Life in a Foreign Town

Most of the time you never know exactly what God has planned for you. Sometimes even your wildest dreams are surpassed by God's plans.

From the time I was a junior in high school, I knew that I would be a computer geek, but I had no idea of exactly where that road would lead me.

I have had many great adventures so far in life. I moved from southern California to northern California having no thoughts of how that would work. God had his plan and it was far greater than mine. While in southern California I was not able to get a job in the computer field due to lack of experience and being "too young." God opened a door into the computer field when I listened to a buddy's advice, which I have since credited to God speaking through that buddy and moved north. I not only got one job in the computer field, but actually got two computer jobs with the help of meeting someone at the first job. That same person also helped me get my third job in the computer field which led me all the way across the country to the east coast.

I had never lived on the east coast before and had barely even visited the east side of the country as a kid. Again I had no idea what was ahead of me and what God had planned for me. As aforementioned, God's plans are always bigger and more grandiose than we could ever plan.

The best item in God's plan for me was matching me up with my wife while I was on the east coast. I had no idea that someone as wonderful as my wife existed and would want me. God's plan was much greater than mine. At the end of the project we headed back to California.

Little did I know that while I was working on the east coast I would acquire a skill that would positively change my life dramatically. God had a bigger plan in mind that would slowly unvail itself almost 15 years later.

I remained working in the computer field but God redirected my attention from living in California to moving to Oregon. Little did I know that the skills I learned while living on the east coast would help me get a job in Oregon. God was moving one step closer to what He had planned for me.

About six years into the job, using the experience I gained while working on the east coast, I was given the opportunity to be the liaison to India. About a year later, God opened another door for me and I had the opportunity to go to Bangalore, India for two weeks. Never in my wildest dreams growing up did I ever think I would get to travel to India. God's plans were and are greater than mine will ever be.

Litle did I know that God's plans for me were not done yet. A little over three year's ago I was in a car accident that by all rights should have killed me. God was not ready for me to go "home" yet; He still had more plans for me here.

A little over a year ago, the company that I am working for in Oregon was trying to win a contract with a company based in Australia. With God's help, my company chose me to help work on the proof of concept project and sent me to Sydney, Australia for several weeks twice. I was fortunate enough, again with God's help, that my company allowed my wonderful wife to come visit me for a couple of weeks while I worked in Sydney so she could share in my gift from God.

Most preachers say in their sermons at least a half dozen times a year that you can out give God. God was not done giving to me. About two months after completely the proof of concept, my company won the bid for the job.

Now a little more than nine years into the job, it seems that God figured that I gained enough experience for me to take the next step in His grand plan. My company asked me with several of my other co-workers if we would move to Sydney, Australia. The apartment that we live in overlooks Darling Harbor and cruise ships come to the dock a few times a month to let people off to visit this wonderful city for the day. The library in the apartment building, which is on the twenty-ninth floor, overlooks the circle quay (pronounced "key") and you can see the Sydney harbor bridge and the iconic Opera House. I am blogging to you from the library looking at the Opera House. God is good.

Never, even in my wildest dreams, as a sixteen-year-old, did I ever think that becoming a computer geek would ever lead me to travel to countries around the world - granted it is only two countries, but it is still more than I ever imagined.

If you get out of God's way, He can do wondrous things for you.

Remember to perform a random act of kindness. You never know how much God will repay that act of kindness.

Life in a Foreign Town

Most of the time you never know exactly what God has planned for you. Sometimes even your wildest dreams are surpassed by God's plans.

From the time I was a junior in high school, I knew that I would be a computer geek, but I had no idea of exactly where that road would lead me.

I have had many great adventures so far in life. I moved from southern California to northern California having no thoughts of how that would work. God had his plan and it was far greater than mine. While in southern California I was not able to get a job in the computer field due to lack of experience and being "too young." God opened a door into the computer field when I listened to a buddy's advice, which I have since credited to God speaking through that buddy and moved north. I not only got one job in the computer field, but actually got two computer jobs with the help of meeting someone at the first job. That same person also helped me get my third job in the computer field which led me all the way across the country to the east coast.

I had never lived on the east coast before and had barely even visited the east side of the country as a kid. Again I had no idea what was ahead of me and what God had planned for me. As aforementioned, God's plans are always bigger and more grandiose than we could ever plan.

The best item in God's plan for me was matching me up with my wife while I was on the east coast. I had no idea that someone as wonderful as my wife existed and would want me. God's plan was much greater than mine. At the end of the project we headed back to California.

Little did I know that while I was working on the east coast I would acquire a skill that would positively change my life dramatically. God had a bigger plan in mind that would slowly unvail itself almost 15 years later.

I remained working in the computer field but God redirected my attention from living in California to moving to Oregon. Little did I know that the skills I learned while living on the east coast would help me get a job in Oregon. God was moving one step closer to what He had planned for me.

About six years into the job, using the experience I gained while working on the east coast, I was given the opportunity to be the liaison to India. About a year later, God opened another door for me and I had the opportunity to go to Bangalore, India for two weeks. Never in my wildest dreams growing up did I ever think I would get to travel to India. God's plans were and are greater than mine will ever be.

Litle did I know that God's plans for me were not done yet. A little over three year's ago I was in a car accident that by all rights should have killed me. God was not ready for me to go "home" yet; He still had more plans for me here.

A little over a year ago, the company that I am working for in Oregon was trying to win a contract with a company based in Australia. With God's help, my company chose me to help work on the proof of concept project and sent me to Sydney, Australia for several weeks twice. I was fortunate enough, again with God's help, that my company allowed my wonderful wife to come visit me for a couple of weeks while I worked in Sydney so she could share in my gift from God.

Most preachers say in their sermons at least a half dozen times a year that you can out give God. God was not done giving to me. About two months after completely the proof of concept, my company won the bid for the job.

Now a little more than nine years into the job, it seems that God figured that I gained enough experience for me to take the next step in His grand plan. My company asked me with several of my other co-workers if we would move to Sydney, Australia. The apartment that we live in overlooks Darling Harbor and cruise ships come to the dock a few times a month to let people off to visit this wonderful city for the day. The library in the apartment building, which is on the twenty-ninth floor, overlooks the circle quay (pronounced "key") and you can see the Sydney harbor bridge and the iconic Opera House. I am blogging to you from the library looking at the Opera House. God is good.

Never, even in my wildest dreams, as a sixteen-year-old, did I ever think that becoming a computer geek would ever lead me to travel to countries around the world - granted it is only two countries, but it is still more than I ever imagined.

If you get out of God's way, He can do wondrous things for you.

Remember to perform a random act of kindness. You never know how much God will repay that act of kindness.

Grandparenthood

Ron Howard has a television show entitled "Parenthood" which tells the story of an extended family and how everyone interacts and delves into the topic each week that no matter how old your kids get, you never stop being a parent.

My wife and I recently became grandparents, which means our daughter recently became a mother. No matter what generation you are part of, no books are Vulcan mind melds are available for making someone know everything there is to know about how to be a parent. Lots of books and doctors, such as Dr. Spock and Dr. Phil, giving you their opinions on what parents should and should not do to and for their kids. The lesson that I have learned through my experience is that all kids are unique and you have to learn life's lessons everyday.

Just because your kids have kids does not mean that you stop being your kids' parents. It means that you have new lessons to learn and new ways to learn how to work with, help and love your kids.

Being a grandparent is a whole new bailiwick. Most of the new challenges are enjoyable. Babies, whether they are your kids, grand kids, or just someone else's kids, are very simplistic; they want to feel loved, want to eat, sleep poop and be entertained. If they are upset, they let you know; if you don't pay attention to them when they are calmly expressing their displeasure, they will then voice it loudly in a screaming yell. Then it's your job to figure out what they really need or want. Is it a "change me I'm dirty" cry or "feed me I'm hungry" cry or "I'm so tired but I don't want to go to sleep" cry. If it is the later, you need to be strong enough to let the baby cry himself to sleep.

One of the coolest things about being the grandparent is spoiling the grand baby and then giving him back to his mom and dad. Another cool thing about being a grandparent, or a least the grandpa, is that when the baby makes a stinky, you can give the baby back to his parents and say he needs to be changed.

One of the less cool things about being a grandparent is trying to learn how to help your kids with their new issues or be able to walk away when they don't want your help.

One of the challenges of being a new grandparent is learning how to share again. Our daughter is fortunate in that her partner's parents are both alive as well and we have to share our grandson's time with them and they with us. The cool thing for the grand baby is that he gets double spoiled.

The biggest lesson for the grandparents to learn is to remember to tell your kids that you still love them and love them no less because their is a grand baby now.

One last reminder, make sure to perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as offering a night of babysitting of the grand-baby so the parents can have a couple of hours of quiet time with each other so they can remind each other that they still love one another and love one another no less just because they have a baby.