What a difference a day makes

What a difference a day makes.  I can tell that a lot of people have been praying for me.  Wow.  It worked.  I was in a funk most of the morning.  But I have a faith that this cloud was going to part soon and I just had to stick it through.  If this was a test of some sort, I’m pretty sure Im passing it.  I don’t like the fact that Im lonely or in pain, but Im not going to resort to self-medicating.  God has come through time and time again. 

Im going to be on the cover of another magazine this month.  Apparently I was on one last month I didn’t realize or see.  But this one comes out tomorrow.  I feel a little self conscious about it.  But the self-promotion is very important that I become the face of KSDI.  Art Jones and I were speaking tonight (more on him below) and he said Americans are quite revered in this culture, and I agree.  Even moreso than that, Hollywood is also quite respected.  Im totally playing up that angle.  I have become the face of the new KSDI.  So as I promote myself, my main motivation is promoting the company.  In this section of the world, having an acting class taught by a Hollywood Director is kind of a big thing.  We are sure trying to capitalize on every opportunity. 

I was listening to the last of a CD series from Joel Osteen on handling adversity.  Im really trying to apply all the principles.  One of the things I listened to today, was obtaining God’s favor, just because you are a child of the king.  That happened to me today, right after I listened to that sermon actually.  It’s like God was saying, this stuff really works, and Im going to show you right now.  First of all, I was able to replace a pair of defective earphones, and exchange them for another brand.  I didn’t have my receipt, the box, or the accessories.  They just took them.  But that was just a pre-cursor.  I was looking for a venue to hold my acting classes.  Last weeks’ venue got closed by the ministry of education last week because of a license issue.  So that meant, I only had two weeks to find another venue in which to hold the classes.  I didn’t have a lot time.  We made a pitch to the Bahrain Cinema Club, and neither Khalifa nor I thought we would get it because of the bureaucracy involved.  So while I was taking some promo shots at the Cinema Club last Wed. there was one guy, there asking a lot of question.  I recognized him, though I had never met him.  I knew him by reputation.  His name is Art Jones.  He worked at Aramco before me, and we had a few mutual friends in Bahrain.  He is the head of Ahlia university’s media program.  He just constructed a very nice sound stage, control room, studio, and production facility.  It would be perfect for the acting school.  Before I could even suggest we should join forces, he offered me the facility for our classes.  It was simply God’s favor.  I didnt’ have to ask  for anything Art kept offering.  I was quite blown away.  God’s favor is really real.  So we are going to have our classes in an actual tv studio, which will be really cool, especially for out here. 

Art and I spent the next five hours together talking.  He was a director in New York.  He mentioned the line from Casablanca in regards to he and I.  He said…”I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”  and he might be right.  Its amazing this past week even though its been emotionally brutal how much God’s favor has been shining upon me.  Im pretty blessed.  Art and my conversation spilled over into dinner.  I took him to Quiz night at JJ’s and my trivia posse showed up.  The trivia posse includes Guy the Canadian, Ruth the beautiful 6’2 hilarious blonde.  Art, myself and few others.  Like the week before, we always come in second missing by a single agonizing point.  But we did win with the Famous faces competition again.  That is becoming our specialty.   I wanted to go home after the quiz, but Ruth wanted me to stay and dance.  Which I did…and I sucked at it.  But I had fun anyways.  So now its 1:30 am on a working night.  Im up way too long.  So forgive me for my typos, as im really sleepy.

In addition to praying for my children.  If you could also pray for Nader, my boss.  This financial crisis in the banking industry is really taking its toll on him.  We will weather storm, but it will probably be difficult at times.  God is control, that is what I have to keep telling myself.  So far….so good.