I am planning a road trip...

And, if you would like for your town to be one of the places I visit, then let me know...

There are several of you that I would really like to meet. I am hoping that you might also like to meet me. It might be just a brief visit over a cup of coffee. Or, it could be several hours over the course of a whole day. It can even be a several day visit if you are able to provide sleep / shower / food / etc. accommodations during that time while I help you with some need or project ( or, perhaps, a longer time of fellowship "simply because we want to"... ). The extent of the visit is largely up to you.

My motives are:

1) personal fellowship and friendship
2) learn new and interesting things
3) help you in some way if I can

That is it. That is what the whole road trip is all about.

Under no circumstances do I want to "overstay my welcome"; the visit is over when you decide. This is "rule number one" -- because, I want you to feel completely comfortable about me coming to visit you. Especially the ladies.

All of you may expect me to conduct myself as "a perfect gentleman" at all times.

And, please understand one thing...

I have a real faith in a real God based on His real Son - the Lord Jesus Christ. But --- I am not "religious" in the way I conduct my daily activity --- and, I have no intentions whatsoever of making any of you feel uncomfortable by the manner in which I conduct myself when / while I am around you. I believe we best show our faith by "how we are" and "what we do"; we don't necessarily have to come across like a street corner preacher in our every conversation we have with everyone we meet.

If we spend our time talking about the Lord, that is fine - if that is what you want to do. I am not afraid to participate in - and sometimes very much enjoy - such discussions. However, I do not believe ( as some folks seem to ) that:

Every time God's people meet, there has to be a 'service'...

I may or may not pray with / for you during our visit. ( Please understand the context, here. I have already prayed for many of you sitting behind my keyboard where I am now while typing this. ) This is something I do - or not do - on a "case by case" basis. I refuse to do anything based on a 'ritualistic' expectation or requirement; I prefer to do such things "as I am led"... ( As a rule - I would rather volunteer to pray than to be asked to. I am a very 'private' individual when it comes to some things. )

My point in making mention of all of this is that I don't want you to avoid me because you are afraid that I might put you on the spot in some way. Well, you can forget about all of that. I think I am too "laid back" for that. First and foremost, I intend our visit to be completely comfortable for you.

Completely "casual and comfortable" is what I am after. There is no further requirement for "personal fellowship and friendship" ( #1 above ) to occur between people.

And, I am interested in "learn new and interesting things" ( #2 above ) -- about you, your life, your town, etc.

And, if by any reasonable request, I want to "help you in some way if I can" ( #3 above ). Let me know what I might can do for you while I am there. In addition to things electrical / electronic - and computer hardware / sofware -- I also have knowledge and experience in a variety of other areas. What I am most "known" for is "fixing things"...

And, there are a few things you probably don't want me to help you with. I will be sure to let you know if you bring one of them up.

If my plans go as intended, I will be starting my trip sometime in the latter half of September. However, please let me know ASAP about your wish to be included somewhere along my route. Also let me know the anticipated extent of the visit, so I can plan accordingly. It would also be good if you talked to me ( sooner will probably be better than later ) about what you may need help with when I get there.

I intend to chronicle my journey on CC in-as-much as I am able.

( Which - who knows - could possibly raise member activity and traffic over a several month span of time, if there is enough genuine interest in "following" it --- which I am "pretty sure" the site owner would probably appreciate... )

I very much intend to protect the privacy of anyone I meet, with regard to their membership on this site. I have no intention of posting any information about other members that they would not want posted. In other words - if I come visit you - I am not going to "make public" any more of our visit than what is okay with you. ( And, naturally, I expect the same from you. )

I mean -- as long as you don't come at me with an axe or chainsaw --- I think you are probably going to be safe... haha

Just remember --- before I ever show up at your doorstep ( or, in your town ) -- several people will know where I am.

As long as you have no "evil mischief" in mind, everything will go well and end well - and, we will all be just fine.

As for your protection -- well - don't worry about that. Long before we meet, we will no-doubt have exchanged some e-mails and probably had a few conversations on the phone. And, "there are ways" of making you feel totally comfortable about our visit.

In order to illustrate just how important I believe this road trip to be, I will "let you in on a little secret"...

I am currently in the process of selling [ virtually ] everything I own in preparation for the trip. After moving out of my current residence and paying last-utility bills, etc. -- "we will see what is left"...

The road trip is not intended to solicit anything from anyone. Only that - if my visit should be a long-enough one ( i.e. - longer than a portion of a single day ), I will no doubt need additional "support" to be able to maintain a longer stay in your area. Unless the Lord really blesses this adventure, I will not be able to stay in hotels / motels along the way.

In fact - I will not hesitate to say - I will be planning the trip around those places where the aforementioned 'accommodations' are offered. Because, it is the only way I will be able to make this trip.

So -- if you should think that a short visit from me might be worth a little fellowship, friendship, exchange of ideas, whatever -- and, you are able to provide the aforementioned 'accommodations' so that we may have a more comfortable "extended" visit together -- then, let me know...

Please don't offer to do something you really cannot afford to do - or don't feel comfortable in doing. Let me know what you can do - and, who knows, the Lord may provide what is needed on that occasion so that we may visit.

As nice as it sounds to want to try to attend some of the "meet-ups" that have been talked about on CC -- my current life circumstances would seem to prevent me from doing so. Well -- this is my solution. I very much need to take a "leave of absence" from my current situation anyway.

Part of the reason I am doing this is illustrated in the overall idea given in this video posted in my TED Talks thread.

Another thing that kind-of inspired this idea was reading about what PennEd-and-friends did for Depleted in this thread.

And, of course, there are some other "real-life" things happening "on-this-side-of-the-keyboard" that had a part in it also.

Again -- this trip is about the three things I listed above. And, I really do want to make this a give-more-than-receive effort on my part...

All I am asking for is an opportunity to make it happen - and, to see it through.

So -- how many of you will I come to visit during the next several months?

If the Lord is willing -- then -- well -- we shall see...

PM me if you are interested in a future 'meet' / 'visit' with me.

Tourist & I are planning a road trip too first two weeks of October heading up to Michigan. Wishing you safe travels.

Hi gary,

If our town wasnt very far away, you may wish to drop by. We do not have a big house, and me no good cook either but sometimes hubby cooks. So choose a day when he is free to=).

Wishing y'all safe travel as well...

It might be a while before I can make it to the Philippines - if the Lord is willing that I go there. But hey - you never know -- God can do anything...

Thank you so much for indicating an interest in my little 'adventure'.

I love road trips!

Some of you have expressed that you are concerned about whether you will fit into my 'itinerary'.

Well --- don't be...

The fact is --- my itinerary will largely be determined by you.


What is most important now is for me to know these 3 things:

1) The fact that you would like to participate.

In other words -- you think it would be interesting and worthwhile for you to meet with me at some point in the future - even if only for a short period of time.

2) What state and city you live in.

I am not asking for your street address. In fact, if all we are going to do is meet at a local diner in your town for coffee for a half-hour, I may never know where-exactly-you-live. And, that is okay with me.

What I need this for is to build a map for the itinerary. I need to know where all of the "planned" points on the map are as early-on as possible.

3) What type and extent of visit you are interested in.

It might be that all you are interested in is spending that aforementioned half-hour with me -- just so you can say you have met another CCer in person.* It might be that you are quite curious about the real person behind 'GaryA' on CC - and, would like to spend the whole afternoon of some particular day getting to know him better. Or, you may need help with something ( that I will be able to help you with ) - requiring a longer stay.


If you should happen to not feel totally comfortable giving me any part of this information, then --- PM me -- get to know me better -- tell me your concerns...

"I promise you - I have a solution..."

At the current pace of things, the road trip will not begin for at least another month. There are some things I have to take care of before I can start the trip. It also gives me time to plan -- AND -- it gives you time to get to know me better ( on CC ) so that you can feel better about - and be better prepared for - the actual day we meet.

If you do PM me at some point ( including all of you who have already ) regarding the road trip - and, don't hear back from me right away -- please be patient -- I am making a huge life change -- and, a lot needs to be done first before I can begin my trip.

What I am asking from all of you at this point in time are the "data points" -- from which -- I will form the 'map' and the 'itinerary'.

Please understand -- I am not going to "show up on your doorstep" next week. Our visit may be just weeks away - or, it could possibly be months away.

"It just depends..."

It mostly depends on where all of those "data points" are - and, the nature of each visit along the way.

* By the way - it is perfectly okay if this is actually all you really want. I am not going to judge you on it. I personally think that it is kind-of "neat" to be able to meet other CC members. I am "all for" CC member meet-ups -- as long as they are "healthy" from a Christian point of view, of course. And, they don't need to be 'rigid'. In fact, "relaxed" is a much better form of fellowship in my opinion. This is my way of trying to provide you with a bit of "relaxed and comfortable" fellowship -- that I hope will eventually become a better friendship, also.

Thank you.

You can drive to my place anytime!

What happened with your résumé?
Decided to bag getting a job and become a travelling freeloader?
You are one creepy dude.

What is creepy about wanting to trust God to take him on a road trip to meet other CC'ers? Granted, I think it's a bad idea for him to sell off EVERYTHING he owns, and do this, not knowing where he'll be staying and whatnot.. But surely God is already setting everything in place for Gary.

You are welcomed at my home, but--------
You will need a four wheel drive truck with 10 inches of ground clearence to get here.
Twelves miles of forest service gravel road to my drive way.
My drive way is one mile long, crosses three creeks, and has several steep hills to climb.

Willie knows...

Same here...I live in Mark Twain National forest in Missouri....25 miles nearest town, 6 miles of gravel road, 250 yard driveway and in da woods....haha generate my own power, connected by Sat internet, TV and pull all my water from a spring fed creek.........he can come by anytime...we can discuss the round earth

I see you live in the suburbs.
The closes Walmart is 42 miles.

Is that what this looks like?!?!?

Has it occurred to you that God just might be preparing me for something in the future?

Has it occurred to you that you may not know or understand the 'background' details?

( sigh )

ALL:

Okay - I guess it is time for some damage control...

For the past three years or so I have been working a job that I now like to refer to as a "Satanic trap" * -- because, for those three years or so, the only "life" I have had is "mere existence" - no "life" at all, really - just "mere existence" --- giving "my all" to the company ( because I have always been the 'loyal' type ) for a paycheck and not having much of anything in my life that is truly worthwhile -- working long hours, and being too tired most of the time to feel like doing much of anything --- while my 'life' disappears into a black hole - hour-by-hour, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, year-by-year... CC has been somewhat of a source of sanity for me during that time. Spending some time with one of my brothers and his wife has been helpful, also. The church group is quite small, and most of them are married. And, you know how that "married people and singles do not mix" thing goes...

It just simply has not been "enough"...

And, in my opinion, I have not been worth much of anything to God or anyone else. So - I want to change that. And, the fact is, I need to change it.

( Not to mention - I am "sick" of living that life -- there has to be something better "out there somewhere"... )

My desire to meet other CCers is genuine. My intents and motives are 'honest', 'innocent', and 'wholesome'. My wanting and willingness to help others along the way is real.

I do not consider this to be the kind of thing that someone would call "freeloading"...

I am sorry if anyone truly feels that way about it.

Perhaps I did not explain myself well enough in previous posts?

I really meant it when I said this:

But, I am not trying to push myself on anybody, either. That is why the "extent" of the visit is totally up to you.

If we sit in a local diner and eat a meal or have a snack - while we have fellowship together - and I pay for the food -- is that "freeloading"...???

Have you already assumed that there is no way that this can or will happen?

If the Lord makes the provision beforehand -- I will be more-than-happy to buy you lunch.

I am just not "counting on it" happening ( i.e. - I cannot guarantee it will happen ) every time.

If someone is willing and wanting to provide a meal because they believe it is worth their while to be able to meet another CCer and spend some time with them in fellowship and friendship-building -- does that make me a "freeloader"...???

When the preacher of your church - or some other Christian brother(s) and / or sister(s) come over to your house to visit -- and you prepare a meal to share with them -- and all of you eat - and drink - and laugh - and love - and share a time afterwards for a few hours [ or whatever ] - before they leave and go on their way --- does that make them "freeloaders"...??? Does the distance your Christian brothers and sisters travel to come see you somehow make the difference in your definition of the word?

It is not really the 'meal' that is the important thing. It is the 'fellowship' that is important. But hey -- does your church ever have an hours-long 'fellowship' without eating? * I mean - we got to eat sometime - right? And, most of us like to eat on a fairly regular basis - right? Isn't the eating just part of the fellowship?

If any of you are concerned about me eating a morsel of your food -- don't be. I know what it is like to go nine days without eating.* I have enough "mental self-discipline" that you don't need to worry about me standing at your door crying / wining:

"But, I'm hungry..."

I would be willing to die of starvation before I would steal food from anyone.

And -- "I promise you" -- you can count on that!

Because -- my "mental self-discipline" is that strong.

I imagine that many of my stops along the way may very well not even involve any food at all. Just a sit-and-talk for a little while - before I am on my way to the next stop. I am perfectly okay with that - and, it will mean just as much to me to have met that other CCer and gotten to know them a little better.

I don't want anything from you that is not cheerfully offered.

I will not ask, beg, or steal anything from you. Ever. Period.

( Please understand the context of what I am saying here. Don't call me a liar if I should ask you for a drink of water - a reasonable request - while we sit at your kitchen table and talk during my visit with you. Don't be silly. I am referring to asking for money, etc. - for the purpose of "supporting" me beyond the scope of my visit. If anyone actually wants to help out with my little adventure, there will be ample opportunity for that. However, I have no intention of making my visits into any kind of ad campaign. The fellowship is what I am after. Don't believe me? Try me... )

I will not "put you on the spot" for money.

I will cheerfully accept what is cheerfully offered. ( food or money, but I am really thinking here of food during the visit )

If my truck breaks down in your driveway, I will be asking the Lord:

"Do you really want me to sell my truck and buy a bicycle?"

( half-serious and half-joking; obviously, determining what effort and cost of repair would be required is the first question )

I will trust the Lord to provide.

If you are not the means that He uses to do so, then I have no problem with that.

I am thinking that I would still enjoy the fellowship and friendship-building that we might could accomplish.

If you don't want to provide any food while we fellowship together -- hey - as long as the fellowship is good... I am not going to worry about it. How about you?

I am trying to do a good thing here -- not just for myself, but hopefully for some of you as well.

I don't want anything from you except common decency, good fellowship, and friendship-building.

I consider this an opportunity to get to know a number of you in a more personal way than just from behind a screen and a keyboard.

However, for me to accomplish it - I may need your help. ( I will very probably need your help. ) And, at this point, I am [ mainly ] only trying to ascertain how may other CCers are interested in my little 'adventure' - and, how many are willing to help me make it happen?

If I am in any way in the wrong, then "God forgive me"; however, it really seems to me to be the best path for me to take at this point in time to get me out of the "Satanic trap" that my whole life has fallen into and to position me for greater possibilities of helping others - so that, hopefully, my life will be more meaningful to me and [ possibly ] others.

What you need to realize and understand right now is that I am also trying to use this to "encourage" some of you to get to know me better - in posts and PMs - between now and the eventual day that we meet face-to-face.

By no means I am planning on going from screen-and-keyboard to your doorstep overnight. I suppose that could be a little creepy - or, at least, uncomfortable.

And -- I am not necessarily entirely fond of - any more than you would be - meeting with someone who I know absolutely nothing about.

"Good heavens, no!"

That is not what I want. And, I know that is not what you want. However, I thought that my coming to visit you sometime in the future weeks / months -- you know - getting to meet another CCer -- just might encourage you in some way or put a little "spice" in your CC experience.

I do plan on getting into some kind of "regular work" a little later on. However, I believe that what I need right now is to do some "head-clearing" first.

In the meanwhile, trying to help others along the way while I take my journey seems like a reasonable thing.

I decided to see if I might "kill two birds with one stone" -- visit some other CCers for fellowship and friendship-building - and - "clear my head" -- before settling into whatever God has in store for me at the end of that journey.

What all of you may not have thought about yet are some of the other things I have in mind to include in my trip along the way...

Later post(s) may include some of the details about some of those other non-CC-related things.


* Please understand that "Satanic trap" is not intended to be a reflection of the company I was working for; rather, I am referring to the "life circumstances" in particular that I eventually determined that I was "trapped" in...

* Please don't misunderstand here -- there is no requirement for food if I visit with you for several hours.

* In truth -- in the middle of that nine days, I ate a single bag of microwave popcorn. But, other than that, I went nine days with nothing but water. And, it is "quite the teacher" - I would like to assure you...

Are you sure the earth is round?...maybe it's more oval than round

Hilarious......it is Pentcontagon haha

For what it is worth --- Huckleberry's opinion is by no means the prevalent one... ( PMs in my inbox say otherwise. )


Not quite absolutely everything. Just the vast majority of it. And, there is a very good reason for it.


Now - that - I am counting on...