Spinning wheels in the desert

What a frustrating day. I am still not 100% over the jetlag. Just like 90%...im staying up til 2-3 am and waking up at 8 or 9 and can’t get back to sleep. At least Im getting things done…in theory. I woke up and listened to my Pastor Steve from Livermore on the podcast on the way to breakfast. Then at Fuddrucker’s I had a nice breakfast and devotional to God. Check out what I came upon today. I read the bible cover to cover.

Isaiah 40
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

And

Isaiah 43
18 "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

Were those appropriate for me life or what? Sometimes God speaks to me through the voice in my head but more often than not, he speaks to me through His word. Those of you who know me, or read this blog, know I dwell in the past. I have to quit doing that I know. But its hard to do with the relationship I have with my children is a constant reminded of the life I used to have. I do miss them so. But the whole desert reference is really kind of cool.

Im really determined to put more discipline back in my life. Its so easy to slip into mini-compromises that before long grow bigger. Like my Pastor Jim Lewis from Lakewood you used to say…Your spirit and your flesh are like two dogs…whichever one you feed is going to kill the other.

After breakfast I was determined to get my iphone 4 unlocked. Im locked into AT&T but they aren’t out here, so the process is to get it unlocked so you can put in another sim card and use it with a local carrier. So Reg dropped me off on his way to the airport. I walked for about an hour to the souq…or at least I was trying to find Mina Bazaar which is a big shopping district of stores. I wasn’t sure I was there til I asked someone and he said “This is all of Mina Bazaar. So most of them were closed since it was a Friday (church/mosque day). One guy hustled me into a store. “Can you unlock the iphone 4? Sure…10 minutes.” The 10 minutes turned into 30 minutes. I told him I was going to go eat lunch and come back. After lunch 30 minutes turned into 60 more minutes. Fortunately, I was across the street from the Dubai Museum, so I hung out for an hour in there. An hour in that place was perfect. America….appreciate your museums! So I go back to the phone store and he said…Im sorry I called everywhere no one can unlock iphone 4, its too new. Iphone 3, yes…4 no. Apparently they haven’t made their way here yet. So it took me another 15 minutes to get my phone. I looked for other shops around there for an hour but couldn’t find any that could do it. I needed to head back because Reg was going to help me rent a car. I walked to the Metro and caught the train back to my place. After a 15 minute walk, I was back…and a sweaty mess. I cleaned up and we went to get the car. I was right by another souq so I asked around some shops. After 10 rejections…I put 2 and 2 together…I guess they can’t unlock the iphone 4. Fortunately, Jennifer found my old Bahrain phone, so I can use that here. The iphone is still nice to have because Jennifer and I can use it for the face to face feature. So it was 11 hours of total time just spinning my wheels. You have to take the good days with the not so good days here. Im still standing.