Untitled Sermon

Integrating Faith and Work

I spent most of my working life in the military, the Air Force to be exact. I served for over 22 years on active duty, then I was a government contractor for over eight years and then I worked a an Air Force civilian at the Pentagon for eight years. I have been fully retired for over 3 years.

as the divorce became final, and each of my parents married someone else and step children came into the picture, how insecure my life felt. I needn’t go into all the details, but when you add two step parents, five step children, life gets complicated. I didn’t like being in my family and I really didn’t like who was in my family.

I spent most of my working life in the military, the Air Force to be exact. I served for over 22 years on active duty, then I was a government contractor for over eight years and then I worked a an Air Force civilian at the Pentagon for eight years. I have been fully retired for over 3 years.

By this time you have lot of different stories how different people in the church have ended in the calling they have been called to. I have heard some of these stories. There are all interesting. and very positive. I am going to explain the circumstances God has used to called me to work I did and where I am now. This story isn’t as positive in the sense, that my father was positive role models or I had happy life growing up, but it’s positive in a sense God was there working a plan in my life even though I was unaware of it at the time. Now, some of you may identify with my story as I tell it and may be suffering through some of the things I did. I want to encourage you that God is with us in all these things, and all these afflictions we go through have a purpose.

To explain what was happening to me I am going to use a secular sociological framework for now. I will use a Christian worldview later, but for now sociological. There was a sociologist in 1960s named Morris Massey who developed this concept “What You Are, Is Where You Were When”...(meaning the events in your life past, shape how you turn out now). You have what he calls significant emotional events. This significant emotional events have the capacity to change your perspective in life, your value system and your view of the world.

By this time you have lot of different stories how different people in the church have ended in the calling they have been called to. I have heard some of these stories. There are all interesting. and very positive. I am going to explain the circumstances God has used to called me to work I did and where I am now. This story isn’t as positive in the sense, that my father was positive role models or I had happy life growing up, but it’s positive in a sense God was there working a plan in my life even though I was unaware of it at the time. Now, some of you may identify with my story as I tell it and may be suffering through some of the things I did. I want to encourage you that God is with us in all these things, and all these afflictions we go through have a purpose.

I grew up in Stockton California which is just about in the middle of the state. My dad worked for my grandfather at my grandfather’s sporting goods store. From what I remember from about when I was 6, 7 and 8 I had a happy life. But I started to notice that my dad was gone more and more. I really never was told why and I guess I never asked why he was gone, but he was gone a lot. When I was about two weeks short of my 10th birthday my called me in to my bedroom and she told me her and my dad were getting divorced.

So this significant emotional event growing up the way I did, give me the perspective that I need to create my own security, because my own experience showed me I couldn’t find it that in my family. I needed to figure out how to do that. When I was getting ready to graduate the ninth grade, ( I was fourteen) I starting to formulate my career plan.

I grew up in Stockton California which is just about in the middle of the state. My dad worked for my grandfather at my grandfather’s sporting goods store. From what I remember from about when I was 6, 7 and 8 I had a happy life. But I started to notice that my dad was gone more and more. I really never was told why and I guess I never asked why he was gone, but he was gone a lot. When I was about two weeks short of my 10th birthday my called me in to my bedroom and she told me her and my dad were getting divorced.

1. Enroll AFJROTC in High School

This news devastated me. My mom was a stay at home mom and I had a brother who was 8, a sister who 5 and brother who was 2 and half. Our lives were going to change and none of it was going to be for the good. My mom was going to go to secretarial school, money going to get tight, and my life was going get very unsupervised. When my mom told me the news about the divorce, it was around the Nov 1, 1963. It was extremely sad and we were all crying. Even though none of this was my fault I felt a lot of shame and sadness. Then Nov 22, 1963 something happened that shocked the world. Does anyone know what happened that day? This was the President John F Kennedy was shot in Dallas Texas. It was the first time something like this was televised throughout the nation and the world. So besides all the crying at our house, everybody on TV was crying because the president was dead. Even Walter Cronkite the newscaster was crying. And remember how then and the years to come as my family life become more unraveled as the divorce became final, and each of my parents married someone else and step children came into the picture, how insecure my life felt. I needn’t go into all the details, but when you add two step parents, five step children, life gets complicated. I didn’t like being in my family and I really didn’t like who was in my family.

This news devastated me. My mom was a stay at home mom and I had a brother who was 8, a sister who 5 and brother who was 2 and half. Our lives were going to change and none of it was going to be for the good. My mom was going to go to secretarial school, money going to get tight, and my life was going get very unsupervised. When my mom told me the news about the divorce, it was around the Nov 1, 1963. It was extremely sad and we were all crying. Even though none of this was my fault I felt a lot of shame and sadness. Then Nov 22, 1963 something happened that shocked the world. Does anyone know what happened that day? This was the President John F Kennedy was shot in Dallas Texas. It was the first time something like this was televised throughout the nation and the world. So besides all the crying at our house, everybody on TV was crying because the president was dead. Even Walter Cronkite the newscaster was crying. And remember how then and the years to come as my family life become more unraveled

This news devastated me. My mom was a stay at home mom and I had a brother who was 8, a sister who 5 and brother who was 2 and half. Our lives were going to change and none of it was going to be for the good. My mom was going to go to secretarial school, money going to get tight, and my life was going get very unsupervised. When my mom told me the news about the divorce, it was around the Nov 1, 1963. It was extremely sad and we were all crying. Even though none of this was my fault I felt a lot of shame and sadness. Then Nov 22, 1963 something happened that shocked the world. Does anyone know what happened that day? This was the President John F Kennedy was shot in Dallas Texas. It was the first time something like this was televised throughout the nation and the world. So besides all the crying at our house, everybody on TV was crying because the president was dead. Even Walter Cronkite the newscaster was crying. And remember how then and the years to come as my family life become more unraveled as the divorce became final, and each of my parents married someone else and step children came into the picture, how insecure my life felt. I needn’t go into all the details, but when you add two step parents, five step children, life gets complicated. I didn’t like being in my family and I really didn’t like who was in my family.

To explain what was happening to me I am going to use a secular sociological framework for now. I will use a Christian worldview later, but for now sociological. There was a sociologist in 1960s named Morris Massey who developed this concept “What You Are, Is Where You Were When”...(meaning the events in your life past, shape how you turn out now). You have what he calls significant emotional events. This significant emotional events have the capacity to change your perspective in life, your value system and your view of the world.

2. Continue College Prep Classes in High School

To explain what was happening to me I am going to use a secular sociological framework for now. I will use a Christian worldview later, but for now sociological. There was a sociologist in 1960s named Morris Massey who developed this concept “What You Are, Is Where You Were When”...(meaning the events in your life past, shape how you turn out now). You have what he calls significant emotional events. This significant emotional events have the capacity to change your perspective in life, your value system and your view of the world.

So this significant emotional event growing up the way I did, give me the perspective that I need to create my own security, because my own experience showed me I couldn’t find it that in my family. I needed to figure out how to do that. When I was getting ready to graduate the ninth grade, ( I was fourteen) I starting to formulate my career plan.

3. Get AF ROTC scholarship and go to college out of state

So this significant emotional event growing up the way I did, give me the perspective that I need to create my own security, because my own experience showed me I couldn’t find it that in my family. I needed to figure out how to do that. When I was getting ready to graduate the ninth grade, ( I was fourteen) I starting to formulate my career plan.

1. Enroll AFJROTC in High School

4. Major in engineering or something to do with airplanes

1. Enroll AFJROTC in High School

2. Continue College Prep Classes in High School

5. Make the military a career

2. Continue College Prep Classes in High School

3. Get AF ROTC scholarship and go to college out of state

The reason for the Air Force was I lived in the San Joaquin Valley in CA, and I lived fifty miles from four Air Force bases. The planes were constantly flying over house. I had a big interest in airplanes since I was very young. My dad had been in USAF for four years and I had been born on an USAF base. As a kid walking to school with my brother we could see B-52s being refueled by KC-135 tankers.

3. Get AF ROTC scholarship and go to college out of state

4. Major in engineering or something to do with airplanes

The reason for college prep classes was because to get out of the house I know I would have to go to college or join the military. It was 1968 and the Vietnam War was reaching its peak and college seemed safer than military. I knew my parents couldn’t pay for college and ROTC scholarship was the easiest wait to pay for it. And the reason I wanted to do all of this, was to take control of my own life and get it out my parents. Does this seems reasonable?

4. Major in engineering or something to do with airplanes

5. Make the military a career

The reason for the Air Force was I lived in the San Joaquin Valley in CA, and I lived fifty miles from four Air Force bases. The planes were constantly flying over house. I had a big interest in airplanes since I was very young. My dad had been in USAF for four years and I had been born on an USAF base. As a kid walking to school with my brother we could see B-52s being refueled by KC-135 tankers.

The reason for college prep classes was because to get out of the house I know I would have to go to college or join the military. It was 1968 and the Vietnam War was reaching its peak and college seemed safer than military. I knew my parents couldn’t pay for college and ROTC scholarship was the easiest wait to pay for it. And the reason I wanted to do all of this, was to take control of my own life and get away my parents. Does this seems reasonable?

The reason for college prep classes was because to get out of the house I know I would have to go to college or join the military. It was 1968 and the Vietnam War was reaching its peak and college seemed safer than military. I knew my parents couldn’t pay for college and ROTC scholarship was the easiest wait to pay for it. And the reason I wanted to do all of this, was to take control of my own life and get it out my parents. Does this seems reasonable?

The reason for college prep classes was because to get out of the house I know I would have to go to college or join the military. It was 1968 and the Vietnam War was reaching its peak and college seemed safer than military. I knew my parents couldn’t pay for college and ROTC scholarship was the easiest wait to pay for it. And the reason I wanted to do all of this, was to take control of my own life and get away my parents. Does this seems reasonable?

The reason for college prep classes was because to get out of the house I know I would have to go to college or join the military. It was 1968 and the Vietnam War was reaching its peak and college seemed safer than military. I knew my parents couldn’t pay for college and ROTC scholarship was the easiest wait to pay for it. And the reason I wanted to do all of this, was to take control of my own life and get it out my parents. Does this seems reasonable?

From non-Christian perspective, it makes sense because a non-Christian thinks he can establish his own security, which he can’t. When I graduated from High School, I went to Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, which was 700 miles from my hometown. In my sophomore year at Arizona I became a Christian and I put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I realized before then I could make good life decisions to help mitigate my security but God was sovereign overall on what happened to me. Which becomes a bigger part of the story in my life.

When I graduated from Arizona State I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and entered active duty in the USAF. My career field was that of an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. This job meant I was responsible for the maintenance and the flying schedule that was accomplished by the men and women maintainers who worked on the military. I had to make sure people were trained, had the proper equipment and supplies and supervision, and that we were able to deploy to an overseas location when ordered. Sometimes I had the responsibility of up to eighty fighter aircraft.

When I graduated from Arizona State I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and entered active duty in the USAF. My career field was that of an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. This job meant I was responsible for the maintenance and the flying schedule that was accomplished by the men and women maintainers who worked on the military. I had to make sure people were trained, had the proper equipment and supplies and supervision, and that we were able to deploy to an overseas location when ordered. Sometimes I had the responsibility of up to eighty fighter aircraft. nable?

When I graduated from Arizona State I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and entered active duty in the USAF. My career field was that of an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. This job meant I was responsible for the maintenance and the flying schedule that was accomplished by the men and women maintainers who worked on the military. I had to make sure people were trained, had the proper equipment and supplies and supervision, and that we were able to deploy to an overseas location when ordered. Sometimes I had the responsibility of up to eighty fighter aircraft.

So do airplanes crash? Yes, they do.

Why do airplanes crash?

They crash because sometimes pilots get disoriented and fly them into the ground. We call that “pilot error”.

Sometimes a jet crashes because a part breaks like a blade on the engine that causes catastrophic failures. We call that a “material failure”.

Sometimes a maintenance person will not follow a procedure correctly when installing a part and that will cause a crash. They install the part backwards, not put all screws back in, or put in wrong screws etc. That is called a “maintenance error”. It was my job to keep maintenance error from happening. Sometimes I had 500-800 people working for me.

Sometimes a maintenance person will not follow a procedure correctly when installing a part and that will cause a crash. They install the part backwards, not put all screws back in, or put in wrong screws etc. That is called a “maintenance error”. It was my job to keep maintenance error from happening. Sometimes I had 500-800 people working for me. Do you think that was easy to do?

Sometimes a maintenance person will not follow a procedure correctly when installing a part and that will cause a crash. They install the part backwards, not put all screws back in, or put in wrong screws etc. That is called a “maintenance error”. It was my job to keep maintenance error from happening. Sometimes I had 500-800 people working for me.

Sometimes a maintenance person will not follow a procedure correctly when installing a part and that will cause a crash. They install the part backwards, not put all screws back in, or put in wrong screws etc. That is called a “maintenance error”. It was my job to keep maintenance error from happening. Sometimes I had 500-800 people working for me. Do you think that was easy to do?

Here is a real life example of a maintenance error: There was a lieutenant at my base who cleared an F-4 to fly that had un locked wing. The F-4 had wings that could be folded as the F-4 were designed to be flown on carriers. If the wings were unfolded there was an indicated that stuck out of the wing that indicated it was unlocked. However on this jet, he indicator was broken off. But a good habit was always to walk up to the wing and grab it and lift to make sure it was locked. He didn’t do that, nor three other guys or the pilot who should have checked it. When the jet started to take, the lift over the wing caused the wing to fold which caused the jet to roll which then the crew had to eject and during the ejection projection process there was additional problem with the drogue chute and the back seater was killed.

Now

Here is a real life example of a maintenance error: There was a lieutenant at my base who cleared an F-4 to fly that had un locked wing. The F-4 had wings that could be folded as the F-4 were designed to be flown on carriers. If the wings were unfolded there was an indicated that stuck out of the wing that indicated it was unlocked. However on this jet, he indicator was broken off. But a good habit was always to walk up to the wing and grab it and lift to make sure it was locked. He didn’t do that, nor three other guys or the pilot who should have checked it. When the jet started to take, the lift over the wing caused the wing to fold which caused the jet to roll which then the crew had to eject and during the ejection projection process there was additional problem with the drogue chute and the back seater was killed.

Now if you remember, from my family background the value that I said that was the most important to me was security, that is I wasn’t to be able to control the things that were happening in my life, so I could keep my bad things from happening to me. But I am ended up in a career field, where there was a possibility every day there could be a slip up any day where I would be held responsible and my Air Force career would be ruined.

There was a lieutenant at my base who cleared an F-4 to fly that had un locked wing. The F-4 had wings that could be folded as they were designed to be flown on carriers. If the wings were unfolded there was an indicated that stuck out of the wing that indicated it was unlocked. The indicator was broken off. But a good habit was always to walk up to the wing and grab it and lift to make sure it was locked. He didn’t do that, nor three other guys who should have checked it. When the jet started to take, the lift over the wing caused the wing to fold which caused the jet to roll which then the crew had to eject and the back seater was killed.

Now if you remember, from my family background the value that I said that was the most important to me was security, that is I wasn’t to be able to control the things that were happening in my life, so I could keep my bad things from happening to me. But I am ended up in a career field, where there was a possibility every day there could be a slip up any day where I would be held responsible and my Air Force career would be ruined.

At this point in the story let me try to answer a couple of questions that Eric provided me for this class.

Do you believe God “called” you to this kind of work? Yes, as a Christian, especially a reformed Christian, I believe in the sovereignty of God. That everything that happens to me good or bad, especially the bad, happens to make me like Jesus. And quicker I come to realize that, the better off I am. And even though this is exactly the kind of work I would have avoided if I would have known all details, God knew this was exactly the kind of work I would excel in.

If someone were to want to take up this kind of work, what skills, mind-set, education/experience are important for doing this?

One of the greatest fears I had is not being able to control what I couldn’t control. Is that a true fear?

No, that is like being afraid of the ghost. It doesn’t do you any good.

One of skills I taught myself was how to control the things I could control, which is another way to say to process management. For example, after an accident, the Air Force would send to report to all the units of what happened. So I would always review these reports to look at what units did wrong to make sure we weren’t doing the same thing. When I was out on the flight line when we were launching airplanes, I was constantly observing everything we were doing to make sure were safe. I was live my life “inside the lines” especially when it come to work.

How has this work connected with your “calling”? The best work we do is consistent with God made us, the skills we have, and the passions that drive us. Successful work is somehow consistent without our calling in life Have you seen that in your work?

I have always had a competitive spirit. I always want to win. In the aircraft maintenance business, the mission has always has an objective. Can we fly that many missions? Can we make all the combat turns. Can we meet our mission capable rate requirements? The skills and passions I had were consistent with what the work required which made work fun and rewarding. It is rewarding having a job where the job is to beat the enemy and defend your country.