about God's timing

I know we are supposed to wait on the Lord.  But waiting sucks.  At least it does for me and my impatient self.  I was reading several books about waiting.  The consensus is that God will delay answering prayers until you learn the lesson that needs to be learned.  But once you learn that lesson it can go lightning fast.  Sometimes in my life I’ve gotten whiplash watching God move so quickly.  So I resorted to doing what Charles Stanley advocated when you are going through the “suck” times.  God I don’t like this, but teach me what I need to learn about you through this process.  This soooo works.  Every part of my life seems to be coming together at the right moment now.  Im so fortunate and so grateful for all of it.  I just have to be careful not to rush God.  Its like I see his answer up on the horizon and I think…OK God I got it.  Then I try to run up ahead.  I’m pretty good (finally) of learning from my mistakes.  So Im trying to practice Schway Schway (Slowly, slowly).  Which totally contradicts my personality.  But Ive found in my life whenever I try to get ahead of God I always mess things up.  Hopefully I’ll learn. 

 It’s quiz night tonight and Im jazzed about that.  Isn’t it silly…I so want to win.  What do you win?…Alcohol…but I don’t drink.  Its like giving coloring books to blind people, MP3’s to deaf people, or pork to Muslims, it just doesn’t do much good.  But still I WANNA WIN.  Im even getting to know a few folks on the island and I’m forming my own team.  Things are going pretty good for me right now.   We are starting to get really busy with work.  But I can’t rest on my laurels, because I have to figure out how to bring in money in Feb.-Mar.  It will be nice when Guy finally arrives so I can focus on more projects which Im more passionate about.  And leave the sales stuff to Guy and Tanya, what they are really good at. 

 We had representatives from a film festival come into the office today.  They wanted Khalifa and I to be judges at a festival they are throwing at two weeks.  I suspect they will be mostly amateurs and students, but it’s a start.  If I want to develop a film community here, I need to meet and network with these people.  I am meeting so many people on the island.  God is really blessing me with some opportunities to meet amazing people.  At the New Year’s party the other day I met a non-Navy American.  He worked for the government.  I don’t get a chance to meet a lot of Americans over here…which is ok.  So we got to talking.  So I told him…”What living overseas taught me more than anything.  We have the best friggin’ country in the entire world.”  “f***ing A-“ he replied and we toasted my diet coke to his beer.  It was a pretty cool patriotic moment.  I do love the US, and I sincerely hope that all of you can appreciate how great it is like I appreciate it from afar.  I truly hope my children can come visit even if it is for just a short time.  I think the cultural exposure would be magnificent for them. Russ, another American from church thinks that it is ridiculous how people in the US believe the Middle East is not safe.  Its all the media’s perception and too many people think the media’s P.O.V. is reality.   I think everyone should have the privilege to live overseas to see how the rest of the world lives.  To appreciate your own wealth.  You really don’t realize how rich you are until you see the dire poverty of everyone else.  Seeing Sally Struthers talk about it in the middle of the night is a lot different that living in the midst of it.  I really want to make lots and lots and lots of money…just so I can give it all away.  That is my dream…to become the international Warren Buffet only via the entertainment route.  There was this one time in Houston last year, I was in McDonalds.  I was in a bad mood, impatient, and just wanting to get my Quarter Pounder supersized (that movie bugged me).  So there is this lady in front taking forever to order and she had her 7 year old girl with her.  She finally ordered her daughter a happy meal.  And as she went to pay, she became wrought with panic.  She had no money in her purse.  She frantically searched, again and again.  About four times.  Then she looked for credit cards.  She tried to explain to the clerk that her husband must have taken the money accidentally.  She wanted to pay by check.  She was trying so hard to not let her daughter be aware of the situation.  So I quietly went up to pay for her.  She was really shocked.  She wanted my address…and I told her instead to do that for someone else someday like they had earlier done for me.  She was quite appreciative, but I wanted it quiet so her daughter wouldn’t notice.  But what had the most effect.  Is when I went up to the young clerk whose mouth was gaping open.  He exclaimed “Dude that is the coolest thing I have ever seen.  God bless you man…Im givin you a free apple pie.”  Now…im not saying how great I am for giving away $7 that is just a pittance.  But God brings people into your life where you can bless in certain ways.  If you don’t have money, you can do an act of service for them.  I didn’t have a ton of money last year, and I wanted to help out a ministry, so I made a biography for them.  I considered that tithing of my time and talents.  So whatever you have make it available.  You always get so much more back than what you give. 

So I am helping out a few people here….but I want to do sooooo much more.