The Rest of the Story
Learning to Think Objectively—
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from my experience in the heavy-duty diesel trades is my growing tendency to adopt a more practical, solution-oriented approach to nearly everything in life. This was not always true for me either. Too often, when life became challenging or complicated, I allowed my emotions, along with sinful, subjective thoughts, to dominate my thinking, clouding my discernment while exacerbating my troubles. The trades, though, taught me the necessity of a practical, solution-oriented approach to life. By attacking problems with facts, truth, reason, and objectivity, I found a way to take personal responsibility for myself and overcome my incessant habit of making myself the victim. Those who know me now think that my level of pragmatism is just part of my personality, and there may be some truth in this, certainly. Still, I believe that God specifically guided me into this field as a means of reshaping my character while also equipping me with the habits of a practical, solution-oriented approach to life and faith through His Word.
Consider this—
When it comes to supporting any type of mechanical equipment, it’s paramount that a technician understands its key components, along with its operational theory. Not having this kind of objective knowledge and understanding can lead to poor maintenance practices and the inability to solve problems that will inevitably arise. This can be extremely detrimental not only to the performance and longevity of the equipment, but it can also potentially jeopardize the people and products that depend on the equipment.
This same dynamic is also true in the life of every believer, though. It’s this type of mindset we should be looking to adopt when building our Christian faith. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must have an objective source underpinning our faith in Him—more importantly, we must be engaged in learning the truth found in that objective source—the Bible.
Embrace the Toil—
The second valuable lesson I’ve learned from my experience working in the trades primarily relates to the work ethic required of technicians each and every day. Life is indeed full of toil, hardship, and failure. The Bible is replete with examples and references to the suffering and hardship that are to be expected when following the Way. In fact, contrary to popular thought, suffering is the Way. I think most Christians will acknowledge this reality in some way intellectually; however, when it becomes a reality in their own lives, “counting it joy" (James 1:2) is often the furthest thing from their minds. No one likes suffering, though, myself included, and this thought challenges me every day as I strive towards Christlikeness, even in the midst of the toiling and hardships of my life.
Cultivating Character--
The fact is, God uses all of the events and circumstances of our lives to shape our character, including adversity and toil. Sometimes it’s His preferred method. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28) Salvation doesn’t immediately make us mature and faithful Christians, full of wisdom and clarity about life. Instead, salvation enables us, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to understand the Word and begin participating in the process of discipleship. God wants us to experience hardship so we cultivate character traits like courage, humility, and fortitude. This is how we are able to set aside the old way of thinking, renew our minds, and put on the new man, which is the image of Jesus Christ—which includes hardship and toil. These things cannot be learned any other way. (Hebrews 5:8) Hard work, determination, and commitment to the process are required of diesel technicians each day they come to work. The labor is exhausting, dirty, and often thankless. Initiative and fortitude become basic requirements, and those who don't develop usually suffer unnecessarily. I have a great deal of respect for the people who work in these industries as well. We share a common understanding about what it takes to survive and thrive in them. My “toiling” within the trades may have very well saved my life.
I still remember the day I started turning wrenches professionally. Unlike many of my peers who entered the heavy-duty diesel industry right out of trade school, my journey in this field didn't begin until I was in my early 30s. Before transitioning to the trades, as I mentioned previously, I spent ten years teaching in middle and high school—roles I truly loved and felt were my calling. However, at that time, my life wasn’t always squared away, and eventually, serious flaws in my character began to surface. These flaws led to mistakes and presented me with some serious troubles and challenges, the most significant being the eventual failure and divorce from my wife in 2006. This one event initiated a series of life-changing course corrections, among them the pressing need for a higher-paying job to support my two young children.
​Turning Wrenches--
Instead of renewing my teaching contract for another year in 2007, I decided to explore an opportunity in commercial driving and later working on heavy-duty equipment—something I had prior experience with during the summer months of college and between school years as a teacher. With my commercial driver's license in hand, I found a job driving for a large tour bus company. This position offered a slightly higher income and the opportunity to leave “the work” at home, which was particularly beneficial for me at the time. Eventually, I got the chance to move into the garage to start working on the motorcoaches. This seemed like a good decision. However, after spending my first year only cleaning, refueling, and emptying the buses' toilets, I began to have serious doubts about my decision to leave teaching. I felt like I’d exchanged a satisfying career in education for the humiliating drudgery of cleaning and dumping motor-coach lavatories at 3 AM. This was a sobering reality, too, but one that I really needed to experience at that time. God was using my circumstances to reveal the truth of His Word to me. That first year laboring in the shop revealed my character and exposed me to how lacking my understanding of the sanctifying power of His Word was in my life up to that point. I knew much about the Bible, but I was also full of my own ideas and narratives. God used all of these things to flesh out His Word in my life and chasten me back to Him. This marked the beginning of my journey to understand the objective truth behind my faith in Christ once and for all. I could no longer simply get by living an immature and shallow kind of Christian faith.​​
Growth and Opportunity--
Along with my spiritual growth, I also worked diligently on my professional trade craft, gaining valuable experience in the field. This allowed me to advance into various leadership positions over the next few years. I took full advantage of every training opportunity offered to me and became a specialist in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Little did I know that pursuing these specializations would enable me to transition into transport refrigeration full-time with one of the world's largest providers of transport refrigeration equipment and eventually into a corporate training role that rekindled my passion for teaching.​
Coming Full Circle--
I came full circle when I assumed a leadership position overseeing the transport refrigeration division for a large national leasing company in 2017, teaching the very life and trade skills that I had been taught very early on in my career. Over the past decade, I have had the opportunity to work with and train some of the next generation of transport refrigeration technicians, while also deepening and refining my understanding of God’s Word.
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I'm thankful to the organizations I worked for along the way that gave me a chance to succeed. And I’m also incredibly grateful for the opportunities I had to work alongside very talented individuals who invested in me. These people have been instrumental in my success, teaching me the skills I needed to become a great technician and a leader inside the industry. I’ve also been blessed by several remarkable church families along the way, whose pastors shepherded my wandering heart back into the fold during a time of intense spiritual doubt and struggle. ​
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A New Chapter--
The diesel trade has “worked together for my good”— (Romans 8:28), not just because it provided me with a good-paying job and career, but because it created the crucible that pushed me to seek the Truth found in God's Word diligently.
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I’m currently researching and developing several courses focused on the Word of God and Biblical discipleship as I transition from the heavy-duty diesel industry into more ministry-focused work.
I'm also beginning a biblical counseling ministry where I work with individuals like myself to help them glean truth from God's Word to overcome sin and mature in Christlikeness.
I will have more to say about this in the weeks and months ahead.
THE NAME
Heavy Duty Mike is a name that reflects my roots in the heavy-duty diesel and transport refrigeration industry. This line of work provided me with a job at a critically important time in my life. The work, though, was used by God to refine my character, teaching me the value of fortitude, tenaciousness, and problem-solving.
I approach faith in Christ now with a similar attention to determination, objectivity, and personal accountability----The Heavy-Duty Mike Approach----that enabled me to overcome adversity, mature in my faith, and thrive in the world of the diesel trades.
