Today was a very good day for me. This is important since it’s a weekend and I sometimes dread the alone time. Today was different. They didn’t call Ramadan…so the moon wasn’t spotted. That gives me an extra day of daytime eating. You see during Ramadan all the stores and restaurants are closed during the day. Since I don’t really choose to cook it would impact me. So I bought a whole bunch of sandwich stuff. But I just found out that certain Western restaurants while closed during the day, will still be open for delivery only. So I’ll be able to eat and drink, Im just not supposed to do it in front of Muslims. So that was a relief. It will just be a big four weeks of adjustment. Ramadan is a celebrated time for Muslims. During the daytime they all seem to be miserable…then it is so festive at night. . Its really quite a dichotomy. At night, it’s a great family celebration. Think either Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner for 28 straight days. Buffets are very popular this time of year All the clubs and liquor stores are closed during Ramadan. There are only a few places on the island that serve alcohol at night…and those are usually packed with drunken Brits. I know that’s a stereotype…but the Brits and pubs are kind of inseperable. More on that in another blog.
I went to church and God really spoke to me. I was feeling a little bit down and second guessing myself and God really met me I guess there have been a few people questioning/criticizing when I talk about having spiritual gifts like the Word of Knowledge for example. So I kind of let that sink into my spirit a bit and even started to doubt myself. I guess it’s a little like the Israelites. They saw miracle after miracle and still they doubted. So at church today our regular pastor was not there and there was a fill in guy who hasn’t preached that often before (if you catch my meaning) but still God spoke to me. He can use any vehicle/person to speak. Today’s message was about spiritual gifts and how the body can use them. There was time near the end of the service where they passed the microphone around for people to share. I had not shared with the main congregation before…just the teens. So I felt led to grab the microphone and echo what the speaker had shared. I told them what God wants most of us is relationship. Too often people think of God is a Santa Claus..Give me this…give me that…deliver me from this… God wants to speak to us…the trick is we have to learn how to listen. I really felt the Holy Spirit guiding me and giving the exact words to say. Im not sure who…but I felt someone needed to hear it.
Afterwards I went out to lunch with the Music Man. He’s really my best friend on the island. He had been in the states for nearly two months. It was nice to have him back. The Music Man is my accountability partner. We try to keep each other straight. He tells me the tough things from a spiritual perspective…and I do the same. Proverbs 27:17 “As Iron sharpens Iron so one man sharpens another.” We all need that one person in our life to help keep us straight. Usually that person is our spouse. When that influential person is not your spouse (and you are married) and is not driving you to a deeper spiritual walk, watch out!!! The music man is the guy that sharpens me. Like my wise friend Wayne once told me. “Show me who your friends are…I’ll show you what your destiny is.” Joel Osteen says it from the pulpit every week. Be careful who your friends are because they’ll tear you apart from God faster than anything. I think Im quite passionate about this…because my marriage was adversely affected because of the friends which X kept towards the end of our marriage. The right or wrong friends can really alter your moral latitude. So be very careful which types of people you let into your inner circle. I was in a men’s group at a church. There was this very famous published author who happened to be the pastor of a very large church in Southern California. Someone asked him about parenting. He thought long and hard…and answered…be very attentive on the friends that your children keep. I think we all need to be careful about our friends.
I went for a long Kayak ride. It’s kind of nice. People are so friendly. The boaters like to take a lot of pictures of me while I’m out there. Plus the people on the shore always tend to smile and wave when I paddle back in. Im not really sure. Maybe its because of the novelty.
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