Top 10 of 2010

Plagiarism and Looking Back

Jennifer had a top 10 list in her blog and I kind of got jealous. It seems like everyone loves lists, just look at Yahoo’s news highlights and you get a list for everything. But as I was contemplating my personal list I got to thinking of the spiritual aspects of keeping a list. I think its important to look back at what God has done in my life both for a testimony and to give me faith to move forward. That’s why keeping a prayer journal is important. Jennifer and I over the course of the next week or so are facing a pretty substantial life decision. As much as I preach against fear, this one has me kind of worried. I know God will see me through, but Im a little bit anxious, and I hate being anxious especially since I always talk a good game. But alas, I am human and I fail. I try to be absolutely transparent in this blog and I know that it minsters to several of you out there. For that I’m exceedingly glad. One thing that surprised me, were the responses from my last blog about Tears in the Fatburger or the effects of Parental Alienation. I was amazed by the support and the knowledge that it impacted so many people in different ways. Unfortunately the names might have been changed but the stories are the same. Maybe speaking out will help stem the tide of what is being increasingly accepted as normal.

As Jennifer and I are praying for this big decision, I was drawn to Joshua 1. If ever you need to be encouraged, this is the chapter. God tries to encourage Joshua as he’s about to battle it out with the Giants and enter the promised land. God admonishes him, as long as he follows the Bible victory is his and he needn’t be afraid. But God knows us and he knows that fear is a very real emotion. So he tells Joshua to look back to Moses (the past) if God came through then, he’ll come through now. So that’s why I think its important to write down God’s accomplishments in your life to give you the courage to move forward. I’ve heard it said that you

are either in a trial (problem) just coming out of one, or just about to go in another one. We will always have troubles. But we can have peace no matter where we are in the trials, if we just remember that God got us out of the last one, he’ll get us out of this one too. Now this key is only available for believers. Non-believers you are on your own and you can let the chips fall where they may. This list is my justification for the plagiarism of Jennifer’s idea. I encourage you to do your own top 10 of 2010 list and write it down.

#10

*Well let me first say that #1 in my list has to be my growing and intimate relationship with the Creator, but that would be anti-climactic and a given. So let me re-categorize the list as the top 10 things that happened to me in 2010.*

**Another addendum is that Jennifer could be in all 10 of these spots, but that would probably be boring for all of you to read since I have professed my love and admiration for her over and over and over in this blog. **

So #10…

The Funniest Person Bahrain Contest

Now this wasn’t an overwhelming success from a monetary standpoint, but from a cultural standpoint it was. The Funniest Person in Bahrain featured 10 people that were funny and I tried to play to their strengths. It was similar in scope to “Whose Line is it Anyways.” We had an extreme diversity. We had contestants from: Finland, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, UK, US, Seychelles, India, Pakistan, Holland, and a 16-year old kid. It was truly an eclectic mix. We had all these diverse races coming together with laughter being the universal language. What made me the most proud was seeing the growth and development of each of these fine comedians. I was so proud of this group. I am not a funny person (Jennifer will be sure to provide the confirmation) for the most part, but I do know how to set up other people to be funny. It was my job to get to know these people and put them in situations where they could succeed. In Improv comedy, like anything creative, you can’t think. So I had to get an ensemble of people not to think. (Insert Joke Here.) I sure bonded with these people and will have memories that will last a laughtime with them. (hey that was a joke.) Bahrain TV wanted to buy the show, but I held off hoping I could try to sell in a bigger market. I think I can sell this in Dubai.

#9

My Positive Living Group.

When I was first moving to Bahrain in 2008 God spoke to me very specifically. First He told me to write my book, Second He said I would start a church. I think the book took the turn of this blog. If I printed out this blog single spaced it would be well over 1000 pages by now. I have 551 entries and each entry is at least a page on average. Wow…that is a lot of writing. The second, the church, I argued with God. How was I supposed to start to start a church in Bahrain? I didn’t know anyone. God said very plainly, “Leave the details to Me.” I did, and He did. Well Im not sure if you could classify My group as a “church” but it was for me. It was a place where I could both minister and be ministered to. I was unofficially supported by my former pastor Jim Lewis and Lakewood Church. They gave me books, CD’s, DVDs, and other materials which I freely gave away to my group. We met on Monday nights at my flat. I always fed the group dinner and we talked. Then we watched a Joel Osteen video and talked about how it impacted our particular faith. I had Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Atheists, Agnostics and even a Buddhist regularly attend. It was an incredibly opportunity to learn more about each other’s beliefs in a non-threatening and safe manner. I probably had around 50 different people circulate through at one time or the other in the year plus that I held the group. Most of the time it was anywhere from 3-8 people on a given night. This group was purely spread through word of mouth and my blog. One of my favorite regular attenders was a young Muslim who found me through this blog. He came to argue about my beliefs in Christ and wound up being my most consistent attender. Instead of telling him what was “wrong” with his religion I told him what was “right” with mine. It totally disarmed him. He is now my lifelong friend and studying to be a doctor in China. I know this group helped turn around the lives of several people that attended. The fact that God used me in that powerful way is both a great honor and a very humbling experience.

#8 Surprising Jennifer in November

Jennifer always boasted that she was so smart that she could never be surprised. This is a girl that used to open up all her wrapped Christmas gifts then meticulously rewrap them. So I had this planned out for weeks and I set her up beautifully for it. On a weekend she thought I was in Oman, I showed up at her doorstep. She was not prepared for me in the least. As I stood there at her door she just stood there dumbfounded for about a minute. She could’t really move or talk. I think she was in shock. It took her about a day for it all to sink in. It was a blast. I was only there for one week. But it turned out to be one of the many great weeks of the year for me.

#7-#1 Coming soon…