Robert C Green II .com

Spend your life moving a single boulder. Once the boulder moves, then you can screw around with the pebbles underneath. But honestly, who wants to screw around with pebbles when you just moved a boulder?

If you don’t get the analogy, if you don’t get what this means, ask me and I’ll explain it to you.

I had an interesting conversation this afternoon. What made this conversation overly interesting? Well, I have this problem. You see, I have this tendency to say outlandish things simply to get a response out of people, simply to stimulate their thoughts and to evoke a response. So what did I say at this time that caused some folks to respond? I suggested that if you are going to go to war, why not do it right? Instead of leaving behind a generation of children who will grow bitter and spend their lives hoping to destroy your children and your country, why not just kill everyone and everything?

Do I actually believe this? Absolutely not! I hate war, I hate death, and I have no desire to ruin the lives of anyone. I wholeheartedly believe that God wants none to perish and all to enjoy life. I believe that life is sacred, that life is precious, that life is special, and that life is to be cherished. I want all people to live in freedom and liberty with no fear of war and destruction from the outside. I wish every person perfect health, long life, and great prosperity. So what did my statement encourage? It encouraged two other men to strongly suggest their opinions. What followed was a lively discourse (a discourse filled with serious statements ebbed with hilarious one liners) on how we all thought war should be carried out. And not only war, but how we thought government should be run! It was a good and fun conversation that somehow managed to peaceably bring politics to the lunch table!

Should I say outlandish things? Maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe the crazy things I say from time to time are nothing short of offensive and irritating. Or Maybe, just maybe, the crazy things I say are just what people need in order to spit out their opinions without shame or thought. It seems that in the moment when people are presented with the truly outrageous, the amazingly tragic, the unbelievable, or the unimaginable do they react with their true feelings and their true response. In that moment – that very fine, raw, ugly, gorgeous moment – a glimpse of a person is available that is rarely seen by anyone at anytime. That is the moment when the base of their character is revealed, when their heart’s reaction is placed on the table.

Maybe saying something outrageous only makes me look like a fool. Or maybe, just maybe, saying something outrageous ocasionally allows me to see who people really are, what they really think, and what they really believe.

Maybe I’m wrong for saying things like this, but for some reason I like it. Maybe I should temper my personality, calm it down, and take the this edge off. I don’t know. I’m still deciding.

Inevitable by Anberlin

Do you remember when we were just kids
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss
Schoolyard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not

I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now

I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you’ll ever have
I wanna be your last, first kiss

Amazing how life turns out the way that it does
We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love

I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now

I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you’ll ever have
I wanna be your last, first kiss

Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now
Is it over how hey, hey, it’s not over now

I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you’ll ever have (that you’ll ever have)
I wanna be your last, first love (that you’ll ever have)
Till you’re lying here beside me with arms and eyes open wide
I wanna be your last, first kiss for all time

You just gotta love this!

This morning I listened to a sermon by my old pastor, Rev. Bill Ellis of Riverside Community Church. The podcast of this sermon is available here. This message really hit home.

The message was about Saul and how he was the kind of man who always “almost” obeyed God. Saul seemed to always come close but never quite get there. I’ll let you listen to the podcast for more details. What I’d really like to share is how this applies to me.

I always thought I’d live a life with few regrets at most. As I was listening to this sermon this morning God brought a specific instance to mind. He cleary said, “Rob, you disobeyed me when you chose not to pursue your PhD at Virginia Tech.” For quite a long time I have been haunted by the fact that I have not gone on to PhD studies. The last few months has confirmed quite clearly that I should be going on to this. How has God confirmed this in my life?

1. I’m thankful for my job, but it doesn’t fit me, my personality, or my passions.
2. He’s given me the sense that it is time to leave Bowling Green and that my leaving is a good thing (though quite bittersweet)
3. He’s forced my hand through recent health issues that have led to me re-applying to PhD programs.

The only regret I now have about this is that I didn’t go to Virginia Tech in the first place and that I didn’t re-apply this time around! Don’t get me wrong, much good has come from me staying in BG. I credit all of this good to a simple truth about God : “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8.28

My God is good. My calling is sure. My purpose is clear. Thank God.

Become a tech nomad. Gotta love it.

Here is a link to a video that is an interview of Milton Friedman following his death. One of the great things mentioned here is that Milton Friedman suggested having a website where his friends essays would posted. The friend wonders why he would do that as people would plagiarize his work. Milton Friedman told him that of course they would – then you’re ideas will be working.

There is always a place for privacy and secrecy. Yet it is only when knowledge is shared, investigated, and tossed around a bit that new and better things come of it. I hope that my ideas always lead to new and better ideas. May I never be afraid to share what I have thought, am thinking, or will think.

Just as I thought. View here.

I’m sitting at work right now and doing my job – a web developer. So what did I forget? How much I enjoy writing code! It’s been a long time since I’ve actually enjoyed and taken pleasure in coding. I really do enjoy it. I love the technique. I love the elegance. I love algorithms. I love code. Thank God he gave me this skill.

I remember (quite fondly I might add) my days in undergraduate/graduate school when I would sit down to work on a coding problem and it would consume me for hours and hours. I would get lost in it. I would forget to eat. I would forget to drink. I would even forget to go the bathroom.

In the movie “Chariots of Fire”, Eric Liddell’s sister asks him why he is off running races when there are people who need helped and missions work that needs done. I love his response:

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

Maybe I can take a moment right now to rewrite this quote so that it suits me:

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me smart and good with computers. And when I code I feel His pleasure.

Bernard Madoff for Social Security Commissioner