Hi, my name is Ryan Grabow and you're on my turf now...

I am 30 years old and live in Fort Myers, Florida, where I'm a director in the production department of Waterman Broadcasting (NBC2 and ABC 7 ). I also work in the media department at First Assembly of God and, for a third job, I'm apparently a science-fiction writer now. Caffeine is the title of my first novel, which was released as an e-book in 2009 and in paperback in 2011. Much of my free time goes toward improving EGrabow.com and adding to the AVCA database , which brings this website a great deal of traffic.

Born and (mostly) raised on Long Island, I lived in Patchogue, New York for eleven years and graduated cum laude from Long Island University with a BFA in Electronic Media in 2004. The next year, I moved to Florida to begin what I pray becomes an eventful career. Right now, I'm pondering where I should go from here and whether my new-found love of writing fiction plays into it.

My personality (Myers-Briggs Type: INTJ ) is pretty much a contradiction unto itself. I prefer to dress casually and act professionally. I despise politics in pretty much any form but strongly believe in voting. I have an ego the size of the Atlantic Ocean but a very-sneaky sense of humility that pounces when I least expect it. I love to keep up with technology, but hate consumerism and new-for-the-sake-of-new. Did I mention I'm a libertarian republican who supports switching America to the metric system? It's complicated.

"EGrabow" is my name online, which can be interpreted as "electronic Grabow" (like how e-mail is "electronic mail"). My dot-com by the same name is highly reflective of my interests and personal style. My work from High School, College, and into the present are posted here ... generally under sharing-friendly licenses. Links to other sites I'm fond of can be found on my EXIT 9 Page .

I am a born-again Christian. I believe that God created all things and that his son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to free me from my inherent sin.

The Bible says that those who seek the Lord shall find him, and I find that the most important aspect of my faith. A personal relationship with God is vital to spiritual growth... The world wants to pull us away from him, to make us doubt, to make us highlight our petty differences. The Lord said "Come now, let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18 ). I find that verse very comforting because it reminds me that God is understanding... so we should be, too. It seems that individuals and denominations bicker over details and tradition rather than seeking God first. We all need to recognize our gifts and unique perspectives and use them to guide others closer to God, then everything is added unto us.

We are spiritual creatures housed in physical human bodies, I believe that the meaning of life is spiritual growth. Many people unfortunately focus on what they can see and touch... their goals focus on wealth and success in this life, that which cannot be taken with them when they pass on, only to become hard-hearted and consider themselves "too busy" to ponder the things of God. We all have jobs, families, hobbies, obligations, etc... that even the most devout Christians can get too caught up in from time to time, but we have to recognize that spirituality and worship is not something to be scheduled but to be lived. God will judge us all in the end for the things we have done here, all I can do is pray for the guidance I need to enter the kingdom of heaven through Christ Jesus.

This is certainly an interesting time to be a faithful person. Throughout human history there have been faithful people and hypocrites, rich and poor, weak and powerful. Of all the innovations human hands have made (which have certainly made life more comfortable... for most of us), the only one I see changing the spiritual playing field is communications. With tools such as telephones, television, and the internet, ideas and information bounce around the globe at near the speed of light... including God's word... and things that would work against Christian beliefs rather than promote them. I don't believe that ignoring the trends that shape our society is the answer, but rather looking hard at the world around us within the context of a strong Christian foundation... for which I personally have my mother to thank. Seek God first. Everything else is meaningless noise in the long run.

In summary, I believe that people should put God before themselves and seek a close personal relationship with him.   A strong work ethic and positive, open attitude is something I try to achieve every day. I want to be conductive to God's word and a good citizen of planet Earth (where our time is short). God Bless.