Relationships

No matter what other people say, I believe that in one's personal and business life, relationships and the maintenance thereof is key to be successful. When it comes to business, sure, things like price, service, product quality always matter. But would those things matter, if you were not able to establish and maintain relationships that generate trust? Consider how often relationships come into play that have been established so long ago that they seem to be from a previously life ( if there was such a thing :) ) One example just happened to me during the earlier part of the week.
The father of a very good friend and former colleague of mine (in my previous employment, which is unrelated to the computer/technology industry that I am now a part of), contacted me because he was placed in charge to create a new and separate business division of a larger company.
And he was looking for a reliable IT company to help them get set up in a temporary location, facilitate the move to the permanent location and deliver a maintenance and helpdesk support for the future. My friend's dad had looked around for a while to explore his options and then decided to make one phone call ... to me. So, now he is not only my friend's dad and a friend of mine anymore but also a customer to our company.
Now, would that business have materialized without the existing relationships? Possibly ... but to be honest, I was told that our company was not even on the radar screen until he thought of me being invited to his son's wedding.

So, certainly, my piece of advise for today:

Relationships - get them, keep them, take care of them - they are worth it !!!

Another 6 months have gone by ...

Yes, yes, yes ... I should be apologizing once again for abandoning this blog for such a long time.
But a good friend of mine mentioned on his blog recently, that the main thing is to pick it back up when the opportunity arises. So, here goes ...

God has blessed my family and me quite incredibly in these past months. By His grace I was able to complete my Associate Degree in Telecommunications Systems Management. Since then, I have been rather slack on catching up with my certifications, I have to admit.
Well, I am planning to attempt the CCNA certification in May, while my wife is on a business trip in Europe. Thus avoiding that me studying cuts into our quality time.

Anyways, effective January 1, 2007 I basically jumped on board with Circuitz LLC in a quasi full-time position as an employee. I say "quasi" since I am for the moment only working 30 hours per week. Something that I am for the time being not necessarily unhappy about, I kind of like being home early in the afternoon on occasion. This might in fact be really nice once summer really kicks off the beach season.

Well, right now, weather-wise spring is definitely in full progress and down here in the southern U.S., spring is the right time for large projects ... and those are definitely rolling on as well.
Business-wise, our current largest customer is moving their headquarters into a newly constructed office building. Once the Certificate of Occupancy is obtained, likely tomorrow night, the countdown to moving date starts ticking and we have to get started on the preparations.
But, apart from the business side of things, we are also getting ready to have hardwood floors installed in the downstairs of our house. Quite a costly undertaking, but it will be a deduction on next year's taxes as well as it will be an increase in the value of our home.
I will make sure to keep you all posted on the progress there ... for now, delivery of the materials are scheduled for next Wednesday and we are waiting for a call to schedule the actual install.
Sounds all nice and dandy, pieces falling into place for the project to move forward ... yeah, and then there is the current carpet, which we have to remove ourselves ... not only the carpet and padding, but as well the tag-strips that are nailed into our concrete slab. Shall be fun for the weekend coming up.
We are praying that the install goes smoothly and that we are not plagued by possible issues of too much moisture that might either increase the price and/or delay the install.
Further plans include the replacement of our living room furniture and, if sufficient funds are left over, the addition of some nice toys, e.g. a new tv set, one of those nice and flat ones, etc.

More to come in the next few days ...
I hope this blog entry finds you all well !!!

My sincere Apologies

Goodness, I am so sorry ... it has truely been 2 weeks since my last post.
Not that it is any excuse, not a good one anyways, but sometimes there are just seasons in life that seem to be incredibly busy.

I still feel that this final semester at school is kicking my tail, although I should not be surprised, as many of my fellow students had warned me that the classes I have this semester, are indeed very time-intensive. Lots of prjects with deadlines all throughout the week, tests and exams just line up every other day it seems.
And then my boss actually left for vacation this past Tuesday, to enjoy Germany and Oktoberfest for a week. So, that left me to run the company ... at least from a working, scheduling, following-up and answering phone-calls, voicemails, emails and faxes. Thank the Lord that I did not have to do any of the book-keeping portions.

So, needless to say, the past 7 days have been a complete blurr for me ... but by the end of the day tomorrow, my boss should be back in the country ... and then on Wednesday, things should go halfways back to normal ...

Keeping my fingers crossed ... :-)

I will try and post an update here and there, but latest after October 11, I should have a few weeks that will be less busy ... and hopefully I will get the chance to pick up my blogging again more frequently.

God bless you all,

Oliver

Has it really been 5 years?

Today 5 years ago was indeed a memorable day. It changed the face of a city, it changed the perspective on safety and security of an entire country, it resonated with nations around the globe.
5 years have gone by and our lifes were changed on that sad day, and our lifes have remained changed by the tragic and despicable events that took place on that day.
Watching the videos and looking at the pictures of that day still make me ball like it did that very day.
I do not believe that I will ever figure out what it is that goes on in a person's mind that is willingly giving their life solely to wreak havoc and to put fear into the hearts of so many people.
But where are those perceived masterminds who came up with the plan, financed the undertakings and boasted in the loss of so many innocent lifes?
Are they indeed hiding somewhere in the desert hills and caves between Afghanistan and Pakistan? Are they actually still alive?
In my opinion, there has not been any credible proof that one Osama Bin Laden is still alive in a couple of years.
Yeah, you see videos, recorded who knows when, that make general statements of warning to this country or the other. Nothing that proves the man is still breathing.
What do you think? Are we chasing a ghost?

God's plan for our life

Since my stomach virus did slowly subside and my ultrasound exam did not find anything more unusual or concerning than the fact that I apparently have two different sized kidneys, I have drifted into a little bit of a motivational hole. That, in combination with a bunch of stuff to catch up and keep up with for school, has contributed to the longer pause between the last posting and this one.
Last week, my wife and I decided to start a new study called "Blueprint for life", guided and mentored by one of our pastors at Seacoast church, we will spend the next 3-4 months to figure out not only where we want to be and what we want to do in the future, but what God is calling us to do and where does God want us to be.
Well, one would figure that those studies start off simple, try to ease you into things, but no - not this one - our first task, as part of the introduction - is to outline our God-sized vision.
Wow, nothing easier than that, right ?! Yeah right !!
Needless to say, I am at this point still rather at a loss about how to answer the question. Don't get me wrong, I have thought about the question for days now, I have prayed that God would reveal to me the God-sized vision I should have.
Well, today I got around to listen to the accompanying audio session, and I have come to realize that I was not even praying the right prayer, nor was I asking the right question.
Life is not about our vision or our goals, as nice and helpful as some of those may be along the way. It is about God's vision for our life, God's goals for our life.
The day we became Christians, the audio commentary says, we gave up the right to our goals in life. We belong to God now, our life belongs to God and as such, our goals and visions belong to God as well.
So, the right question would be: What is God passionate about?

We need to start seeing things from God's perspective! Become passionate about what God is passionate! Once we have done that, that God-sized vision will come automatically.

The Bible tells us what God is passionate about and it is simple: share the Good News, let all those that have not heard of God's grace and love, hear about what an awesome God He is.
Let those that have heard the news and chose to ignore it be re-informed and given yet another chance to join into the body of Christ and be given eternal life in Christ.

Maybe this blog is the start of my God-sized vision, maybe it is my God-sized vision, maybe it is just another step along the way to something else entirely.

I'm pretty amp'ed up about this, so I can't wait to hear from God and allow Him to reveal the vision and plan for my life. --- I suppose that the next step should then teach me to be ready for whatever that plan may be ...

Apologies and Ernesto

Apologies:
My sincere apologies for not having posted at all on my blog for a couple of days now.
On Monday morning I had an unexpected and unappreciated visit by something called a stomach virus. I am going to do you all a favor and spare you the details. Suffice to say that I was able to schedule a doctor's visit for early Monday afternoon. And he hooked me up with a double-shot of Phenergan (against nausea), and that in turn knocked me right out of my socks and into bed.
Yesterday I spent mostly in bed as well and without food, though I tried to drink plenty, to also assist in keeping me hydrated while attempting to break the fever that started on Tuesday morning.
Last night I had my first solid food, which consisted of a cereal bar and a bowl of raisin bran cereal.
While I did spend most of this morning in bed as well, I am starting to feel less ill, but 2 days without food and staying in bed for the most part have taken quite a bit of my stamina. So, while I have been up and about most of the day, I have been getting tired easily and have had to take plenty of breaks between trivial tasks.
So, I think I will be back to my usual old self by sometime tomorrow. Just in time for this tropical something that is coming up the coast throughout tonight ...
Ernesto:
What is Ernesto at this time anyhow, I don't know, it has been upgraded and downgraded in the news so many times today? And once that is answered, what is it going to be when it has made its way up the coast from Florida?
Well, one thing is certain, the local weather folks are definitely having a ball with this first named storm that is coming close to South Carolina.
Now, I do not want to belittle the awesome powers of a hurrican or tropical storm by any means, to the contrary, I applaud the efforts of local officials to get everyone prepared for the possible emergency situation. But some of the local weather guys (and they are mostly guys) are just having too much fun pushing their own little nitch of the news into the focal point, whether it may turn out to be warranted or not.
I guess I simply do not like when news like these are sensationalized rather than communicated effectively.

Reminds me of the following verse:

But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. - 2 Corinthians 10:17-18

Safe Return and Grand Opening

Yes, praise the Lord, my wife has safely returned home. And she is soundly sleeping now, suffering a bit from cold-like symptoms. For the time being, I believe that the switch into a majorly air-conditioned environment, from being out and about in a village in Brazil, where A/C is but a luxury that may be available, yet very few can afford.
From all I have heard, the trip was an awesome experience and I am happy that my wife had the opportunity to make this trip. I promise, once we get the pictures of the digital camera, I will post a few of them in this blog.

Continuing the praises for today, Seacoast Church, the church my wife and I joined here in Mount Pleasant, had the grand opening of their "Imagine the Possibilities" building. The construction had gone on for more than a year and this building complex adds 2 new venues and sufficient space to have each children's ministry groups in their own worship area. So there will be some awesome opportunities for growth in the future.

If you have not heard of Seacoast Church, I invite you to check out their website at www.seacoast.org
and if you are ever in the area on a Sunday morning, I invite you to visit one of the services. No worry, Seacoast is not your traditional dress-up church, so come as you are !!!