Robert C Green II .com

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

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.

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.

These lyrics just strike a chord with me. They are by the band Anberlin. The song is called Time and Confusion off of thier album Never Take Friendship Personal.

its not about the money we make
its about the passions that we ache for
what makes your heart beat faster
tell me now what does your body long after

i don’t care now where we live
its not where, or what, or who we were with
i just need you in my life
so promise me again

God has given me a word for the new year: Focus.

So what will I focus on:

1. Christ. Focusing on Christ will bring the rest of my life into the proper order and perspective
2. Teaching. God made me to teach and I need to do this.

That’s my focus. I’m keeping it simple. If I don’t, I’ll fail.

Since this is the start of a New Year, I thought that I’d lay out my plans for the coming year, just so everyone can keep track of me.

1. Look into doing my PhD. I want to teach and this is the way for me to get there.
2. Focus my life.
3. Put on at least 10 pounds of muscle.
4. I’m going to relax and enjoy. Life is too short and I have too much anxiety for some reason. I will not let anxiety rule my life and I will live this life to the fullest. Life is good, God is kind, Christ is real.

1. I’ve said before that I have a long memory and long vision. This whole state does. Knoll coached for over 20 years. Cowher coaced for almost 20 years. Paterno is still coaching. This state remembers things well and does not easily forget. She makes decisions with a vision that is cast far into the future. I’ve been blessed to inherit the tiniest shred of this.
2. I simply appreciate the fact that people here are so cut and dry and tell it like it is. They’re good people. They’re hard working people. They’re honest people. They’re real people. They’re backs are strong, their collars are blue even when they are white, they bleed black and gold, and they’ll give you the shirt off their back if you need it – not to mention a warm meal and a cold beer.
3. When I’m in Pittsburgh, I smile

This morning I had a rather invigorating meeting regarding my 401(k). This wonderful meeting stirred up some thoughts on the subject of saving for retirement.

Is it not odd that you cannot simply save money and grow wealthier because you have worked and saved and earned? In order for any of us to gain real wealth we have to stash our money away in a place where we cannot touch it (some type of retirement fund) where it will hopefully (cross your fingers) gain a substantial amount of value (hopefully more than inflation) over our lifetimes. Basically, we all invest to hedge against inflation. Wouldn’t be nice if this wasn’t the case? Oh, wait, historically it has always been the case that saving meant you were gaining wealth. This is always the case until governments start debasing currency.

That’s right – in the olden days it was mixing copper with gold, zinc with silver in order to make every coin worth less than its face value. Now it’s the printing of massive amounts of currency by central bankers. Now simply think about this – every time a new dollar is printed, each dollar in your pocket is worth less. Why? This is basic supply. The more of something there is, the less each unit is worth.

So there are my thoughts. Savings should equate to wealth. Inflation equates to robbery of your money by central bankers. Investing in retirement funds is a nuissance forced on us becuase of government intervention.

Hard work no longer pays off. It’s only if you get lucky that you actually get to keep your own money.