Day 6

Day 6

I get up at 7am. It wasn't a productive night of sleep as I got up twice and was up about an hr both times. A combination of room temperature and high caffeine intake are the culprits for my lack of sleep. I decide to take a walk and get breakfast somewhere.

As I stroll down to the Mississippi River, I pause and take a moment to reflect on life and everything. As I look over the Mississippi and the grandeur of it all, I think about how God made all this possible...the river, this beautiful city, my life, the people in my life, blessings in my life, and I say a prayer thanking him.

I walk the street where I met the homeless kid a couple of days ago, and decide to eat breakfast at the same place. I never noticed but it's on Decatur. I've been thinking how New Orleans is similar to Las Vegas in a lot of ways...and this just adds to it. The city has really grown on me (maybe because it is similar to Vegas, it's easy for that to happen). I told a couple of friends I could live here for a year or so. I just might in the future.

After breakfast, I swing by a gift shop to pick up a couple of gifts for people back home, including Nicole. There I realized...omg, I totally forgot to get Steve and Abby a wedding gift! I wonder if I can get something here that they'd like. Maybe a couple of these masks, for Janett's biannual masquerade party (hint hint), or some kind of umm, role playing.

I get back to the hotel lobby and do some reading. I go over the discussion notes from The Crossing's last service, Skeptics Wanted.

SCRIPTURE1

John 13:33 ”My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”John 13:36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”John 13:37-38 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”Question: Peter had great intentions, but was unable to follow through with them when Jesus was arrested. When have you found yourself denying a friend in a similar situation? How were your feelings of guilt assuaged?Question: How did Jesus help Peter deal with his guilt over denying Him? (John 21:15-17) 

Jesus was leaving them with a mission and His the Holy Spirit, to reach out to others, believers and unbelievers alike, to love others as He had loved them. There are so many people in our community who have no faith affiliation and we are needed to step forward and give them a Jesus experience. So how are we to respond to skeptics?

Again, a lesson on spreading the good news, this time aimed at skeptics. I've got a lot to say on this, given that I've spent a good amount of time on apologetics and the like when I was seeking some answers myself, but with space and time constraint, I'll just say that we Christians don't do a good enough job reaching out to others with the right approach and attitude, and that's me included (I think my attitude and approach is ok, but I'm lacking in efforts).

For lunch I'm craving something hot and Asian. I can only go so long without some Asian food, and it's been almost a week. I head down to Geisha sushi, which I heard from other poker players, and order a yellowtail hand roll and tempura udon. I'm not a picky eater but I gotta say it wasn't that great, both items, and I feel like I shouldn't have to pay the $26 for crappy food like this, but I do, leaving so unsatisfied.

I get in a $2/$5 game, as it's been the highest running game this week. I guess $5/$10 and higher only runs on weekends or when the main event nears. I don't mind it because the game plays almost as big as $5/$10 in Vegas with the larger buyins (I've been buying in between $2-$3k) and the constant $10 straddling. I play an uneventful 3 hrs and win $130. I quit mostly because I feel very tired from a bad night of sleep. It doesn't help the table had some old nits (Captain Tom Franklin on the left).

Because my fulfillment of Asian cuisine felt lacking from the crappy sushi earlier, I decide to find a pho place. I walk almost a mile and reach Viet Bistro. I'm not ashamed to say I'd walk a mile for some good pho, because I love pho. I eat  a hot bowl of pho and it does satisfy my quench for Asian food. It's not as good as Vegas, but it was good enough (unlike that expensive sushi crap earlier).

I get back to the my room and watch the Cavs/Celtics game 1. Put a little wager on Boston +4, and when the Cavs go up 20 in the 2nd qtr, my interest wanes and I end up falling asleep. The plan was to sleep for a couple of hrs and go play.

Recap: It was a half day essentially. Book a small $130 win (but lose some of it on the crappy Celtics, and spend $30 including tip on some crappy sushi, for almost a break even day). Here's hoping to a better day tomorrow.