About Me
Brief Biography
Family
My Faith
Web Design
Music
I was born a southern peach to the Burger Family while my father was posted at Fort Benning, GA with the US Army. As a family, we were transferred to Southwestern Turkey for three years. During this time, I became of age to start school, and my mother educated me at home. My father retired from the service, and we returned stateside to New York’s Southern Tier, where my education continued at home until 8th Grade. At that time, I started attending a Christian school in the area. I played soccer and basketball all through high-school, as well as participated in the traveling choir. It was through sports and choir that I met some of my best friends and future wife. I proceeded to attend college, attaining a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology. While studying engineering in central New York, I developed an interest in web design. After graduating, I landed a job working for an aviation simulation company. Building training devices for militaries all over the world, I developed a love for systems engineering and integration. Eventually, I transitioned to building commercial and military electronic jet engine controls. Starting in 2005, I started working with my church’s progressive high-school youth program, where I act as the tech guru, participate in program planning, and get to participate in the lives of teenagers. I hope to start studying for a M.S. in systems engineering in the next few years. I intend to use my education professionally, but also to participate in short-term mission trips, where engineers evaluate and design buildings and infrastructure for missionaries and orphanages in the world’s desperate places.
In my spare time, I enjoy hanging out with my wife, cycling, playing soccer, listening to music, watching movies, learning about new technologies, and salivating over German cars (VW/Audi, BMW, Porsche, etc.). I do not like artificially flavored banana candies, and wish that people would learn to use their turn signals properly.
In early 2008, I married a very special, beautiful woman, Elizabeth. We had a small wedding ceremony at Howe Caverns. With marriage came a crazy cat, Monte. We also have adopted into our family a young dog, Ruby. Elizabeth is starting to enjoy to my niece Abbie as much as I enjoy spending time with her. Elizabeth and I enjoy spending our time worshipping, walking, mini-golfing, eating, and (even) shopping together.
My immediate family includes two brothers, Chris and Cliff, and my parents, Charlie and Tammy. My parents both work and live in the Binghamton Area. Cliff is an Engineer locally, and still attends college. Chris (Abbie's father) is preparing for a Navy enlistment.
My Hero
Jesus Christ is my hero. It may sound cliché, but he has personally rescued me from my own self destruction. Yes, He has “saved me from my sin,” but more than that, He restores hope, consciousness, and peace when I am about to cave to the self-pity, bitterness, and anger that resides within my humanity. Many times, I have caved to those things, and even sought them out, knowing and hoping that it would hurt Him. Despite all the stupid things I’ve done, He continues to loves me without condition. I am evidence of His promise to Joshua, when He says “I will not fail you or forsake you,” and that is a promise I claim regularly.
The Adversary
Jesus hasn’t rescued me only from my internal instability, but protects me and guides me through the external battles. All humanity has a cunning and strong adversary, who seeks to destroy through any means necessary. It’s an influence that seems intangible, until we consider the destruction all around us: violence, broken homes, hate, cheating, and greed, to name a few. Frequently we war with each other, but more than is acknowledged, we wrestle with this adversary. It presents us with things that are very appealing, but fails to mention the messy (and sometimes distant) consequences of our choices. Personally, I take comfort in knowing that Jesus has been presented with the very appealing things too, and that He struggled with making hard decisions. I will not deny the appeal of the things put before me sometimes, nor the effort put into making the right decision, but He does give me help and guide me in making choices, showing me the best way to think, act, and live.
The Fine Print
Often, people mistakenly think that faith in following Jesus is a boring, weak religion with a list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” Do pray, do care for others, do give all your money to the church, do become a religious zealot; don’t have fun, don’t have sex, don’t spend your money on nice things, don’t swear, don’t lie, don’t listen to music (unless it’s a hymn), don’t have an opinion, don’t have strong emotion, etc., etc. Am I to satisfy that whole list? In reality, there are two “do’s” Jesus is concerned with. Do love God, and do love people. That’s the whole list; any other action Jesus followers’ exhibit is a result of satisfying those two items. Those are two tall requirements though, and can be much harder than it sounds to fulfill. When I screw up, Jesus is my hero, and continues to love me.
My Hero (Part 2)
These few paragraphs are not scratching the surface of Jesus’ love and forgiveness, nor what he’s provided and blessed me with. He’s perfect, unfailing, inexplicable, and indescribable. I know that hard times will visit me and that the adversary will try to snag me again. My response will be to be as ready as I can be, love those around me, hope to fall in love with Jesus, and to get carried away with Him.
As Solution Three, I offer web design and hosting at very reasonable and affordable rates for small businesses, non-profit organizations, bands, and individuals. I can provide a simple site or a very dynamic site. I utilize a combination of PHP, SQL, Flash, and JavaScript to provide you and your audience with a great site at a great value. I can also host and maintain your new or existing website. View my other work at my portfolio. Contact me for more information about what I can do for your website.
Music is an integral part of my life. I almost always have something from my extensive collection playing, whether I’m working, driving, or tinkering with something. I believe that music is the most expressive medium of communication, capturing beautifully both thought and emotion. I love all types of music, with the exceptions of country and mainstream rap, and listen to everything from Beethoven and Prokofiev to Skillet and This Beautiful Republic to Nickelback and Tonic.
Recently, some friends of mine have created a new music, under the name The Proxy. Its throws to U2, Coldplay, and the metal scene through melodic tension appeal to the ears of a variety of listeners. The Proxy's addictive tunes of human struggle will be on my playlist for a long time.
I go through phases of preferring different types of music, and therefore different bands, but some music is timeless, and I can listen to certain bands regardless of phase preference. These are usually the bands that were a “favorite” through a phase, and are really the summation of my collection:
